The latest addition to the Cherry Audio line-up is an effects plug-in rather than a software instrument, although it is still very much synth-related. Named Filtomika, the new release models the filter section of the Formanta Polivoks, a rare instrument that was originally released in the 1980s.
Filtomika is based on the expanded multi-mode filter featured in Cherry Audio’s award-winning Atomika virtual instrument, and employs circuit-modelled DSP designs by acclaimed developer Mark Barton. The company say that it shares the same radial, and often mysterious sonic results produced by Atomika, but has the flexibility of being paired up with any inputs source, adding an interesting twist to drums, vocals and guitars or, of course, other synthesizers.
The GUI leaves little to explain to those who’ve encountered a filter before, and offers a choice of peak and notch filters alongside low-, band- and high-pass varieties, all of which can be fine-tuned using Cutoff, Resonance and Filter Drive parameters. A more unusual addition, though, is Starve, a control that introduces some instabilities in the virtual filter circuitry, resulting in some interesting experimental sounds. You also get a tempo-sync’able LFO that offers a choice of six waveforms: ramp, sawtooth, triangle, square, noise, and random (sample & hold), as well as an envelope follower that makes it possible to use the level of the input signal to modulate the filter’s cutoff frequency.
Compatibility
Filtomika is supported on PCs running Windows 7 or above, and Macs running macOS 10.13 and higher. VST, VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available.
Pricing & Availability
Filtomika is available now, priced at $19. A 20% discount is available for owners of Atomika.
