cutoff frequency

Cutoff frequency is the frequency point at which a filter begins working, with a low pass filter passing only frequencies below it and a high pass filter passing only frequencies above it¹. A low cutoff frequency means few trebles pass, giving a pedal a heavy, bassy character². Many pedals provide a knob or slider that sets the cutoff frequency of their filter circuit, such as the Freq control on the Walrus Audio Kangra or the FREQ knob that sets the cutoff of the low pass filter in the Electro-Harmonix Pico Swello³⁴. Some designs vary it over a set range, like a tone filter adjustable between 1kHz and 10kHz⁵, or a high pass filter ranging from 25 Hz to 190 Hz⁶.