Specifications

PARAMETER REFERENCE MANUAL68
EFFECT PARAMETERS
Please be aware that you will not be able to hear a new selection made from the Type list until you play a
new key. Some parameters are only available on a se´lection of algorithms.
¦ Intensity
Use Intensity to determine the amount of gain applied to the incoming signal. For all the new distortion
types, when distortion Intensity = 0, then no distortion occurs, and as you increase Intensity the sound will
begin to distort at a certain point (the louder the input signal, the sooner this point will occur). In each case
the distortion shape is volume-compensated to ensure the sound never gets too loud as you increase the
gain.
In many cases, you will hear the greatest contrast between the different types when Intensity is set to a value
less than maximum, so be sure to tweak Intensity each time you change the type.
¦ Treble Booster
The Treble Booster is a special kind of lter that pushes the spectral balance of the signal towards the mid-
range and high frequencies. This in combination with a distortion will produce richer harmonic content and
result in a more lively distortion effect.
Guitarists have been using Treble Booster circuits to achieve this effect on Guitar amps for decades, but
even without distortion the Treble Booster can be a nice tool to emphasise certain aspects of the sound.
When Treble Booster = 0 (default) it will have no effect on the sound.
¦ HighCut
The High Cut is a steep lter, that allows you to take the harshness from the distorted sound, if desired (the
speaker of a guitar amp plays a similar role). You can use High Cut to make the distortion sound more gentle
or - in a certain sense - more analog. As with the Treble Booster, it will also effect the clean sound. When
High Cut = 0 (default) it will have no effect on the sound.
Type Sounds like ... Tone Control
Mint Overdrive The sound of this one just screams
‘tubes’ - a very special kind
of overdrive which results in a
wonderful ‘smokey’ tone. Good for
achieving a subtle distortion effect
whilst still retaining headroom for
dynamics.
Use the Tone control to soften the
sound with a lowpass lter.
Curry Overdrive A more extreme distortion Like in the original, this does not
feature a Tone control.
Saffron Overdrive The ‘orange’ one. A very harsh
distortion, popular with the grunge
movement.
The bipolar Tone control allows for
great versatility by combining both
a low pass and a high pass lter -
turn it down for a warm, dark tone,
and up for a harsh, brittle sound.
Type Diagram
Wide Distortion
This starts with a distortion shape softer than that of
a tube, but you can make it scream like mad when
you turn Intensity all the way up.
Soft Bounce
A new shaper type, where the signal is softly
bounced from the headroom ceiling at which point it
distorts.
HardBounce
Similar to Soft Bounce, but this time the bounce has
edges, thereby reaching a harsher distortion at a
lower Intensity level.
Sine Fold
As the signal reaches +0dB it is folded in the shape
of a sine wave. As Intensity is increased, more and
more zero-crossings are created, resulting in harsh
distortion.
Triangle Fold
Similar to Sine Fold, but a bit harsher.
Sawtooth Fold
The most brutal shaper of all. At the zero crossings
the signal falls straight from the maximum positive
level to the negative level, creating extremely hard
distortion.
Bit Reducer
Reduces the word-length of each sample as you increase Intensity to create a classic lo- effect. Whereas
the effect of the Rate Reducer is to destroy the frequency content of the sound, the Bit Reducer can have a
devastating effect on the quality of low-amplitude signals. Unlike the vast majority of bit-reduction effects, in the
Virus the level of reduction is continuously variable.
Rate Reducer
Reduces the sampling rate as you increase Intensity. This introduces aliasing and a digital stepping of the
waveform, resulting in an extreme lo- effect