Antares Filter user manual

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ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to use MIDI in the Modula-
tion Matrix or to trigger Envelope Generators, your host application
must be capable of routing MIDI to a plug-in. Luckily, most modern
plug-in formats and hosts provide this capability. However, there are a
lot of freeware and shareware host applications out there (particularly
for the DirectX format) and it is inevitable that some will not support
routing MIDI to plug-ins. If you are using one of these, you will not be
able to access any of Filter’s MIDI functions and, frankly, your Filter
experience is going to be severely compromised.
Filter Settings
The heart of Filter is its four multimode filters.
Although the four filters are color-coded for
ease of understanding the various routing
options and to identify each filter’s response
plot on the Graphic Filter Display, they are in all
other ways identical. The following control
explanations refer to Filter #1, but the other
three filters provide exactly the same controls.
ON
The On button turns the filter section on or off. When a filter is turned off,
all of its controls become inactive and its response plot does not appear on
the Graphic Filter Display.
If a filter in parallel mode is turned off, its output is removed from the
patch.
If a filter in series mode is turned off, it is as if that filter simply doesn’t
exist (i.e., it does not prevent signal from getting to the next filter in the
chain). For example, if you select a series configuration that routes Filter #1
to Filter #2 to Filter #3, and then turn Filter #2 Off, the output of Filter #1
will pass directly to Filter #3.
NOTE: Clicking Solo on a filter that is Off will temporarily turn it on
and Solo it. However, unclicking Solo will return the filter to an Off
state.
SOLO
Clicking Solo will solo the output of the filter (i.e., will mute all but the
soloed filter). When a filter is soloed, only its plot will appear on the
Graphic Filter Display and the controls of all other filters will be inactive.
Solo is an exclusive function. Only one filter can be soloed at a time. 
						

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FREQUENCY LINK
The Frequency Link menu lets you slave a filter’s frequency to any of the
other filters, so that changing the frequency of the master filter causes the
linked filter’s frequency to move in parallel. The linked filter’s frequency
control also remains active (e.g., to adjust its relationship to the master
filter).
NOTE: Just to be very clear, when you select a filter in a filter’s Fre-
quency Link menu, the filter selected in the menu becomes the master.
For example, if you are setting the parameters for Filter #3 and select
Filter #1 in Filter #3’s Frequency Link menu, changing the frequency of
Filter #1 will cause Filter #3’s frequency to move in parallel. On the
other hand, changing Filter #3’s frequency will have no effect on Filter
#1, but will redefine the interval between Filter #1 and Filter #3.
When a filter is linked to another filter, it will respond to any frequency
change of the master filter, whether by manual control, modulation in the
Modulation Matrix or automation applied to the master filter’s frequency.
NOTE: When adjusting the frequency of the master filter causes linked
filters to “pin” against the upper or lower frequency limits, the filters’
relationships will be compressed. However, if the master is moved such
that the original relationships can be restored, they will be. (The
Graphic Filter Display (see below) will make this behavior quite clear)
FREQUENCY LINK OPTIONS The basic intent of the Frequency Link function
is to allow you to set up a patch with the filters’ frequencies in a specific
relationship and then easily move all of the filters while maintaining that
relationship. However, depending on your exact goal, there are a number
of ways to set up your links:
•SINGLE MASTER Define one Filter as the sole master and link all of the
other filters to that one (e.g., link Filters #2, #3 and #4 to Filter #1). This
configuration lets you control all of the filters by controlling the master
while also letting you individually control any of the slaves without
affecting any of the other slaves.
•SERIES LINKS Link multiple filters in series (e.g., link Filter #2 to #1, #3
to #2 and #4 to #3). This configuration also lets you control all of the
filters by controlling the first in the series, but controlling intermediate
filters also affects filters later in the link series. In the above example,
for instance, adjusting Filter #3 also affects Filter #4 but has no effect
on #1 or #2.
•COMBO LINKS As you’d imagine, any combination of the above two
approaches. For example, link Filter #2 to Filter #1 and then link both
Filters #3 and #4 to Filter #2. It will be left as an exercise for the reader
to figure out how this configuration would behave. 
						

