[LAU] Exciter / Enhancer Plugin [WAS:] Linux-audio-user Digest , Vol 19, Issue 9

[Reuben Martin]

Back on Thursday 11 September 2008, Fons Adriaensen was like:
> On Thu, Sep 11, 2008 at 05:36:26PM -0500, Reuben Martin wrote:
> > Exciter has nothing to do with dynamics.
>
> True.
>
> > And not really anything to do with
> > distortion so much as harmonics.
>
> Adding harmonics is distortion. It may not sound as
> such if the harmonics you add were already present
> but it still is distortion.

Well, I mean not the type of distortion people commonly think of such as 
guitar distortion modeled after an overdriven tube amp.


>
> > You use a harmonics generator, cut the fundamental, and add in odd
> > ordered harmonics, with each successice odd harmonic going in opposite
> > directions.
>
> What's the point of the 'opposite directions' (whatever
> it means) ?

The magnitude can be positive or negative. It really doesn't matter which way 
you go, you get a similar effect. But each successive odd harmonic needs to 
be in the opposite direction in order for them to build upon one another. 
Otherwise they begin to cancel each other out.

For instance you can have the first, fifth, and ninth be positive while the 
third and seventh are negative. Or vice versa. But I never use anything past 
the third harmonic. Anything above the third sounds way to harsh and gritty 
to me.

If you open the jack-rack file I included, you can take a look at the 
harmonics settings I always use. I push the first harmonic all the way 
negative and the third at 75% positive. I don't like to push the third any 
higher than that or it starts sounding abrasive.

-Reuben