Arboretum Systems Hyperprism-DAS User Manual
Hyperprism-DAS Manual
Table of Contents
Copyright ©1999 by Arboretum Systems, Inc. This documentation may not, in whole or in part, be copied, reproduced or translated without prior written consent of
Arboretum Systems.
Hyperprism-DAS Plug-Ins for MacOS AudioSuite Compatible Applications
Digital Signal Processing Software by Arboretum Systems Inc.
This documentation current to Hyperprism-DAS Version 1.5, last revised 11/1/98
Copyright ©1997, 1998 by Arboretum Systems, Inc. This Documentation may not, in whole or in part, be copied,
reproduced or translated without prior written consent of Arboretum Systems.
What's New in Hyperprism-DAS v1.5:
New Harmonic Exciter, Bass Maximizer and Tube/Tape Saturation effects●
Frequency Shifter, Limiter and HyperVerb now included in Hyperprism-DAS●
Improved Low Pass, High Pass Filters; no more distortion●
Improved Compressor and Noise Gate●
New simplified Installation procedure●
Now compatible with Emagic Logic Audio, Avid Media Composer 7.0 and Avid Xpress 2.0●
Contents
License Agreement
Introduction to Hyperprism-DAS
Welcome to Hyperprism-DAS●
Hyperprism-DAS Effects●
System Requirements●
About the Demo Version●
Installing Hyperprism-DAS
Before You Install❍
Easy Install❍
Custom Install❍
DAE Memory Management❍
Problems?❍
●
Using Hyperprism-DAS●
Hyperprism-DAS Parameter Sliders●
About Stereo Effects●
AudioSuite Preview Buffer●
Effects Processes
Hyperprism Filter Processes●
Hyperprism Modulation Processes●
Hyperprism Delay and Reverb Processes●
Hyperprism Stereo Processes●
Hyperprism Miscellaneous Processes●
Appendix A: Troubleshooting
Appendix B: About Digital Audio Files
About This Manual
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Manual Conventions
Throughout this manual, you will see several different symbols in sections describing step-by-step operations.
Text following a right pointing arrow
invites you to execute a command with the mouse or keyboard.
Text following a down pointing arrow
describes the result produced by executing a command.
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Copyright ©1997, 1998 by Arboretum Systems, Inc. This Documentation may not, in whole or in part, be copied,
reproduced or translated without prior written consent of Arboretum Systems.
[go to First Chapter]
License Agreement
ARBORETUM SYSTEMS SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT
Arboretum Systems ("Arboretum") is willing to license the enclosed Hyperprism, Ray Gun, HyperEngine and/or Ionizer
software ("Software") only upon the condition that you accept all the terms of this Agreement. If you do not agree to these
terms, then Arboretum is unwilling to license the Software to you, in which event you must return immediately, and in no
case later than ten (10) days from the date of purchase, the unopened diskette package (and accompanying items including
manual, other documentation and container) together with your proof of purchase, to the place from which it was acquired
for a refund.
LICENSE: You may use the enclosed Software on a single computer. The Software is in use when it is installed into
permanent memory (such as a hard disk or other storage device) or loaded into temporary memory (RAM) of that
computer. The Software may be copy protected. In such case you may install the Software a total of 2 (two) times into
permanent memory of a single computer.
RESTRICTIONS: You may not transfer, modify, rent, lease, loan, resell, distribute, network, electronically transmit or
merge the Software. You may also not reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble the Software, or otherwise attempt to
discover the Software source code. You are not permitted to copy the Software (except to make an archival copy for
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obligations hereunder except as expressly provided for in this Agreement is void.
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accompanying documentation are owned by Arboretum or its suppliers and are protected by United States copyright laws
and international treaties. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of the software or documentation is subject to civil
and criminal penalties.
LIMITED WARRANTY: Arboretum warrants for the period of thirty (30) days from the date of delivery of the Software
to you, as evidenced by a copy of your receipt, that: (1) The Software will perform substantially in accordance with the
user documentation provided by Arboretum. Your sole remedy under this warranty is that Arboretum will, at its option,
either repair or replace the Software which does not meet this Limited Warranty, or refund to you the money paid for the
Software. Arboretum does not warrant that the Software will meet your requirements, that operation of the Software will
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furnished will be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use. Arboretum will, at its option, either
repair or replace the faulty medium at no charge to you, provided you return the faulty medium with proof of purchase to
Arboretum.
