Filterscape VA forgotten?

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Diva, Zebra and ACE get deserved attention.

But what about Filterscape VA, seem to be overlooked for the most part.

Is it a synth that is on the way out of the uhe portfolio?

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I'm just a user, this is only an opinion... but with immense power of the products you mentioned (and looming power houses like Bazzilla and Zebra 3) I'm not sure if Filterscape can survive.

Is there some special "trick" that only Filterscape can create? Seems like Zebra2.5 can meet (and surpass) all of the sonic aspects in Filterscape... ok, the animated feed back is a no show... but is there something I'm missing?
Retired, Bored and ready to WRECK the JOINT... gonna drop some OLD-STEP, ya'll!!

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Filterscape in general needs an overhaul.

Otoh it's been "complete" ever since it came out. There was never a pressing need to add anything. Hence all we did was maintenance updates with general improvements.

Nevertheless, we have a much superior eq algorithm in our drawers (you guess it, zero delay feedback) which might find its way into all of Filterscape.

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Urs wrote:Filterscape in general needs an overhaul.

Otoh it's been "complete" ever since it came out. There was never a pressing need to add anything. Hence all we did was maintenance updates with general improvements.

Nevertheless, we have a much superior eq algorithm in our drawers (you guess it, zero delay feedback) which might find its way into all of Filterscape.
Please don't. I was so content not wanting it. If you update and improve it, I might have to test it again. ;-)
..off to play with my music toys - library music production.
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its my best weapon for bass-sounds.
Whoever wants music instead of noise, joy instead of pleasure, soul instead of gold, creative work instead of business, passion instead of foolery, finds no home in this trivial world of ours.

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No Filterscape VA is not forgotten. I see it as a welcome additional tool to the Filterscape enviroment. To understand the VA you need to look at the Filterscape main effect, an extended effect, going beyond regular effects and can be decribed as a modulatable/mini host/rack effects powerhouse. In Numerology Pro 3 I could setup many many modulators and step sequencers combined with several filters to achieve the same things, but only just about. Filterscape is prepatched purpous focused for Filters movement useful for when you want to invoke a state of constant change. It's design saves a great deal of time clicking about in a host opening automation windows loading filters chaining it's output to delays, constructing complicated routing in an effects chain with various routing strategies..

Now that my effects folder is bulging with different tools I really see the advantage of having an intergrated tool like this. Trash 2 for example has this all in one type of setup, but it lacks the VA sound generator...

So the VA is like another viewpoint/ window into this moving filter landscaping enviroment. It's very illustrative as a tool in it's own right and as a source of inspiration and discovery, ideas and experience that can easily be re-seeded back into the main Filterscape plug or any other related filtering effect chains you use.

The sound quality in the VA is more than decent. It's quick to try various eq settings Lfo controlled gates envelope controlled sweeps range and speeds. Fun to use. So no FIlterscape VA is not at all redundant.. I'd call the interface snappy and responsive with great confidence building visual feedback.

I love the GUI's back to the future look, the interface is sizable so it's easy to get a great detailed view into the different sections this is expecielly useful with the main Filterscape plug in. The VA has a capable arpeggiator as well, which many of my other instrument plug in's don't have...


To sum up.

Filterscape VA is a capable additional tool to in the FIlter Landscaping toolbox.

Filterscape the main plug is quite complex, so having a simplified version in the VA with well spec'd rmodulation possibilites of frequency repsonse with really up front and in your face control, An arpeggiator married to a sound generating engine, gives new ways to understand and to apply these powerful but normally somewhat difficult to program effects.

The Filterscape VA is from the very beginning concieved as a changing state sound generator. To achieve this kined of functionally normally you would route a synth into the main Filterscape effect, but sometimes this is perhaps not the workflow where looking for when speedy setup is important.

There can be many situations where reducing the complexity of your project enviroment is just the sort of thing needed. Afterall you don't always need to go into great detail with for example modulation or tempo synced snapshot morphing betwween filter types that is available in the main Filterscape plug.

Sound quality is adequate in many situations, though it's pretty hard to compete with the likes of Diva..

The VA's arpeggiator is a strong plus and fits any filtersweeps and gated filter effects like a glove..

This instrument just works and is not overly CPU intensive when you look at the breadth and depth of the sound resources available.

It's already 64 bit on the mac.

I hope Filterscape VA and Filterscape Filterscape Q6 all get updated. These types of effects "quasi effects chain mini host/rack" in the main Filterscape at least are actually still somewhat rare. Perfectly suited to the synthesist, soundmangler.

I bought full price and have no intention of removing it from my hard disk anytime soon.

Additional Features that might be useful in the next Filterscape VA

Updating the Filters to Diva quality.

Realtime switching between arp presets.

A fleshed out Delay unit or a way to insert MFM 2(3?)would be even better..

Wider variety of osc waveforms.

additional EQ bands..

EQ morphing.

Still nice work on the Filterscape VA there's a lot of brilliant sounds available right out of the box, either from the u-he preset library or those already included with the download.
Last edited by TwoToneshuzz on Tue Feb 19, 2013 8:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
waves break, but somehow it all makes sense.

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I keep changing my post above, so I just bump this for any that may have read the earlier version...
waves break, but somehow it all makes sense.

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TwoToneshuzz wrote:I keep changing my post above, so I just bump this for any that may have read the earlier version...
Very thorough!

I liked the part where you wrote, "To sum up." And then wrote twice as much again! Just teasing, I highly approve your enthusiasm.

I've long had my eye on Filterscape. There was a thread somewhere here of Urs claiming he feels that Filterscape is an overlooked gem of a tool. Some day!

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joelcorriveau wrote:
TwoToneshuzz wrote:I keep changing my post above, so I just bump this for any that may have read the earlier version...
Very thorough!

I liked the part where you wrote, "To sum up." And then wrote twice as much again! Just teasing, I highly approve your enthusiasm.

I've long had my eye on Filterscape. There was a thread somewhere here of Urs claiming he feels that Filterscape is an overlooked gem of a tool. Some day!
Well it's currently supported for OS X lastest version, so there's still time to get in on the Filterscape goodness.

Looking through the various Filterscape VA patches I'm actually surpised at how many don't use the snapshot slots to create movement. So there's still much that can be discoverd and exploited in the instrument.

The Filterscape main effect plug in my opinion is still very much full of un-tapped possiblities..

It's a mini host for Filter effects modulation of type, the 10 snapshots, the 4 envelope followers, the delay, the multiple signal routing setups..

So much on offer here that it's very easy to get lost because of the depth and number of features. So it's not a plug that gets mastered in a hurry by any but the most capable of sound designers. Seen in that light and remembering that filtering techniques almost always have to be built around the actual input material to be most effective can be an explanation as to why this is not more popular..

Once you get used to the concept, then try settting similiar things up in your host, return to Filterscape to achieve the same things, you will likely begin to understand the advantages of having this setup in a compact, effective enviroment like the Filterscape..
waves break, but somehow it all makes sense.

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