6.1.5. Upper Resonator
The idea of tuned resonators has been around almost as long as analog synthesizers have.
The very first Moog modular systems had a module called the 907 Fixed Filter Bank, which
allowed for eight specific frequencies to be cut, producing complex overlapping filter curves.
The 907 (and its 12-band successor, the 914) are among the most-imitated synthesizer
modules in history.
Moog revisited these modules' capabilities in the Polymoog, which derived a lot of its character from
a similar set of fixed filters. (Combined with Humana, that's
two Polymoog elements added to Solina V!)
These modules are often called
formant filters because the frequency responses they create
are similar to the formant structure of the human voice, which tells us if a speaker is young
or old, male or female, and so on.
The
Upper Resonator
appears as a sort of a cross between a set of three synthesizer
filters and a 3-band parametric equalizer. Each band has its own parameters for frequency,
bandwidth, and boost/cut, like a parametric EQ; however, the bandwidth control produces
resonance like a synth filter would. Deceptively simple, the Upper Resonator packs a lot of
power into ten sliders.
First, there's the
Mode
switch. This determines if the three resonators work as Lowpass,
Bandpass, or Highpass filters. The important thing to realize here is that each filter works
within its own range, so three Lowpass filters in adjoining frequency ranges will potentially
produce a very unusual frequency response!
There's also a Bypass setting if you don't want the Upper Resonator in the audio path; this is
important because the Upper Resonator can affect your sound even if it seems like it's set
to do nothing at all. (It's the nature of the beast!)
It can be fun to switch Mode on the fly using a MIDI controller. Try it!
Each resonator band is dedicated to a particular frequency range:
• 60Hz to 300Hz
• 300Hz to 1.5kHz
• 1.5kHz to 7.5kHz
Arturia - User Manual Solina V - The Advanced Panel
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