Wah
Crybaby-style resonant-bandpass wah with adjustable heel/toe range and resonance
Parameters
| Parameter | Range | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Position | 0 – 100 % | 50 % |
| Heel | 200 – 800 Hz | 400 Hz |
| Toe | 1000 – 3500 Hz | 2200 Hz |
| Resonance | 0 – 100 % | 50 % |
| Level | -12 – 12 dB | 0 dB |
| Mode | Pedal, Auto | Pedal |
| Sensitivity | 0 – 100 % | 50 % |
| Attack | 1 – 100 ms | 10 ms |
| Release | 20 – 1000 ms | 120 ms |
| Toe Off | Off, On | Off |
Overview
Wah is a resonant filter whose center frequency moves between the Heel and Toe frequencies. The moving peak creates the familiar vocal sweep used for funk rhythm, expressive lead lines, and filtered clean textures. Resonance sets how broad or sharp that peak sounds, while Level trims the output.
Pedal and Auto modes
Set Mode to Pedal for direct control. Position moves from heel at 0%
to toe at 100%, and is the parameter to assign to an expression pedal. Adjust
Heel and Toe to keep the sweep in the useful range for your guitar and rig.
Set Mode to Auto to enable auto wah. In this mode the input envelope
controls the sweep, so harder notes move toward Toe and decaying notes return
toward Heel. Position is ignored. Sensitivity determines how strongly the
wah reacts to input level. Attack sets how quickly it opens, and Release
sets how quickly it closes. Increase Sensitivity for quiet pickups or a wider
sweep. Reduce it if every note jumps immediately to Toe.
Toe Off applies only in Pedal mode. When it is On, the useful sweep is
compressed into the first 80% of pedal travel. Holding Position at the toe for
half a second cuts the wah to the dry signal, like the switch under a physical
wah treadle. Rock the pedal back to engage the wah again. Leave Toe Off Off
when you want the full expression pedal travel to control the sweep without
the toe switch behavior.
Tips
- For a traditional pedal wah, start with Heel at 400 Hz, Toe at 2200 Hz, Resonance at 50%, and assign the expression pedal to Position.
- For funk rhythm, use Auto mode with a fast Attack and a Release around 100 to 180 ms. Set Sensitivity so ordinary accents open most of the sweep.
- For slower synth like filtering, lengthen Release to 300 ms or more and lower Resonance for a rounder movement.
- Put Wah before distortion for the classic focused sweep. Put it after distortion for a broader and more pronounced filter effect.
- Match Level with bypass after setting Resonance. A narrow peak can sound louder even when the measured output is similar.