This Limited Warranty is void if any failure of the Software or any damage to the medium is due to accident, disaster,
abuse, misapplication, modification of the Software and/or violation of any of the terms of the License Agreement.
The above warranties are exclusive and in lieu of all other warranties, express or implied, and Arboretum expressly
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distributors or agents shall increase the scope of the above warranties or create any new warranties. Some states do not
allow the exclusion of implied warranties, so the above exclusion may not apply to you. In that event, any implied
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specific legal rights. You may have other rights, which vary from state to state.
LIMITATION OF REMEDIES: Arboretum's entire liability to you and your exclusive remedy shall be the repair or
replacement of the Software, the repair or replacement of the Software medium, or the refund of your purchase price, as
set forth above. In no event shall Arboretum's liability to you or any third party exceed the purchase price paid for the
Software.
Regardless of whether any remedy set forth herein fails of its essential purpose, in no event will Arboretum or its
authorized dealers, resellers or distributors be liable to you (1) for any damages, including any lost profits, lost data, other
incidental or consequential damages, arising out of the use or inability to use the Software or any data supplied therewith,
even if Arboretum has been advised of the possibility of such damages, or (2) for any claim by any other party. Some
states do not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages so the above limitation
or exclusion may not apply to you.
GENERAL: This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of California, except for that body of law dealing
with conflicts of law. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be unenforceable, that provision will be removed and
the remaining provisions will remain in full force. This Agreement is the complete and exclusive statement of the
agreement between us which supersedes any proposal or prior agreement, oral or written, and any other communications
between us in relation to the subject matter of this Agreement. If you have any questions concerning this Agreement, you
may contact Arboretum by writing to Arboretum Systems, 75 Aura Vista, Pacifica California 94044. Hyperprism, Ray
Gun, HyperEngine and Ionizer are trademarks of Arboretum Systems.
You acknowledge that you have read this Agreement, understand it, and agree to be bound by its terms.
Next: Introduction
Hyperprism-DAS Plug-Ins for MacOS AudioSuite Compatible Applications
Welcome to Hyperprism-DAS●
Hyperprism-DAS Effects●
System Requirements●
About the Demo Version●
Installing Hyperprism-DAS
Before You Install❍
Easy Install❍
Custom Install❍
DAE Memory Management❍
Problems?❍
●
Using Hyperprism-DAS●
Hyperprism-DAS Parameter Sliders●
About Stereo Effects●
AudioSuite Preview Buffer●
This documentation current for Hyperprism-DAS version 1.5, last updated 11/1/98
Welcome to Hyperprism-DAS
Hyperprism-DAS is a set of high-quality audio plug-in effects which can be used with Digidesign's Pro Tools 4 software,
Emagic Logic Audio, the Avid Media Composer 7.0, Avid Xpress 2.0 and any other MacOS application which accepts
DAE AudioSuite plug-ins. More than thirty different sound processing modules, tailored for the needs of electronic music
production, film/video post and multimedia audio production. Hyperprism-DAS plug-ins, when correctly installed, will
show up under the AudioSuite menu in Pro Tools and Logic, or in the audio effects dialog in Avid. Some of the effects
will appear in both mono and stereo versions, as appropriate.
Hyperprism-DAS (also variously referred to as Hyperprism for AudioSuite or H-DAS) is a component of the Hyperprism
Plug-in Pack. Plug-in Pack also includes editions of Hyperprism for the MacOS VST and Premiere plug-in formats, as
well as the Windows DirectX format.
Refer to your sound editing programs's manual for instructions on installing and opening audio processing plug-ins, such
as Hyperprism-DAS. Also be sure to read the Installation segments of this document for step-by-step setup instructions
and tips on getting running.
a typical Hyperprism-DAS effect screen
Hyperprism-DAS Effects
Hyperprism-DAS (H-DAS, forthwith) includes 31 different effect algorithms:
Auto Pan●
Band Pass●
Band Reject●
New! Bass Maximizer●
Chorus●
Compressor●
Echo●
Flanger●
New! Frequency Shifter●
Hall Reverb●
New! Harmonic Exciter●
High Pass●
New! HyperVerb●
New! Limiter●
Low Pass●
More Stereo●
M-S Matrix●
Multi Delay●
Noise Gate●
Pan●
Phaser●
Pitch Changer●
Quasi Stereo●
Ring Modulator●
Room Reverb●
Single Delay●
Sonic Decimator (TM)●
Stereo Dynamics●
Tremolo●
Vibrato●
New! Vocoder●
System Requirements
Hyperprism-DAS for the AudioSuite plug-in format requires a Power Macintosh computer, 80 MHz or faster with MacOS
7.6 or later and one or more audio editing programs which support the Digidesign AudioSuite plug-in format. Applications
currently accepting AudioSuite plug-ins include Pro Tools 4, Emagic Logic Audio, Avid Media Composer 7.0 and Avid
Xpress 2.0. In addition you'll need 12 megs of hard drive space and 500k of free RAM for each installed plug-in, to be
allocated to DAE's preferred memory setting.
