2.5

Modulation

FabFilter Timeless offers very flexible modulation possibilities which make this plugin capable of sounds not imaginable before. Ever-changing parameters can make your music become more alive because an exact reoccurrence is very unlikely to happen. Modulation can be described as the following process: A modulation source influences a modulation target. The extent of the modulation is variable. The bottom section of the interface contains the modulation sources.

Modulation Sources

Each modulation-source has an icon next to its name. Use this icon to connect a source to a modulation target (almost any parameter) with our easy drag-and-drop method: drag the source icon directly to any knob that you want to modulate to fill a modulation slot. To see the current connections to modulation slots and targets, double-click on the icon or a target knob.

There are many different modulation sources available. Here is an overview:

Keyboard controllers:

Most MIDI keyboards are able to sent out realtime MIDI controllers along with the MIDI notes. In FabFilter Timeless you can use pitch bend, modulation wheel, velocity, aftertouch and keyboard-tracking as modulation sources.

Two LFOs

FabFilter Timeless offers two LFOs. Each LFO generates a low-frequency wave which can be used as a modulation source. It offers the following settings:

• Frequency
  Sets the speed of the wave form that is produced by the LFO. When synchronized to the host's tempo and position (with the sync switch at one of the note symbols), you can choose a 'frequency' in bars, between 16 bars and 1/64 bar. Otherwise, you can set an arbitrary frequency. The LFO frequency setting is a modulation target.
• Sync mode
  The Sync switch chooses between arbitrary frequency settings and synchronizing with the tempo and song position of the plug-in host. You can either synchronize in straight mode, dotted mode (resulting in a frequency that is one and a half times that of straight synchronization) or triplets mode (resulting in two/thirds of the straight frequency).
• Balance
  The balance knob adjusts the balance between rising and falling ramps in the wave form. To reset the wave form, hold down the Ctrl key (Windows) or Command key (Mac) and click the knob once.
• Wave form
  The wave form switch selects a triangle, square, sine, random triangle or sample-and-hold wave.
• Polarity
  This button will change the LFO from bipolar to unipolar behavior. Bipolar means the LFO signal contains both positive and negative values. Unipolar only has positive values during a full cycle and is useful in many applications.
• MIDI triggering
  When the MIDI toggle button is enabled, the LFO can be triggered by MIDI note-on messages. When triggered, the LFO will start a new phase. If MIDI triggering is combined with frequency synchronization, the LFO will still synchronize the frequency and song position with the host, but the relative position is changed when triggered.

The settings of the LFO parameters can be stored as a section preset.

Envelope Generator

The envelope generator enables you to modulate any parameter dynamically. It offers the common Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release settings.
Normally, a new envelope is triggered when the sound level rises above the threshold level, which is set with the Trigger knob. You need to adjust the threshold depending on the type of the incoming signal. The trigger light lights up while the envelope generator is in the triggered (attack-decay-sustain) state.

When the MIDI toggle button for the envelope generator is enabled, the envelope generator is triggered by MIDI note-on messages instead, and audio triggering is disabled.

The settings of the trigger envelope generator parameters can be stored as a section preset.

Modulation targets

Almost any parameter of FabFilter Timeless can be a modulation target! This is why crazy things can happen when using this feature to the fullest. You can also modulate the level knobs of other slots, which allows you to create very complex patches.

Some connections however are not possible because they would introduce infinite loops. The basic rule is that an envelope generator or LFO cannot modulate its own parameters (because it would need its own output to calculate its output). When you make such a connection, a warning sign will appear in the slot and the slot will be ignored when producing audio.

Next: Drag-and-drop modulation slots

See Also
Overview