These parameters control the EXS24 mkII filter. You can configure the type of filter, filter resonance, cutoff frequency, drive, and amount of key follow. For details about the filter envelope, see EXS24 mkII envelope overview.
Filter On/Off button: Turn the entire filter section and the filter envelope on or off. Disabling the filter section makes it easier to hear adjustments to other sound parameters because the filter always heavily affects the sound.
Filter Mode/Slope buttons: Labeled HP, LP, and BP at the bottom of the filter section, these buttons determine the type and slope of the filter. See Set the EXS24 mkII filter mode and slope.
Cutoff knob: Set the cutoff frequency of the filter. The Cutoff value also serves as the starting point for any modulation involving the filter.
In a lowpass filter, the higher the cutoff frequency is set, the higher the frequencies of signals that are allowed to pass.
In a highpass filter, the cutoff frequency determines the point where lower frequencies are suppressed, with only upper frequencies allowed to pass.
In a bandpass/band-rejection filter, the cutoff frequency determines the center frequency for the bandpass or band-rejection filter.
Resonance knob: Boost or cut the frequency area surrounding the cutoff frequency. Very high Resonance values introduce self-oscillation, causing the filter to produce an audible sine wave.
In a lowpass filter, resonance emphasizes or suppresses signals below the cutoff frequency.
In a highpass filter, resonance emphasizes or suppresses signals above the cutoff frequency.
In bandpass filters, resonance emphasizes or suppresses the portions of the signal—the frequency band—that surround the defined frequency, set with the Cutoff knob. In EXS24 mkII, Resonance defines the width of the frequency band.
Drive knob: Overdrive the filter input, leading to a denser, more saturated signal, which introduces additional harmonics. Drive affects each voice independently. When every voice is overdriven individually—like having six fuzz boxes for a guitar, one for each string—you can play extremely complex harmonies over the entire keyboard range. They’ll sound clean, without unwanted intermodulation effects spoiling the sound. Some Drive settings lead to a different tonal character. The way analog filters behave when overdriven forms an essential part of the sonic character of a synthesizer. Each synthesizer is unique in the way its filters behave when overdriven. EXS24 mkII is flexible in this regard, allowing tonal colors that range from a subtle fuzz to a hard distortion.
Key knob: Define the amount of filter cutoff frequency modulation by note number. When Key is set to the full-left position, the cutoff frequency is unaffected by the note number and is identical for all played notes. When Key is set to the full-right position, the cutoff frequency follows the note number one-to-one; if you play one octave higher, the cutoff frequency is also shifted upward by one octave. This parameter is useful for avoiding overly filtered high notes.
Fat button: Turn on to preserve the bass frequency response, even when high resonance settings are used.
Note: The Fatness parameter applies only to lowpass filters. Fatness is nonfunctional when the highpass or bandpass filter types are used.
Drag the chain symbol between the Cutoff and the Resonance knobs to control both parameters simultaneously—vertical movements alter Cutoff values and horizontal movements affect Resonance values.
