Cytomic "The Drop" Resonant Filter

[andy-cytomic]

The drop , eleven years since it’s release and it’s still remains unrivaled !!
@Andy , how is development of the upcoming modular , is it still happening ?

Work on the synth is definitely happening in the background, but the ideas are coming together now. I've just finished a some work in the modular synth area that I'll announce in the next week or so, which will definitely be of interest A Cytomic modular synth is still a long way off though.

[andy-cytomic]

v1.75 The Drop AU - there is another parameter missing from the automation list [in Logic Pro]

Env1]LpFreq

I've got this showing up just fine with Logic. Can you please send an email to support@cytomic.com to discuss this further? We can then post back here once we have sorted out what the source of the issue is.

I've reproduce a crash in Logic Pro on Intel Macs as well as M1 Macs that run Logic as a Rosetta 2 application. This needs fixing with a high priority, and I'll post back here with news as I find out more. Sorry for these issues, but I'm pretty sure it's to do with me having to change The Drop to report some parameters to Logic as Meta / AUDepedentParameters to get auval to work properly, which has now broken things elsewhere - I have no idea why.

[andy-cytomic]

I'll be happy to just get native Apple Silicon support and nothing else for The Drop, The Glue, and The Scream in 2022. If VST3 can come with that, I'm sure the Cubase users will also be happy. After that, The Scream with the MD mode that's been discussed (new circuit solver), The Glue v2, Cytomic Modular stuff would all be very welcome but I'd gladly wait for.

The Scream will come out first as x86_64, those customers have priority to have a non beta version. Full Apple Silicon support with then roll out for all products pretty much at the same time, since once I've updated Juce I get that for everything as I have a unified framework that contains most of the code for the plugins, it's just DSP and custom GUI stuff that needs specific code.

[andy-cytomic]

v1.75 The Drop AU - there is another parameter missing from the automation list [in Logic Pro]

Env1]LpFreq

I've got this showing up just fine with Logic. Can you please send an email to support@cytomic.com to discuss this further? We can then post back here once we have sorted out what the source of the issue is.

I've reproduce a crash in Logic Pro on Intel Macs as well as M1 Macs that run Logic as a Rosetta 2 application. This needs fixing with a high priority, and I'll post back here with news as I find out more. Sorry for these issues, but I'm pretty sure it's to do with me having to change The Drop to report some parameters to Logic as Meta / AUDepedentParameters to get auval to work properly, which has now broken things elsewhere - I have no idea why.

I've reduced how much information I've reported about Meta parameters to Logic, and that has avoided the crash I was seeing. Can you please give The Drop v1.7.6 a go and see if that helps you?

www.cytomic.com/products/drop

[andy-cytomic]

developer must waste their time updating for new os, rather than new toys.

I actually started writing The Glue I had to support both PowerPC and Intel chips for mac, and there were no AAX or VST3 plugin formats, just VST, RTAS, and AU. It is a very different world now, with ARM chips in everything, and online purchases being much more common.

I haven't really been too impacted by new operating systems, in this case it's new plugin formats, new chip architectures, and new security measures that are all conspiring to "waste my time" (as well as maintaining a web page, customer support, videos, posting on forums, accounts etc etc). I don't really view any of these things as wasting my time, they are all just part of running my own business which I love doing.

I do like to make new toys, and have been able to fit in a few things, but in good conscience can't spend time on new things if current things need ongoing support. I've also only been working part time for the past 5 years or so, since I've been supporting my wife's return to the workforce. I'm now almost back to full time work as our kids are getting older, and my wife is working from home more to help support me keeping my hours up.

[noiseresearch]

/* static noise */

[andy-cytomic]

Glad to hear things going forward for you. Respect for your business and coding skills.

A bit unrelated and pessimistic but I like to ask you what happens to a Cytomic license when (what I do not hope) business is closing? Since it's a c/r protection it may be difficult? Do you have some schemes in the background to make sure plugins are running after a case of closing business? I have all your plugins so it's a honest user question here

Running an authorisation server is not expensive. I also have command line programs to generate authorisations which will be released to license owners should, for whatever reason, an online authorisation server for a product not want to be maintained (eg if a product is retired) - which is a worst case situation. The current system never calls home once authorised, so if the system remains the same then once authorised the product stays authorised.

