From the course: Learning Modular Synthesis

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Low-pass gates (LPG)

Low-pass gates (LPG)

From the course: Learning Modular Synthesis

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Low-pass gates (LPG)

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- When I mentioned in the previous movie that a lot of West Coast style synthesis like to take something like the output of a wave shaper, and send it to a VCA as our final stage, I wasn't being entirely truthful. In truth, a lot of West Coast synthesists like to use something called the low pass gate. What that is, is a low pass filter with a fairly gentle slope. Six or Twelve dB per octave. One or two pole filter. That they envelope as if it was a VCA, including closing the frequency down so far, it almost damps out all sound from going through it. As a result, we get a VCA action of controlling the volume, but you also get a change in the harmonic spectrum. Or the EQ of the sound going through it, wider when loud, duller when soft. Very natural. Another common feature of low pass gates are what are called vactrols. These are strange little beasts that have some light emitting character, like a light emitting diode, up against a photosensitive resistor. So a light on a resistor to…

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