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If you are a music producer or sound designer, you would have probably used some form of filtering, be it a low pass filter, band, and even a high pass filter. A filter can be used in a couple of ways, for example, you might want to use it to create a dramatic sound in your mix or for transitioning, in & out of a certain loop.
FREE VST PLUGINS. Search for: FREE VST PLUGINS. Size 1.52 MB Variable Filter has 7 types of filters. 7 types of CutOff/Resonance filters 2 LFOS with 4 types. Available for Download. Utility 10 Analog 8 Imaging 6 Modulators 6 Delay 5 Distortion 5 Filter 5 Chorus 4 Dynamics 4 EQ 4 Mid-Side 4 Stereo-Field 4 Synthesizer 4 Vintage 4 Algorithmic 3 Amp-Simulator 3 Bitcrusher 3 Mastering 3 Reverb 3 Subtractive 3. From filtersweeps and stereo tremolo to surgically-precise filter control. Try it out — download the demo and let FilterShaper 3 loose on your audio productions. FilterShaper 3 is a bonkers frequency-sculpting plugin that can achieve mind-bogglingly intricate modulation while managing to make all of this simple and approachable. The free Rubber Filter VST plug-in by Christian Budde is a highly versatile 6-384 dB/Oct filter. It features low pass, high pass, band pass, and band reject (notch) filtering, with individual control of left- and right channel. Lowpass filter Gain Wave shaper (sine function) Lowpass filter Gain You can control the cutoff of the filters and the gain. The cutoff is not entered in Hz but as number between 0.0 and 1.0 where 1.0 means that everything gets through and 0.0 means that nothing gets through. The gain is entered as dB as usual.
So, there are three types of filter, the first one is the Low pass filter where it removes the high frequencies, while the low frequency stays intact, the tl;dr version is that it allows the low frequency to pass.
The second one is the High pass filter, which filters away the low frequencies while leaving the high frequencies intact, the tl;dr version is that it allows the high frequency to pass.
Lastly, we have the Bandpass filter, where the very low frequency and the very high frequency are removed, keeping the moderate range band of frequencies. This can be used to smoothing the edge while also suppressing the noise at the same time.
There are other types too, e.g notch, low shelf, etc. While your favorite DAW might come bundled with a filter plugin, you might want to experiment with other types of good filter plugins where they incorporate their signature sound with a more advanced filter option.
So, if you are tired of using a stock filter plugin, and instead want to step up the game with something more sonic, and good, then check out the best of the best free and paid filter plugin in the recommendation below.
As usual, please use the table of content to navigate freely
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WOW 2 comes predefined with 21 filters that produce a stunning analog sound with huge resolution and free of any aliasing (misidentifying certain frequencies). What I love about this plugin is the way it incorporates its filtering, it works in vowel mode, which shows off a wide variety of humanoid sounds, these are an advanced option you won’t see in-stock filter plugins.
The reason why WOW filter is one of the best filter plugins out there relates to its Talkbox, where you can pick any two vowels from 9 options, the options available are [i:] as in seat, [e] as in hen, [æ] as in fat, [y] as in tu (French), [ə] as in the, [ɑ] as in father, [ɔ] as in awe, [o] as in copy, and [u] as in boot. This gives a wide variety of options to experiment with, you will love it.
Also, you have an option to play with modulation, there are four sources: an envelope follower with frequency detection, the LFO with 13 waveforms, a 16-step step sequencer and the Wobble Knob (lifted from our Cyclop synth).
My favorite section is the Wobble Generator, you can control the shape of the LFO which has over 14 different waveforms while also changing the speed, and in fact, the knob can be modulated itself (pick the LFO for a start) and this is what the wobbling control is all about: to get that knob moving.
Lastly, there is a distortion module, where you can play with tons of distortion settings, this plugin is great and there are lots of useful components you can play with.
Key Features
System Requirements
The next on our list is FilterFreak by SoundToys, which produces a warm, soothing, fat and resonant tones when used for filtering. I have personally used FilterFreak in multiple projects, and one thing I love about this plugin is how you can carve an unlimited type of filter effects you want.
If you have been using one or more of SoundToys products, then you should know by now that they mostly emulate analog hardware, in the case of FilterFreak, they recreated the sound of a classic analog resonant filter. According To SoundToys:
Twist the frequency knob for smooth retro synth sweeps. Crank up the resonance to add some edge, or even push the filter into self-oscillation. And when you drive it hard, FilterFreak responds by breaking up in a gritty and pleasing way, just like hardware.
So, there are seven different analog saturation styles you can play with, from warm or pumping compression to crunchy distortion, you can perfectly go without bothering about aliasing.
On top of that, you also have an option to experiment with rhythm and groove which adds another layer of motion to your tracks automatically, if you don’t want to bother about creating rhythm from scratch, you can select from a library of pre-made rhythms, if you are like me, you would start right of the bat with a preset. To complete the vibe of the sound, you can tweak the Groove knob and add some swing or shuffle to drop it in the pocket.
There are lots more options you can play with, like modulation, analog filters, and the likes, go check it out.
