Enchanting Instruments 89 - U-he Filterscape VA Review 8 - Multiband Morphing EQ

Filterscape VA has a standard analog synthesizer configuration, which is unusual for u-he, but the multi-band morphing EQ I’m introducing here is a unique feature that is not often seen. The multiband morphing EQ is the most unique feature of Filterscape VA.

Multiband Morphing EQ

This EQ is based on an analog model optimized for high-speed modulation and responds with high sound quality and speed. The biggest difference with the regular EQ is that you can record up to 8 sets of EQ settings and morph them in different ways. The video below shows eight snapshots (EQ settings) being rotated around and switched. You can see that the actual EQ settings applied are white curves that are constantly changing. The orange-filled curve is the Snapshot 1 curve. Also, like dynamic EQ, it doesn’t respond to the input sound, but is controlled based on the MIDI signal and the tempo of the DAW.

The EQ bands can be selected from the following four types, with ±24 dB of control.

The above 4 types of EQ have 4 band points, each with the following filter configuration.

• LS(Low shelf)-Peak-Peak-HS(high shelf)
• Peak-Peak-Peak-Peak
• LP(Low Pass)-BP(Band Pass)-BP(Band Pass)-HP(High Pass)
• Bandpass-Bandpass-Bandpass-Bandpass

EQ using peaks is familiar and often used for correction. This EQ is useful for fine-tuning tones. On the other hand, an EQ using multiple Bandpass is rare, and it is a powerful EQ with strong characteristics. This mode is not for correction, but for actively creating sounds with EQ.

Below is the control section for modulating the EQ. The cutoff frequency, gain, etc., can be modulated for each band. You can handle EQ dynamically without making full use of snapshot.

Below, BAND1 is used to move the low-pass filter. The other bands are collapsed.

The sound sample below is a reference example showing how to use the EQ.

Let's treat it like a normal filter.

The video below reproduces the movement of a low-pass filter, which is often used in normal filters, using EQ. The result is a sound similar to the sound using the BAND 1 modulation above. The higher cutoff frequency with resonance is lowered all at once along with the note on. The only band used is the LPF of 1. The other bands are folded down in level and left unused. The SNAPSHOT shows the setting that moves from 1 to 3 and then back and forth between 2 and 3.

If I pass a sawtooth wave with no processing through it, we get the following. You can see that it can be handled just like a normal filter.

Attempting to Reproduce a Wah Effect

I tried to create an effect similar to a wah-wah pedal, which is often used in effects such as electric guitar. In principle, the wah-wah sound is achieved by shifting the cutoff frequency of the peak filter along the frequency axis. Shaking a narrow peak in the range of about 300 Hz to 3 kHz gives it the wah sound.

Formants

Filterscape comes preloaded with the vowels (A, E, I, O, U) of the human voice. When a sound with many overtones is passed through Filterscape, it will sound like a human voice. In addition, Filterscape's unique morphing allows for smooth vowel transitions. The EQ mode is set to 4Bandpasses and then Formants is selected.

Percussion

Percussion instruments do not have a pitch-sensitive sound, so simply increasing the resonance frequency as much as possible will give them that look. Using 4Bandpasses may be a quick way to do this. In the sample below, I included a sound without EQ after the EQ sound. The original sound is mainly white noise, but the EQ adds contours to give it a percussion feel.

Sound Effects

Filterscape's EQ is effective in making natural sounds sound like natural sounds. In the sample below, the sound of thunder is created with EQ. The first is the sound without EQ, and the second is the sound adjusted with EQ. The EQ emphasizes the high and low frequencies, and the amplitude is reduced all at once. I think you can understand that the effect is immense.

Filterscape's multiband morphing EQ is quite powerful. I think that the bold use of EQ is generally unfamiliar to most people, but this is why I think there are so many possibilities that lie dormant. You may discover new ways to use it. In the next issue, I would like to introduce a flexible u-he arpeggiator.

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