11.3

HALF-RACK EFFECTS694
ECF-42 Envelope Controlled Filter
! Please, note that this device is not available in Reason Intro Rack Plugin.
The ECF-42 is a multimode filter with a built in envelope generator. It is mainly designed to be used together with
pattern devices to create pattern controlled filter and envelope effects, but it can also be triggered via MIDI, or used
as a “static” filter for shaping the sound of an instrument device or a whole mix.
Usage
The Envelope Controlled Filter is best connected as an insert effect. However, unlike the other effects it is not a pure
“stand-alone” device. To make the most of the ECF-42, you need either CV/Gate from an external device or MIDI
notes from a sequencer track.
• If you connect a device to the ECF-42 using audio inputs/outputs only, it will simply act as a filter with no ve-
locity or envelope modulation.
Hence, all filter parameters are “static”, unless you manually turn the knobs or automate them in the sequencer.
• Connecting a gate signal to the Env Gate input on the back panel of the device allows you to trigger the enve-
lope generator for the filter.
Note that the ECF-42 envelope generator is not triggered by the audio itself - the envelope parameters won’t do
anything unless the device receives gate signals.
• By putting the ECF-42 in a Combinator (so it can receive MIDI), you can have the envelope triggered by MIDI
notes on the track.
The envelope is affected by the position, length and velocity of the MIDI notes (but not by their pitch).
q If you are unfamiliar with basic filter and envelope parameters, please refer to “Envelopes - General” in the
Subtractor chapter for a description of these.
The Filter Parameters
The ECF-42 filter section has the following parameters:
|
Parameter
|
Description
Mode This button sets the desired filter mode. Three modes are available: 24dB/octave lowpass, 12dB/octave
lowpass and 12dB/octave bandpass.
Freq This is the filter cutoff frequency. When using the ECF-42 in “static” mode (without triggering the enve-
lope), this parameter adjusts the frequency content of the sound.
When using the envelope, the Freq parameter serves as the start and end frequency for the filter sweep.
Res This is the filter resonance. Raising this produces a more extreme, “synthy” effect.
Env Amt Determines how much the filter frequency should be affected when the envelope is triggered. The higher
the value, the more drastic the effect. Note though, that if the Freq parameter is set high, raising the Enve-
lope Amount will not make any difference over a certain value! This is because the filter is already fully
opened - try lowering the Freq parameter in that case.
Velocity This parameter determines how much the gate velocity value should affect the envelope amount.