Polyverse Music has carved out a reputation for plugins that don’t just tweak your sound but completely reinvent how you interact with it. From I Wish to Supermodal and freebies like Wider, they’ve always leaned toward tools that sit at the edge of conventional mixing and full-blown sound design.
Filterverse is their flagship filter playground, and with the new 1.2 update, it has expanded into something closer to a semi-modular multi-effects workstation.
If you’ve ever thought of filters as just a way to cut out unwanted frequencies, Filterverse will challenge that idea. This is a plugin where filters phase, stretch, shimmer, chorus, and even glitch your sounds in ways that push way beyond basic EQ.
And with five brand-new filter modules added in Filterverse version 1.2, the universe of possibilities really has expanded.
Read the full review below and enter the giveaway for a chance to win a free copy of Filterverse.
The Core Concept
Filterverse gives you three filter slots that can each host one of over 30 filter types. That’s the core concept here.
Routing is flexible: you can run them fully serial, fully parallel, or in hybrid configurations that let you build surprisingly complex signal chains. Drag-and-drop reordering keeps the workflow fluid, and per-slot controls include cutoff, resonance, pan, dry/wet, and additional parameters unique to each filter model.
Where it gets exciting, though, is the filter catalog. Instead of just “low-pass” or “high-pass,” you get a massive selection ranging from familiar state-variable designs (like the “Swiss Army Knife” filter) to experimental creations like “Strings,” which models resonating string interactions via waveguide synthesis.
Then there are the “non-filters,” such as reverb, amp cab simulation, sample rate reduction, and granular delays.
Put simply, Filterverse is less a filter plugin and more a sound design toolbox disguised as one.
What’s New in Filterverse 1.2
Version 1.2 introduces five new filters, each of which feels like a mini-plugin of its own.
The Valley
The Valley is a dual-resonant band-reject filter with steep slopes and a built-in drive stage. It’s brutal for Reese basses and neuro-style low-end sculpting, but can also carve out subtle moving notches in pads or percussion.
The “pivot” control lets you anchor one cutoff while moving the other, opening up both surgical and expressive shaping options.
Deep Phase
Unlike traditional phasers, which create notches, Deep Phase flips the idea by generating bandpass peaks. The result is a psychedelic, narrow, almost vocal-like resonance that thrives under audio-rate modulation.
On vocals or trippy FX, it can sound hypnotic, while on synths it turns into a swirling, phase-driven playground.
Fibonacci Chorus
This is one of the most unique choruses I’ve tried. Instead of regular modulation cycles, it scatters its 12 voices according to the golden ratio, which means the movement never audibly loops.
Pads and guitars feel alive, constantly shifting without repetition. It’s lush without being cheesy, and I can see people buying Filterverse just for this one module.
BarberPole
A reimagined frequency shifter that avoids the harsh metallic tearing these usually produce. It can generate Shepard tones and endless rising or falling motion, but it also works harmonically when pitch-tracked.
The modulation modes let you bend sound in both musical and surreal directions, from octave-spaced resonances to spiraling phasing illusions.
Time Warp
A tempo-synced granular delay that does everything from stutters and reverses to tape stops and rhythmic slicing. The grain engine is tempo-locked, so you can get IDM-style glitching that always sits in the groove.
It’s a dream for breakbeats and live performance, as you can map parameters to MIDI and “play” glitch effects in real-time.
It’s clear that these new filter types aren’t minor additions. On the contrary, they push Filterverse further into multi-effects territory, making it a creative playground for sound design.
Modulation: Where the magic happens
If the filter types are the body, the modulation system is the soul of Filterverse. You get eight modulator slots, each assignable to any parameter across the plugin.
The options cover the basics like the ADSR envelope, envelope follower, sequencer, and random generator, but also extend into more experimental territory:
- Oscillator – for audio-rate modulation.
- