Audio Damage Filterstation - Manual (Page 6)

On Windows, the installer installs VST2.4 and VST3 versions of Filterstation by default. You can choose not to
install one or the other format if you so desire. If you‘re running a 64-bit version of Windows, you can also
choose to install either 32- or 64-bit versions of Filterstation, or both. (There is no reason to install 64-bit
plug-ins on a 32-bit version of Windows, and there are good reasons to not do so.)
Filters: The Basics
If you‘re reading this manual you probably already have at least a basic understanding of what filters do and
why you need them. We‘re going to cover the basics here anyway, just to make sure that we have a common
vocabulary. We won‘t be offended if you skip this section altogether.
Most filters, at their core, have just two simple controls: frequency and resonance. The frequency control
usually sets the frequency at which the filter starts to change the tone or timbre of the signal. If you hear a
filter effect that you might describe as making the sound ―move up and down‖, you're probably hearing the
filter's frequency control increasing and decreasing. The exact effect of the frequency control depends on the
filter type, which we'll get to shortly.
The resonance control usually makes the filter's overall effect more dramatic, sharper, and/or more electronic-
sounding. A high resonance setting usually makes the filter boost the level of frequencies near the filter's
frequency value, creating distinct overtones and sometimes a whistling-like sound. Some filters will oscillate,
generating an output with no input signal, at their highest resonance settings.
Filters come in several different types which differ in how they respond to different audio frequencies. The
low-pass filter is the filter type most commonly found in analog synthesizers. A low-pass filter attenuates or
reduces signal frequencies greater than its cutoff frequency and passes signal frequencies below its cutoff
frequency without alteration.
A high-pass filter works in a manner opposite to that of a low-pass filter: it reduces signal frequencies less
than its cutoff frequency and passes signal frequencies above its cutoff frequency without alteration.
A band-pass filter allows a range of frequencies centered on the cutoff frequency to pass and attenuates
higher and lower frequencies. The width of the band of frequencies is controlled by the Resonance control. A
higher resonance setting narrows the width of the band, letting through a narrower range of frequencies.
A notch filter, sometimes called a band-reject filter, is the opposite of a band-pass filter. It attenuates a range
of frequencies centered on the cutoff frequency, and allows higher and lower frequencies to pass unaltered. In
other words, the filter cuts a notch in the frequencies of the signals that pass through it. The width of the