Filter for Moog-like synth sound

[OriginalCrash]

So I just recently got a Moog FreqBox and am looking forward to pairing it with my EP-1 tonight... but thinking ahead... What are some other filters out there that are possibly a little better equipped to get you the sort of filter sound on Moog synths? I know the Moog LPF has an envelope follower, but no attack/decay controls. And of course, there's the Pigtronix Attack Sustain and other such pedals, but I'm looking for that kind of control over the filter, not the overall signal. I know the Meatball and its clones have attack and decay controls, but is that it or are there others?

Brian

P.S. The sort of filter sound/control I'm talking about can be found here, from about 1:00 to 2:30.

[RCCollins]

you could get a minimoog of some sort and use the external input channel

seems extravagant, and actually wouldn't let you control asdr

but i am close to getting an old micromoog to use more or less as an filer pedal

[OriginalCrash]

That seems like a mighty expensive (though good, I'm sure) option. Besides, if I were to actually get a Moog synth (I'd love to one day), I'd probably just suck it up and start learning to play on the keys...

Brian

[matskull]

Originally Posted by RCCollins

you could get a minimoog of some sort and use the external input channel

seems extravagant, and actually wouldn't let you control asdr

but i am close to getting an old micromoog to use more or less as an filer pedal

Oh that would be quite interesting!

[bigchiefbc]

This is probably overkill for what you're looking for, but the EHX BMS has a ton of control over its filter: resonance, start freq, stop freq, and sweep rate

[OriginalCrash]

Which I considered the BMS before getting the FreqBox... but I decided to go the modular route, so I doubt I'd want to get one of the full synth pedals just to use one part of it.

Brian

[MatticusMania]

Belive it or not, the Digitech Bass Synth Wah has some really good synthy features on it, not exactly Moog, but definitely some close digital replication.

[BigOldHarry]

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

Belive it or not, the Digitech Bass Synth Wah has some really good synthy features on it, not exactly Moog, but definitely some close digital replication.

I had one of those and found it to be... lacking. I wanted to get that big synth sound and it just didn't work for me (sold it on ebay last month).

[RCCollins]

Originally Posted by OriginalCrash

Which I considered the BMS before getting the FreqBox... but I decided to go the modular route, so I doubt I'd want to get one of the full synth pedals just to use one part of it.

Brian

that's too bad because it would be a reasonably economical way to get a pretty darn good sounding filter sweep.

you know what would probably work quite well for what you're talking about? An Octavius Squeezer.

Originally Posted by matskull

Oh that would be quite interesting!

i'll try to make some tapes this weekend

[dannybuoy]

I've got high hopes for the new EBS Stan-Wah in low-pass mode.

[OriginalCrash]

Hmm... They've never really appealed to me all that much, but I suppose a wah pedal would give me complete control over it...? Anyway, not that I don't appreciate the discussion, but to get the thread a little more back on topic... Would a Meatball or one of its clones be my best bet, envelope filter-wise?

Brian

[RCCollins]

Originally Posted by dannybuoy

I've got high hopes for the new EBS Stan-Wah in low-pass mode.

we'll see. I really liked lowpass mode on the EBS WahOne, but it was nowhere near as comby as a moog filter

[OriginalCrash]

On the Moog LPF note, has anyone here (as in this thread) had any experience with it? What about with the filter in slow mode? I know it's not direct control, but just how "slow" are we talking?

Brian

[RCCollins]

Originally Posted by OriginalCrash

Hmm... They've never really appealed to me all that much, but I suppose a wah pedal would give me complete control over it...? Anyway, not that I don't appreciate the discussion, but to get the thread a little more back on topic... Would a Meatball or one of its clones be my best bet, envelope filter-wise?

Brian

if you're looking to control asdr, probably.

[matskull]

Originally Posted by RCCollins

that's too bad because it would be a reasonably economical way to get a pretty darn good sounding filter sweep.

you know what would probably work quite well for what you're talking about? An Octavius Squeezer.



i'll try to make some tapes this weekend

That'd be nice, thanks!

[OriginalCrash]

Alright, I may have to look into the Meatball clone route in the future then. Good news, though... I got impatient waiting for tonight, so I rigged my little home setup using my monitors again and hooked 'em up together... They sound pretty good! The LFO side is great. Between the speed and character controls, I can get it just how I want it. The envelope side worked pretty well. With sweep and sensitivity working together, I can get some control of how long the "filter" stays open (longer sweep and lower sensitivity), and the same settings allow me to control how wide it opens on the attack... So still no attack time control, but I can get some varied attack sounds pretty well based on how hard I hit the notes. Anyway, about as I expected, ADSR controls (just the AD, mainly ) would be nice, but altogether it worked pretty well!

Brian

[Ely]

It's expensive, but if you are truly looking to go modular... The Moog LPF is super versatile, and while the different envelope modes are great, if you want even more control you can run the envelope out from the FreqBox into a CP-251. The CP-251 is essential for a Moogerfooger setup. It has attenuators for the CV outputs (otherwise they only output full strength) and it has this nifty little thing called a Lag Processor. The Lag Processor is basically the AR part of an ASDR envelope. It's great fun, and Moogerfoogers really shine when you pair them with more Moogerfoogers!

[kevteop]

Bear in mind that with the Meatball(-alikes) the Attack and Decay knobs are still beholden to the envelope. So if your note decays before the attack setting has allowed the filter to open very far, it just won't open very far. The decay control is more useful and predictable.

If you want full-on ADSR on the filter the Octavius Squeezer does it all, you can set the speeds for each transition and the frequency for the filter at each point, and it ignores your playing dynamics completely, or you can use the envelope follower and still have attack/decay speed settings, and of course you can add LFO-controlled variation to whatever settings you're using and do beat-locked stuff too if you want, and potentially in future have foot pedal control over the cut-off.

IMHO if you need a versatile filter (and bear in mind there's memory for 50 patches too) the OS is worth the money, even if you never use the fuzz or the oscillator. The only downside is there's no separate key in so you can't run a fuzz before it if you're using the envelope follower. Maybe the aux jack might be able to do that in future, but that's pure speculation, I haven't asked.

[OriginalCrash]

Yeah, the Moog LPF has already caught my attention. My dream Moogerfooger synth would be the MF-101 (LPF), 103 (phaser), 107 (FreqBox), and maybe a Bass MuRF for fun. I'm new to the modular, analog synth world and the world of control voltages, though, so I'll admit the CP-251 kinda went over my head when I was first reading about it. How would you use the lag processor and the sample and hold functions? As for the Octavius Squeezer, it actually was the frontrunner for me at one point in trying to decide what route to go, but I decided against it for two reasons... First, it's six hundred bucks. And while a modular synth would wind up costing much more in the end, I'm impatient and didn't want to wait. Plus I got a great deal on the FreqBox and already had my EP-1. Second, from several of the reviews I've read about the OS, it seems to do better at fuzz-y and sound effect-type synth than fat, old school, Moog-type synth. I haven't gotten to check one out myself, but that seemed to be the opinions of some people who had. Anyway, I wouldn't rule it out in the future, as it does seem to have just about every feature I'd want in a synth... I just don't know if all those features will work to get that Moog-like sound.

Brian

[rcubed]

Found this website for building an ADSR envelope: http://www.musicfromouterspace.com/a...1/ADSR001.html

Perhaps a future project.