Freak

Harmonic transformation rather than ordinary pitch shifting

FREAK uses amplitude-modulation techniques and a modeled diode-ring circuit to reshape a signal's frequency content. Slow modulation produces tremolo-like movement; faster modulation introduces sidebands and metallic, bell-like textures. Frequency shifting moves components by a fixed frequency amount rather than preserving their musical intervals like a transposer.

Three source workflows

Oscillator mode exposes a controllable sine-wave source for precise modulation. Radio recreates tuning and demodulation behavior associated with AM receivers, including interference and noise. Sidechain allows the input to modulate itself or lets an external signal drive the effect, with envelope following for smoother control. The shared Type knob moves between the three modulation techniques, while Harmonics and Feedback intensify the result. Choose the source mode first, establish its speed or contour, and then blend the transformed signal back into the track.

Source: Manual, “FREAK,” pp. 17–24.

Shared controls

Type morphs between AMP, RING and FREQ. AMP retains the carrier while adding modulation sidebands; RING replaces its original harmonic structure with sum/difference products; FREQ shifts the spectrum. Harmonics increases coloration from the modeled diode circuit. Feedback recirculates output, intensifying sidebands; in Radio it also sets added noise. Mix uses an equal-power dry/wet crossfade.

Oscillator mode

Freq controls the internal sine modulation rate, including positive and negative settings. Range changes its span between ±200 Hz and ±5000 Hz, making slow effects easier to tune in the narrower range. Center Freq resets it to the center. Stereo offsets modulation phase between channels for width. Antifold raises an input high-pass cutoff toward the modulation frequency, reducing sidebands folding across zero and thinning the result. Very slow FREQ modulation with feedback can create an apparently endless phasing movement; faster rates are useful for clearly inharmonic effects.

Radio mode

Tuning moves away from the best-tuned center into interference; Center Tuning restores that position. Width adjusts demodulator bandwidth: narrower settings emphasize filtering, while wider settings admit more noise. Demod switches from envelope demodulation to a more aggressive product-demodulation model. Carrier changes the radio carrier frequency and therefore transmission quality. Gate restricts generated noise to periods with input signal; disable it only when continuous noise is wanted.

Sidechain mode

SC chooses an external host-routed sidechain instead of self-modulation. Contour blends the raw modulation signal with an envelope-followed version, letting you move from audio-rate complexity toward level-shaped effects. Release changes both attack and release smoothing of the follower: higher settings respond more slowly. Enable BP Freq filtering and adjust its frequency to emphasize a particular band in the modulation source. This can make the follower respond to a selected component instead of the entire sidechain.

For practical setup, establish the source with low Feedback and Harmonics, choose Type, then add intensity. Recheck Mix and output headroom after changing mode because the underlying transformation can change dramatically.

Source: Manual, “Overview of FREAK,” pp. 17–19; “Modulation Types,” p. 20; “Radio Mode,” pp. 21–22; “Oscillator Mode,” pp. 22–23; “Sidechain Mode,” pp. 23–24.