E-Mu MORPHEUS, Operation Manual

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Chapter 10: Step-by-Step 157
STEP-BY-STEP
• Morphology
The best and ultimately the only way to choose filters is to try them out.
Morpheus is no mere mortal synthesizer with a single filter. Morpheus
has 197 filter types to choose from. Think of the filters as you do instru-
ments: entities which have a particular sound. As you learn what the
instrument and the filters sound like, you can mix and match them to
suit your needs.
• A flanger filter (which is a parametric EQ with closely-spaced
notches) sounds like a traditional flanger when swept. If the fre-
quency of the flanger is controlled by key velocity and not swept,
the flanger can simulate different plucks on a string or strikes on a
surface such as a cymbal.
• The need for Keyboard Tracking is reduced when using a para-
metric EQ since the high frequencies are preserved (unlike a
lowpass filter).
• Time-variant filter sweeps are good for traditional synthesizer
effects such as resonant sweeps, flanges, phasing, stereo panning,
vowels, etc. Time-invariant filters are useful for distortion, simulat-
ing instrument resonances, plucked strings, cymbals strikes, etc.
• Correlate the DCA envelope to emphasize or minimize parallel
filter attack and release characteristics.
• Try using vibrato (LFO to pitch) with vocal filters for more realis-
tic vocal simulations.
• Velocity and Key Number generally alter the timbre in expressive
presets. Also, Harder (faster) usually equals Brighter.
• Natural sounds tend to use low Q filters.
• Fixed Formant Filters :
- Can reduce the unwanted effect of pitch shifting the samples
(munchkinization).
- Simulate instrument body resonances
- Simulate cymbal strikes, with variation in the stick position
- Simulate woodwind instrument resonance
- Simulate guitar and string plucks with variation in pick position
• Swept Filters :
- Flanger
- Traditional Synthesizer Lowpass Filter Effects