Set the Controls: Introducing the VC Spectral Tilt by ADDAC System

ADDAC System has introduced its new ADDAC605 Spectral Tilt, a 4hp Eurorack synthesizer module.

The TILT EQ concept was first introduced in the 1970’s by Quad Ltd, and featured on the company’s model 34 preamplifier. The tilt control “tilts” the frequency spectrum of the audio signal by simultaneously boosting the treble and cutting the bass frequencies — or vice versa — making it a simple to use but powerful EQ.

As stated by Quad Ltd, it was designed to “produce a very gradual change in balance across the musical spectrum without changing the overall subjective level.” This gradual fall from bass to treble — or vice versa — means there’s no sudden change and hence no ‘coloration’ added to the sound. The sound will remain entirely natural but with a slight added bottom or high end.
In practice, the Spectral Tilt rotates most of the audio-range frequency response around a 1kHz axis, so as to change the overall balance of the sound from warm to cool — but without affecting either the apparent volume or the “color” of the sound.
With the ADDAC605, we introduce this idea into the modular world in a stereo configuration. A CV input with attenuverter has been added for the ‘Tilt’ control, as well as a ‘Spectral Motion’ switch that allows stereo spectral matching or inverted spectrum use of the Tilt control: Left = Right matches both channels direction — for example, when the left channel is tilted to the low end, the right channel will also be tilted to the low end.
Left ≠ Right meantime inverts the right channel spectrum. For example, when the left channel is tilted to the low end, the right channel will be inversely tilted to the high end — or vice-versa. This possibility is extremely interesting when applied as a stereo effect — or in other words, as a spectral EQ panner.

VC Spectral Tilt features