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Table Of Contents
Chapter 24 Ultrabeat 363
The Noise Generator
The fourth synth engine is the noise generator.
Noise contains—in a technical sense—all tonal frequencies; thats why human hearing
can’t recognize any tonality in a noise signal. Despite this (or as a direct result of it),
noise is an indispensable ingredient when creating drum sounds. For this reason,
Ultrabeat’s noise generator is outfitted with extensive features.
To use the noise generator, you first need to turn it on. This can be done with the On/
Off button. When in an active state, the button is red.
The volume of the noise generator is controlled by the Volume knob. Volume can be
modulated by the sources found in the Mod and Via menus. For more information, see
Modulation on page 373
The noise generator has its own filter which functions independently of Ultrabeat’s
multimode filter. The four type buttons LP, HP, BP, and Byp allow you to switch the filter
between lowpass, highpass, or bandpass modes, or deactivate it (Byp).
The names of the filter types illustrate how they work: A lowpass (LP) filter allows
frequencies that are lower than the cutoff frequency (see below) to pass. This filter type
dampens higher frequencies, and makes the sound less sharp and bright.
A highpass (HP) filter has exactly the opposite effect. It filters out the lower frequencies
while leaving the higher frequencies untouched.
The bandpass (BP) filter only allows a certain frequency range (a frequency band)
centered around the cutoff frequency to pass. It can be used in the upper, as well as at
the lower, end of the frequency spectrum to reduce the highs and lows of a sound.