User Manual

NN-19 SAMPLER
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Filter Frequency
The Filter Frequency parameter (often referred to as “cutoff”) determines which area of the frequency spectrum the
filter will operate in. For a lowpass filter, the frequency parameter could be described as governing the “opening” and
“closing” of the filter. If the Filter Freq is set to zero, none or only the very lowest frequencies are heard, if set to max-
imum, all frequencies in the waveform are heard. Gradually changing the Filter Frequency produces the classic syn-
thesizer filter “sweep” sound.
! Note that the Filter Frequency parameter is usually controlled by the Filter Envelope (see “Envelope Section”
below) as well. Changing the Filter Frequency with the Freq slider may therefore not produce the expected re-
sult.
Resonance
The filter resonance parameter (sometimes called Q) is used to set the Filter characteristic, or quality. For lowpass fil-
ters, raising the filter Res value will emphasize the frequencies around the set filter frequency. This produces a gen-
erally thinner sound, but with a sharper, more pronounced filter frequency “sweep”. The higher the resonance value,
the more resonant the sound becomes until it produces a whistling or ringing sound. If you set a high value for the
Res parameter and then vary the filter frequency, this will produce a very distinct sweep, with the ringing sound being
very evident at certain frequencies.
• For the highpass filter, the Res parameter operates just like for the lowpass filters.
• When you use the Bandpass or Notch filter, the Resonance setting adjusts the width of the band. When you
raise the Resonance, the band where frequencies are let through (Bandpass), or cut (Notch) will become nar-
rower. Generally, the Notch filter produces more musical results using low resonance settings.
Envelope Section
Envelope generators are used to control several important sound parameters in analog synthesizers, such as pitch,
volume, filter frequency etc. Envelopes govern how these parameters should respond over time - from the moment a
note is struck to the moment it is released.
Standard synthesizer envelope generators have four parameters; Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release (ADSR).
There are two envelope generators in the NN-19, one for volume, and one for the filter frequency.
! Please refer to the Subtractor chapter for a description of the basic envelope parameters.
Amplitude Envelope
The Amp Envelope is used to adjust how the volume of the sound should change from the time you press a key until
the key is released. By setting up a volume envelope you sculpt the sound’s basic shape with the four Amplitude En-
velope parameters, Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release. This determines the basic character of the sound (soft, long,
short etc.). The Level parameter acts as a general volume control for the sample patch.