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Originally Posted by sillyfabe  the aw-3 is an auto-wah and envelope filter bc they are the same thing! i use mine to get the same sound as my q-tron which now has made q-tron sad but envious..... |
Well, we're getting into semantics here, but the generally accepted terms around here are:
Envelope filter = An envelope controlled filter- A filter who's sweep is controlled by an envelope, dependent on the strength of your input signal (attack). In general, basically there is only one 'wah' per note you play, and the size of the 'wah', or 'Wah;, or WAHH is directly linked to how hard you hit the note. Hit it hard and it opens a lot, play soft and it barely opens or does not open.
Auto-Wah = A filter who's sweep is controlled by an lfo- A filter which acts like an automatic wah wah pedal- it is modulated by a low frequency oscillator (does the 'wah wah wah' for you) and is not effected by changes in attack(how hard you play). You can play loud or soft and it will continue to 'wah wah wah' on it's own. Basically it is more like a 'wah wah' pedal than an 'envelope filter' and it does the 'wah' with out having to use your foot. Usually these pedals have controls for the depth and speed of the lfo, so you can dial in a fast or slow wah, WaH, etc
These terms are not set in stone but the majority of filter labeling and discussion revolves around those definitions. There are some pedals which cross the boundries in different ways from 'envelope filter' into 'autowah' - The Boss AW-3 Autowah being one of them. It has individual modes for standard 'envelope filter' and 'autowah' and a few other variations if I remember correctly.
With other pedals you can have envelope control of the filter, so that when you hit a note the filter opens and does the single wah thing, but at the same time an lfo going- So when you strike the string and the filter opens, the lfo 'wah wah wahs' until the envelope closes, so you get a mixture of the two.
