Filterscape features
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2 Filters with simultaneous output for LP, BP, HP and Notch
that can be panned and mixed individually
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Extensive modulation options:
Step Sequencers, LFOs, Envelope Followers
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Semi-modular architecture with tempo synced delay
and 2 flexible mixers (Panning, Balance, inverse stereo)
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Revolutionary Morphing EQ
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The Equalizer
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A parametric equalizer with up to 8 snapshots that
can be automated/morphed in various ways
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The Filters
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2 State Variable Filters with very powerful features
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Routing, Mixers, Delay
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choose the circuity that fits your needs...
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Step Sequencers
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2 Step Sequencers for rhythmic modulations and patterns
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LFOs
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2 LFOs - synced to tempo
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Envelope Followers
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4 Envelope Followers with threshold, optional prefiltering and AHR-Envelope mode
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The Equalizer
Filterscape's Equalizer is the heart of the effect. It's not just another 4-band
equalizer. Instead, with its morphable snapshots, its deep modulation options
and the possibility to also use it as a filter, it goes way beyond typical eqs...
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The eq control shows the frequency and gain of each band as 4 little balls.
These balls can be dragged around for quick and easy adjustments.
The resulting curve is shown as a grey line. Another line (blue) shows the
curve you actually listen to, for instance when the eq parameters are modulated.
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When ctrl-dragging a ball, you can adjust the q (steepness, bandwidth or resonance) for
each band. Ctrl-clicking the background opens a contextual menu with further options, such
as copy/paste and the modes for the eq:
- EQ: Lowshelf - Peaking - Peaking - Highshelf
- Peaks: 4 x Peaking
- Filter: Lowpass - Bandpass - Bandpass - Highpass
- Bandpasses: 4 x Bandpass
- panned BPs: same as above, distributed left to right
Very handy: When you command-click the background, the balls snap to the
settings currently represented by the blue line! - This helps when creating
fluent transitions between different snapshots etc.
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The snapshot dial lets you walk through the up to 8 snapshots of the eq
settings.
The inner dial acts like a knob for seamless blending between snapshots.
The outer segments show which snapshot is currently
editable in the eq control.
The thin bright arc shows the currently audible snapshot, for instance if the
snapshot is modulated. - As with everything, you gotta see it in action, it can hardly be described...
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The Gain Scale knob (left) can be used to adjust the overall influence of the eq
between -100% ... 0% ... +100%. Thus you can seamlessly fade the effect of the eq in
and out, and you can even reverse the influence of the eq!
There are some more options and controls for the equalizer in the tabbed pane below
the eq control:
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(scaled images)
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The EQ pane contains knobs for each parameter of the eq, if you are more familiar
with that than dragging balls.
There's also a Snapshot Auto Proceed function that makes automating the eq snapshots
very easy, all in sync to the host tempo, with adjustable loop points and direction.
Two other panes, Mod global and Mod snapshot keep an identical set of modulation
options for each band of the eq.
While Mod global assigns modulations working independently from
the current snapshot, Mod snapshot provides all these options for each snapshot, meaning that you
can have completely different modulations on different snapshots!
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The Filters
Filterscape features 2 Filters which are modeled after classic analog State
Variable Filters (SVF). This kind of filter is very popular among vintage gear as well as
among software synthesizers. It provides simultaneous output for lowpass, bandpass, highpass
and notch. Unlike most other plug-ins, Filterscape does not only let you switch between
the different characteristics, it also lets you mix them dynamically!
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The Filter Angle parameter controls the mix of the four filter outputs.
The ring can be dragged freely, or it will rotate around the center while you drag
the mouse in the dark area. The little ball shows the currently audible mix
of the filter types, as you can modulate both angle and radius of the mix.
This way you can create filter sounds that i.e. blend seamlessly between lowpass
and bandpass. If centered, the output is
close to an allpass filter (used in phasing effects).
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Of course, you also have the typical parameters that you expect from a common filter, like
Cutoff and Resonance (both modulatable!). The Drive parameter boosts the input so
that more distortions of the overdriven filter become evident. The AutoFM parameter can be
used to modulate the cutoff frequency by the input signal (audio rate modulation) which results from
'wet' sounds to amp-like distortion.
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The SVF1 and SVF2 panes below the EQ provide some more in-depth
parameters for controlling the filter's outputs.
Each output can be panned individually and adjusted in gain. There are 5 different
panning modes for each output which let you determine how the panning affects the
stereo image (more details in the mixer section below).
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Routing, Mixers, Delay
Filterscape is based upon a modular plug-in engine. Consequently, it provides
a range of different routings so that you can use the filters, the eq and
the delay in series, in parallel or anything inbetween, at different order of processing.
