9

The Impact of Resonance on the Signal
The Resonance (Res) parameter emphasizes or suppresses portions of the signal above
or below the defined cutoff frequency.
• 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 Frequency
parameter. Alternatively, resonance can be used to define the width of the frequency
band. This is how it is used in the EXS24 mkII.
Controlling Cutoff and Resonance Simultaneously
Changing the Cutoff and Resonance controls at the same time is key to the creation of
expressive synthesizer sounds.
To control two filter parameters at once
µ
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.
Overdriving the EXS24 mkII Filter
The filter is equipped with an overdrive module. Overdrive intensity is defined by the
Drive parameter.
The filter Drive parameter 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.
Furthermore, appropriate Drive parameter 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 model is unique in the way its filters behave
when overdriven. The EXS24 mkII is quite flexible in this area, allowing tonal colors that
range from the most subtle fuzz to the hardest of distortions.
184 Chapter 9 EXS24 mkII