What does the "Track"-Parameter in a filter do?

stefan · 6 Mar 2007

If you hook up the pitch to the pitch input, the track parameter sets how much the filter cutoff should follow the pitch. When at 100% it means that if the pitch goes up one octave, the filter cutoff goes up one octave, and so forth.

PaulRiedel · 6 Mar 2007

Ah okay, thanks. So if I don't connect it, the cutoff will e.g. be too low if my osc is at +4 octaves, correct?

Thanks!

- Paul

stefan · 7 Mar 2007

PaulRiedel wrote: Ah okay, thanks. So if I don't connect it, the cutoff will e.g. be too low if my osc is at +4 octaves, correct?

Thanks!

- Paul

Well... That depends on how you want the filter to work, you can still have a cutoff that lets those notes sound through. On some patches one might want to use full filter pitch tracking, and on some one might to use a little, and on some no tracking it all. It really depends on how you want the filter to behave when playing different notes.

5010 · 7 Mar 2007

I recommend downloading a vsti that has tracking adjustment. Tweek it and try low and high notes to get a feel for it.

[old link] Notice the table synth, anna, and grain skan all have track knobs in the filter section.

You'll especially notice the difference with lots of resonance.

PaulRiedel · 9 Mar 2007

Well thanks guys I really understand it now!

I have to ask though: Is this documented anywhere official (non-Wikipedia)? I searched for it in the google scholar but was not able to find anything 🙁

Thanks!

-Paul

stefan · 9 Mar 2007

It's probably documented in plenty synth manuals 🙂

5010 · 9 Mar 2007

I don't know of any scholarly documentation about it, but one can see it in user manuals that came with vintage synths.

For example, the memorymoog user manual page 13: http://www.memorymoog.com/docs/mm_users.pdf See 8.1 KB TRACK.

Or try other vintage instruments by googling the model and user manual. Good luck.

PaulRiedel · 9 Mar 2007

hehe sweet! You rule, thanks!

infuzion · 10 Mar 2007

Hey Paul, if you could plz, as you find satisfactory answers to your questions, please add the questions/answers to the WIKI... maybe as a FAQ, tutorial, further descriptions for the components... there are different approaches.

That way, I'm sure someone else will ask the same q in a few months/years, but can find it instantly. Plus, if you have to refer back to your findings, you'll have a centeralized place for it all 🙂 TIA!