your favorite budget (and non-budget) VCFs.

[Foghorn]

the Doepfer A-106-5 is somewhat like the WASP with it's bandpass output, but doesn't get all that nasty with high Q settings.
Probably my favorite old time filter.

[WarpHead]

The Toppobrillo MMF is in my hall of fame of filters. Great sound, great controls, great response; and the vca input opens up a lot of possibilities.

Hey quick question related to the multifilter (sorry to derail)-

Is the VCA in you are referring to the input marked VCG? I didn’t realise this was a VCA in! Can you give me some examples of how you use it? I "ping" it for distorted percussive hits, but wondering if there is a better utilization.

Yep, that's right. Note however that if you set the aux input to accept audio, the aux audio is mixed post-VCA and gain shaper.

Haven't used it in a while myself (I should do so again), but can go from pinging to help taming feedback, etc.

Here's a patch idea straight from the maker which I tried in the past and was quite happy with:

hey ill write more a lil later but for now try this patch! bandpass to the main in, level set to around noon, monitor notch out, now patch an envelope to vcg in, and mult it to the CV input. depending on settings you have a shapable 'superping' well not a ping really, but a gated oscillation thats much more immediate than hitting the vc res with an envelope, and more versatile than a ping. the output shape is variable via the notch balance ctl.this paych gives you everything from amazing shapable kicks and squeals to vocals and synced oscillator sounds. adjust the amt of cv to taste. youll notice that the pitch bends a bit with this patch, which is fun but youcan offset it with the cv in to cancel or reverse the pitch bend. very fun.

See here:
viewtopic.php?t=55089

[inner_light]

The Toppobrillo MMF is in my hall of fame of filters. Great sound, great controls, great response; and the vca input opens up a lot of possibilities.

Hey quick question related to the multifilter (sorry to derail)-

Is the VCA in you are referring to the input marked VCG? I didn’t realise this was a VCA in! Can you give me some examples of how you use it? I "ping" it for distorted percussive hits, but wondering if there is a better utilization.

Yep, that's right. Note however that if you set the aux input to accept audio, the aux audio is mixed post-VCA and gain shaper.

Haven't used it in a while myself (I should do so again), but can go from pinging to help taming feedback, etc.

Here's a patch idea straight from the maker which I tried in the past and was quite happy with:

hey ill write more a lil later but for now try this patch! bandpass to the main in, level set to around noon, monitor notch out, now patch an envelope to vcg in, and mult it to the CV input. depending on settings you have a shapable 'superping' well not a ping really, but a gated oscillation thats much more immediate than hitting the vc res with an envelope, and more versatile than a ping. the output shape is variable via the notch balance ctl.this paych gives you everything from amazing shapable kicks and squeals to vocals and synced oscillator sounds. adjust the amt of cv to taste. youll notice that the pitch bends a bit with this patch, which is fun but youcan offset it with the cv in to cancel or reverse the pitch bend. very fun.

See here:
viewtopic.php?t=55089

Oooh many thanks! Im going to try this patch tonight.
To get this discussion back on target, just gonna say the multifilter rules! My fav euro filter. So many happy accidents with it. I personally was never interested in BP or notch until I got it, and these days its all I use. The HP is really great too.

[1kip]

If you're looking for an aggressive filter, Erica Synths Polivoks is great and not so expensive. It is my first filter, never left my rack.

[BLogic12]

Klangbau twin peak filter and twin peak resonator are my favorite

[starthief]

Cheaper ones I've used:

Doepfer A-102 VCF9: sounds good, nice that it has multiple CV inputs and a level control. No CV over resonance, and it's only lowpass, but still. (Generally I don't think you can go too wrong with a Doepfer filter.)

Qu-Bit Prism: digital, but sounds quite good and is probably the cheapest stereo filter out there... and also a delay and bitcrusher. Its sound does have a certain appealing vibe, but the combined controls are a bit of a disappointment (no separate feedback and wet/dry mix, no separate sample rate and bit depth) and the delay doesn't handle modulation very well if you're into that.

Mutable Instruments Ripples: quite good IMHO. I might still have it if Blades hadn't come out


Current favorites:

Mutable Instruments Blades: super versatile, as people have mentioned.

Schlappi Engineering Angle Grinder: I dig its character (especially highpass), it works really nicely as an oscillator, and in between things can get very strange and fun.


Past favorites:

Serge VCFQ: just a lovely organic sound, and great for pinging. Not ideal for self-oscillation, but worth it.

Mannequins Three Sisters: interesting design with both combined and separate low/mid/high inputs and outputs. Nice sound, really sweet sounding for FM and self-oscillation. I do wish the mix output wasn't distorted, but this is a case where it's safe to use passive mults to mix the outputs.

