Developer Sender Spike has launched filter.tank, a free, modulated dual-filter plugin impressed by the Sherman Filterbank 2, the enduring Belgian analog filter unit from Sherman Audio. It’s obtainable as a 64-bit VST plugin for Home windows.
The Sherman Filterbank is thought for its excessive resonance and nonlinear saturation. Many individuals declare the sound can’t be replicated in digital type.
Sender Spike disagrees, saying that filter.tank got here fairly shut and made him recognize the unique {hardware} design much more. The developer doesn’t name it a direct emulation, however says the ballpark is there with some added options not obtainable within the {hardware}.
I’ve by no means used the unique Sherman Filterbank, however I examined the filter.tank, and I actually love the sound.
I like filters usually and have examined dozens upon dozens of filter plugins, so I’m onerous to impress. This one is fairly cool.
The bizarre factor is {that a} filter is such a easy idea, and it may appear wild to assume that you just want multiple plugin. In essence, it’s only a cutoff management and resonance, and but in some way I’ve greater than 20 filter plugins in my DAW.
The reason being that each good filter has its personal character, and filter.tank is unquestionably one with its personal sound. In case you’re like me and luxuriate in attempting totally different filters to see what works finest, give this one a attempt.
By the best way, I like filters a lot that the primary free plugin we ever launched on BPB was the BPB Soiled Filter, which has develop into fairly standard. In case you take pleasure in filters, attempt that one too.
filter.tank is greater than a primary filter, although.
It includes a twin filter construction with unbiased frequency and resonance controls, and the 2 filters will be constantly morphed between parallel and serial routing. Every filter may morph constantly from lowpass via bandpass to highpass.
However the resonance is the actually enjoyable half. It will get actually wild at increased settings. Do this on some percussion loops with very excessive resonance for very cool dancing filter results.
You additionally get enter drive (as much as +30 dB), a Harmonics management that hyperlinks Filter 2’s frequency to Filter 1 in musically related intervals, and a noise part with white noise, clock noise, and suggestions.
For modulation, there’s a tempo-syncable LFO with six waveforms, a filter envelope that may change between ADSR and envelope follower mode, FM from the enter sign, and AM (ring modulation). The gate will be triggered by audio enter, MIDI, or DAW automation. It’s a enjoyable plugin with plenty of depth.
That is the second standalone impact to come back out of Sender Spike’s work on SN Zero, the FM synth we featured again in January. The primary was qb, a multimode distortion plugin we coated in February.
Each had been initially deliberate as a part of SN Zero’s output stage however ended up as separate plugins, which I feel was a fantastic determination. This fashion, you need to use them with any supply, together with SN Zero itself.
Oh, I nearly forgot to say the interface. It’s fully text-based! All values are displayed as numbers (hertz, milliseconds, percentages) as an alternative of knobs and sliders.
I personally love this strategy; it jogs my memory of the text-heavy video games I grew up taking part in, and I benefit from the added precision. I’m in all probability within the minority on that, however the interface undeniably appears to be like clear with a pleasant retro vibe regardless.
A phrase of warning earlier than you go and obtain this. filter.tank can produce very loud and excessive frequencies that will injury listening to or gear, so put a limiter after it.
filter.tank is offered as a 64-bit VST plugin for Home windows. The obtain is about 150 KB and doesn’t require you to enroll.
Obtain: filter.tank (FREE)
Deal of the day 🔥: Get 93% OFF the SSL Mixing Bundle by Strong State Logic!
Extra:
Final Up to date on March 9, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.
