Polyverse Filterverse Plug-In Review
Polyverse’s Filterverse is a multi-filter plug-in for Mac and PC that is built for exploration, as well as turning even the most mundane sound sources into something unique and special. In fact, if you want to breath new life into your sample library, you’ll find Filterverse is an alchemist. It stands out from its competitors, namely Cableguys FilterShaper XL, SugarBytes Wow, FabFilter’s Volcano and SoundToys FilterFreak by combining many of the best qualities of these products into one entity.
For a limited time only! Up to 80% off all Waves Bundles. PLUS click the banner above or the Go button for an additional 10%! This is Waves best deal yet! Get yours today before this special ends! Go!
Filterverse is built around three independent processing slots you populate with filters or effects, and you can route those slots in serial, parallel, or hybrid configurations. Its per-slot controls include panning, phase and mid/side options, allowing you to shape the stereo image at each stage. Filterverse claims to contain 30 different filter types and 250 algorithms for modulation. It’s preset library is outstanding with many inventive structures that truly demonstrate the power of the plug-in and are great launching points for your own sonic experimentation.
“A Universe of Filters” —Polyverse
Filterverse features eight simultaneous modulation sources: a Meta knob, sequencer/LFO, ADSR envelope, envelope follower, randomizer, pitch detector, MIDI/CV input and an audio-rate oscillator. The modulators can be routed to most parameters and can cross-modulate one another. Additionally, multiple sources can target the same destination for complete mayhem. What’s amazing is while you can go Full Send, the chaos often stays musical.
Instead of being laser-focused on filtering and modulation, Polyverse provides some very useful effects, including Tempolay, a rhythmic/tempo delay; Space, the reverb algorithm from their Comet plug-in; Cabinator, an amp/cabinet simulator with saturation and drive; Coils, a wild spring algorithm; Decimate, a bit rate reducer; TemPitch, a granular, pitch shifting tempo synced delay; and yaleD, a granular reverse delay. Combining quality effects processing with the filters in the same interface turns it into more of a processing workstation that supercharges Filterverse’s abilities, something that Polyverse doesn’t adequately showcase on their website or marketing materials. A shame, since this is quite a powerful and significant feature.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of noteworthy downsides to Filterverse that we need to discuss before moving forward. The fact that the presets are located at the bottom of the interface, as opposed to the top where they are located on 99% of plug-in interfaces tells the user that Polyverse likes to do things just a little differently.
MIDI Designer Is Now Free!
MIDI Designer Pro X is now free to download! MIDI Designer Pro X is a professional-grade MIDI controller platform for iPhone, iPad and Mac. User-contributed layouts let you control everything from Ableton to Yamaha out of the box. Go beyond hardware and express your musical vision. Check out out now!
But being different comes at the cost of not being able to immediately jump in and get your hands dirty. Filterverse’s learning curve isn’t trivial. It’s not as intuitive for those new to modular design, and some of the capabilities can get a tad buried. However, once you are familiar with the workflow, things start to fall into place. The other downer is that Filterverse loves to eat up CPU cycles. We understand the plug-in has a lot going on, but your computer will take every instance of Filterverse on the chin, especially if you want to use several at the same time.
The easiest way for electronic musicians to get their music onto Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon Music, Tidal, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pandora, Twitch & much more! Click the banner above or the Go Button to save 7% off of your signup! Go!
Polyverse Filterverse Features:
- 30 Filters available
- 250 algorithms
- Unique filters
- Recreation of classic filters
- Three different filters available with extensive routing options
- Eight different modulation sources available at once
- Stereo modulation, panning and Mid/Side processing
- Modulators can cross-modulate each other
- Optimized for audio-rate modulation
- Excellent Presets
- Supports VST2 / VST3 / AU / AAX plug-in formats for Windows 64bit and OSX 10.13+ 64bit
Polyend Synth Review
FutureMusic spent considerable amount of time with Polyend’s new digital synthesizer, which they simply dubbed Synth, for this long-term review. Read our comprehensive Polyend Synth Review to find out more!
Filterverse is built for exploration and the ability to completely reinvent sounds. As mentioned above, we found that it breaths completely new life into mundane sounds and if you have a large sample library that has gone stale, Filterverse can invigorate that investment in mere minutes. It’s a sound-design sandbox that rewards experimentation. If you’re willing to invest your time and effort into learning how to master the plug-in, it could easy become your go to plug-in whenever you need to elevate your source material.
Conclusion
Filterverse is a three-slot, modular multi-filter that pairs a large, professional preset library and 30 filter types with eight routable modulators and effects processing. While the learning curve and higher CPU use are a concern, you’ll be hard pressed to find a similar plug-in with its sound design abilities at this price point. Highly Recommended.
Polyverse Filterverse Rating 92%
Cheers:
+ Quality Of Results
+ Sound Design
+ Sound Quality
+ Fabulous Presets
Jeers:
– CPU Tax
– Learning Curve
Polyverse’s Filterverse costs $149 / €149.
The Future: Put the Preset Bar on the top of the interface. It just makes the interface’s design wonky and reverses the workflow. We’d love to see some more audio effects as well.
