XT-TP “Tremolo Panner” is a creative modulation effect similar to guitar stompboxes, and including effects of “slicers” and “harmonic tremolo” pedals.
Unlike a traditional tremolo, where the modulation is free-running, the XT-TP provides multiple methods to sync the modulation LFO to the session’s playhead position. This makes it particularly useful as a production&mixdown effect, because it always sounds the same on playback.
Best when used on: Guitars, Keyboards. Can also be used as a gating/pumping effect for drums.
Controls:
Oscillator Shape: select the modulation type:
- Swell: the traditional swelling tremolo effect, with a very short dwell. Adjust the vertical “shape” slider to increase the steepness of the swell until it reaches a square wave.
- Sine: has a “dwell” time at the upper and lower limits. Adjust the vertical “shape” slider to increase the steepness of the sine wave until it reaches a square wave.
- Triangle: the most common repeating-cycle shape for a phaser effect. Adjust the “shape” slider to morph the triangle shape.
- Tri-Saw: Similar to the Triangle wave, but adjusting the “shape” slider will tilt the shape into a sawtooth.
User Shapes: enabling one of these shapes will display controls for the user to draw their own oscillator waveform shape
- Swells: Up to 16 individual “swells” can be adjusted in level.
- Linear: 16 control points, connected with smooth ramp between each point. The “shape” slider adjusts a hold time around each point.
- Gated: up to 16 stepped control points. The “shape” slider adjusts the hold time after each point.
Shape Slider
- The shape slider affects the selected oscillator shape, typically making it steeper.
Modes: Select one of 4 main modes:
- Cut Lows: The tremolo will cut low frequencies, leaving higher frequencies intact.
- Cut Highs: The tremolo will cut high frequencies, leaving low frequencies intact.
- Cut Hi+Low: Alternately cut the high or low band (sometimes called a “harmonic tremolo” effect).
- Cut ALL: This cuts the volume of the signal, like a traditional tremolo pedal(Defaut).
BPM: the BPM knob is used to set the rate of the oscillator.
- Free Run: in Free Run, the oscillator runs at the defined BPM, like a standalone guitar pedal.
- Sync Play: in this mode, the oscillator uses its own BPM setting, but it calculates the oscillator position from the host timeline; so repeated playback will always sound the same.
- Host Sync: in this mode, the oscillator always follows the exact position and tempo of the host’s timeline (“Hard Sync”)
Oscillator Display: this display shows the oscillator shape, as well as a vertical line representing the current position of the oscillator value. Click & drag on the oscillator display to adjust the “phase offset* of the oscillator. This allows you to synchronize the modulation to emphasize a particular rhythmic pulse in the plugin’s input signal.
Stereo Width: If the Stereo version is used on a track, then the display provides 2 different lines, and a “stereo width” knob which varies the distance between the 2 lines. For a dramatic stereo effect, use a very small distance between the 2 lines.
Divisions: Each LED indicator represents a different subdivision of the base tempo. Use these settings to increase or decrease the oscillator speed, while matching the tempo to the music. Select different ratios (1/12 or 2/3 on a 4/4 meter) to create polyrhythms in the modulation.
Wet/Dry knob: Turning this knob to the left will result in a 100% Dry sound (no effect is heard). Turning the knob to the right will result in 100% Wet sound (no dry signal is heard). A momentary button for ‘Dry’ and ‘Wet’ allows you to audition the effect without permanently changing the knob setting.
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