Audio Damage 914 fixed filter bank - anyone using it?

[pitchdrifter]

Is anyone using this plugin? How do filters sound compared to say quadfrohmage or volcano?

thanks in advance

Markus

[shamann]

The filters on 914 sound nothing like either Quadfrohmage or Volcano, and functionally are very different.

If you are looking for a multi-featured multi-type filter effect, 914 isn't what you are after. It is a set of fixed bandpass filters with a simple low and high cut filter at either end. No resonance control, no modulators, no distortion, no extra filter types.

I'm not at home, so can't whip something up with the 914, but here are two demo clips I did last year with the 907A (the 914's predecessor) that should give you an idea of what it sounds like.

Here's one with just white noise run through the 907A, automating the bands.

Here's another one with a drumbeat and an organ sound run through the filter with bands automated. The filter kicks in around the 40 second mark.

It's good for carving up sound in a colourful, stick-it-in-a-plastic-box kind of way. The 914 is much more versatile than the 907A was, since you can adjust bandwidth for the filters, adjust the master gain and you get more filter bands with it.

Think of it as a dysfunctional graphic EQ used for sonic character rather than utility.

[Sickle]

Works great on guitar, that's all I can say about it as I haven't had as much a chance to use it(or anything else for that matter) lately. There isn't an Audiodamage plug in existance that's not a powerbuy..

[uvacom]

Lets put it this way - I've got a box called the Radikal Technologies Spectralis - it's $2500 and one of the best features of it is it's digital 10 band filterbank. 914 is basically the same thing in software with more filterbands. For $50. Yeah, it's a pretty good deal. Okay, the spectralis is also a mondo sequencer, analog hybrid monosynth and DSP polysynth, and it is one serious chunk of hardware. Still, 914 is a killer buy - the magic really comes out with heavy parameter automation.

[pitchdrifter]

Thanks for the explanation. I was wondering about the quality of the filters, though. I.e. imagine use these same filter types in frohmage or volcano, how would the sound be. Same of course goes for the lp/hp in the 914. That's why I asked how it sounds compared to the other 2 products. I'm aware of the differences in product functionality.
Still appreciate your feedback!

best

Markus

[pitchdrifter]

Lets put it this way - I've got a box called the Radikal Technologies Spectralis - it's $2500 and one of the best features of it is it's digital 10 band filterbank. 914 is basically the same thing in software with more filterbands. For $50. Yeah, it's a pretty good deal. Okay, the spectralis is also a mondo sequencer, analog hybrid monosynth and DSP polysynth, and it is one serious chunk of hardware. Still, 914 is a killer buy - the magic really comes out with heavy parameter automation.

I've demoed the spectralis recently. Still wondering how good the filters of the AD 914 sound

[uvacom]

They sound good, much like the Spectralis's filterbank, really. They aren't super characterful and they aren't meant to be. But they both perform well, one of the problems that can arise when running soemthing through many filterbands is bad phase distortion, 914 seems to do well in this regard. But don't buy it if you want a filter plugin, buy it if you want a filterbank plugin.

[pitchdrifter]

Thanks for the heads up!

[shamann]

I was wondering about the quality of the filters, though. I.e. imagine use these same filter types in frohmage or volcano, how would the sound be.

The difficulty in comparing that way is that they are very different, that the structural differences really change the sonic effect.

Consider QuadFrohmage has four filter bands, Volcano has two, 914 has 14. The sound is heavily influenced by the architecture, as you wouldn't really use only four filters in isolation on the 914, since they have fixed centers and would be dull in comparison to the filters in QF or Volcano.

Perhaps a closer comparison would be Filterscape with its dynamic EQ, or maybe even posifohpit in Screamer mode used only as a subtractive EQ with the bands set just so.

The 914 definitely has its own sound in that case.

[sinkmusic]

If you look for a FIlterbank, you can have a look at the plugin Sknote and me did lately (don't know if it is close or not from Audio Damage filterbank or VOlcano FIlter, but... ? ): it is called MIRror (Morphing Impulse Philter), and it is available here :
http://www.sknote.it/download.htm
It is still at the beta stage for the moment, but you can reach nice vintage sounds with it... and it is free !