Specifications

PARAMETER REFERENCE MANUAL84
EFFECT PARAMETERS
modulate them. You can, however, use monophonic modulators, such as the modwheel and channel pres-
sure, and you can also use the LFOs.
Try using the 1pole XFade in pure Bandpass (BP) mode. Because a bandpass lter needs a minimum of
2-poles to have any effect, you might not hear any effect; however, you can still apply resonance and sweep
it with the Cutoff parameter for a unique, and very cool effect.
Ring Modulator
The Ring Modulator effect takes the output of the synth engine and multiplies it with a sine wave - the result
you hear is a combination of the ‘sum’ and ‘difference’ frequencies of the two signals.
¦ Mix
Use the Mix parameter to determine the depth of modulation, from 0ff (0) to 127 (full ring modulation). It is
also possible to achieve an amplitude modulation (AM) effect, by setting Mix to a value of 64.
¦ Frequency
Use the Frequency parameter to determine the pitch of the sine wave. This is a bipolar parameter, whereby
centre position (+0) will result in no audible ring modulation. As you increase or decrease the value past +0,
you will hear the rate of modulation increase dramatically, introducing high-pitched overtones to the sound.
¦ Phase
Use the Stereo Phase parameter to offset the phase of the sine wave for the left and right channels, thereby
widening the stereo image.
Frequency Shifter
The Frequency Shifter is a rarely seen effect, which can be thought of as a kind of ‘deluxe’ version of the
Ring Modulator. It is as useful for creating beautiful tremolo-like effects as it is for making high-pitched, clan-
gorous noise. Like the Ring Modulator, it uses a sine wave to modulate the output of the synth engine, but in
such a way as to produce only the ‘sum’ or ‘difference’ frequencies of the two signals. In contrast to a Pitch
Shifter, which preserves the dependencies of the harmonics, the Frequency Shifter bends these dependen-
cies, resulting in a bell-like spectrum. You can sometimes get a similar effect from a shortwave radio which
has not been tuned correctly.
¦ Frequency
Use the Frequency parameter to determine the pitch of the sine wave. This is a bipolar parameter, whereby
centre position (+0) will result in no audible frequency shifting. Increase or decrease the value past +0 to hear
the rate of modulation increase dramatically, introducing high-pitched overtones to the sound.
¦ Filter Type
This determines the lter behaviour. Choose values between <LP> and <BP> to achieve a blend of lowpass
and bandpass lter effects, and values between <BP> and <HP> to achieve a blend of bandpass and high-
pass lter effects. Mod Matrix destination = “Filterbank Poles”.
¦ VariSlope Filters
Traditionally, a lter has a xed number of poles, usually 2 or 4. Each of these poles will attenuate the target
frequencies at a slope of 6dB per octave, so the more poles a lter has, the more severe the effect it has on
the sound.
With the VariSlope lters in OS5, you are completely free to select anywhere between two and six poles,
at a resolution of 128 values. This means “impossible” lters, such as those with 3.5 poles, are now easily
achievable. In addition to this, the slope of the poles is also freely adjustable, allowing you to choose a much
gentler effect than -6dB per octave, if you like.
This unparalleled exibility gives you complete freedom over the intensity of the lter effect, allowing you to
tailor it precisely and intuitively to suit the particular sound you are working with.
The VariSlope lters are available in three avours: Lowpass (LP), Highpass (HP) and Bandpass (BP).
The following four parameters are available to each:
¦ Cutoff
This determines the frequency at which the lter starts to take effect. Mod Matrix destination = “Filterbank
Freq”
¦ Resonance
Use this to boost frequencies around the cutoff point. Careful with high values - shredded speaker cones
are a distinct possibility for those who choose to resonate with reckless abandon! Mod Matrix destination =
“Filterbank Reso”
¦ Poles
Use this to change the basic character of the lter. Anywhere between a 2-pole and 6-pole is possible. The
middle position will give you a 4-pole lter. Mod Matrix destination = “Filterbank Poles”.
¦ Slope
This parameter allows you to determine how steep the poles are. At minimum value, each of the poles will
have a slope of -6dB. As you increase the value, the slope will become increasingly shallow, resulting in a
more gentle lter effect. Mod Matrix destination = “Filterbank Slope”.
Hints and Tips: It is important to remember that as these lters are placed in the effects section, they are
applied to the summed signal of all voices in that part. This means that you cannot use the envelopes to