Apple MainStage 3 Instruments - MainStage 3 Instruments
Apple MainStage 3 Instruments - MainStage 3 Instruments
Apple MainStage 3 Instruments - MainStage 3 Instruments
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Cutoff frequency<br />
The cutoff frequency, or cutoff, determines where the signal is cut off. Simpler synthesizers have<br />
only lowpass filters. If a signal contains frequencies that range from 20 to 4000 Hz and the cutoff<br />
frequency is set at 2500 Hz, frequencies above 2500 Hz are filtered. The lowpass filter allows<br />
frequencies below the cutoff point of 2500 Hz to pass through unaffected.<br />
The figure below shows a sawtooth wave. The filter is open, with cutoff set to its maximum value.<br />
In other words, this waveform is unfiltered.<br />
The figure below shows a sawtooth wave with the filter cutoff near a 50% value. This filter setting<br />
results in suppression of the higher frequencies and a rounding of the edges of the sawtooth<br />
waveform, making it resemble a sine wave. This setting makes the sound softer and less “brassy.”<br />
This example illustrates how using a filter to cut away portions of the frequency spectrum alters<br />
the waveform shape, thus changing the timbre of the sound.<br />
Appendix B Synthesizer Basics 484