KVR Audio

yul · Post by **yul** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 9:03 pm

Hello, I am just wondering about what are the best digital filters in the market.

I believe the pursuit of replicating analog in digital is not worth the time effort anymore especially while there are so many groundbreaking digital designs already out there that truly outstanding.

Also analog is becoming very affordable so why bother.

I am a big fan of analog but I think it's best that I kept my analog dreams in hardware.

It's like trying to mimic an accordion or some wierd instrument on an PC. It can be interesting but not the be all and all.

Soo...any ideas on cool digital designs that are not trying to sound like a hardware analog?

So far, my ideas are Virsyn Tera (with spectral filter), NI Razor/Prism and Waldorf Largo, Zebra. IIRC, Synthmaster also had killer filters too.

Not sure if any of them have ZDF or even if ZDF is necessary when not trying to emulate hardware analog?

Tricky-Loops · Post by **Tricky-Loops** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 9:11 pm

yul wrote:Not sure if any of them have ZDF or even if ZDF is necessary when not trying to emulate hardware analog?

I don't watch ZDF anymore...

http://www.zdf.de

foosnark · Post by **foosnark** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 9:44 pm

This is like asking who the best singer is, isn't it?

Are you talking only about "traditional" LPF/HPF/etc. filters for subtractive synthesis, or expanding it to comb filters, filters with unusual curves, or more exotic things like the "filters" in NI Razor or Linplug Spectral?

A software emulation of an analog filter is still 100% digital. Is there some subjective quality that makes one filter more "digital" than another, or is it defined by "filters that would be a poor emulation of analog filters?"

yul · Post by **yul** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 9:53 pm

Yes! Any type of filtering/substractive is cool I mean it doesn't need to emulate analog hardware necessarily!

Unusual slopes and unusual sound are what I am looking for!

Razor is probably the most awesome I know at this point all the other above are great too!

Just checking!

Sendy · Post by **Sendy** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 9:53 pm

The best digital filters for what? I quite like toying with FFT spectral domain filters, which can let you do things like erase the most dominant harmonics as they come and go, etc. This is fundamentally a digital thing because, AFAIK, you could never dream of doing such a thing in the analog domain (or if you could, it would be super expensive and impractical?)

Sendy · Post by **Sendy** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 9:56 pm

Check out Tone2's Bifilter and Filterbank plugins. Lots of unusual curves, and the possibility to make your own by combining them and modulating, etc. Most aren't trying to be analog either, except a few, which overdo their "analogness" quite heavily, making them interesting for distortion and FSU stuff.

electro · Post by **electro** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 9:59 pm

By digital you mean 100% transparent? Maybe this one which has a high number of good customer testimonials
http://dmgaudio.com/products_equilibrium.php

Tricky-Loops · Post by **Tricky-Loops** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 10:00 pm

You could try Engineers Filter if you want to have super-steep curves like a cliff (and it has different filters):

http://www.rs-met.com/freebies.html

"Best" is a pretty subjective term. One man's trash is another man's treasure...

awol9000 · Post by **awol9000** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 11:31 pm

Sugarbytes WOW2

DJMashbot · Post by **DJMashbot** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 11:34 pm

For effects, you've got:

Tone2 Filterbank3
Melda Production MWobbler
Artificial Audio Obelisk

For instruments, there's plenty of options:

Tone2 Electrax
Linplug Spectral

to name a couple.

I agree that there's only so much variation between lowpass filters.

MFXxx · Post by **MFXxx** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 11:40 pm

Quality - Cytomics The Drop and Soundtoys Filterfreak
Automation - Vengeance Philta FX
Simplicity - Waves One Knob
Nostalgia - Sonalksis Creative Filter
Outboard - Virus TI
uhe's coming up with inputs I believe, should be killer ?:)

Tricky-Loops · Post by **Tricky-Loops** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 11:43 pm

Poor guy, tomorrow he'll have suggestions for 100 different filter plugins and EQs and still don't know which is the best...

highkoo · Post by **highkoo** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 11:47 pm

For 'regular ol' filters, I also think Tone2 has something special going on...
OP is not just looking for 'regular', so definitely +1 for Razor and Spectral.

For effects that do cool 'filtering', hoo boy, thats a bigger list maybe...

Tricky-Loops · Post by **Tricky-Loops** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 11:50 pm

Since when are filters instruments?

yul · Post by **yul** » Fri Jan 17, 2014 12:13 am

Yes my mistake I meant synths but the filter recommendations are awesome too!!

What synths have the best DIGITAL filters ?