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System Requirements
The Orb Filter by AudioThing is one of the neatest, intuitive and simple Filter plugin I have ever tried, yes, I use FilterFreak, but I’ll have to admit that this filter has been built with a clean GUI in mind, much better than FilterFreak interfaces, not saying SoundToys FilterFreak is bad, but this one is much better in terms of interface and easiness, let’s go over its features:
The Orb Filter is built to simulate the characteristic of the human voice, which means it is a formant filter where several prominent bands of frequency determine the phonetic quality of a vowel, so the Orb can transform any sound into a vowel-like formant-filtered sound. It features a set of three bandpass filters and three LFOs which give you an option to modulate the Vowel, the Emphasis/Resonance of the formants, and the Drift, which can shift up or down the frequencies of each formant. You can also create your own set of vowels by changing names and frequency for each vowel/formant, which is super awesome.
Going further, each sector of the orb represent a Vowel, which can be changed by clicking on the vowel name in each sector, for example, the image below represents the number of custom Vowels you have out of the box:
If you feel the need, you can change each vowel name and frequency for the three formants, also, each custom vowels set will be saved in a preset, this way, you can create as many as possible by saving to a new preset. The Orb is different from your normal stock plugin filters, you can experiment and create exciting drama in your music, enjoy away!
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One of the simplest of them all, with very few parameters. Filter Snapin is a resonant filter with 7 modes, swiftly getting rid of frequencies you don’t like or enhancing frequencies you do. And it’s doing it and doing it and doing it well.
One powerful thing about this plugin is that you can either use it as a regular VST/AU plugin, or you can use it with kiloHearts snapin hosts Multipass and Snap Heap where you can combine effects in amazing ways.
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Lastly, another filter plugin from kiloHearts.
The Comb Filter hollows out the sound by carving out frequencies at each multiple of the base frequency, like the teeth of a comb.
It’s also possible to process left and right differently in a way that not only gives a wide stereo effect but also collapses right back to the original signal when mixed to mono. Nifty!
Again, you can either use it as a regular VST/AU plugin, or you can use it with kiloHearts snapin hosts Multipass and Snap Heap where you can combine effects in amazing ways.
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Uhm…
eureka font free download mac FilterStep is a truly modern and intuitive modern filter plugin by audiomodern, it provides a realistically and intricate rhythmic movement with the filter plugin.
It can give you incredibly complex and nuanced results based on various filter effect settings, and almost infinite possibilities for sonic exploration and movement randomization.
As if that isn’t enough for a free plugin, you can also craft compelling textures with simple and intuitive parameter controls.
Note: It requires registration, this is free, so, registering shouldn’t be an issue right 😉
Video WalkThrough
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According to SoundSpot:
Whilst hard at work in the studio, some members of the SoundSpot team discovered that when they were making their filter sweep transitions, they were forced to use heavy, full featured EQ’s & were using way more CPU power than seemed logical.
They also found that they were coming across strange crackling digital artefacts when using some plugins over certain sound sources. This was all far from ideal, so with this in mind, the SoundSpot team decided enough was enough, and set out to create a solution to fix the problem.
After coffee, brainstorming, interface design and all the all important coding, The FAT Filter was born.
Welcome, Mr. Fat Filter!
The FAT Filter has been developed using the SoundSpot ever-popular analog-modeled algorithm, which results in super-smooth transitions, whilst being incredibly light, and intuitive.
Don’t sweat it, you can load almost as many instances as your heart desires without hitting your CPU too hard. Free bass effect vst.
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Note: Registration required. You would basically click on the free purchase and the checkout. Don’t sweat it, it is free.
FilterJam is a free multiband resonant filter plugin by AudioThinge, that delivered a weird ringmod like filtered sounds.
The input signal is divided into 4 bands that are then summed or multiplied together according to the selected mode.
Filterjam can be very harsh or gentle, it can add brightness or depth to synth sounds, but it can also completely mangle acoustic sources, which is where the Jam is inspired, anyways, enjoy the free multiband filter plugin by AudioThing.
Video SneakPeek
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CFA Sound FilterGrizzly 2 is a rich on character and warmth filter type of plugin, it is loaded with a tube-based filter drive unit for saturation, followed by an analog-modeled 4-pole lowpass and 2-pole highpass filter with a passive controlled feedback circuit!
Video Sneak Peek
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AutoFilter is a free filter plugin by StageCraft that gives you all the functionality you’d expect from a professional filter plugin. It supports the control of a filter cutoff frequency, and filter response.
Also, you can sweep the filter frequency with a range of LFOs, vary the range of the frequency sweep, duty cycle warp the LFO, and control the wet/dry mix.
While it isn’t actually an auto filter that does everything for you, you still have an option to use automation all the plugin parameters such as cutoff frequency, resonance, LFO frequency, LFO range, duty cycle warping, and wet/dry mix. This powerful feature unlocks the full potential of the plugin, allowing you to create more complex and expressive sounds than possible with manual tweaking.
Video Sneak Peek
Download StarCraft AutoFilter Win // AutoFilter Mac Drumazon vst free.
The above list are some of the best free and paid filter effect plugins. If you want more, do not hesitate to check our Filter Effects VST/AU/AAX Category
Oatmeal is a two-oscillator subtractive synth.
Features
Two oscillators:
Noise (white or bandpassed):
Filter:
Envelope:
Distortion:
Chorus: