Sieve
Resonant filter, inspired by resonant filters and auto-wahs.
Sieve is a resonant multimode filter you can play: low-pass, band-pass, high-pass or notch at 12 or 24 dB per octave, with Drive into it and two ways to move the cutoff: an LFO (free or synced) and the music's own level, for auto-wah and filters that open as the part plays harder. Built as zero-delay state-variable filters, so it stays clean however fast it moves.
The controls
- Type
- Low-pass, Band-pass, High-pass or Notch.
- Slope
- 12 dB per octave is gentle and vocal; 24 is steep and synth-like.
- Cutoff
- Where the filter acts.
- Resonance
- A peak at the cutoff. High settings sing and whistle.
- Drive
- Warmth and grit before the filter.
- LFO Amount
- How far the LFO sweeps the cutoff, up or down (in octaves).
- Rate, Sync
- The LFO's speed, free or locked to the song's tempo.
- Envelope
- How far the music's level moves the cutoff: positive opens on loud notes (auto-wah).
- Response
- How quickly the envelope follows: low is smooth, high is snappy.
- Mix
- Blend the filtered sound with the original.
Best for
- Builds and breakdowns: a slow low-pass sweep
- Funk guitar and clavinet: auto-wah with Envelope
- Synths: rhythmic filter movement synced to the song
- Drums: a band-passed 'telephone' or radio sound
Starting points
Load Sieve, set these, then adjust by ear. In the plugin, Level match helps you judge the sound, not the loudness.
Auto-wah
Band-pass 12, Cutoff 400 Hz, Resonance 60, Envelope +70, Response 70
Synced sweep
Low-pass 24, Cutoff 800 Hz, Resonance 40, LFO Amount 50, Sync 1/1
Telephone
Band-pass 12, Cutoff 1500 Hz, Resonance 30, Drive 8
Hints and tips
- Automate Cutoff in your DAW for builds; use the LFO for repeating movement.
- High Resonance with 24 dB slope gets loud at the cutoff: watch your level.
- Negative Envelope makes a filter that closes on loud notes: great for pads that duck.
Chains it works best in
Every Original works in a chain with the others and with members' hardware. These are good places to start.
- Brazier then Sieve: driven synths through a moving filter
- Sieve then Rebound: a synced filter into synced delays
- Sieve then Nave: a filtered part into a big space
Watch out for
- Very high Resonance on bass at full level: the peak can overload whatever follows.
- Fast LFO with huge Amount on vocals: it becomes a special effect, which may not be what you want.
Sieve is free
Like every DigMusiK plugin, Sieve is free for registered members: it's part of the platform, so the chains you hand on and send for approval play the same for everyone. Try it in your studio, on your own mix.