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FREQUENCY
Use the Freq knob to set the filter’s cutoff frequency. Hold the Shift key on
your keyboard while moving the knob for higher resolution. Depending on
the setting of the Filter Display Style in the Master section, the numeric
display will indicate the frequency in Hertz or by MIDI note name. The
actual effect of the cutoff frequency depends on the filter type selected
(see Filter Type below).
You may also click in the numeric display and type in the desired value.
Option (Mac)/Alt (PC) clicking the knob will reset the value to 1kHz.
A filter’s cutoff frequency can also be set graphically in the Graphic Filter
Display (see below), in which case the filter’s Freq knob and data display
will change to reflect that setting.
Q (RESONANCE)
The effect of increasing resonance differs from filter type to filter type, but
in general it increases the volume of signal at the cutoff frequency while
further attenuating signal on either side of the cutoff frequency. (In the
case of a notch filter, increasing resonance makes the notch both narrower
and less deep.) Playing with a filter’s resonance while listening to audio and
watching the filter’s plot on the Graphic Filter Display will make its behav-
ior abundantly clear.
Use the Q knob to set the filter’s resonance from 0% (none) to 100%
(maximum).
You may also click in the numeric display and type in the desired value.
Option (Mac)/Alt (PC) clicking the knob will reset the value to 0%.
A filter’s resonance can also be set graphically in the Graphic Filter Display
(see below), in which case the filter’s Q knob and data display will change
to reflect that setting.
FILTER TYPE
Click on the Filter Type button to display a popup menu of available filter
types. The choices include:
•LOWPASS Passes all frequencies below the cutoff frequency and
attenuates all frequencies above the cutoff frequency with a slope
defined by the filter’s Poles setting (and potentially modified by the Q
setting).
•HIGHPASS Passes all frequencies above the cutoff frequency and
attenuates all frequencies below the cutoff frequency with a slope
defined by the filter’s Poles setting (and potentially modified by the Q
setting). 
						

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•BANDPASS Attenuates all frequencies above and below the cutoff
frequency with slopes defined by the filter’s Poles setting (and poten-
tially modified by the Q setting).
• NOTCH Passes all frequencies except for a band around the cutoff
frequency. The width and depth of the notch are defined by the filter’s
Poles and Q settings.
• FLAT Passes all frequencies with no modification (i.e., no filtering of
any kind). This setting is provided to give you the option to use a fil\
ter
section solely for its Delay function.
POLES
The Poles setting defines the slope at which the filter attenuates frequ\
en-
cies at increasing distance from the cutoff frequency. This parameter is
usually expressed in dBs of attenuation per octave. For example, a lowpa\
ss
filter with a slope of 24dB per octave (the slope of many classic synth\
filters) means that a signal one octave above the cutoff frequency will be
attenuated by 24dBs, a signal two octaves above the cutoff frequency will
be attenuated by 48dBs, at 3 octaves 72dBs, etc.
Expressed as filter poles, 2 poles provide 12dB/oct of attenuation. The
available slopes for each filter are: 2 poles = 12dB/oct
4 poles = 24dB/oct
6 poles = 36dB/oct
8 poles = 48dB/oct
As with Q above, changing the poles setting while listening to audio and\
watching the filter’s plot on the Graphic Filter Display will make its behav-
ior clear.
Delay Section
Each filter includes its own independent tempo-syncable delay section wi\
th
feedback and mix controls. (And by setting a filter’s type to Flat you have
the option of using its delay section without any filter effects.)
DELAY TIME/BEATS — TIME MODE
When the delay section is not synced to the master tempo (the Sync butt\
on
is not lit), this parameter is labeled Time and is set in milliseconds.
Use the Time knob to set the desired delay time over a range of 1ms to
2000ms (two seconds).
For ease in setting precise times, press the Shift key on your keyboard \
while
turning the knob to adjust the time by 1ms.
The numeric display will indicate the selected delay time in ms. 
						

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You may also click in the numeric display and type in the desired time.
Option (Mac)/Alt (PC) clicking the knob will reset the value to 100m\
s.
DELAY TIME/BEATS — BEATS MODE
When the delay section is synced to the master tempo (the Sync button i\
s
lit), this parameter is labeled Beats and is set in beats or fractional\
 beats
relative to the Master Tempo.
Use the Beats knob to select the desired beat division.
The data display will indicate the selected beat as follows: • For two or more beats, the number of beats (i.e., 2, 3, 4)
•  For beat divisions, a graphic representation of the selected beat division
Y ou may also click in the data display to display a popup menu of the
available values. The choices are:
32nd note triplet (1/12 beat)
32nd note (1/8 beat)
dotted 32nd note (3/16 beat)
16th note triplet (1/6 beat)
16th note (1/4 beat)
dotted 16th note (3/8 beat)
8th note triplet (1/3 beat)
8th note (1/2 beat)
dotted 8th note (3/4 beat)
quarter note triplet (2/3 beat)
quarter note (1 beat)
dotted quarter note (1 1/2 beats)
2 beats
3 beats
4 beats
Option (Mac)/Alt (PC) clicking the knob will reset the value to 1 be\
at.
FEEDBACK
Adjust this control to select how much of the delayed signal is fed back\
 into
the input of the delay.
Y ou may also click in the numeric display and type in the desired value.
Option (Mac)/Alt (PC) clicking the knob will reset its value to 0%.
When Feedback is set to 0%, no signal is fed back to the input and you w\
ill
hear only a single delay. As the feedback amount is increased, you will hear
additional repetitions of the delay, each successive repetition at a lower
volume (the higher the setting, the more repetitions). As the feedback\
amount approaches 100%, the delay becomes self-sustaining. 
						

