FabFilter User Forum
Bipolar style
Hi there. I make a type of electronic music called dubstep, some would say its a genre entirely built around the 'wobble bass' - using a retriggered LFO to control the cut off point of a low pass filter on a low square wave to quickly go wah wah wah wha (in 1/8ths for example).
The thing is, it just doesn't sound right withTtwin because of its 'bipolar' behaviour - the way the LFO moves the cutoff EITHER SIDE of the selected filter freq not just in one direction.
Eg: If i set the cutoff at 200Hz, the LFO modulates it between 20Hz and 300Hz not 200Hz and 400Hz like every other synth i've ever known.
I like the sound and GUI of Twin a lot. But for my purposes right now, i'm finding it completely useless. I'm actually wishing i hadn't bought it - sorry!
I propose that you make 'bipolar' an option for the LFO's like you've done with retriggger (which is also essential to me and many synths lack).
As far as i can see, all my favourite drum n bass, garage, dubstep basslines from the past 10+ years could not have been made with Twin.
Please, please, please give this some serious thought. I know its not a feature that has great marketing potential but i feel its essential. I'm sure there are many others that agree with me.
If you do it i will have no choice but to tell everyone i meet what a great product and company you've got here!
Maybe even a beta release just for me? : )
Sorry for long post
Matt
Hi Matt,
Thanks for your comments! Yes, our LFO's produce a bipolar signal. We implemented it that way, because it felt right for most of its modulation purposes. We will look into making bipolar behaviour an option for the LFO!
But just a thought: can't you 'correct' the bipolar behaviour for the problem in your example by just turning up the cut-off frequency a bit?
Cheers,
Thanks so much for your quick response. It's a fantastic service you've got here, hopefully i am not abusing it : ) its appreciated.
Yes i completely take your point about most modulation purposes and you are right, but if you just go wah wah wah with your mouth you'll see what i mean : )
Adjusting the cutoff just doesn't sound the same! I know what you mean but i still feel as strongly about it.
I'd really appreciate if you could put in a word for me.
Thank you
Matt
I agree that an option for mono-polar (is that the opposite to bi-polar?) lfo modulation would be a very good thing! Can't understand why I didn't think of this during the beta. A mono-polar option really does give many more added possibilities (like lfo 1 modulating filter pitch always down from a certain point, never going over it and lfo 2 then modulating another filter from the same point but upwards, never going back over that point). Very usefull stuff!
Cheers!
I agree aswell. This option would be great!
+1 Here.
But for Volcano as well.
I have faced the same problem.Lots of times i want to do a one way modulation of the cutoff or the res or anything else but i can't do it with the present bipolar nature.
Here are some more requests:
1)Another thing that I would like to see for all fabfilters is a sine waveform for the modulator generators.I think that most of the users would agree for this.
2)Ability to automate program changes or the use of fxp's and fxb's.
3)Midi control could generate vst automation data.
4)Small arrows to scroll through the filter types as well as with the list selectors in Volcano.
4)And finally one thing specific to fabflter ONE.Please give dotted and triplet sync mode for the MG as the other two fabs already have.
Sorry for writing so many stuff.
In general I love your products(i am a registered user of Volcano and ONE) and I use them all the time.
Keep up the good work and make your plugins pefect
Best Regards
Kyros
Liking it, liking it. : )
Just to pipe up with my own support for "mono-polar" lfo's! Would be very useful.
Paul
Okay guys,
As we are working on bug-fix updates for Twin and Volcano right now, we will try add a mono-polar mode to the LFO, at least for Twin...
Wow. Cheers Floris!
yes, many thanks for that, Floris
Paul
No problem guys; it all done and ready now, working just fine :-) Expect the update very soon...
Cheers!
Hi Floris,
Is the update only for Twin or are One amd Volcano on the schedule as well.
Please do these fabs a favour as well, they are screaming for it!!!!!
Thanks for your time.
cheers
Kyros
A-W-E-S-O-M-E. Yes yes yes and yes!! Can't wait.
Hi sorry for the slow feedback i've been manic lately. Yes much prefering the mono-polar thing thanks very much. I will praise your attentive service on the relevent forums in the next couple of days. Thanks again.
However, in monopolar mode modulation is still restricted to half the spectrum. It doesn't go between 0 and 1 but between 0 and +/-0.5 correct? This kinda makes sense in a bipolar scenario but just feels needlessly restrictive in monopolar, no?
I am regretting not stating this explicitly. I guess i thought it went hand in hand with mono-polarity but to tell you the truth i didn't give in much thought. I was too focused on the mono/bi nature but i had made my feelings known that i found it restrictive in a pervious forum post called when 10 is not enough.
I think we need this to finish off the great work so far! I just wanna go wah wah wah, like my mouth is all the way open! Not little half open wah wah wahs. I need to go from subby, muffled sounds, to fizzy, in your face ones! I can't be the only one.
Sorry to be a pain in the...
Matt
Hi Matt,
Indeed, all our modulation sources produce a signal between -1.0 and 1.0 (and some by default between 0.0 and 1.0). We have chosen to stick to these limits when implementing the mono-polar behaviour.
What you could do in your specific case, is use two of the same slots when modulating filter cut-off with a mono-polar LFO... that will double the modulation effect and do the trick :-)
Cheers,
Oh yeah, of course. Fantastic.
Cheers Floris