Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 09:33:42 EST From: KULTBOX@aol.com To: analogue@hyperreal.org Subject: [AH] FROSTWAVE (revisited) Hey crew- Well ive been getting a few emails about the Frostwave Filter i picked up a few weeks ago so i guess tell my thoughts..... I won't go into a "Review" of what the unit does in depth....cuz this can all be found on the following URL: http://www.melmusic.com.au/fw/frostwav.html The question i get hit with the most from people is " Does it sound exactly like an MS-20 filter?" A: I dont know i never got out any equipment or an MS-20 to waste my time trying to figure it out exactly. What do i look like? What i can say is that the unit is FOR SURE is that it sounds in the spirit of the MS-20 filter...it has that korg sound....very nice. It is alittle "smoother" than a Fenix Modular filter...(to my ears) and it does have the same "hollow nasal vocal quality" of the MS and Fenix. I have used the Frostwave in quite a few applications in the studio and i have also used the unit during live improv. Drums: I used the unit on a 909. You "trance freaks" will love the thing on drums. Turn down the Res. Start to play with the Freq, on the HPF and LPF and bingo...you can pretend your Plastikman. This box sounds very very very nice on drums....you get *great* filter sweeps.....even better than with the eq on a Mackie ;) I also used the unit with several mono and poly synths with outstanding results. Twists the hell outta anything put in... The unit really shines when used with somthing "static" like a weedy sampler......u can mangle all kinds of audio.......yes...like the MS-20 this box is a great audio mangler..... All u little twits who talk about APHEX twin and MS-20's should get one and shut-up...trust me ...you sound just like him...after all he puts *EVERYTHING* thru an MS-20. (please please please dont start the APHEX/MS-20 thread this week ...lets se how long we can go ;) Now here is my favorite part of the FilterBox. Using it "live" *alone* without any input signal. What u ask! With no input! Yes!!!! Remember, this is like the MS-20 both LPF and the HPF can oscillate independent of each other.........this thing rocks! Now dig this Death Ambient live setup: Frostwave Filter H3000 EFX box Yep...ive been doing loooong ass sets with just the Frostwave. Results? Awsome! u can sit in front of a this filter and make it "speak" (MS and Fenix users will know this) It has a very eeire quality to it.......wonderful drones....scary stuff! It comes in a close 2ed to sittling alone in the dark tweaking patches on a K5000 (k5000 owners have been known to scare the crap outta themselves doing dark drone-y work) Or am i the only one? What do i dislike about the Frostwave? The one thing i wish this unit had (as i wish alot of synths had) Is an "overdrive" knob. This is the coolest thing about Mods like the DEVILFISH.... When you are hitting that peak........the OSC's are in overdrive...the RES is pumped....and u still need alittle somthing........u need to bring the sound over the edge..u need everything to go into total chaos....u need overdrive! This is what Spinal Tap ment by having the "amps" going to "11" When everythings on "10" where do you go? This is what is so awsome about MODS like the Devilfish...Mr Whittle knows whats up for power users.....and i think some type of "overdrive" function on a good filterbox would be awsome. Things i really like: Construction is awsome......built like a brick. The unit is nice and big...the knobs are spaced nicely. THE PRICE IS KILLER. $180 usd shipped anywhere in the world??!?! And the guy who builds the damn thing is a member of AH. Keep all the small guys in business...all of us need the cottage synth industry. BTW- another topic.... Who sells Roland SYB-3 pedals cheap? They list for $275 and everwhere i go they want like $180ish for em.......yikes! -r www.kultbox.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Out This Spring: **KKN50-("Autodidact")- 'Art Brute' from the Chicago underground. Vinyl composition using shortwave radio/scanner , UHF, LW, SW, FAX, CW, transmissions, analogue tape manipulation and modular synthesis. **KKN50 is a radio station run by the US Department of State Intelligence Service. Interestingly, it is registered with the ITU (International Telecommunications Union) as operated by the CIA.