AudioThing has introduced Filterjam, a freeware multi-band resonant filter effect in VST/AU/AAX plugin formats for PC and Mac based hosts.
The cool thing about Filterjam is that it’s definitely not just another boring multi-mode filter effect with a few standard filter types and not much else to offer. On the contrary, Audiothing’s latest release packs several added features that make it a rather interesting sound mangling tool for sound designers and music producers who like to experiment with slightly quirky effects. There’s a fair bit of modulation going on under the hood, resulting in ring mod-esque effects which sound particularly nice (or nasty, depending on how you look at it) when paired up with a bit of screaming resonance.
See also: Free FilterCrusher VST/AU Plugin!The control scheme is quite simple, consisting of a cutoff knob, a resonance knob, gain and mix controls and a 4-way mode switch. On the input, Filterjam splits the incoming audio signal into four frequency bands. The purpose of the mode switch is to choose the way in which these four frequency bands will be summed or multiplied together before reaching the filter input. Different modes result in completely different sounding effects, ranging from the fairly clean and subtle filtering in Mode 1 to the “acid spill all over your audio interface” style sonic destruction of Mode 4. The included mix control is a great way to make sure that Filterjam remains well-behaved at all times, especially considering that the more aggressive modes will definitely sound much better when applied in smaller amounts.
It’s worth mentioning that Filterjam also includes a patch manager, a bypass switch, as well as a patch randomizer (those are always nice to have, especially in sound design tools such as this one). The CPU is fairly low for a filter plugin, reaching around 2% on average on my test machine.
The plugin is offered as a completely free download from AudioThing’s website. To get the download link, all you need is a valid email address (the link will be delivered to your inbox). The plugin comes with an installer which extracts the required plugin files to the designated folder on your hard drive.
Filterjam is available for free download via Audiothing (15.7 MB download size, ZIP archive containing EXE installer, 32-bit & 64-bit VST/AU/AAX plugin format for Windows & Mac OS).
Last Updated on December 8, 2016 by Tomislav Zlatic.
