school me on envelope filters

[madmax1012]

no i didn't look if there a thread like this. I'm lazy. sorry. but yeah, what's the deal? is it just an auto wah or something way cooler i should consider? what are some of the best options, and how do you incorporate them into your sound? thanks guys

[DarkAxel]

Well i think that technically there's a difference between them and an autowah... autowah works based on an LFO when envelope filter just reacts on the dynamics of your playing

i've had a few... EHX Dr.Q and Stereo Polyphase and Pigtronix EP-1. That EP-1, that was just so amazing

i admit - i sometimes play funky stuff, so for me the usage would be pretty easy if i want but for some less traditional ways of use... i'd use it with an octaver and a fuzz to create a faux 70's synth leads... or use it like this...

from 2:55 on... one of the coolest things i've ever heard being done with an envelope filter i've tried it and it's seriously awesome
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tpisLP6GDE[/youtube]

[Chankgeez]

Explains it better than I ever could:

http://elliott-randall.com/2011/06/enve ... d-filters/

http://www.geofex.com/article_folders/e ... cftech.htm

Just get Xerograph Deluxe. Very useful pedal.

[bigchiefbc]

An envelope filter opens and closes the filter based on your playing dynamics; i.e. the harder/louder you play, the more the filter opens. It's most associated with funk, but you can do some pretty awesome techno/electronic sounds with one too, when you stack it with other pedals.

There are a ton of them, check out Iron Ether, 3 Leaf, the Moogerfooger filter, EHX makes a few of them, etc etc

[devnulljp]

The 3Leaf stuff is amazing.
I have original Meatball and the 3Leaf does it to a T.
Same with the MuTron/Proton.

[zRobertez]

Malekko has a cool sounding one.

[rfurtkamp]

When I want one (versus dead on stupid synth, at which point i pull out the big guns in the ME-6B bass synth pedal that also tracks most guitar - or the actual guitar synth), I'm happy with my old Russian EHX Bassballs. Cheap, works well on almost anything, has a distortion switch to add a little meat to the filter.

It and the old DOD FX25 are the contenders in the low-budget category here.

I don't use mine very often, and every time I think of selilng it I end up using it on something else.

[WeHuntKings]

Are there envelope filters that act kinda like chorus or flangers that don't react to your playing dynamics but function via a rate/depth knob?

[rfurtkamp]

That wouldn't be an envelope filter, it'd be a LFO-controlled frequency sweep.

[bigchiefbc]

Are there envelope filters that act kinda like chorus or flangers that don't react to your playing dynamics but function via a rate/depth knob?

That wouldn't be an envelope filter (those are usually called Auto-wahs), but yes, there are filters that driven by an LFO instead of your dynamics. Source Audio BEF does it, as well as the EHX Worm, MXR Bass Auto Q, Boss AW-3 and quite a few others.

[J-Fuzz]

I have original Meatball and the 3Leaf does it to a T.

If this is true then I know what my next pedal purchase is. I too have a Lovetone Meatball, but I never feel comfortable taking it out of my house for fear of something happening to it. Shit be to expensive for me to just replace on a whim.

[soldersqueeze]

I think the less you think of an auto filter as a wah replacement, the more you'll enjoy it. A wah gives you more control and feel than an A.F ever could, but that's not to say they're not worth pursuing, you just have to experiment a little. You won't really know if you want one until you try one out.

I had the 3leaf GR1 and we never really bonded, though it did sound really juicy I couldn't get what I wanted from it. Now I have a Subdecay Prometheus which I find easier to use, plus it has an awesome step filter feature which can sound amazing. I'd recommend it because it has a load of tweakable features but it's still easy to dial in.

If you like making weird noises, can find a cheap second hand unit AND can look past the myriad of inherent problems (size, weight, power consumption, "toan suck" etc), consider a Line 6 FM4. They solve a huge number of problems you never knew you had, and cause only slightly more than that...

[madmax1012]

The 3Leaf stuff is amazing.
I have original Meatball and the 3Leaf does it to a T.

the proton? or one of them other fancy ones?

[DarkAxel]

Are there envelope filters that act kinda like chorus or flangers that don't react to your playing dynamics but function via a rate/depth knob?

as i said in the beginning - i think that's an auto wah

[Jwar]

I have yet to find one that I love. Many I have liked, but not loved.


EDIT! I miss spoke! I think the BEF Pro is fucking awesome, but only with a certain combination. Megalith, Source Audio Reverb, BEF Pro or BEF Pro with the verb. Both sound delicious.