Filters plugins are among the simplest and the most powerful tools you can use when creating music. Filter plugins are simple because they serve a straightforward purpose – they remove some frequencies while letting others pass through. But, filter plugins are also incredibly powerful because they can be used for many purposes, like creative sound design, building tension, and smoothing out transitions in a song.
We have tons of options for filters nowadays. Most DAWs have multiple filter plugins already included, plus companies like Waves, Soundtoys, and Arturia offer many more choices. We’ve narrowed down all these options to the best 9 on the market.
It has a wonderfully self explanatory title. It’s a filter, and it has one knob. That knob controls the cutoff on the low pass filter – combine that with a simple dropdown to select the resonance amount, and you have an easy to use, great-sounding filter that serves a wide variety of purposes.
The compact design of the One Knob means you’re limited in the precision you can dial in. But, that limitation makes the One Knob great for large-scale filter sweeps, like filtering down whole groups of instruments or drums. We would reach for other plugins for detailed sound design work
Pro Tip:
Insert both a reverb plugin and One Knob onto your hi-hat group. Automate up the amount of reverb on the group while lowering the cutoff in One Knob to create an airy and smooth transition effect. Be sure to add the reverb plugin first so One Knob actually filters down the reverb signal
UAD’s Moog Multimode filters emulate the distinctly lush 2db ladder filter that Moog synths are known for. You can add new textures to synths and other types of audio, and even elevate the sound design of any sound through advanced LFO and modulation options. Best Uses in creating sound design with the modulation panel, and adding extra drive and analog flavor to any synth sound.
Pro Tip:
Leave the filter cutoff totally open, but drive the input gain. This way, you can use the filter as an analog distortion plugin before beginning to filter the sound itself.
Filter Mini is Arturia’s response to the UAD Moog Filter Collection, and we think the Arturia version is the winner between the two gasp. The emulation of the Minimoog’s 2db ladder filter sounds unbelievably gorgeous. Plus, the step sequencer which controls the filter cutoff allows you to easily move the cutoff over time, with the potential to create analog-inspired sequences out of any synth sound. Filter Mini is best used for creative sound design. With any sound that requires a low pass filter, Filter Mini should be among your first choices.
Pro Tip:
The presets in Filter Mini are exceptional. Create any sort of pad or drone sound, and cycle through the sequence presets – these presets will add creative movement to an otherwise stagnant sound.
It turns out that Filterfreak2 isn’t a newer version of Filterfreak, it’s actually its own unique plugin Filterfreak2 expands on Filterfreak by adding a second filter into the plugin – this means you can filter the signal twice at once, overlapping the cutoffs and resonances of the two filters, and create a host of new sounds that other filters can’t.
Filterfreak2 is the gold standard for creative sound design in filters. The name of the game here is sound design. When you want to add an evolving screeching resonance or create movement in pads with overlapping resonant filters, Filterfreak2 can take any sound to the next level.
Pro Tip:
Select a rhythm preset in Filterfreak, choose a random BPM not synced to the BPM of the track, and set the Modulation parameter to 10. This will add subtle random movement in the filter and make any sound a little more interesting.
Volcano2, like many Fabfilter plugins, offers an exceptionally clean yet complex interface. This is our favorite plugin on the list when we want analog flavored filter sounds but need digitally enhanced control options for detailed sound design work.
Creative sound design is the main use here. Between Serum like drag and drop modulations, to drawable LFO shapes, Volcano2 offers a variety of tools to transform sounds from stagnant and boring to life-like and compelling.
Pro Tip:
Volcano2 is unique in that you have a Wet/Dry output option, meaning you can do parallel filtering. When using the LFOs to create movement in a sound, set the Wet Dry knob somewhere between 50 to 80 so the modulation you create isn’t overwhelming.
WOW2 is a fascinating plugin. Even though it had an unmistakable impact on progressive house from 2013 to 2015, it flew largely under the radar. TONS of producers used the WOW filter as a go to sound design plugin. The creative filtering and modulation options and the signature “vowel filter” were all over tons of hit records, including some of my most successful Hyperbits releases.
WOW2 sits firmly in the creative sound design box. Add WOW2 to sustained bass notes and play with the LFO options to create new rhythms and grooves. The vowel filters can make any boring synth line sound like a human talking. The results can be incredible.
Pro Tip:
Find a rhythmic preset you like, then cycle through distortion types in the “Drive Type” menu. These distortion options will entirely transform the sound.
They tend to be lesser-known, but a few of their products are absolute staples for many successful producers. Filterscape is one of those plugins. Like Volcano2, it sits in the world of “analog meets digital”. But whereas Volcano2 adds analog flavor to an otherwise digital filter, Filterscape expands on an analog filter with digital controls.
Filterscape also comes with FilterscapeVA, which is an additional synth plugin that pairs exceptionally well with Filterscape. Adding analog movement to digital synths. Take any bass, pad, or atmosphere, and add some subtle filter movement with Filterscape’s organic sounding LFOs. Bye bye lifeless digital synths, hello humanlike analog movement.
Pro Tip:
Create some white noise. Apply a bandpass filter in Filterscape to remove the low end rumble and extreme high end air. Use one of Filterscape’s many pad atmosphere presets to subtly “jiggle” the parameters of the band pass filter over time. Layer this noise very quietly into the background of your track.
Filterfreak from Soundtoys is one of the best all purpose filters on the market. Like many Soundtoys plugins, Filterfreak sounds great and offers detailed parameters to shape any sound with extreme precision. While Filterfreak is a jack of all trades, it’s a master of none. The simple filter moves sound great, but we give the edge to the UAD and Arturia Moog plugins.
You can do exceptional creative sound design in Filterfreak, but you have more options in Filterfreak2 and we love Filterfreak for experimentation. Not sure what filter move you want to make? Open it up and start experimenting, because while many other filters are highly specialized, Filterfreak does a lot of things really well.
Pro Tip:
Waves’ “vintage voltage technology” is the name of the game here. Metafilter is Waves’s answer to the analog style filters from companies like UAD. Like the Moog style filter plugins, you have a sequencer option to create cool arpeggios and can overdrive the filter to create interesting distortions. You can reach for Metafilter for both creative sound design uses as well as building tension over time. This is a great all purpose filter option.
The Orb might be the most unique plugin on this list. It is a “formant filter” which is focused on simulating the characteristics of the human voice. Think of “wow” effects, synths that make “ooo” and “ahh” sounds, and the ability to add an organic feel to any synth sound you create. The Orb is a synth that falls firmly in the creative sound design category.
Its uses are endless, but I love using the Orb for lead synths. There is something about taking a standard synth sound and making it talk that feels otherworldly. Combining these sorts of sounds with actual vocals in a track can make your music sound like a human itself.
Pro Tip:
When applying The Orb to any atmosphere, pad, or effect, automate the Rate over time so it is constantly changing to add even more human like movement to the sound.
In conclusion, when viewed from this perspective, it becomes evident that filters stand out as one of the most formidable instruments in a producer’s toolkit. Their influence surpasses that of nearly any other tool, showcasing a remarkable capacity to mold sounds in truly extraordinary ways.
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