As a great source for complex effects, there are also some routings that place
eq or filters into the delay's feedback path.
For further control of the signal flow there are 2 mixer units that control
the dry/wet mix of parallel stages as well as the panning of the returned signal.
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These examples of Filterscape's routings show the variety of possibilities.
While the preview version does only contain these three routings, the final
version will offer at least a dozen of them!
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On the lower left of the editor window - thus always visible - you can find the
controls for the tempo synced Delay and the 2 Mixers:
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Both Mixers let you control the ratio between the original signal (the horizontal line
in the routing schemes above) and the signal returning from a parallel channel (displayed with an arrow), from
0% -> dry to 100% -> wet. This way you can control how much any module in the signal path
contributes to the overall effect.
The wet signal can also be panned in various ways (alike the filter outputs!):
- Bal L-R: Input Balance, actually just damping either channel, preserving the
stereo image
- Pan L-R: Input Pan, for negative values (to left side) panning the right side
over to the left side, and vice versa - so no information is lost during panning, but
the stereo image narrows
- Bal R-L: same as Bal L-R, but with inverted stereo image
- Pan R-L: same as Pan L-R, also inverted
- Pan mono: panning the mono sum of the input signal
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At first glance, Filterscape's Delay is a very simple and basic digital delay.
It's very straight forward to use, yet it is more powerful than it might seem!
You can choose a delay time from 1/64 to 1/1 for each channel, including dotted and triplet values. The
two knobs for Feedback and Cross control the amount of the delayed signal the is fed back into
the delay on the same channels (Feedback) and in a ping-pong manner (Cross).
The Mix parameter controls the ratio of dry/wet signal, just like the Mixers do.
However simple this sounds, there are routings where i.e. the EQ is set into the delay's feedback path.
Thus you can create many, many different flavours of delay from filtered spectrums up to wildly evolving feedbacks.
And because it is very easy to overload the delay with extreme feedbacks, it has a limiter built in that
keeps the overall level in reasonable ranges (Or at least, it tries to, because you can still do things that
no limiter on earth can correct ;-).
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Step Sequencers
Filterscape offers two step sequencers for pattern based modulations.
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Both step sequencers are very easy to use: In the value field on the right you just draw the desired pattern
with your mouse.
The controls on the left allow you to set the steps for loop start and loop length as well as
the tempo in a wide range of note lengths (1/64 - 8/1 per step).
A Trigger setting lets the
steps sequencer restart after a number of bars (never, each bar or up to every 32 bars) so that
your patterns will be in sync even if you have odd measure changes in your song.
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The Blend parameter controls how the steps fade into each other.
If set to 0 (mid position), the steps will just jump from one value to the other.
If set to positive values (1 ... 100%), once a new step is reached, the value will start to fade
from the previous step to the current.
If set to negative values (-1 ... -100%), the current step will fade into the succeeding value accordingly,
at the end of its duration, so that once the next step is due, the value is already there.
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LFOs
The LFOs can oscillate in a set of waveforms, ranging from sine, triangle, sawtooths and squares
to random (s&h or glide).
Like the step sequencer, they can be synced from 1/64 to 8/1.
They can be restarted each number of bars, to any Phase.
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Envelope Followers
There are 4 envelope followers available in Filterscape. They feature some very useful functions in order
to analyse the input signal and transform that into modulation signals that make sense, music-wise.
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First of all, the input signal can be attenuated (Attn parameter) in a range from +/- 36 dB, so even
rather quiet - or loud - material can be analysed very dynamically.
A pre-filtering option can be set to either signal (dry), lowpass, bandpass or highpass.
This way you can narrow down the analysed spectrum to a frequency band, as determined by the Freq parameter. This
makes it possible to trigger Filterscape's modulations upon different bands.
A threshold (the fader labelled Th) can be used to adjust the working point of the envelope follower.
The Attack and Release parameters control the rate at which the envelope actually follows the
input signal (between 1ms and 650ms).
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The Smooth parameter adds some inertia to the analyser stage, which also affects the Attack and Release. This
makes it easier to control dynamic material. In its extreme position (100%), the analyser is slowed down dramatically
so that the envelope follows changes smoothly over a couple of beats or even bars!
A special function is the Env Mode. When this is activated, the envelope follower doesn't work as a
normal envelope follower, but as a Attack-Hold-Release envelope. Thus, whenever the input level crosses
the threshold, the AHR will be triggered (like a gate), while it will be released when the input level falls
below the threshold.
Now, enjoy this plug-in!
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