Apple MainStage 3 Instruments - MainStage 3 Instruments

Reduce kick drum tonality using the 2 Band EQ
One advantage of bass drums based on sine waves is that their sound can be precisely tuned to
match the song. The disadvantage is that a recognizable pitch is not always desirable. Ultrabeat
offers several methods to reduce the tonality of the sound. A very effective tool is the 2 Band EQ.
1 For band 1, select the Shelving mode at a frequency of about 80 Hz, a high Q value, and a
negative Gain value.
2 For band 2, select the Peak mode at a frequency of around 180 Hz, a medium Q value, and also a
negative Gain value.
On the EQ graph, notice how the frequencies around 80 Hz are boosted, while the surrounding
frequencies are reduced.
3 Vary the frequency of band 2 (easily recognizable in the blue part of the EQ graph) to influence
the extent of bass drum tonality.
Reduce kick drum tonality with a lowpass filter
A further method for reducing the tonality of a drum sound that is rich with overtones is to use a
lowpass filter. In this example you will control the cutoff frequency of the filter with an envelope.
1 Reload the Standard Tutorial sound, choose A#0 as the basic pitch in oscillator 1, and modulate it
with Env 1.
2 Increase the Saturation parameter value to enhance the overtones of the drum sound.
Note that the output of Osc 1 is directed to the filter, because the filter bypass button (the arrow
between Osc 1 and the filter) is activated.
3 Set Filter type to LP 24.
4 Set Cutoff value to 0.10.
5 Set Mod Source for Cut to Env 3.
6 Set Mod Amount for Cut to 0.60.
7 Set Resonance to 0.30.
8 Set the attack time of Env 3 to 0. Use the Decay time of Env 3 to shape the sound of the filtered
bass drum.
Chapter 14 Ultrabeat 384