About the Demo Version
Hyperprism-DAS (for AudioSuite) Demo limitations:
an error is returned if you try to process
●
a demo splash screen is displayed whenever a plug-in is opened●
Installing Hyperprism-DAS
Please read this section once through entirely and then follow these steps exactly!
Before you Install
If you haven't already, install your sound or video editing program (such as Pro Tools, Logic Audio Avid Media
Composer 7.0 or Avid Xpress 2.0) as per the instructions in the manufacturer's user's guide.
You will need 12 megs of free hard disk space to install Hyperprism-DAS. One of the advantages of the AudioSuite
format is that all AudioSuite compatible applications find their plug-ins in the DAE folder, so even if you're running more
than one of the previously-mentioned programs you need only do one installation of Hyperprism-DAS.
Place the Arboretum CD in your CD-ROM drive, open the Hyperprism folder and double-click on the Hyperprism
Plug-in Pack Installer.
Follow all on-screen directions. You'll be asked to Accept the License Agreement, then you'll see the Read Me. Be
sure to peruse the Read Me for important last-minute instructions which may not have made it into this manual.
After the Read Me, the following installer dialog appears:
This is the Easy Install dialog. Note the pop-up menu at the upper left hand corner of this display; mouse-click on this
menu if you wish to switch to Custom Install.
Performing an Easy Install:
Check the Install Location display in the lower part of this Install dialog. Install Hyperprism-DAS onto your startup
drive. Click on Switch Disk if you need to specify another drive for installation.
Click on the Install button.
Next you'll be asked for your name (mandatory), company (optional) and Hyperprism Plug-in Pack or
Hyperprism-DAS serial number. We've gone ahead and entered the first few numerals for you.
Make sure you enter your serial number accurately. Double check your entry. When all fields are complete the OK
button will highlight. Click on OK to proceed.
Note that the Plug-in Pack Easy Install option handles all the VST, Premiere and AudioSuite installations at once. If
you have more than one copy of a particular VST or Premiere-compatible audio program installed, or different versions of
a certain program, you'll see the following dialog:
Select the program/version you wish to install Hyperprism into by clicking on the program name in the top part of
the dialog, then click on the OK button to proceed.
After the Installer has found each of the audio programs on your hard drive, and copied Hyperprism to those
programs' plug-ins folders, you'll receive a prompt much like the following, which gives you a report of the Installer's
activity:
If this message indicates that the DAE Folder was not found, check that you're installing Hyperprism onto your
startup drive, and make sure that the DAE Folder is inside your drive's System Folder.
Click on the Continue button to proceed with the installation.
Assuming all the previous steps were completed successfully, you should next see the following prompt:
Since you're doing an Easy Install, there's probably little need to perform additional installation. Click on the Quit
button to proceed to the final stage of the installation.
Now the Arboretum Hyperprism Serializers spring into action. The Serializers automatically apply your earlier serial
number input to each of the Hyperprism plug-ins, so as to unlock all the plug-ins prior to first usage. After each batch of
plug-ins has been serialized, you'll see the following prompt:
Click on the OK button to proceed or conclude. If you're installing Hyperprism into multiple audio programs, this
prompt will appear several times; click on OK to get through all of them.
Your Hyperprism-DAS installation is now finished!
Problems? If any difficulty arises during the course of installation, check out the installation tips at the end of this
chapter, or the complete Troubleshooting section of this manual.
Performing a Custom Install:
This is the Custom Install dialog. Note the pop-up menu at the upper left hand corner of this display; mouse-click on this
menu if you wish to switch to Easy Install.
Hyperprism-DAS for AudioSuite plug-in format is the third group of selections in the dialog's window.
Click on the checkbox next to the "Hyperprism-DAS for AudioSuite plug-in format" option.