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SYNC
Click on this button to set the delay time in beats or fractional beats
relative to the Master Tempo. The button will light to indicate this state,
the Time knob label will change to Beats, and its data display will read in
beats. Clicking the button again will return the delay time setting to
milliseconds.
NOTE: Keep in mind that in addition to simply defining the delay time’s
unit of measure, a further difference is that when you set delay time in
milliseconds you are setting an absolute time, while when you set it in
beats you are setting a relative time.
For example, if you set a delay time of 500ms, the delay will always be
500ms, regardless of any changes to the tempo of your track. On the
other hand, if you have a track at a tempo of 120 BPM and you set a
delay time of 1 beat, the delay time will also be 500ms (the length of 1
beat at 120 BPM). However, if later in the track the tempo changes to
150 BPM, the delay time will change to 400ms (the length of one beat
at 150 BPM).
In short, if the absolute length of the delay is of primary importance,
set the delay time in milliseconds. If, however, the delay is a component
of a tempo-dependent rhythmic pattern, Sync it to the Master Tempo
so that it will remain in proper sync with any tempo changes.
PRE/POST
Click one of these two buttons to place the Delay either before or after the
filter.
If Pre is selected, the signal is first processed through the Delay section and
then passed to the filter for harmonic processing.
If Post is selected, the signal is first filtered and then passed to the Delay
section.
Depending on the source material and the delay settings, the resulting
effects can be remarkably different. Experimentation is the order of the day.
MIX
Adjust this control to set the balance between the original input signal and
the output of the Delay section.
You may also click in the numeric display and type in the desired value.
Option (Mac)/Alt (PC) clicking the knob will reset its value to Off.
When set to Off, only the input is heard and all of the Delay section
controls become inactive. As you increase the Mix amount, more of the
delayed signal will appear in the mix. With a setting of 50% you will have
an equal mix of the input and the delay. At 100% only the delayed signal is
heard. 
						

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NOTE: When the Mix amount is set to Off, the Delay section is com-
pletely removed from the signal path. Since the Delay section requires
a certain amount of CPU power, setting the Mix to Off for unused Delay
sections will slightly (but noticeably) reduce Filter’s CPU requirements.
A TIP: To create interesting raw material for further filtering, try
feeding the delay with a signal rich in harmonics (an entire mix works
well). Turn Sync off, set Feedback and Mix to 100% and try experiment-
ing with delay times between 1 ms and 100 ms (or even more). De-
pending on the actual input signal, you can end up with rich and
unusual textures that make great fodder for rhythmic filtering.
Filter Output
GAIN
Use this knob to adjust the gain of the filter to achieve a correct bala\
nce
with any other filters in the patch.
You may also click in the numeric display and type in the desired value.
Option (Mac)/Alt (PC) clicking the knob will reset its value to 0dB.\
 NOTE: In addition to simply balancing the mix of the filters, when
setting the initial Gain value you should also keep in mind the poten-
tial effect of any modulation sources that will be routed to the filter’s
Gain. Set the initial Gain such that the sum of the initial setting and \
the
maximum possible modulation amount won’t cause the filter’s output
to clip. This is particularly important if the filter is applying high Q\
 or is
acting on an already hot portion of the input’s frequency range.
ANOTHER NOTE: If you want to mix some of the original unprocessed
audio into your preset and your preset does not use all four filters, se\
t
one of the unused filters to “Flat” and use its Gain control to se\
t the
amount of the original audio in your preset.
PHASE INVERT
Y ou guessed it. Clicking this button will invert the phase of the filter’s
output. “Why might I want to do that?” you might be asking. Well, try
sending your signal through two filters in parallel and make exactly the\
same settings on both filters. Invert the phase of one of the filters. I\
f
everything is set up identically, you should get no output (as the out-of-
phase version exactly cancels the in-phase version). Now apply some
random frequency modulation. Depending on the type of signal and the
filter settings, interesting sounds can ensue. If they don’t, start tweaking
things until they do. More often than not, your efforts will be amply
rewarded. 
						

