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7. Using Soundtoys FilterFreak for sequential shaping

1 A great filter can turn a static sound into something far more interesting. Case in point: Soundtoys FilterFreak, a powerhouse of sequential shaping. Let’s take a look. Here, we’ve got a simple twochord progression made using Korg’s M1 synthesiser. It’s not too exciting, but it doesn’t need to be if we’ve got FilterFreak! 2 Let’s drag an instance of FilterFreak1 onto our track. It doesn’t make much of a dent at first. Let’s switch the number of Poles to 4 for a more Moog-like ladder filter sound. Next, we’ll reduce the Frequency knob position to around 11 o’clock for a muted tone, then we’ll set the Mod knob to around 2 o’clock. 3 We can hear the results immediately. The middle section is where basic modulation duties are handled. Currently, the modulation source is an Envelope. Let’s use the dropdown menu to select Rhythm instead. The Rhythm Shape is currently set to Sine. Let’s choose RampDown, instead. Dramatic! 4 We’ll now change the Rhythm from 1/4 notes to 1/16 notes for a faster pulse. The clicking is distracting, so let’s reduce both Frequency and Mod a little for a less aggressive effect. That’s quite a bit nicer. Now click the Tweak button to dig a little deeper… 5 Clicking in the Rhythm Editor allows us to mute steps and create some interesting rhythms on the grid. We can also change the response Mode. We’ll choose Exponential. Let’s reduce the Smoothing value a little. Our plain pad is now a lively rhythmic sequence!