State of the (evil?) filter: 2022 !

[Christophe]

So I’m experiencing violent gas for an Evil filter. Used prices now are around 300-ish, which is more acceptable I guess, considering current market.
So I started doing my homework and have stumbled upon the great 2017 MS-20 filter in a pedal thread. I love you guys.
I’d like to be able to fine-tune the EQ of my whole board, or do wide, slow sweeps with a cut-off knob that can be controlled via an expression pedal. Think cut-off / resonance on an analog synth -but you already guessed that.
The Vongon paragraphs looks perfect but cv is a mini-jack, so I guess that rules it out.
Xerograph deluxe has my attention too, but I’m not sure it would exactly do what I want, I’m worried about the brutal volume jumps that may occur when sweeping frequencies? (I'm only mentionning this from what I've read here, I have no exprience with that).
Other contenders are the pulse monger, wonder love, Dwarfcraft happiness, and wmd protostar. (Moog MF-101 would be too big and expensive).
Subdecay m3 sounds great but it’s monophonic.

So, what are your thoughts in 2022? What should I be aware of? Are there new builders around that went under my radar?
The Dba filter looks like a no-brainer -price aside- for a guitar player looking for a filter. Help me think this through!
Thanks.

[manymanyhaha]

Acidbox III is a box I love except it is a bit large and there is no master volume. But I like the way it swells with guitar playing using the envelope follower.

Don't rule out the Dr. Scientist Dusk. Have one here that I've been meaning to try to see what I think compared to the Acidbox but haven't gotten there yet.

Wasn't a big fan of the Evil Filter when I had one. Saw some youtube videos that had me gasing for one but couldn't make it awesome in my setup. Wasn't a huge fan of the Vongon either. I think the Acidbox has spoiled me.

[Jero]

Nothing useful to add other than I too found the Evil Filter less than stellar with my setup

[Christophe]

Acidbox III is a box I love except it is a bit large and there is no master volume. But I like the way it swells with guitar playing using the envelope follower.

Don't rule out the Dr. Scientist Dusk. Have one here that I've been meaning to try to see what I think compared to the Acidbox but haven't gotten there yet.

Wasn't a big fan of the Evil Filter when I had one. Saw some youtube videos that had me gasing for one but couldn't make it awesome in my setup. Wasn't a huge fan of the Vongon either. I think the Acidbox has spoiled me.

That looks great but the Acidbox is a table top unit. I'm looking for a pedal with a footswitch :-(

Yep, Dusk is another contender.
What were the downsides to the Evil filter if I may ask?

[Dandolin]

i get why some might not prefer the paragraphs (i mean, filter topologies can vary pretty widely before we even get to implementation), but if you really love the Paragraphs it might be worth considering a cable that terminates in 1/4" on one end and 1/8" on the other? or even a right angle 1/4" female to 1/8" adapter - I can see why jacking a straight 1/4" to 1/8" adapter in would create too much stress tho....

then again, if i really wanted MS-20 tones, i don't think i'd be after the vongon

it's funny to me how modular manufacturers are all about wearing their filter's topologies on their sleeves whereas it seems like half the filter makers or more in pedal land seem to be hiding the ball. :/

[Christophe]

I guess another option would be the CB Condor. I do like the filter modifier on Blooper, I'm assuming Condor can do more than that. But I haven't found convincing demos. It feels like the Condor filter isn't giving you dramatic eq diving (pardon my French)... but maybe if you feed it fuzz and delay it will?
The diy MS-20 filter from gila crisis sounds obviously capable of dramatic dives, and I'm not sure Condor can do that...

[manymanyhaha]

That looks great but the Acidbox is a table top unit. I'm looking for a pedal with a footswitch :-(

Yep, Dusk is another contender.
What were the downsides to the Evil filter if I may ask?

Yeah, I use VL Hex's so I actually prefer not having footswitches.

What I recall about the EF is that the filter was ok on its own, not great. And the fuzz was ok on its own, not great. To me, to my ears, and my music. The two together however were really cool but that is a sound I have very limited use for and it is a very large pedal to get very little use out of. And to really get useful, definitely would need an expression pedal. For that kind of space and money, definitely prefer the Acidbox.

But I'm also curious about some of the other options: Dusk, ProtoStar, Happiness, never heard of the WonderLove will have to check that out. If any of those had been dual mono, I would have bought them. Dusk is small enough to have two though for that purpose though.

[backwardsvoyager]

the Xerograph DLX sounds wicked but yeah you kind of need to use a limiter or something to avoid hearing loss...

