The Free4orm Filter is the place you’ll go to add animation and movement to your sound. With it you can animate, pulse, randomize, rise, fall, and add other types of sonic movement.
For a video walkthrough on RE4ORM’s Free4orm Filter and Free4orm LFO, go here: Free4orm Filter Video
Under the hood, the Free4orm Filter is a super powerful LFO modulating a 2-pole Multi Filter. The LFO has all the normal features of an LFO but adds some additional options to extend its modulation capabilities. The 2-pole Multi Filter gives you access to a Low Pass, High Pass, Band Pass, Notch, and Peak filter with control over its frequency and resonance or width.
Let’s step through it so you see how it works.
Free4orm Bypass
At the top left of the Free4orm window is a bypass button. Use this to preview the effect the Free4orm filter is having on your sound without having to change the Amount knob to zero. Note this bypass button will turn off both the Free4orm filters and the Free4orm LFO.
Filter Selection
In the top middle of the Free4orm window are on/off selectors for each of the 5 multi-mode filter types. Select the type of filter you want to work with by using the on/off buttons. Only one filter is available at a time.
Amount Knob (AMOUNT)
The large Amount knob lets you set how much the LFO will modulate the Free4orm Filter. It is a “bipolar knob” meaning the top center position is zero (no modulation), turning the knob to the left will modulate the filtered negative, and turning the knob to the right will modulate the filter positive.
Frequency Knob (FREQ)
The FREQ knob to the top right of the large Amount knob sets the cutoff frequency of the selected filter.
Resonance Knob (RES)
The RES knob to the bottom right of the large Amount knob sets the resonance, Q, or width of the selected filter.
Speed Knob (SPEED)
The large speed knob selects the speed of LFO.
Sync Button (SYNC)
If the sync button is on, the Free4orm LFO will be synchronized to the BPM tempo of your DAW project. In Standalone mode, you can set this tempo in the Settings window.
The Free4orm LFO
The Free4orm waveform view displays the shape of the LFO as well as a real-time indicator of the LFO position when it's running. You can change the shape of the LFO in several ways.
Selecting Waveform Shapes
Clicking on the name of the waveform shape will show a menu of LFO shapes that you can select. You can also use the arrow buttons to the left and right of the LFO shape menu to quickly select an LFO shape.
Editing the LFO shape with a Mouse or Trackpad
There are two drawing modes for changing the shape of the Free4orm LFO. Select the pencil icon to draw in your waveform shape directly. Select the morph icon to warp the waveform shape. Feel free to use both modes of course as needed. Using the modifier keys (Control/Command, and Shift) while mousing will alter the waveform in additional ways.
Smooth Button
The smooth button will smooth out any sharp edges in your LFO shape. Use this if you like the overall effect of your LFO but just want to smooth out some of the sharp changes.
Sharpen Button
The sharpen button will do the opposite of the smooth button. It will sharpen the edges of your LFO shape. Use this if you like the effect of the LFO but want more drastic filter changes.
Surprise Me Option
If you right-click on the waveform itself you will see a Surprise Me option. This option will clear the current LFO shape and replace it with a randomly generated shape. Use this if you want to quickly experiment with different LFO shapes to see how they affect the sound.
Clear Option
If you right-click on the waveform itself you will see a Clear option. The clear option will erase the LFO waveshape and allow you to start from scratch and build your own shape using any of the methods described above.
LFO Looping Functions
The Free4orm LFO adds control over how it will loop as well as how the LFO responds after you release a note.
LFO Loop Modes
A typical LFO only runs forward in a continuous loop. The Free4orm LFO gives you the option to run the loop forward (Forward), forward and backward (Ping Pong), or only one time (Play Once). Use the dropdown or arrows to select the loop mode. Experiment with these to see which works best for your sound.
Free Running Button
If the Free Running button is on, the LFO will keep running after you have released the note you are playing (i.e. lifted your finger off the note). This is useful to keep the effect going on a sound that has a longer release time. If the Free Running button is off, the LFO will stop running on the notes that you have released.
LFO Save Button
The save button to the bottom left of the speed knob will save any custom edits you have made to the Free4orm LFO. Before pressing the save button you may want to rename your LFO shape and settings first. To do this, control-click (Mac) or right-click (Windows) on the name of the LFO shape until it highlights, then type in your new name and hit return.
For a video walkthrough on RE4ORM’s Free4orm Filter and Free4orm LFO, go here: Free4orm Filter Video