If you're encountering some other difficulty with installation, you can select the option "Other Plug-in Hosts" which
will create a new folder on your hard drive called "Arboretum f" and will then install and serialize a set of
Hyperprism-DAS plug-ins in that folder. If you're selecting this option you'll eventually have to drag your
Hyperprism-DAS plug-ins into the DAE Plug-ins folder by hand once you've completed the installation.
We suggest that you only use the "Other Plug-in Hosts" options if: 1) You have a Premiere or VST compatible
audio program which is not included in the Custom Installer's list; 2) You've changed the name of your audio editing
program or its default folder and the Hyperprism Installer can not locate them; 3) You're instructed to do so by Arboretum
technical support; or 4) Your DAE folder is on a drive other than your current start-up drive. Installing to "Other Plug-in
Hosts" unnecessarily wastes hard disk space.
Check the Install Location display in the lower part of this Install dialog. Install Hyperprism-DAS onto your startup
drive, which is presumably where your System Folder and DAE folder reside. Click on Switch Disk if you need to specify
another drive for installation.
Click on the Install button.
Next you'll be asked for your name (mandatory), company (optional) and Hyperprism Plug-in Pack or
Hyperprism-DAS serial number. We've gone ahead and entered the first few numerals for you.
Make sure you enter your serial number accurately. Double check your entry. When all fields are complete the OK
button will highlight. Click on OK to proceed.
If you have more than one copy of a particular VST or Premiere compatible audio program installed, or different
versions of a certain program, you'll see the following dialog:
Select the program/version you wish to install Hyperprism into by clicking on the program name in the top part of
the dialog, then click on the OK button to proceed.
Your installation is now in process. The installer will locate your selected audio editing programs and copy the
Hyperprism plug-ins into their respective Plug-Ins folders. The Hyperprism-DAS plug-ins will be placed in the DAE
Plug-ins folder, which resides in the System Folder.
Assuming all the previous steps were completed successfully, you should next see the following prompt:
Click on the Quit button to proceed to the final stage of the installation.
Now the Arboretum Hyperprism Serializers spring into action. The Serializers automatically apply your earlier serial
number input to each of the Hyperprism plug-ins, so as to unlock all the plug-ins prior to first usage. After each batch of
plug-ins has been serialized, you'll see the following prompt:
Click on the OK button to proceed and conclude. If you're installing Hyperprism into multiple audio programs, this
prompt will appear several times; click on OK to get through all of them.
Your Hyperprism-DAS installation is now finished!
DAE Memory Management
You're now done with the installation, but you're probably not quite ready to go. Note that we install all 31 plug-ins, this
may be more than your systems's available RAM may permit. You may need to increase your RAM allocation for DAE
and / or remove any plug-ins you won't use immediately from the Plug--ins folder.
Allocate additional RAM to DAE if necessary, we suggest increasing DAE's Preferred setting by 500 k for each
Hyperprism-DAS plug-in you wish to load. Just open the DAE folder (which is inside your System folder) mouse click
once on the DAE icon to select it (without launching DAE), then type command-i to open the Get Info dialog. Increase the
Preferred setting, then quit the dialog. Consult your Pro Tools manual for detailed instructions on RAM management.
Leave only the plug-ins you wish to run in your DAE Plug-Ins folder, remove any un-needed plug-ins and put them
aside in a separate folder. When you want to use them later you can simply drag them back into the DAE Plug-Ins folder.
Remember that each plug-in you load requires more memory from the DAE. If you see the Pro Tools initialization splash
screen flash just after a plug-in's name appeared, the plug-in was not able to be loaded (most likely because DAE has run
out of memory).
Consult your Digidesign Pro Tools manual for more tips on appropriate memory management.
The Arboretum installer supports all third-party AudioSuite, VST and Premiere-compatible audio editing software
packages that are known to us as of October 1998. If the Installer can not find your DAE folder, or if you're
encountering some other difficulty with installation, you may select the option "Other Plug-in Hosts" which will create a
new folder on your hard drive called "Arboretum f" and will then install and serialize a set of Hyperprism plug-ins in that
folder. When selecting this option you'll eventually have to drag your Hyperprism-DAS plug-ins into the DAE Plug-ins
folder by hand once you've completed the installation.