[lfad]

Doepfer A-102 VCF9: sounds good, nice that it has multiple CV inputs and a level control. No CV over resonance, and it's only lowpass, but still. (Generally I don't think you can go too wrong with a Doepfer filter.)

Qu-Bit Prism: digital, but sounds quite good and is probably the cheapest stereo filter out there... and also a delay and bitcrusher. Its sound does have a certain appealing vibe, but the combined controls are a bit of a disappointment (no separate feedback and wet/dry mix, no separate sample rate and bit depth) and the delay doesn't handle modulation very well if you're into that.

Mutable Instruments Ripples: quite good IMHO. I might still have it if Blades hadn't come out

Current favorites:

Mutable Instruments Blades: super versatile, as people have mentioned.

Schlappi Engineering Angle Grinder: I dig its character (especially highpass), it works really nicely as an oscillator, and in between things can get very strange and fun.

Past favorites:

Serge VCFQ: just a lovely organic sound, and great for pinging. Not ideal for self-oscillation, but worth it.

Mannequins Three Sisters: interesting design with both combined and separate low/mid/high inputs and outputs. Nice sound, really sweet sounding for FM and self-oscillation. I do wish the mix output wasn't distorted, but this is a case where it's safe to use passive mults to mix the outputs.

Yeah the Angle Grinder looks like something that's probably up my alley, I always add those to my watch list. One of those modules that isn't really a top priority, but that if the right deal came along I might grab up as an impulse buy. Same with their Interstellar Radio.

I thought Qu Bit Prism was a reverb module tbh.

Doepfer ... ah, Doepfer. I just don't know. Their standard multimode filter was the first one I had for my rack, and I just... didn't like it much. The sound wasn't very exciting, the layout to me was really blah, there just ... wasn't anything wrong with it, but nothing that made me want to use it, really. I sold it off. That said they have a lot of filters and very affordable prices, so I could easily see a WASP or SEM or other filter of theirs in my future.

Blades could be up my alley too, I'll have to have a closer look at some demos on that one.

A few also on my radar (forget if I mentioned them yet) are Patching Panda's Vibrazum, Patching Panda's Moonphase, Addac's Dual filter and Triple Bandpass filter, Pittsburgh electronics LPF, Make Noise QPAS, all the Blue Lantern filters (esp given their price), and ... well, tbh there aren't all that many filters out there that wouldn't at least be fun to try out. S'what makes choosing one so hard. I might wait until I can buy up 2 or 3 at once so I can try a few of them.

[starthief]

Doepfer ... ah, Doepfer. I just don't know. Their standard multimode filter was the first one I had for my rack, and I just... didn't like it much. The sound wasn't very exciting, the layout to me was really blah, there just ... wasn't anything wrong with it, but nothing that made me want to use it, really. I sold it off. That said they have a lot of filters and very affordable prices, so I could easily see a WASP or SEM or other filter of theirs in my future.

They have a lot of filter choices. But to me a "plain" filter can also be an invitation to patch/experiment/modulate it so it's not plain. The A-102 for instance, could get freaky in a Polivoks sort of way if you multed its output to a CV input.

(I do have generally mixed feelings about Doepfer -- I think they tend to be solidly built in some ways, but obviously not "premium" in others, if that makes sense. Not the cleanest mixers; some of the panels are kind of bent by the cutting process; a not very good CAT5 cable that came with the Multicore pair, things like that. I had a question about the behavior of the A110-4, and Dieter Doepfer told me he just got the design from Electronotes and couldn't really answer whether what I was experiencing was normal. But I still think in general, a Doepfer filter is probably going to be a solid choice for the money.)

[Zymos]

A couple of people already mentioned it, but Doepfer Wasp is the one I keep coming back to. I have several others and it gets used more than the rest put together. It’s cheap, and I got some extra chips for a couple of bucks so when the IC blows I’ll be prepared!

[Kosmikos]

Erica Synths Black Dual VCF Is still under 180GBP at Juno, so much filter for your money!
My fav is Steve MS22. Big sound and tons of modulation possibilities in 4HP, hard to resist. It also gives a very nice overdrive sound.

[moremagic]

i'll second the a-101-2 vactrol lpg as great, especialy for coloration, and the way the resonance and input gain interplay is very exciting with dynamic input

but even more than the doepfer gate, i recommend the flight of harmony plague bearer. its brutal and strange, definitely at home in feedback loops, does wild things to cv run through it, & has voltage controlled output level

[ŘłB23³]

Arcaico Warhorse is a beast son. Ssf triptych is pretty tits too

[funkel]

Zlob SVF is cheap, loud, and fun.

