How to program a filter cutoff to open wider on velocity

I know I've done it in a synth (not well, I'm not that great at programming synth sounds sadly)

 

But if I had a snare sound or maybe I could load a bunch of sounds in ultra beat or whatever

and the harder I hit the key the more open the filter is and vice versa

 

Again, I know its possible in some stock synth sounds but I'm wanting to be able to do it to any sound.

 

Drew

Any plugin that has a synth engine has a modulation section, and you usually apply a velocity modulator to the filter cutoff directly, or to the envelope controlling the filter.

 

Exactly how to do it will vary depending on the synth, but look for a modulation section, modulation matrix, or specifically a velocity -> filter setting.

I think I understand how to do it with Sampler. I was hoping to be able to do it to a drum beat.

 

I went through the Filter plugins but I don't think that's right (or I'm worse at this than I thought)

 

Almost like a low pass filter sweep (with more crunch) that opens when the volume is louder.

 

I hope that makes sense and isn't gibberish

 

Drew

As I said, it depends on the instrument you are using. Yes, you can do it in Sampler. You don't need filter plugins, and that's not how you would do it anyway.

In Ultrabeat, right below the filter cutoff knob, click on the blue text to open a menu to pick a modulator.

 

 

Most samplers and synthesizers have a filter section, you need to find a way to route the velocity of incoming notes to the cutoff frequency of the filter. If you give us the instrument you want to use we can guide you through it but after you've done it for a few instruments you realize they all behave pretty much the same way.

I tried what enossified just laid out but I clearly don't understand it.

 

I made this in ES P and its the idea I'm looking for.

 

So I guess any synth right now if it leads me to understand the concept.

I'd love to be able to do it for audio as well as midi tracks.

Velocity sound for ES P.zip

If you listen to this theres a definite 'sweep' on some instrument (is out the percussion?)

 

That's what I'm after

Imagine a filter which can be at a value of 0 (fully closed), to 127 (fully open).

 

We set it to the value we want for quiet notes, so we set the filter to, say 60. Now when we play really hard notes, we want the filter to open up to, say 110.

 

So, we use the velocity modulator to take the value of the velocity of the note, and *add* a certain percentage of that to the filter cutoff value for that note - let's say we set the velocity -> filter modulation to 50%. So (simplistic example), a note with a velocity of 30 might add half of that to the filter, so we get a note sounding like the filter was at 75. And if we play a hard note with a velocity of 100, we add 50 to the filter cutoff to get 110.

 

So all a modulator does is change a destination value (filter cutoff in this case) based on a source value (the velocity of the note played).

 

That's the concept. You can also have negative modulators too - you might start with the filter full open, but add -50% to the filter cutoff value, so the harder you play, the more the filter closes down.

 

This concept of modulation is a fundamental concept to synthesis.