With the advances in analogue circuit modelling we’ve seen in the last few years, most of users and developers attention has been on end-to-end recreations of complete analogue synths.
The Korg MS-20’s deceptively simple but very flexible dual high-pass and low-pass filter knob configuration, as well as the internal filter circuitry that contributed to the MS-20’s growling character, have proven influential. Modelled On Hardware: The Filter Designs That Inspire Some Of The Best Plugins Getting the balance right is no mean feat, but a handful of companies have accomplished this with some great plugins, which we’ve covered below. Of course, great plugins need to achieve all of this without hogging all of your computers processing power – or indeed, breaking the bank. The very best have both, and arrange them together in such a way that suggests a lot of open-ended uses but is still fast and easy to use, whether as a simple sculpting tool to carve larger chunks out of your signals than a typical EQ would be suited for, or for modulated sonic mayhem. Given the typical creative uses outlined above, you can probably guess that the most useful filter plugins typically feature either incredibly high-quality, modelled analogue filter behaviour, or extensive modulation and multi-effect options.
FABFILTER TWIN 2 MOD WHEEL SERIES
Crucially, filter modulation is also a great source of movement for applying to other effects such as distortion and delay, allowing you to modulate – that is, change over time – how those effects are impacting the source signal.Īs with most things in music production, arranging a series of fairly simple component blocks together – a filter, controlled by a sequenced envelope, modulating a delay, for example – can give you incredibly complex and nuanced results, and almost infinite possibilities for sonic exploration and sound design. You can apply this kind of filtering to drum beats, synth lines, effected flourishes in a pop vocal performance, anything.
FABFILTER TWIN 2 MOD WHEEL GENERATOR
Bolt a basic sequencer or envelop generator onto a filter plugin, and suddenly you have a great deal of potential for all kinds of intricate rhythmic movement that you probably wouldn’t come up with if programming the movement manually. Filter modulation: Another important way that filters are used is in combination with sequencers and other effects.Filters can do this on a sort of micro-level: they withhold elements of individual sounds, never quite revealing the raw sound in it’s entirety, keeping the listener engaged and wanting to keep listening for the moments perhaps when the whole sound will be unveiled and satisfy their curiosity – or simply release them into a whole new drop section of the track, as is a common and highly effective technique in most modern dance music. Part of why this works so well is that building anticipation, on any level, is so much about promising excitement to come – and then withholding that payoff for as long as you can without losing the listener. This can be applied to individual parts or in key sections of the whole track such as the moments around a build/drop, giving them a touch of the movement and expressiveness of a live instrument. Filter sweeps: A popular technique that is a cornerstone of most electronic genres is using a band-pass or low-pass filter to sweep dramatically through the frequency spectrum, which simultaneously slices out some frequencies while emphasising others.This can be more difficult to pull off than it sounds with electronic, grid-based music: How do you get the expressiveness into your synth and programmed drum parts that will really make them come to life?
In our original manifesto article, The 10 Principles Every Producer Must Know, we talked about creating drama and anticipation in your tracks, to take your listeners on a journey they won’t forget. But just as with other processors and effects like compressors and reverbs, they can go far beyond their utilitarian origins and have several key creative uses (and misuses) too. Closely related to equalisers, filters in essence allow you to cut or emphasise certain frequencies. Primer: How are filter plugins used creatively?įilters are core effects in your studio toolset. We’ll also be discussing how and why filters are used, and provide tips on what to look for to find the filter plugin best suited to your needs. Updated for 2018 to include the very best recent releases, join us on a comprehensive tour of the (gently modulating) landscape of filter plugins.įor every style, budget and skill level, we’ve compiled a host of the very best filter plugins currently available.
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