Problems? If any unexpected error messages come up during the course of installation, or if the Installer fails to
place the Hyperprism-DAS plug-ins into your DAE Plug-ins folder, immediately quit the Installer and Restart your
computer while holding the shift key down, so as to temporarily disable all Extensions and eliminate any possible system
conflicts. (If your CD ROM drive is not an Apple built-in model, you may have to eschew turning off Extensions.)
Once restarted, go into the System folder, open the Preferences folder and drag the Hyperprism Preferences file into the
Trash. Deleting the Preferences files will clear out the results of a faulty serialization procedure. Then run the Installer
again and follow the preceding installation steps as directed. Also make sure you're using the correct Arboretum product
serial number. Hyperprism 2 (for HyperEngine), Ionizer, Ray Gun, Hyperprism-TDM and Hyperprism-Plug-in Pack are
each sold separately, and each require their own unique serial numbers.
When installing Hyperprism an Arboretum Serializer utility will also be installed in the Plug-ins folder. This utility will
batch-serialize any Hyperprism plug-ins that are within the folder. When installing future updates to Hyperprism you'll be
able to simply double-click the Serializer to authenticate any new plug-ins.
If Trouble Persists: Link over to the Troubleshooting chapter of this manual. Also take a look at the Support frame
up on the Arboretum web site <http://www.arboretum.com> for the latest technical notes and troubleshooting tips. If all
else fails either email support@arboretum.com or phone our service line during our regular weekday business hours, 10
am to 6 pm Pacific: (650) 738-4750
Using Hyperprism-DAS
Here's how to use the Hyperprism-DAS plug-ins:
Launch Pro Tools, Avid or Logic and open or create a session. Make a new track and import your audio. Select an
audio segment for processing. Call the desired Hyperprism plug-in from the AudioSuite menu (Pro Tools, Logic) or the
Avid audio effects dialog.
Notice the standard-issue controls along the top of the effect; these are common to all AudioSuite plug-ins.
standard AudioSuite plug-in control area
For an explanation of the top strip of each plug-in, consult the AudioSuite plug-ins section of your Digidesign Pro Tools 4
manual.
To start, set the text boxes to:
<Current Plug-In> <Playlist> <Use In Playlist NOT selected>
●
<create ind. files> <entire selection>●
<factory default> <compare>●
If you have a stereo effect open, there will be an additional option below the Use in Playlist box, set this to
Multi-Input Mode. Stereo effects will also require the Playlist and Entire Selection options.
Hit Preview to audition you current parameter settings. Parameters may be updated during previewing, but it is best
to stop previewing and then adjust parameters. This includes especially the changing of presets.
Note that some parameter changes may not appear immediately if audio is previewing, because AudioSuite is NOT
a real-time plug-in format.
Hit Process to render your new effect to the audio file (unless you are running a demo copy of Hyperprism-DAS, in
which case NO processing is available). For stereo sounds, you must have two tracks of audio selected for processing and
Plug-In settings as mentioned below.
Select one of the presets provided from the presets pop-up menu (click on the Factory Preset text box). If you
change a parameter, the Compare text box will highlight, click it to return you to the preset's previous settings. You can
create your own presets and save them to the same folder. For more on the Preset Librarian functions of plug-ins consult
your Digidesign Pro Tools 4 manual.
Hyperprism-DAS Parameter Sliders
All Hyperprism-DAS plug-ins have rows of sliders which are used to control parameter settings. Sliders are arranged as
noted below:
H-DAS slider (from left:) parameter name, current value, minimum value, slider, maximum value
The left-most text box of each effect parameter is the current value, the text box just to the left of the slider is the minimum
value of that parameter, to the right of the slider is the maximum value of the slider's parameter.
Double-click on any numeric field to highlight it, then enter a new value from the computer keypad. You can change the
current setting by mouse-dragging the slider or by entering the new value into the current settings numeric field. With all
numeric fields, you must hit the Enter or Tab key to finalize your text entry. The minimum value and maximum value
fields define the current range for each parameter. If you set a min/max value below/above the current settings, the current
value will jump to the new min/max. Note that you must set a minimum less than the current max, and a max greater than
the current min. So, to set a maximum less than the current minimum, set the new minimum first.
About Stereo Effects
For stereo effects, Pro Tools allows previewing with only one track selected, but will not process with only one track as an
input. Attempting to process mono audio with a stereo effect will result in a DAE -7450 error message. This appears to be
an inherent limitation of the AudioSuite format, and the simple work-around is to make a copy of the selected region on an
adjacent track. Then select both segments for stereo processing. Some effects are only useful on stereo files with some
difference between the left and right channels, such as More Stereo, M-S Matrix and Vocoder.
