The First Don
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what is the purpose of a resonant filter?
resonant filters?
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Justus Johnston
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If you're talking about the "resonance" control that you often find coupled with "cutoff frequency" on a MIDI device, then it's a control that makes cutoff sweeps more obvious by raising the frequencies around the cutoff. If you're not, then I don't know WHAT you're talking about.
Justus Johnston
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It's not usually a control you want to use if you want something to sound natural. Don't forget, imitating real instruments is not the only purpose of a synthesizer.
The resonance control, when coupled with the cutoff control, makes up what we call "subtractive synthesis". The whole idea behind this method is that you start with a harmonically rich sound, and start cutting the highs in order to remove overtones, changing the timbre of the sound. Increasing the resonance control effectively increases the audible effect of moving the cutoff around for more dramatic sweeps.
And no, nothing about subtractive synthesis sounds even remotely "natural". Although its considered a method of synthesis, there's not much to it that's useful in terms of trying to "craft a sound from scratch" unless you're just looking for unusual sounds. I once saw someone in Sound-on-Sound magazine relate trying to craft detailed sounds using subtractive synthesis to trying to make a detailed ice sculpture with a snow shovel.
Nontheless, it's certainly become a mainstay in electronic music. Its usefulness certainly depends on what you're trying to accomplish with a synthesizer. You practically never hear any techno without some subtractive synthesis. I use it all the time myself for morphing textures and such since I write music for video games. I have a friend who makes orchestra music with synths, and he likes to sweep the cutoff on things like trumpet to imitate swells, but he never touches resonance of course.
EDIT: I wouldn't refer to it as "noise" exactly. It's a way to make moving timbres. Check out this clip in a current project of mine for instance. The textures wouldn't be nearly as moving without resonance!
The resonance control, when coupled with the cutoff control, makes up what we call "subtractive synthesis". The whole idea behind this method is that you start with a harmonically rich sound, and start cutting the highs in order to remove overtones, changing the timbre of the sound. Increasing the resonance control effectively increases the audible effect of moving the cutoff around for more dramatic sweeps.
And no, nothing about subtractive synthesis sounds even remotely "natural". Although its considered a method of synthesis, there's not much to it that's useful in terms of trying to "craft a sound from scratch" unless you're just looking for unusual sounds. I once saw someone in Sound-on-Sound magazine relate trying to craft detailed sounds using subtractive synthesis to trying to make a detailed ice sculpture with a snow shovel.
Nontheless, it's certainly become a mainstay in electronic music. Its usefulness certainly depends on what you're trying to accomplish with a synthesizer. You practically never hear any techno without some subtractive synthesis. I use it all the time myself for morphing textures and such since I write music for video games. I have a friend who makes orchestra music with synths, and he likes to sweep the cutoff on things like trumpet to imitate swells, but he never touches resonance of course.
EDIT: I wouldn't refer to it as "noise" exactly. It's a way to make moving timbres. Check out this clip in a current project of mine for instance. The textures wouldn't be nearly as moving without resonance!
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The First Don said:
The answer above is the most correct, but my personal answer would be: to make outer-space noises.
The First Don
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it makes a guitar sound cooler when it is applied slightly. Is there a pedal I can get that has this effect on it?
noisewreck
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Yes, it's called wahwah 