[Chupitnik]

Yet another +1 for the wasp from me. I use it all the time and I’m sure it occasionally does something I hadn’t noticed before. In a good way.

[lfad]

Arcaico Warhorse is a beast son. Ssf triptych is pretty tits too

Looks cool, never heard of Arcaico before.

[kindredlost]

Budget... fonitronik SSM2044, or the Behringer Arp 4072

non-budget... Synthesis Technology E440 OTA or STG Soundlabs Sea Devils

[ŘłB23³]

Arcaico Warhorse is a beast son. Ssf triptych is pretty tits too

Looks cool, never heard of Arcaico before.

They are a relatively new manufacturer out of Italy, i love their modules. Built like tanks

[Dragonaut]

Bastl Cinnamon sounds the best to my ears for the price although I have yet to pick one up. The Synthesis Technology e440 isn’t much more expensive and has been in my rack since day one. Lots of character which I like. Can be smooth and buttery or crank the drive and resonance for a nice, wooly, organic sound.

On the other hand of the spectrum my MMF-6 will never leave my rack. Can do all kinds of funky stuff with the symmetry control and the hard and soft clipping outputs. I unfortunately had to let go of a Schippmann VDL-6 which was super clinical and worthy of the praise an above poster had for his HDH-6.

[M01C]

Verbos Noisefilter (paired with a VC mixer).

[acidbob]

I tried about +20 filters, recently downsized. What stayed is

Vintage Synth Lab VCF 74
Analogue Solutions Telemark filter
Mutable Instruments Ripples

When I am thinking filters, I like character, while the Ripples doesnt have that much character it's a versatile and clean filter for that Roland sound.

The others, just amazing. This might not be what other people are looking for.

Another mention is https://www.addacsystem.com/en/products ... s/addac611

[Powerdwarf]

I tried about +20 filters, recently downsized. What stayed is

Vintage Synth Lab VCF 74
Analogue Solutions Telemark filter
Mutable Instruments Ripples

When I am thinking filters, I like character, while the Ripples doesnt have that much character it's a versatile and clean filter for that Roland sound.

The others, just amazing. This might not be what other people are looking for.

Another mention is https://www.addacsystem.com/en/products ... s/addac611

what so special about Telemark? seen people mention it but seems quite simple one

[acidbob]

I tried about +20 filters, recently downsized. What stayed is

Vintage Synth Lab VCF 74
Analogue Solutions Telemark filter
Mutable Instruments Ripples

When I am thinking filters, I like character, while the Ripples doesnt have that much character it's a versatile and clean filter for that Roland sound.

The others, just amazing. This might not be what other people are looking for.

Another mention is https://www.addacsystem.com/en/products ... s/addac611

what so special about Telemark? seen people mention it but seems quite simple one

The Telemark filter just sounds really good, nothing special "special" about it as such. You just have to hear it really, the filter sweeps are amazing and quite different to the other SEM filters out there.

[Powerdwarf]

I tried about +20 filters, recently downsized. What stayed is

Vintage Synth Lab VCF 74
Analogue Solutions Telemark filter
Mutable Instruments Ripples

When I am thinking filters, I like character, while the Ripples doesnt have that much character it's a versatile and clean filter for that Roland sound.

The others, just amazing. This might not be what other people are looking for.

Another mention is https://www.addacsystem.com/en/products ... s/addac611

what so special about Telemark? seen people mention it but seems quite simple one

The Telemark filter just sounds really good, nothing special "special" about it as such. You just have to hear it really, the filter sweeps are amazing and quite different to the other SEM filters out there.

roger that. will check it out. without hearing i like its name haha

[acidbob]

I tried about +20 filters, recently downsized. What stayed is

Vintage Synth Lab VCF 74
Analogue Solutions Telemark filter
Mutable Instruments Ripples

When I am thinking filters, I like character, while the Ripples doesnt have that much character it's a versatile and clean filter for that Roland sound.

The others, just amazing. This might not be what other people are looking for.

Another mention is https://www.addacsystem.com/en/products ... s/addac611

what so special about Telemark? seen people mention it but seems quite simple one

The Telemark filter just sounds really good, nothing special "special" about it as such. You just have to hear it really, the filter sweeps are amazing and quite different to the other SEM filters out there.

roger that. will check it out. without hearing i like its name haha

Ben made a good youtube video

[Aleksey]

Another budget one would be AI Synthesis OTA Filter. If you have the soldering equipment it’s not hard to put it together as well. Abe did a terrific job making it accessible yet full of character.