Note that Pro Tools may allow you to preview a stereo effect with only audio from one track selected, but it will not
process. You will also most likely want to set your outputs to direct, as opposed to stereo mix, to hear the full stereo sound
of an effect. You can do this from the Setups menu, Preferences dialog, Operations page.
If you receive a DAE -7450 error message during preview or processing a stereo effect, make sure you have the
correct Plug-In options set as follows: You want to select Playlist (not Region) and be in Multi-Input mode. Stereo effects
will also require that you're selecting two tracks of audio, as the AudioSuite format doesn't allow mono to stereo
processing.
AudioSuite Preview Buffer
If audio preview time is too short, is cutting out or acting intermittent, check the AudioSuite Preview Buffer size. In Pro
Tools go to the Setups menu and select Preferences. In the resultant Pro Tools Preferences dialog go to the Processing
page and increase the AudioSuite buffer as desired. "Medium" settings seem to work well in typical limited-RAM
configurations.
[Table of Contents] [Next Chapter]
Hyperprism Processes
This chapter contains a detailed description of every Hyperprism effect. Depending on which hardware platform and/or
host application you use, you may not have every effect listed in this section. This is often because certain host-programs'
plug-in architectures may not currently support certain types of processing, for example, effects that change the duration of
a sound.
A series of small icons displayed in each effect description indicates which version of Hyperprism that effect is included
in.
Effect included in Hyperprism-2
Effect included in Hyperprism-VST (For the MacOS VST plug-in format)
Effect included in Hyperprism-MMP (Adobe Premiere-compatible plug-in format)
Effect included in Hyperprism-DAS (Digidesign Audio Suite plug-in format)
Hyperprism-TDM and Hyperprism-DX (Windows 95) processes are documented elsewhere, in the special manuals for
those specific editions of Hyperprism.
Hyperprism Filter Processes
Low Pass●
High Pass●
Band Pass●
Band Reject●
NEW! Low Shelf●
NEW! Hi Shelf●
NEW! Parametric EQ●
Hyperprism Modulation Processes
NEW! Vocoder●
NEW! Frequency Shifter●
NEW! Z-Morph●
Phaser●
Flanger●
Chorus●
Ring Modulator●
Tremolo●
Vibrato●
Hyperprism Delay and Reverb Processes
Single Delay●
Multi Delay●
Echo●
EchoTranz●
NEW! HyperVerb (TM)●
Medium Room Reverb●
Hall Reverb●
Hyperprism Stereo Processes
Pan●
Auto Pan●
Quasi Stereo●
Stereo Dynamics●
More Stereo●
M-S Matrix●
Hyperprism Miscellaneous Processes
NEW! Harmonic Exciter●
NEW! Bass Maximizer●
NEW! Tube/Tape Saturation●
Pitch Time Changer●
Pitch Changer●
NEW! Vari-Speed●
Noise Gate●
Compressor●
NEW! Limiter●
Sonic Decimator●
Go to Effects: [Filters] [Modulators] [Delay and Reverb] [Stereo] [Misc Effects]
Go to Table of Contents: [Hyperprism-DAS]
[Troubleshooting] [About Digital Audio]
Hyperprism Filter Processes
Low Shelf●
High Shelf●
Parametric EQ●
Low Pass●
High Pass●
Band Pass●
Band Reject●
Low Shelf
The Low Shelf filter boosts or cuts frequencies below the cutoff, and passes frequencies above the shelf cutoff with no
change made to their gain. Use this effect to enhance or diminish any amount of low frequency material in a sound.
Low Shelf filter response characteristics at various gain levels.
Parameters
Cutoff Frequency
Ranges from 13-20,000 Hz. Indicates the midpoint of the shelf curve. The 3 dB points are roughly at twice and half the
midpoint.
Gain
Ranges from -36 to +36 dB. Determines the gain applied to the shelved frequencies.
High Shelf
The high shelf filter boosts or cuts frequencies above the cutoff, and passes frequencies below the shelf cutoff with no
change made to their gain. Use this effect to enhance or diminish any adjustable amount of high frequency material in a
sound.
High Shelf filter response characteristics at various gain levels.
Parameters
Cutoff
Ranges from 13-20,000 Hz. Indicates the midpoint of the shelf curve. The +/- 3 dB points are roughly at twice and half the
midpoint.
