Alesis micron User Manual

 

 
The outputs of the oscillators, as well as a few other signal sources, 
are fed into a virtual mixing board called the Pre Filter Mix.  The 
job of this mixer is to funnel all of these sources into the inputs of 
the next sound processing stage—the filters.  For each source, you 
can specify its level, which is how loud it should be, and its balance, 
which determines how much of it goes to Filter 1 and how much 
to Filter 2. 
 

 
The sound produced by the oscillators is very raw, and usually not 
suitable to be used directly in an instrument.  In order to bring out 
the sonic textures you have in mind, you will typically want to 
dampen certain harmonics and boost others.  This is where the 
filters come in.  Filters alter the frequency content of the signal, 
and can have a drastic effect on the sound.  A filter typically allows 
you to adjust its cutoff frequency, which represents the range of 
harmonics that the filter operates on, as well as its resonance, which 
determines how much boost is given to harmonics around the 
cutoff frequency.  Each of the Micron’s voices contains two filters, 
and each filter can be one of eighteen different types, each with its 
own character and sonic flavor. 
 

 
The outputs of the filters need their own virtual mixing board as 
well, and that’s what the Post Filter Mix is for.  For each filter 
output, as well as a pre filter signal of your choice, you can specify 
a level, which is how loud it should be, and a pan, which determines 
how much goes to your left speaker and how much to the right.