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On the excellent software synth 'surge' you can set the filter cutoff frequency to musical notes (precisely) and you can assign modulation amounts in terms of semitones as well. This allows for some pretty interesting waveshapes and movements within a sound that make it stand out from other synths both software and hardware. Furthermore you can set the key tracking center frequency to any musical note as well although I have seen that before but the others are pretty unique from what I've encountered. Most synths just allow for setting the cutoff in Hz, modulation as a percent, and the key tracking center frequency is fixed at C2 or something.
Now of course in most situations this is totally fine but I have achieved some very special sounds in surge by messing around with its unique sound design features. Some folks might think why not just set the cutoff frequency and modulation by ear, and to that I say thats the typical way and sometimes the best way, but what surge allows for is quite special and the subject of this post. On an analog synth I don't think too hard about settings at all and just feel it out when I am making music, but on a digital synth where you can get more detailed I like to get super nerdy with it. So now I want to know if there is a hardware digital synth out there that has these features. Anyone know of one?
In the mean time everyone unfamiliar with surge should go download it (its free), make some sounds and you'll know what I mean. Its pretty awesome they give you such detailed control over the filters!
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