Gain
Ranges from -36 to +36 dB. Determines the gain applied to the shelved frequencies.
Parametric EQ
This process is a one band parametric equalizer. It's a very flexible filter, capable of creating notches or peaks without
influencing nearby frequencies. Select a center frequency to process, the amount of gain change and the bandwidth of the
filter.
Parametric EQ response characteristics at various gain levels.
Parameters
Center Frequency
Sets the frequency to be boosted or cut, from 13-20,000 Hz.
Q Factor
Ranges from 1-100. Determines the width of the peak/notch. Low Q's result in wide peaks/notches, and high Q's result in
sharp, resonant peaks/notches.
Boost/Cut
Controls the amount of gain applied to the selected frequencies, ranging from -36 to +36 dB.
Low Pass
A low pass filter lets you hear only low frequencies; it blocks higher frequencies. An important property of a low pass
filter is its cutoff frequency. This is the point in the frequency range at which the filter reduces the signal to -3 dB of its
original power. (In visual terms, a -3 dB reduction in a waveform displayed on your monitor will result in a signal that
appears to be half the peak-to-peak height of the original.)
Spectral components that are attenuated below the cutoff of a filter are said to be in the stop band of a filter. Those above
the half-power point are said to be in the pass band of the filter.
In an ideally sharp filter, the cutoff frequency is a kind of brick wall: anything outside it is maximally attenuated, dividing
the frequency response neatly into a pass band and a stop band. In actual filters, the slope of the filter leading up to the
cutoff frequency is not linear (there is a slight ripple in the frequency response), and the area between the pass band and
the stop band is called the transition band.
The steepness of a filter's slope is usually specified in terms of decibels of attenuation or boost per octave, abbreviated
"dB/octave." For example, a 6 dB/octave slope on a low pass filter makes a smooth attenuation (or roll-off), while a 90
dB/octave slope makes a sharp cutoff. The use of a smooth or sharp slope depends on the musical situation. For example, a
sharp band reject filter might be needed to completely eliminate a tone centered at a particular frequency, while a gentle
low pass filter could be the most unobtrusive way of attenuating background noise in the high frequency range.
One of the shortcomings of early Hyperprism versions has been the ease with which you could overdrive the filters
with extreme cutoff frequency settings. Among the many improvements we've made in Hyperprism is that we're now
normalizing the output of our filter effects so the output stays smooth and even (and listenable) across the entire range of
cutoff frequency settings.
Parameters
Frequency
Frequency scale, from 13 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Select the cutoff frequency within this band. This parameter is called Cutoff
Frequency in Hyperprism 2 and Hyperprism-VST.
Q Factor
The Q sets the sharpness of the response of the filter, determining its +/- 3 dB band width and degree of resonance. The
greater the Q, the sharper the filter. When the Q is high, the frequency response is sharply focused around a peak
(resonant) frequency. A high Q setting will tend to reduce the total signal level coming out of the filter. Ranges from 1 to
100 in Hyperprism 2, Hyperprism-DAS and Hyperprism-VST, from 0.001 to 10 in Hyperprism-MMP
Low pass filter response curves for different values of Q. A low Q filter has a smooth roll off. A high Q filter has a
resonance peak before the cutoff frequency.
Example
Load the example sound file Provence Ambience and Play it. You should hear crickets while a propeller plane
passes in the sky.
Select Loop playback (if necessary).
Select the Low Pass filter from the Plug-ins menu.
A Blue Window appears.
Change the Cutoff Frequency maximum setting to 2000 Hz in order to get a more accurate definition.
Set Cutoff Frequency to 450 Hz with Q factor of 2.
You should be hearing the plane only. Note that if you raise the cutoff frequency, you'll hear the crickets coming in.
Note that the overall level may have decreased. You can use the Faders to amplify the signal.
High Pass
A High Pass filter only lets you hear high frequencies. It attenuates frequencies below the specified cutoff frequency. (For
more on general properties of filters, see the description of the Low Pass filter, above.)
One of the shortcomings of early Hyperprism versions has been the ease with which you could overdrive the filters
with extreme cutoff frequency settings. Among the many improvements we've made in Hyperprism 2 is that we're now
normalizing the output of our filter effects so the output stays smooth and even (and listenable) across the entire range of
cutoff frequency settings.
Parameters
Frequency
Frequency scale from 13 to 20,000 Hz. Select the cutoff frequency within this spectrum. This parameter is called Cutoff
Frequency in Hyperprism 2.
