Orcas Audio released their plugin Whirlpool, which is a rhythmical filter effect, for free. Please note that Whirlpool is Windows only, and that the free offer could expire soon.
Beyond the retro-looking UI, Orcas Audio claims that Whirlpool employs “perceptual response frequency intensity mapping”. Many cool words in a row, but I might only speculate what they mean.
Describing what the plugin does is more easily grasp-able. It’s a “tempo-synced pattern sequencer with multiple groove and modulation styles”. Cool.
If we want to dumb it down further, Whirlpool makes a filter behave rhythmically and in time with your music. If you need some funny wubs, funky wahs, or crazy flutter, slap whirlpool on that thing and use your ears until you’re satisfied.
Choose between lowpass, highpass, band-pass and and notch filter types, select one of the eight pre-programmed patterns and dial in your filter resonance and intensity across the frequenct range with the respective knobs.
Whirlpool has a tempo sync divider ranging between 1/32 notes and 2-bar cycles, which drastically alters the sound. This is especially handy for more experimental sound design cases where you need rapid movement for further processing, or on the contrary, taking a complex patch and reigning it in with a more predictable rhythm.
The plugin automatically syncs to your DAW’s tempo, and can be a nice way to add some movement to elements in your mix. Try it on noisy sounds or field recordings to get some cool and unorthodox percussion, or why not add it to backing vocals, guitars, dubs, or subtle pads in the back?
You could use the plugin to fuse different sounds together by imposing a rhythm on them, or separating two static sounds from each other by applying a rhythmical pattern to just one of the tracks.
You could, of course, also apply different rhythms to both tracks and get a call-and-response effect going on.
If you’re tired of automation and on the lookout for something quick and easy, Whirlpool might do the job for you.
Downloading the plugin was no fuss. Simply enter the Orcas Audio website and add any email when prompted to get access to the download (6 MB).
Whirlpool is donationware for a limited time. I don’t know when the offer ends, so make sure to act quickly if interested.
Get it here: Whirlpool (FREE for a limited time- email required)
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Last Updated on July 3, 2025 by Tomislav Zlatic.
