Q: Filter module parameters

[DarkStar]

Looking at the Filter module (in MSF), can someone remind me what these two mean?

Frequency
Frequency controls the filter minimum frequency.
Range: -8.00 octaves to +8.00 octaves, default 0.00 octaves

Panorama
Panorama lets you shift the filter frequency between channels. Left channel's frequency is shifted down by specified amount, right channel is shifted up, third down etc.
Range: -4.00 octaves to +4.00 octaves, default 0.00 octaves

[dmbaer]

Filter cutoff frequency is relative to the frequency of the MIDI-triggered note. At least I assume MSF works the same way as did MPowerSynth. There's a trick to get it to observe a fixed frequency, but I don't recall how that's done. I really liked this design choice, one that no other synth developer chose to implement. For me, 100% keytracked cutoff is a preferred choice in almost all cases.

Filter Panorama is *very* cool. I made an FR for this based upon filters in Omnisphere and Fab Filter Volcano. It does what it says. The L and R cutoff frequencies are shifted in opposite directions. Modulate this and you can get some lovely swirling textures.

[elassi]

There's a trick to get it to observe a fixed frequency, but I don't recall how that's done.

There's a button in the top row of the filter module: "Constant frequency". Enable this and the pitch of the incoming note will be ignored (precise: fixed to A4/440Hz)

[DarkStar]

Thank you, but I must be missing something. Is there a MPowerSynth preset that shows both / either in action?

[elassi]

Search for the presets of "Zentralmassiv" - on a side note the best you can get - in the root folder and compare "Electric Bass guitar" (constant f) and "Epic Screamer" (note dependent f).

[DarkStar]

Got it, thank you guys.

Example of Frequency / Frequency Range
Here, in MpowerSynth, I have set the Filter to a steep band-pass, the Frequency to -2 octaves and the Frequency Range to +2 octaves. So the actual cutoff frequency should range between 2 octaves below the MIDI note played and the frequency of the note. I have also set a long ADSR graph (I have annotated the screenshot to show the cutoff frequencies at several times).



And here are the results in an Analyzer of playing a C3.



You can see that the audio starts off at C1, rises to C3, then falls back to C2 and then to silence.


Example of Panorama
This parameter changes the Filter Frequency applied to each channel. One up, the next down, by the relative amount (specified in semitones)

>>> Big pic: https://i.imgur.com/GmpZI6U.png

You can see that as the Panorama changes the filter is applied more or less to each channel.