Filter block

Contents
1 Available on which products
2 Channels or X/Y switching
3 Purposes
4 Types
4.1 List of types
4.2 Allpass
4.3 Peaking 2
4.4 Analog shelving EQ
4.5 Tilt EQ
4.6 Notch
4.7 FF Comb and FB Comb
5 Parameters
5.1 LFO
6 Tips and tricks
6.1 Envelope Filter (Auto Wah)
6.2 80's rock guitar sound
6.3 Eric Clapton's mid-boost
6.4 Clean boost
6.5 Finding the resonant frequency of a guitar cabinet
6.6 Alternative to Boost in the Amp block
6.7 Boston / Rockman sound
6.8 Boosting mids with FRFR amplification

Available on which products

Axe-Fx III: 4 blocks
FM3: 4 blocks
Axe-Fx II: 4 blocks
FX8: 2 blocks
AX8: 2 blocks

Channels or X/Y switching

Axe-Fx III and FM3: 4 channels
Axe-Fx II: no
AX8: X/Y
FX8: X/Y
Purposes
A filter is a very versatile effect. Possible applications include:

one-band equalizer
boost the input of an amp block
boost the overall signal level (i.e. for leads)
high-pass or low-pass filtering
envelope filter / auto-wah
find the resonant frequency of your guitar cabinet
and more ...

Types
List of types
1. Null
2. Lowpass
3. Bandpass
4. Highpass
5. Lowshelf
6. Highshelf
7. Peaking
8. Notch
9. Tilt EQ
10. Lowshelf 2
11. Highshelf 2
12. Peaking 2
13. FF Comb
14. FB Comb
15. Allpass

Allpass
Added in Ares 12.01. This is a multi-stage “Phase Rotator” with feedback. With feedback set to zero it can be
used to change the shape of transients. Using feedback causes constructive and destructive interference and can
be used to create interesting tonalities. The Order can be set from 1 to 12 with progressively more phase rotation
occurring. Attaching a modifier to the Frequency parameter can result in interesting chorus or wah effects. The
red trace in the GUI is the phase response.

Peaking 2
Many “classic” graphic equalizers use variable-Q designs which may be more familiar to some users as opposed
to constant-Q filters. In the Filter block this type is selected by choosing “Peaking2 ”.
 (about Peaking 1 and Peaking 2) "Peaking 2 is constant Q. At +/- 12 dB they are the same. At other
gains the Peaking 2 will have a wider bandwidth as the Q does not change." source (https://forum.fr
actalaudio.com/threads/axe-fx-iii-firmware-version-5-02.148983/page-14#post-1771602)

Analog shelving EQ
“Lowshelf 2” and “Highshelf 2” recreate the analog shelving filters found on classic mixing consoles. These
filters are somewhat quirky and exhibit “overshoot” which gives them a certain musical quality. Set Q between
0.5 and 0.707 to recreate those classic sounds, or experiment with Q for different amounts of overshoot. These
filter types are great for getting that massive sound associated with passive equalization.

Tilt EQ
Tilt EQ is a slope filter that allows broad adjustment of the tone using just two parameters: Frequency and Gain.
The Gain parameter sets the maximum gain of the filter relative to the center frequency. For example, a gain of
10 dB would set the maximum gain to 10 dB. The gain at the center frequency would be 0 dB and the minimum
gain would be -10 dB, therefore a total of 20 dB of EQ would be applied.

Notch
"Gain doesn't apply to a notch filter. Only frequency and Q are relevant." source (http://forum.fracta
laudio.com/threads/not-a-bug-filter-notch-gain-doesnt-do-anything.117689/#post-1403848)

FF Comb and FB Comb

FF Comb is a feed-forward comb filter and FB Comb is a feedback comb filter. Delay Time controls the order of
the comb filters, higher values result in more closely spaced notches and vice-versa. Depth controls the intensity
of the filter, higher values result in deeper notches/peaks and vice-versa.

Parameters
 Parameter Axe-Fx III / FM3 Axe-Fx II AX8 / FX8

Type yes
Frequency yes

Order yes

Q yes
Gain yes

Low Cut, High Cut yes

Pan L, Pan R yes

Delay Time yes

Phase Invert yes

Depth yes
Delay Time yes

LFO Enable yes

LFO Type yes

LFO Rate yes

LFO Duty yes

LFO Quantize (firmware Ares 12 and later) yes

Mod Freq yes

LFO
When enabled, the LFO will modulate the frequency of the filter between the Frequency and the Mod.
Frequency. The local LFO simplifies modulated filtering and frees up the global LFOs for other tasks.

Tips and tricks

Envelope Filter (Auto Wah)
Fractal Audio processors don't provide an Auto Wah effect block. You can achieve this effect by attaching the
Envelope controller to a Filter or a Wah block.

example (http://forum.fractalaudio.com/axe-fx-ii-wish-list/50092-envelope-filter.html)
example (http://forum.fractalaudio.com/axe-fx-ii-discussion/62506-auto-wah-tip-2.html)
Axe-Change (http://axechange.fractalaudio.com/index.php)

Or try a factory preset such as the Psychadelic Duck, Frenetica, Track Wah.

80's rock guitar sound

 "This was a common technique in the 80's when tracking. If you have an Axe-Fx or other modeler
with EQ options you can try it yourself. Put an EQ or Filter block before the amp. A parametric is
best. Set the type to Peaking, Frequency to 1 kHz and Q to around 1 and gain to around 6 dB to
start. Experiment with the parameters." source (http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showpost.php?p
=19879230&postcount=54)

The Axe-Fx III and FM3 let you obtain the same result using Pre EQ in the Amp block.

Eric Clapton's mid-boost

To emulate Eric Clapton's mid-boost knob on his guitars:

"Use the Filter block. Since the max boost is 25 dB set the filter order to 4th which will give you a
maximum of 24 dB. Set the type to Peaking. Set freq to 500 Hz. Vary gain and Q to taste." source (
http://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/eric-clapton-mid-boost-simulation.108794/#post-1301692)

Clean boost
Set the Filter to "Null", set its Level to where you like it, put it at the end of the signal chain, and assign a
switch. Now you have a simple, low-CPU, clean boost at your disposal.

Finding the resonant frequency of a guitar cabinet

Read this: Finding the resonant frequency with a solid-state amplifier

Alternative to Boost in the Amp block

The Boost parameter in the Amp block boosts the signal at the input of the Amp block with 12 dB. If you rather
have an adjustable boost, use a Filter block before the Amp block, set to "Null", with Level at the desired value.

Boston / Rockman sound

Put a Filter block in front of a Plexi amp model, select Peaking, set Frequency at around 800 Hz, Q at 0.707 and
Gain at 12 dB. source (http://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/boston-sound-modeling-the-rockman-amplifiers-m
odules.47614/page-3#post-1474527)

Boosting mids with FRFR amplification

A mid-boost can be help a guitar cut through the mix when using FRFR amplification.

Try a Filter at the end of the grid, select Peaking, Frequency at 770 hz, Q at 0.35, Gain between 2 and 4 dB.

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This page was last edited on 12 February 2020, at 07:34.