Q Factor
(See the previous explanation of Q for the Low Pass filter.) Ranges from 1 to 100 in Hyperprism 2, Hyperprism-DAS and
Hyperprism-VST, from 0.001 to 10 in Hyperprism-MMP.
High pass filter response curves for different values of Q. A low Q filter has a smooth roll off. A high Q filter has a
resonance peak before the cutoff frequency.
Example
Load the example sound file Provence Ambience and Play it.
You should hear crickets while a propeller plane passes in the sky.
Select Loop playback (if necessary).
Select the High Pass filter from the Plug-ins menu.
A Blue Window appears.
Change the maximum value for cutoff frequency to 5000 in order to get a more accurate definition.
Make sure you have the Q and Cutoff sliders mapped to the Blue Window axes, then click and drag the mouse in the
Blue Window.
As you move the cutoff frequency from low to high, the low frequencies are attenuated more and more until you
stop hearing the sound of the plane. Notice also how different Q settings effect the sound, high Q settings creating a
noticeable resonance, low Q settings allowing some attenuated low frequency signal to pass through.
Note that the overall level may have gone down. You can use the Faders to amplify the signal.
Band Pass
A band pass filter lets you hear a certain band of frequencies within an upper and lower range. Frequencies above and
below this band are attenuated. The distance between the higher and lower cutoff frequencies in a band pass filter is called
the bandwidth of the filter. The center frequency of a band pass filter is the maximum point of amplitude.
Parameters
Center Frequency
Also called "Frequency" in some Hyperprism versions. Use this parameter to select the center frequency, which is the
maximum point of amplitude. This parameter ranges from 13 Hz to 20 kHz in Hyperprism 2, Hyperprism-MMP and
Hyperprism-VST, and ranges from 0-20 kHz in Hyperprism-DAS.
Q Factor
Ranges from 1 to 100 in Hyperprism 2 and Hyperprism-VST, from 0.001 to 100 in Hyperprism-MMP, from 0 to 10 in
Hyperprism-DAS. It determines the sharpness of the filter, and is akin to the resonance factor. Q can be defined precisely
for a band pass filter as the ratio of the center frequency to the spread of its -3 dB point (cutoff point) bandwidth.
where fcenter is the filter's center frequency,
fhighcutoff is the upper -3 dB point, and flowcutoff is the lower -3 dB point. When the
center frequency is constant, adjusting the Q is the same as adjusting the bandwidth.
Band pass filter response curve for different Q values
When the Q is high, the filter will begin to resonate or ring at the center frequency. However, a high Q setting will
also tend to reduce the overall signal level coming out of the filter. The Q factor can be increased to a very high value, in
which case it generates a sinusoidal tone, amplitude of which varies according to the input signal. If this signal is loud
enough to cause distortion, reduce the level of Hyperprism-PPC's Faders.
Example
Load the example sound file Airport+1050 Hz and Play it.
You should hear an announcement recorded in the Paris Orly airport that contains an additional signal at 1050 Hz.
The Band Pass filter lets one isolate this frequency and eliminate everything else. In order to do this:
Click on Loop playback (if necessary)
Select the Band Pass filter from the Plug-ins menu.
A Blue Window appears.
Modify the frequency scale to a bandwidth between 500 and 2000 Hz, and the Q factor from 10 to 200.
Select a center frequency of 1050 Hz and a Q factor of 200.
You should now be hearing just the 1050 Hz tone, with the announcement filtered out.
Band Reject
A band reject filter cuts out sound within a bandwidth centered around a selected frequency. It passes frequencies above
and below this bandwidth. In this sense, it is the inverse of a band pass filter, since the center frequency of a band reject
filter is the minimum point of amplitude.
Approximate response curves for the Band Reject filter at a fixed center frequency, but at various Q values. At a Q of 1,
the dip in the center is smooth.
Parameters
Center Frequency
Frequency scale selects the center frequency of the rejected band, from 13 Hz to 20 kHz. This parameter is simply called
"Frequency" in Hyperprism-MMP and Hyperprism-DAS.
Q Factor
Ranges from 1 to 1000 in Hyperprism 2, Hyperprism-VST and Hyperprism-DAS, from 0.001 to 1000 in
Hyperprism-MMP. Determines the sharpness of the cutoff of the filter. The higher the Q, the sharper the cutoff. See the
description of Q for the Band Pass filter (above).
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