Sonuus Wahoo and Glou Glou Pralines also might be worth a look?

[Dandolin]

very curious about Dusk myself....
Protostar is pretty pretty nice - lot's of flexibility, good base tone...WMD really upped its game from it's beginnings and the Fatman, and i'm sure its focus on the eurorack side of things contributed to that in the Protostar. in the end it's gonna come down to what your ears wanna hear. i wouldn't say either paragraphs or protostar are extreme, squelchy or acidic - to me their strength lies more in their flexibility. Most state variable filter designs are pretty vanilla sounding until you push them with things like feedback patching.

if you're interested in the MS-20 sound, have you checked out this? https://reverb.com/item/13879968-rf20-f ... black-ms20
or this? (not in stock atm): https://reverb.com/item/28332307-noise- ... ass-filter

Also, Wasp filters can be coo - relatively mellow at low input/drive and feedback but get well skreemy/squelchy when pushed, and you can find diy pedal or tabletop builds on reverb
https://reverb.com/item/32983766-mode-m ... 2016-black

https://reverb.com/item/51185769-msl-pe ... _sold=true
https://reverb.com/item/45031551-make-s ... _sold=true

i also endorse the Polivoks, another one that can get aggressive as you know - you might be able to find an Elta or Pribor pedal build on Reverb, and i seem to remember MSL doing one as well tho i could be mis-remembering that.

[Christophe]

What I recall about the EF is that the filter was ok on its own, not great. And the fuzz was ok on its own, not great. To me, to my ears, and my music. The two together however were really cool but that is a sound I have very limited use for and it is a very large pedal to get very little use out of. And to really get useful, definitely would need an expression pedal. For that kind of space and money, definitely prefer the Acidbox

Yep, size would be a down side for me too, even though there's how the design attracts you; somehow, a big ass pedal with big knobs is very inspiring.

very curious about Dusk myself....

if you're interested in the MS-20 sound, have you checked out this? https://reverb.com/item/13879968-rf20-f ... black-ms20
or this? (not in stock atm): https://reverb.com/item/28332307-noise- ... ass-filter

Thanks! That first listing looks rad.
edit: It looks like it's the kind of thing I'm looking for, only it's a fixed setting /or using an exp pedal. There's no built-in possibility to have parameter ramping (like on a CB or Dr scientist)... But maybe I could deal with that.

Do you mean I should be looking at a MS-20 filter clone if I want "dramatic" ? I could hunt down schematics and have one built... How far away from that would Dusk be?

[le lambin]

Yeaaaa filter thread!

I’ll preface this by saying that after trying the following filters, I’ve come to the realization that none of them sound particularly special on guitar- they all really shine with sound sources that take up a wider frequency range- synths, drums, samples, etc. I think the good ol wah filter sounds best for guitar, but anyways here’s what I’ve tried:

DBA evil filter- filter side was interesting, but definitely more resonant peaks and dirtiness that I found not always desirable. I could never “smooth it out.” I would have probably kept it if I had more than one filter pedal and a bajillion dollars. Alas, I’m a one filter pedal at a time guy.

Moog mf 101- I mean, it sounds like a Moog. Didn’t find it particularly good sounding on guitar, but sounded excellent with digital synths like the minilogue. Connections on the back probably have you covered for anything you want to do though. It has an env out!

Vongon- my fave lpf for sure- nice and smooth and powerful controls. Great gain knob. I didn’t like how you set the rate with the two knobs- cool for messing around but hard to dial in while live looping or jamming or something. Sounds like god with the Lyra 8 or other synth of your choice.

Dr scientist Bitquest- pretty useful- both lpf and hpf are fun to use together. Has exp in for sweeps too on the lpf

Spaceman Artemis- good sounding but really fiddly- annoying to dial in. And pretty dang noisy. Awesome hpf though, prob my fave hpf for guitar.

CBA Condor: I found it kind of meh for filtery stuff- more a guitar-centric EQ.

[Dandolin]

very curious about Dusk myself....

if you're interested in the MS-20 sound, have you checked out this? https://reverb.com/item/13879968-rf20-f ... black-ms20
or this? (not in stock atm): https://reverb.com/item/28332307-noise- ... ass-filter

Thanks! That first listing looks rad.
edit: It looks like it's the kind of thing I'm looking for, only it's a fixed setting /or using an exp pedal. There's no built-in possibility to have parameter ramping (like on a CB or Dr scientist)... But maybe I could deal with that.

Do you mean I should be looking at a MS-20 filter clone if I want "dramatic" ? I could hunt down schematics and have one built... How far away from that would Dusk be?

