For discussion about setting up your studio and advice on the gear and equipment within it.
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By DM0NEY Wed Oct 20, 2004 2:45 am
is ther such a thing?i need filter fx,like what i mean is that i would like to run my turntable to a filter module so i can filter out drums then sample it threw my mpc????and another thing,im confussed with the terms low pass and high pass..low pas is if want to get rid of the drums right and high pass is if want to rid the vocals?????????

By minus Wed Oct 20, 2004 8:02 am
the mfc42 by akai is more than you will ever need, it works like a gem, or so i'm told...
a high pass filter cuts from the bottonm frequencies up
a low pass filter cuts from the upper frequencies down
that should sum up your question... peace

By lo-fi Wed Oct 20, 2004 11:30 am
There is no way to efficiently isolate the vocals or the drums. There are karaoke-type processors that allow you to cancel out the vocals to some extent - this often works well enough for karaoke, but not for sampling.

You can, however, use a filter to take out a lot of stuff so that only the bass or the highs remain. How well this works depends on the source material. For instance, you can't isolate the bass guitar, just the bass frequencies of ALL the instruments in the source material. This sounds like a limitation, but in reality it produces very interesting and usable bass sounds from a wide range of sources. Turning orchestral strings into bass is already a widely-used production trick.

The MFC is ideal for this purpose, especially because it's stereo, with an extra mono channel to boot. It sounds good and it's predictable and easy to operate. Not to mention very cost-efficient, as far as true analog filter units go.

A Low-pass filter lets all the frequencies below the cut-off frequency through and kills anything above it. A high-pass filter works the other way around. There are also band-pass and band-reject filters - pretty self-explanatory. The steeper the slope, the more efficiently it kills anything above/below the cutoff frequencie(s). Typical filter slopes are 24db/octave 12db/octave, or 18db/octave.
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By DM0NEY Wed Oct 20, 2004 4:58 pm
can i run my turntable to the mfc 42 filter shit then from the mfc 42 to my mpc?
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By trupro Wed Oct 20, 2004 7:33 pm
Yeah, you can run turntables thru the filter. I don't know if it has a phon amp already on it, I don't own one. But, you can do alot more than just cut highs and lows with an analog filter like that. And, you can sequence it to the MPC easily, but not while you are sampling.

What you want to do with taking drums out etc, you can get very close to by cutting the highs and lows of the overall joint with the vocals on it, then zeroing in on the snare frequency real tight, and cutting it way down. Then, boosting the main vocal area with the same tequnique, and then compressing the entire result
with super-fast attack time.

can't seem to find an MFC42 online for sale from the major dealers. I don't know if they make it anymore, but you can get anything used...
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By binger0 Wed Oct 20, 2004 7:41 pm
yeah or u can also truncate, cut out, the snares after u filter. It helps to make real clean loops.

I like the mfc but i aint got the loot to drop on that. so i got this
Image

Its 28 bit and it has Low, High, Band Pass, and Band stop. It has some modulation effects, thats like for sweeps, and to make it sound like its moving, but i dont really use thouse i just use the envelope and trigger to shape samples before the mpc. I get some real ill soundin shit outta it.
U can get them on ebay for real cheap too, like less the $50. i have seen em for as low as 19.95

Product Description

Meet the ModFX line's resonant filter. The user can select either Low Pass, High Pass, Band Pass, Low Pass Alias, or any combination as filter types. Five different modulation waveforms can be selected, each of which can be beat synchronized. The "Reset Mod" button will reset the phase of the LFO; the "Steep" button switches between 4- and 6-pole filters.

About ModFX Line
Alesis, a world leader in music and sound innovation, announces the release of the ModFX line, a family of performance effects boxes that includes 14 individual units, each one providing a different set of sound effects and signal processing. Of particular interest to musicians, DJs, and recordists is the extremely versatile modulation section on several of the boxes, providing unprecedented control over the sound of the effects, including the ability to sync modulation to incoming music tempo. Every box in the ModFX line digitally processes analog stereo signals and maintains a uniform, friendly, uncomplicated user interface. Keyboardists, guitarists, and any other studio or live performance artists will find the selection and variety of the ModFX line well suited to a wide variety of musical applications.

With cool and catchy descriptive names such as Smashup, Nastify, Faze, Crush, and Metavox, the ModFX line will capture the imagination of the industry. Each product — designed with internal 28-bit digital processing — allows the user to connect to multiple units within the family via the link ports (in and out) located on either side of each box. These links allow the units to pass digital audio, word clock, and power between ModFX line family members. Analog I/O is provided via 4 separate 1/4 in. unbalanced connectors, and each unit comes with an Alesis AC power supply. A 5th 1/4 in. connector allows an external footswitch to control the Bypass function. Each unit is sized to fit a 1/3U rack space; an optional rack mount adapter will also be available.

By lo-fi Wed Oct 20, 2004 10:59 pm
trupro wrote:Yeah, you can run turntables thru the filter. I don't know if it has a phon amp already on it, I don't own one.


Yes it has a phono preamp and ground connection built in, so you can hook up your TT directly, without a DJ mixer. Smart thinking on Akai's part.
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By FromthePantoL.A. Fri Oct 22, 2004 10:41 pm
I've got the mfc-42.
It's got plenty of inputs / outputs including the phono input.
You cant completely remove vocals , etc , but you can reduce a lot of sounds.
I've found it very effective.
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By FromthePantoL.A. Fri Oct 22, 2004 10:46 pm
http://www.djmart.com/djgear/akmfrealanfi.html


I've seen it for less than this and in fact , I paid about $100 less than this.
You should be able to get this at around the same price I paid , brand new.
If you need any help finding one at a lower price and you're in the u.s. , holla at me.
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mfc

By FromthePantoL.A. Fri Oct 22, 2004 10:49 pm
Ok , no need to holla at me after all.
Here you go man.
http://www.zzounds.com/item--AKAMFC42