Working with Sculpture’s Filter Parameters

The parameters discussed in this section apply on a per-voice basis. You will note a number of parameter names followed by (morphable). This indicates that the parameters can be morphed between up to five morph points. More details on morphing can be found in Getting to Know Sculpture’s Morph Section.

The filter parameters offer further timbral/spectral control over your sound. They should be familiar to you if you have any experience with synthesizers. If you’re new to the concepts behind synthesizer filters, see Filters.

• Filter On/Off button: Activates or deactivates the filter section.
• Filter Type buttons: Determine the filter mode. Choices are:
  • HiPass: Allows frequencies above the cutoff frequency to pass. As frequencies below the cutoff frequency are suppressed, it’s also known as a low cut filter. The slope of the filter is 12 dB/octave.
  • LoPass: Allows frequencies that fall below the cutoff frequency to pass. As frequencies above the cutoff frequency are suppressed, it’s also known as a high cut filter. The slope of the filter is 12 dB/octave.
  • Peak: Allows the center of a frequency band to be specified with the Cutoff knob. The band width and gain are controlled with the Resonance knob. Frequencies outside the band are left at their current level.
  • BandPass: Only the frequency band directly surrounding the center frequency is allowed to pass. All other frequencies are cut. The Resonance parameter controls the width of the frequency band that can pass. The bandpass filter is a two-pole filter with a slope of 6 dB/octave on each side of the band.
  • Notch: The frequency band directly surrounding the center frequency is cut. All other frequencies are allowed to pass. The Resonance parameter controls the width of the frequency band that is cut.
• Cutoff knob (morphable): Determines the cutoff or center frequency, depending on the chosen filter type. In a lowpass filter, all frequency portions above the cutoff frequency are suppressed, or cut off, hence the name. The cutoff frequency controls the brilliance of the signal. The higher the cutoff frequency is set, the higher the frequencies of signals that are allowed to pass through the lowpass filter.
• Resonance knob (morphable): Sets the filter resonance value.

  • In highpass and lowpass modes, Resonance emphasizes the portions of the signal that surround the center frequency.

  • In Peak, Notch, and Bandpass modes, Resonance controls the width of the band that surrounds the center frequency.

• Key knob: Adjusts the key tracking of the cutoff frequency. Put plainly, the further up or down the keyboard you play, the more bright or mellow the sound becomes. Put more technically, the cutoff frequency is modulated by keyboard position. A value of 0.0 disables key tracking. A value of 1.0 makes the cutoff frequency follow the fundamental of the note across the entire keyboard range. Play an octave higher and the cutoff frequency also changes by an octave.
• Velo Sens knob: Determines how cutoff frequency responds to incoming MIDI note velocities. The harder you strike the keyboard, the higher the cutoff frequency—and, generally, the brightness of the sound—becomes. A value of 0.0 disables velocity sensitivity. A value of 1.0 results in maximum velocity sensitivity.