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PAN
The function of the Pan control depends on the version of Filter you have
instantiated:
•MONO->MONO In the Mono->Mono version of Filter this control is
grayed out and inactive.
•MONO->STEREO In the Mono->Stereo version of Filter this control will
position its filter’s output in the stereo field.
•STEREO->STEREO In the Stereo->Stereo version of Filter this control
acts as a balance control between the filter’s two stereo channels.
To adjust the Pan value, click on the red indicator and move it to the
desired position or click anywhere on the pan display scale to instantly
move the indicator to that position.
Option (Mac)/Alt (PC) clicking anywhere in the Pan display scale will set Pan
to 0 (exact center).
Graphic Filter Display
This display (as its name so ably implies) graphically displays the initial
response curves of the currently active filters. This is extremely useful for
visualizing the effects of your filter settings and associating their response
curves with their audio effects.
Additionally, the Graphic Filter Display allows the adjustment of a filter’s
frequency and/or Q through the direct graphic manipulation of the filter’s
response curve.
Here’s how it works:
•Each active filter is represented on the display by a color-coded repre-
sentation of its response curve. The horizontal axis of the display is
frequency (in Hertz or Notes, depending on the Display Style setting in
the Master section) and the vertical axis displays the amount of gain or
attenuation at each frequency in dB. 
						

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In other words, where a filter’s curve is at 0dB on the display, the filter
is having no effect on those frequencies and any signal at those
frequencies pass though the filter unaffected. Where the curve dips
below 0dB, signals at those frequencies are attenuated by the number
of dBs indicated by the curve’s position below 0dB. Conversely, where
the curve rises above 0dB, the signals at those frequencies are being
boosted by the filter’s Q.
•For ease of keeping track of which filter is doing what, matching colors
appear on the filter sections and their associated display curves, filter
selection buttons (to the left of the main display - see below), and filter
blocks in the filter routing diagrams.
•In order to graphically adjust a filter’s frequency or resonance, that
filter’s response curve must be at the “front” of the display. There are a
number of ways to bring a curve to the front:
>Whenever you adjust a filter’s Freq, Q, Filter Type or Poles using its
controls up in the filter section, that filter’s curve will automatically
come to the front of the display.
>Clicking on any exposed portion of a filter’s curve will bring it to the
front of the display.
>Clicking one of the four Filter Selection buttons to the left of the
display will bring the associated curve to the front. (Note that if a
filter is currently inactive, its selection button will be dimmed and
also inactive.)
>Soloing a filter causes it to appear alone on the display (where it will
be at the front by default).
•Once a filter’s curve is at the front of the display, you can adjust its
frequency and Q by manipulating the vertical frequency adjustment
and/or horizontal Q adjustment lines.
When the cursor passes over the vertical frequency adjustment line, it
changes to a horizontal double-ended arrow. Click on the line and
move it right or left to adjust the frequency. Both the graphic curve
and the filter’s Freq knob and data display will change to reflect any
adjustment.
When the cursor passes over the horizontal Q adjustment line, it
changes to a vertical double-ended arrow. Click on the line and move it
up or down to adjust the Q. Both the graphic curve and the filter’s Q
knob and data display will change to reflect any adjustment.
NOTE: When a filter’s Q is set to its minimum value, the Q adjustment
line will be at the very bottom of the display area and can be difficult
to see. In that case, just move the cursor to the bottom of the display
until it turns into the vertical arrows. 
						

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When the cursor passes over the intersection of the two adjustment
lines, it will change to a four-pointed arrow. Clicking on the intersec-
tion will allow you to adjust both the frequency and Q simultaneously.
•T urning a filter Off eliminates its curve from the display
Filter Routing
Here’s where you select the way your
audio is patched through the four
filters.
To select one of the six routings, click
the button next to the tiny little routing
diagram. The button will light and the
selected color-coded routing diagram
will appear in the routing display.
The available routings are:
1 ALL FOUR FILTERS IN PARALLEL With this
routing you are essentially working with four
independent filters. Your audio is routed to
the input of each filter where it is processed
and then mixed with the output of the other
three filters.
2 FILTERS #1 AND #2 IN SERIES AND #3 AND #4
IN PARALLEL Your audio is routed to the
input of Filter #1 and after being processed is
sent to the input of Filter #2. The output of
Filter #2 is mixed with the outputs of Filters
#3 and #4.
3 FILTERS #1, #2 AND #3 IN SERIES AND #4 IN
PARALLEL Your audio is routed to the input
of Filter #1 and after being processed is sent
to the input of Filter #2 where it is processed
and sent to the input of Filter #3 whose output
is then mixed with the output of Filter #4.
4 FILTERS #1 AND #2 IN SERIES AND #3 AND #4
IN A SEPARATE SERIES CONFIGURATION Here
the filters are arranged as two independent
series (we were going to say two parallel
series, but we figured that was just asking for
trouble). The audio is routed to the first in
each series, with the outputs of the second in
each series mixed together.