Well, i thought from your OP that you were specifically into the MS-20, but yes, i suppose you could characterize it as dramatic - more intense feedback, sharper q, squelchier, a bit more saturated and chaotic; all as compared to your garden variety normy normington filter, yass i'd agree. i think you'd probs want to do some comparison listening to the polivoks, wasp, maybe a steiner parker if you can find one, in pedalworld. i mean, in general you can both find filters that are rigged to be more dramatic and that can be patched up in ways to enhance the drama in modular/eurorack, but as for things available in pedals, an ms-20 based one would be a good start....

can't really speak to Dusk - i've been avoiding it bc i don't want another filter to lust after....

have you checked out the new Dreadbox Disorder i posted on in the new gear 2022 thread - that one seems a bit of a drama queen

thing is - i'm not sure whether drama is exactly what your lookin' for - the vongon paragraphs you mention is certainly beautiful, lovely, a sparkling wit - but not imo particularly dramatic.... idk want to try to read your mind tho

full disclosure - i tend to like filters that might get slagged as "not having character" or being "weak" - i'm not into using filters for extreme tone slicing or signifying aggro and i don't need them to "cut"- i'm content to leave that role for fuzz, and normally i want filters to create a sense of movement, or take some of the edge off, or shape the "body" of a sound to be a bit less electronic sounding. so for me, the Paragraphs is an excellent match, and i really like the Protostar as well (also liked ye olde ILF classick Subdecay Proteus for much the same reasons). not that i'm against getting a little filter jiggy once in awhile - i've got pedal versions of the Wasp and Polivoks for that - i tend to use them set for extreme filtering but in a static mode rather than combining both extreme filtering and movement...pardon my tan pants. i also don't much like the standard wah wah sound for much the same reasons doesn't stop me from using filters often and intensively tho

as for expression-in vs built-in modulation, unless i was really restricted on space or budget i'd (as in me personally, not the abstract lectured-to "i") tend to favor the expression in; that way you can roll your own wiggles, waves or warbles using external lfo sources or sequencers, whereas the modulation capabilities built in by even the more generous makers as ChaseBliss for example are ultimately going to be somewhat more limited because of the necessary compromises forced by form factor, parts, other practical considerations, or market analysis.

so, it's a bit of a trade-off really.... for many people, the smaller, more self-contained, maybe all-around cheaper device is going to be the winner. for others, it's hard enough finding a filter that sounds and feels right for them without having to fit in particular needs/desires re: modulation...so finding the filter that sounds and feels right with an open door in the form of a cv/expression input is the winning play...

...and that really is enough word salad from me ugh, i hope any of that was helpful...sleepless posting is not a good look for me.

[Christophe]

Interesting thoughts so far, the filter thread is coming alive!

Considering that guitar is not the ideal instrument for filters, I guess "drama" comes from what signal you gonna feed the filter with. Fuzz, or oscillating delay placed before might be more decisive than the filter itself. I've been testing the Bitquest's filter and the Rooms filter (peak mode) and it works quite well.

The Dreadbox is pretty impressive (some sort of more polite Evil Filter?). On the one hand, I think I'd rather have a dedicated fuzz and another pedal for filtering, to keep options opened. On the other, the thing is there, it's pretty easy to see what it's capable of doing, problem solved.

Right now I'm looking at the Dusk, that's the "smaller, self-contained" option. It could be a nice place to start.

I saw that video, it's a MS-20 clone, and it sounds quite good. Quite simple (i'm not sure it has CV but I guess that can be easily added). Again, the most dramatic fx comes from the reverb that's oscillating into the filter:

[muthlabben]

Now that this is a filter thread, I haven't seen anyone mention the Fairfield Long Life. Its fairly limited in implementation but the raw filter/wah sound you get is unreal. disgustingly gnarly without being fuzzy or distorted. it feels like Wah 2.0. when you plug in an EXP pedal it also internally tapers the filter sweep a little bit to get it a bit more in line with a guitar's range; there's a lot of the sweep that goes higher/lower than a guitar. you can really set the notch just right to have it totally woof out a note depending on where you are in the neck. I've played Evil Filter and a lot of other options and IMO it's best to pair whatever fuzz you already like with this thing -- which wah aside is a fantastic tone adjuster if you want to dramatically bump a pedal. It makes a big muff sound... i don't know -- insane.

[Dandolin]

cool - yeah, i haven't really checked out the Fairfield even tho i love every Fairfield i've ever tried times ahead....