The filter controls below the filter display provide precise control over the currently selected filters. Most
of the filter parameters (drive, frequency, peak, filter panning, delay, level/pan), can be modulated, which
allows for a wide range of creative possibilities.
From left to right, the following settings are available:
The large routing button at the left determines how the filters are connected to each other, either in
serial or parallel. The number of routing options depends on the current number of
filters and the current routing mode.
The routing mode button, next to the routing button, determines
whether filters are used in stereo, per-channel or mid/side mode. In normal stereo mode, every
filter is applied to both plug-in channels (in the stereo version of the plug-in of course).
In L/R or M/S modes, half of the filters are applied to the left or mid channel, and the other
half to the right or side channel. Note: in L/R or M/S modes, filter panning is disabled.
The enabled button at the left top of the filter controls enables or bypasses the
currently selected filters.
The small previous and next buttons let you step through the filters in the display, from left to right.
In between, the current filter number is shown to help you to identify it in
the host when automating parameters.
The drive knob controls the overall input drive of the filters, changing how
clean or gritty the filters will sound.
The frequency knob sets the frequency of the selected band. If multiple bands
are selected, they are adjusted in parallel.
The pan ring around the frequency knob lets you filter the left and right channels
differently. It works as a stereo balance setting for the center frequency of the filter. For
example, when you turn the pan knob to the left, the left channel will be filtered with a
lower center frequency, and the right channel will be filtered with a higher center
frequency. You can use this to create various stereo filtering effects, especially in
combination with modulation. Note: panning is only available
in the stereo version of the plug-ins, using the default stereo routing mode
The peak knob adjusts the resonance of the active filter. A little resonance will cause
the filter to create warmer and more characteristic tones. For most filter styles, the filter
will start to self-oscillate at the highest peak settings. (The Auto Mute Self-Osc option in
the bottom bar will help to keep this manageable. See Input/output
options.)
For bell and shelf filters, the peak controls both the gain and the resonance of the filter, so it can be negative as well as positive.
The shape of each filter can be set to low/high pass, band pass, bell,
low/high shelf, notch or all pass. Unlike normal EQ shapes, the filters in Volcano 3 (even
the bell and shelf filters) are highly non-linear and follow the unique character of the
selected filter style.
The slope switch sets the steepness of the filter, which controls how aggressively
the frequencies around the center frequency are filtered. You can choose between 6 dB/oct,
12 dB/oct, 24 dB/oct or 48 dB/oct settings. For bell and shelf filters, this makes the filter wider or narrower. The 6 dB/oct option is not supported for band pass and notch filters.
The style button lets you choose between eleven different filter styles, all with
a unique character:
Classic, the original filter style taken from our award-winning
FabFilter One synthesizer
Smooth, like the cream in your coffee
Raw, a filter with lots of overdrive and exhibits a character of its own. Great
for distortion guitar sounds
Hard, moderately distorting filter, with a nice clean whistle
Hollow, juicy moderate distortion with fairly much low-end self-oscillation
Extreme, for more wild sonic ideas
Gentle, a more smooth and clean general purpose style
Tube, with a warmer sound and nice overdrive, great for synth sounds
Metal, with a rough, sharper sound and distortion
Easy Going, a softer version of the Tube filter
Clean, linear behavior with no drive or clipping at all
The delay knob set a small delay on the filter output of up to 50 ms. Combine this with parallel filtering, the
mix slider and modulation to
create comb-filtering, Haas, chorus and flanging effects.
The output level/pan knobs controls the output level of each filter separately. This is mainly
useful when filters are routed in parallel or per-channel (L/R or M/S). Of course,
filter level and pan controls are modulation targets as well. Note: panning is only available
in the stereo version of the plug-ins, using the default stereo routing mode.
The delete button at the right top of the filter controls removes the selected filters. If you
have accidentally deleted some filters, you can easily restore them using the Undo button at the top of the plug-in interface.