[Artemi]

Even though the Drop is a filter plugin I think it would be cool to be able to use it sort of like an EQ, if you want to boost some frequencies for example.
Right know the peaks are available only with the resonance.

just my 2c.

Thanks!

[andy-cytomic]

Even though the Drop is a filter plugin I think it would be cool to be able to use it sort of like an EQ, if you want to boost some frequencies for example.
Right know the peaks are available only with the resonance.

just my 2c.

Thanks!

The core algorithms, in terms of solving non-linear filter equations, can be applied for non-linear EQs, but The Drop really isn't the place to add them. An EQ plugin is quite a different beast to a resonant filter plugin.

[imrae]

It works well in the new version of Volcano, but to be fair that has a more EQ-ish interface in general. It seems more of a UI/scope issue - which is fine. Workflow matters.

[peterjsd]

Even though the Drop is a filter plugin I think it would be cool to be able to use it sort of like an EQ, if you want to boost some frequencies for example.
Right know the peaks are available only with the resonance.

just my 2c.

Thanks!

To an extent, you can already do this with the drop!

EQs in general work by mixing in a filtered version of the signal with the dry signal.

So if you want a bass shelf boost, adjust the low pass filter to isolate the frequencies you want to boost, then mix this with the dry signal. You can do this inside the drop, but it's more flexible on a parallel channel - with a parallel channel you can also make a shelf cut, by inverting the phase on the Drop channel. Similar story for making a high shelf. These will be most EQ-like with resonance set to 0 and the filters in 2-pole mode. Increasing resonance a little makes the 'resonant shelf' shape that people talk about on Neve EQs.

For bell/peak boosts, make a bandpass filter using the high and low pass on the drop set to the same frequency in serial. You can change the frequency of both at the same time using the 'shift' knob. You can change the shape/sound of the band using the resonance controls. You can make EQ band shapes that are called 'flat peak' or 'Butterworth' in EQ plugins by leaving a gap between the HP / LP filters, eg 400Hz HP into 800Hz LP, to make a wider boost. (You could also do this using the 'spread' knob, but spread diverges the frequencies in stereo). Using different resonances on HP/LP you can get asymmetrical peaks, which I don't think you can get in other EQs.

Adding a low and high boost at the same time using the 'parallel' mode in the drop makes curves similar to 'Tone control' filters on old guitar amps (and 'parallel' pultec style EQs).

Using 4-pole filters will create a phase shift that causes a notch in the slope region which is often audible and can be very deep. This isn't an issue per se, it's just part and parcel of how filters work. These deep notches sound like a phaser (and are the basis of how phasers work). But we've now got more of a noticeable / unusual effect than a natural sounding mixing effect. Purpose-designed EQs don't do this as they generally use much gentler slopes for the bands, or different topologies to avoid it. High resonance on the filters (anything >25% really) also makes unusual effects that you wouldn't traditionally use for mixing.

Anyway this is a very slow and confusing to go about EQing, but if you want to play around with / learn about EQ, and find some of the space between mixing EQ and synth filtering effects, it's fun. The benefit of this over an EQ would be unique band shapes, very controllable, very high quality drive, much more drive than you would find in most EQ plugins, and dynamic effects using the envelope modulators for band specific compression / expansion / transient shaping

[Artemi]

Even though the Drop is a filter plugin I think it would be cool to be able to use it sort of like an EQ, if you want to boost some frequencies for example.
Right know the peaks are available only with the resonance.

just my 2c.

Thanks!

To an extent, you can already do this with the drop!

EQs in general work by mixing in a filtered version of the signal with the dry signal.

thank you for your deep explanation.
You can adjust the HP and LP peaks but no way to make a wide spread of those boost.
So that's why I was asking

[HcDoom]

Imagine that you can draw your own LFOs and ENVs in this beast...maybe one day?

[FapFilter]

he said he considers The Drop to be a finished product.
of course you never know if there will be a The Drop 2.

[dayjob]

Imagine that you can draw your own LFOs and ENVs in this beast...maybe one day?

the modulation is flexible. the sequencer allows you to draw steps and shape them. the LFOs can be skewed and shifted in several ways.

also, you can automate it with any shapes you want in your DAW.