Cutoff and resonance
The two most important controls on a synth.
Lesson 1 of 2
A bassline plays through a low-pass filter. Drag Cutoff slowly from bottom to top while it plays.
Filter sweep
Move Cutoff with Res at different settings.
Cutoff800 Hz
Res30%
Cutoff is the frequency where the filter starts cutting. Low, and only the deep part of the sound gets through: dark and muffled. High, and everything passes: bright and open. Sweeping the cutoff is one of the most used moves in electronic music.
Res (resonance) boosts the frequencies right at the cutoff. A little gives the sound an edge; a lot makes it whistle and squelch, especially while you move the cutoff.