Harmonic Shaper

Parameters

Input Gain — Pre-shaping gain (linear, 0.1× to 2.0×). Raises or lowers the signal level going into the harmonic-generation stage. Because the Chebyshev shaping is level-dependent (harmonics are generated relative to the input amplitude), input_gain affects how prominent the added harmonics are. Pair with output_gain to compensate for level changes.

Output Gain — Post-shaping gain (linear, 0.1× to 2.0×). Compensation for the level shift produced by harmonic generation. Default is 0.8× (a slight cut) since adding harmonics tends to increase RMS energy. Set this last, after dialing input gain and the harmonic levels.

H1 — Level of the fundamental (the original input pitch) in the output, 0–1. At 1.0 the fundamental is preserved at full strength; at 0.0 the fundamental is suppressed entirely, leaving only the added harmonics — useful for tonal transformation tricks. Most natural-sounding settings keep h1 high.

H2 — Level of the 2nd harmonic (one octave above the fundamental). Even-order harmonics like h2 give a “tube-warm,” rounded character — they emphasize the existing pitch rather than clashing with it. Push h2 up for analog-style warmth and a sense of body.

H3 — Level of the 3rd harmonic (an octave + a fifth above). Odd-order harmonics like h3 give a “transistor-bright,” edgier character — they add bite and presence. Useful for lifting vocals or making bass cut through a mix. Combine h3 with h5 and h7 for a more aggressive, transistor-like flavor.

H4 — Level of the 4th harmonic (two octaves above). Another even-order harmonic — adds upper-octave shimmer with a smooth, non-clashing character. Subtle h4 gives a polished sheen to a sound; heavy h4 starts to sound like an octaver effect.

H5 — Level of the 5th harmonic (two octaves + a major third above). Odd-order — bright and somewhat edgy, contributes to the “transistor” or “fuzz” character when stacked with h3 and h7. Less prominent in tube-style settings.

H6 — Level of the 6th harmonic. Even-order, adds a high upper-octave brightness without dissonance. Generally subtle — h6 above 0.3 gets quite bright on harmonically-rich source material.

H7 — Level of the 7th harmonic. Odd-order, contributes upper-mid bite. Stack with h3 and h5 for a sharper, more aggressive timbre. Pulls the sound toward “bright distortion” territory.

H8 — Level of the 8th harmonic (three octaves above the fundamental). Even-order, the highest in the eight-harmonic set. Adds top-end air and shimmer. Easy to overdo on already-bright sources — small amounts go a long way.

Dry/Wet — Equal-power blend between the dry signal (0) and the harmonically-shaped signal (1). Useful for parallel-style use: keep the dry transients intact while a harmonically-enhanced copy sits underneath as added body or air. Node-specific — the FX-slot version handles wet/dry at the mixer.

About Harmonic Shaper

K2K’s Harmonic Shaper uses Chebyshev polynomials, which let each h-knob control the amplitude of one specific harmonic with surgical precision — h2 controls only the 2nd harmonic, h3 only the 3rd, and so on, without smearing into neighbors. This is unlike normal saturation where harmonics emerge as a side-effect of curve bending. Even-order harmonics (h2, h4, h6, h8) give “tube/warm” character; odd-order (h3, h5, h7) give “transistor/edge” character. The included presets (Even, Odd, Tube, Excite, Harsh) demonstrate common voicings.

Generated 2026-05-05 from K2K_Dev@96730bdc by scripts/gen_lexique.py. Edit _intros/ or _overrides/, not this file.