Sherman Filterbank 2

IN THE WAR AGAINST BOREDOM, THE SHERMAN FILTERBANK 2 IS TRULY A WEAPON.

Introduction

Filtering transforms a sound and gives it character and voice. Filters are all a bit different which is why synths have their own particular sound. Filters have been a basic sonic tool since the days of Hendrix, and since forming a core part of the sound of Funk have remained a basic weapon in the "Dance" production armoury. When the sonic sensibilities of Techno began to spread to other areas of music, manufacturers soon realised there was a huge potential market for stand-alone filters.
The Sherman Filterbank 2 represents the next evolutionary step of the hugely successful Sherman Filterbank! What we originally had was a basic synth without the oscillators, allowing you to process your flat and lifeless sounds into dangerous roaring crunchy performances. The "2" is essentially the same but with an improved spec, and the kind of modular flexibility that will keep you tweaking for months.

Overview

The Sherman will just about fit into a 2U rack space but looks very at home sat on a tabletop with its industrial looking angled control surface offering you 24 knobs and six switches. The knobs are colour coded according to function so it’s easy to pile in and tweak straight away.
Within the Sherman is a preamp, two multi syncable 12dB multi filters, two envelope generators, an envelope follower, two VCAs, and a flexible LFO that can be re-triggered internally or via MIDI as well as running free.
The two filters are very similar and can work independantly or be synchronised and set to differing harmonic intervals with a notched selecter. Given their high, low and band pass capabilities it is possible to create a 24dB filter that can introduce harmonics several octaves lower than your original sound. It is easy to generate frequencies as low as 1 Hz that WILL destroy your monitors.

The input signal can be seriously disfigured simply by driving the gain, but there is also a three position switch that gives a "HI CUT" or "HI BOOST" for extra control. Input sensitivity can be limited to control rampant peaks or expanded to accommodate strings for example. A pitch tracker which tunes filter 2 to the incoming pitch and makes filter 1 its slave can, in conjunction with the "+OCTAVE" and "+QUINT" switch, create very solid bass tones from the weediest of monsynth sounds.

The "PAR / SER" knob lets you run the two filters in series or in parallel OR anywhere in between. This arrangement is incredibly flexible, but that doesn’t even take into account the cross modulation options provided - as well as audio, the Sherman can also be fed with CV/GATE signals which will control the filters, the ADSR envelope, the FM and AM. A footpedal can also control the frequency of filter1 which would be dead handy live.

The "BYP / EFF" control lets you choose the balance between your original and your filtered sound at the output.

Use and abuse

The power of the Filterbank 2 comes from its modular nature. The theory is straight-forward and the manual attempts to explain what’s going on, but you have to get in there and experiment to realise the Shermans’ potential. The inter-relatedness of the filters, envelopes, triggers, external stuff and even phase control means that you are often surprised by what you hear, and that can completely change with one very small move of one knob (I wish that the Sherman had provided a bypass control of each element of the Filterbank - that would make it easier to get your head round to start with).
Playing with the Filterbank is like playing with an old analogue synth thats been souped up for extra crispness. Filter 1 is not quite as warm as the filter on my old MS10 or Juno, but there’s not much in it, and the Sherman can truly scream.
Because of its analogue nature you never get exactly the same thing twice and some of the more chaotic noises have a truly organic quality. I would describe the Sherman as sounding fresh and exiting whereas digitally modeled distortion can sound a little dull - like it doesn’t really mean it!
When mixed alongside original signal the Sherman will give new character to any sound. I have used it subtly, to extend the bottom end of a drum kit submix to give depth and also used it to utterly destroy a flaccid drum loop and make something that sounds like several JCBs having a dance off against several steamrollers, recorded on the worst known mike and played back over a Turbosound PA. Running a soft pad and using a drum machine to trigger the ADSR envelope will introduce rhythmic and tonal information as subtly as you like. Pretty much anything makes good Sherman fodder.
The Sherman correctly comes with a sonic danger warning. Some of the best times me and Sherman have involve letting the filter self modulate or even setting a separate filter to self modulate, feeding that to the input, getting random and then seeing how broken it can sound. If you do embark on a voyage of discovery like this make sure you have something in record and you will harvest gems of utter sonic weirdness.
It’s not that the Sherman sounds nice. Many hardcore and satisfied users will happily anounce that they think its impossible to get a "nice" sound. Its all about useful distortion. Reverb and other "FX" will only help out a weak sound so much, to really get in there you need to use what you have, and play with distortion. Then body, depth, crunch or searing mids can be added, and you can mix with confidence.
The "LINK IN" and "LINK OUT" sockets mean that several Filterbanks can be linked and set to related harmonic intervals for huge sounds or two could be linked to make one 48DdB monster.

MIDI

Most of the Filterbanks business can be controlled over MIDI. You cannot transmit knob movements however, but you could if you had a separate controller like the Gmedia Phat Boy or the Kenton Control Freak. The main MIDI messages ie pitch wheel, mod wheel, channel pressure etc control the filterbanks main functions, and deeper functions like the attack and release times of the envelopes, and triggering functions are accessed with either certain MIDI notes or defineable controllers.
Being able to make the envelope times a bit snappier is very useful for making faster rhythmic effects. Their default attack value is 63 which is actually quite leisurely compared with the instantaneous setting of 127. It would be better if these parameters could be accessed from the front panel.
Audio trigger can be disabled and replaced with MIDI trigger by sending MIDI notes. The Filterbank will also convert any incoming gate into MIDI notes.
I think the MIDI spec is a bit half done. Effectively most functions can be automated but half them are hidden away. I look forward to the Filterbank that transmits everything over MIDI and has a patch memory.

Conclusion

The Sherman has to be one of the most complex, flexible and great sounding stand-alone filters on the market. Every studio needs something to create a bit of mayhem, chaos and distortion and I highly recommend the Filterbank. And yes, it is built like a tank. If people dont enjoy your music you can beat them into submission with a Filterbank and use it happily the next night.
My only criticisms are the lack of bypass on each module, and a half done MIDI spec, but these are far outweighed by how useful and fun the Sherman is. Not only can it revive sounds that are dead on arrival, it can also do a mean impersonation of a diesel engine!

Weitere Informationen: http://www.sherman.be/