What it changes in the music
A low-pass filter attenuates higher content relative to lower content, while a high-pass filter does the reverse. Cutoff identifies the region where that transition is organized, not a brick-wall boundary beyond which every component vanishes. Slope and resonance change the response. A moving cutoff can shape articulation as well as static tone.
A small experiment
Use a harmonically rich patch and move a low-pass cutoff slowly. Listen for a gradual change in upper detail, then compare with the same movement at a different resonance setting.
Keep this distinction clear
Cutoff alone does not describe the whole filter response. Filter type, slope, resonance and input material all influence the audible result.
Related sound terms
Technical background
- Ableton Live manual: mixing — Meters, level, pan, sends and returns.
51ROUSI Editorial · · Editorial policy · Report an unclear definition