Modules: Timbre
Bandpass
Section titled “Bandpass”This is a simple bandpass filter with a variable range. An Attenuation knob controls how much of the signal is filtered. Start frequency and Stop frequency controls (located in the Main window) control the lower and upper range of the bandpass.
Bandstop
Section titled “Bandstop”A simple bandstop or “notch” filter. The user controls attenuation and the start and stop frequencies that will be suppressed. It’s the exact opposite of the Bandpass module.
This is sort of like a wah-wah. It filters a region with a variable center frequency. You must use an LFO to modulate the Center frequency knob for the intended effect. We recommend an LFO with a period of 0.5 seconds and a range from 300 to 1300 Hz. Width determines the width of the moving region, and Gain controls how much gain is applied to it.
Smoother
Section titled “Smoother”Smooths the frequency spectrum of the incoming signal, causing it to lose sharpness and detail for a blurred image.
Sharper
Section titled “Sharper”The opposite of the above module: this one sharpens the spectrum. The smoothed signal is subtracted from the original to arrive at the sharpened signal. The amount of sharpening is controlled by the Sharpness knob, which represents the length of the averaging filter in Hz. The sharpness is increased with the Intensity knob and then hard-limited with the Limit control to make it more stable.
Centroid
Section titled “Centroid”Centroid is an adaptive, self-tuning bandpass filter which follows the center frequency with a controllable symmetric band curve (Border slope). The module determines the time-variable center frequency with different processing modes:
- Centroid finds the weighted center frequency.
- Peak finds the highest peak in the spectrum.
- Dominant estimates the dominant pitch.
Frequencies outside the Bandwidth region around the centroid frequency are removed; the rest inside the band is smoothed with the Border slope from center to borders.
This one lets through only highly tonal frequencies. First the module finds peaks in the spectrum, then it estimates the peak strength (how strong the peak is when compared to its neighbors), and if the strength is above the value determined by the Peak strength knob, and if the peak is stronger than that determined by the Global threshold or Local threshold settings, the peak will be passed through. The rest of the signal is attenuated by the Attenuation control.
Atonal
Section titled “Atonal”Similar to the Tonal module described above, but instead it attenuates the peaks and allows the non-peak components to pass through.