OMNISPHERE

COURSE NOTES
MODULE 3
FILTERS
This module covers the different types of filters on Omnisphere, explaining how they
can be used to shape the sound and change its character. As well as the master filter
in the Main Controls window, which processes the whole part, so the final patch, there
is a filter section on each layer that can have one or two filters, side by side or one
after the other, as well as a host of filter options in the FX section too.

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 OMNISPHERE
COURSE NOTES
MODULE 3
FILTER CONTROLS
In the Edit window, the filter section can be turned on and off
with the power switch, after which the menu can be used to
choose a filter type and then the dials used to adjust its settings.
Some of the filter presets, such as the sloped options (those with
a decibel value after the name), are simply a single filter, whereas
those with more interesting names or with dual in the name use
2 filters. You can see the settings for both filters by opening up
the zoom window.
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This window has the two filters on either side, which can be
turned on and off with their individual power switches, and
then a type selected below. The switches in the middle then
set whether the filters are in series or parallel. Series means one
after the other, so the input to filter 2 is the output of filter 1, and
parallel means independent from one another, so processing the
layer separately, after which the filter outputs can be blended
using the central mix slider - this mix slider does nothing in series
mode. The main filter dials, at the bottom of the central section
of the zoom window, control the cutoff, resonance and spread of
both filters. However, each filter has offset sliders, which set the < Home
range over which those dials act, to customise the sound the way
you want.
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 OMNISPHERE
COURSE NOTES
MODULE 3
FILTER TYPES
The main type of filter in subtractive synthesis is the low-pass,
which removes high frequencies. This is important with sounds that
have lots of harmonics, as the additional high frequencies make
the sound very loud. A low-pass filters out these frequencies, in
increasing amounts as the cutoff frequency lowers. Rather than
cutting out all frequencies above the cutoff entirely, which is tricky
to do, the filter significantly reduces the level of those frequencies,
in increasing amounts, according to its slope. For example, a 24dB
per octave filter reduces those frequencies more than a 12dB per
octave one, so will create a duller sound. The other main filter
parameter is the resonance, which is actually a feedback circuit,
which emphasises the frequencies around the cutoff to create a
more colourful sound. Increasing the resonance makes the filter
effect greater and more pronounced, and when the resonance
gets really high, it can produce a loud pitch, which is particularly
noticeable when the cutoff shifts up and down.
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The other main filter types are high-pass, which works the other
way, so removes the lower frequencies, and band-pass, which
removes all frequencies apart from a small band. Then, theres
notch, which is the opposite to band-pass and removes a small
band, and then an even quirkier type called all-pass, which doesnt
remove any frequencies per se, but changes the phase which is
like adding an incredibly small delay that causes cancellations in
frequencies that shift around to produce a cool sound. The last
types are the metal ones, which are similar to all pass but are larger
delays with more feedback, so the sound is tonal and metallic.
These types are great for making a patch really colourful and < Home
interesting.
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 OMNISPHERE
COURSE NOTES
MODULE 3
PARALLEL AND SERIES SETUPS
Series setups can be useful when you want to add some colour
with one filter but then shape the sound with the other. For
example, you could use an all-pass or metal filter for filter 1, to
give the sound more character, and then set filter 2 to a band-pass
to filter out everything apart from a single band of frequencies.
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An example of a parallel setup, on the other hand, could be to
create a stereo effect, by using identical filter types for filters 1
and 2 and then setting the spread offset sliders in either direction,
as is the case with many of the dual presets Omnisphere comes
with. The spread slider lowers the cutoff in the left channel whilst
raising it in the right, and vice versa, to add extra width. Another
good example of a parallel setup is when making a bass preset
and wanting to separate the top from the bottom end, so having
a low-pass on one filter and then a high-pass on the other, then
using the mix slider to set the ratio of low to high frequencies, as in
the module movie. < Home
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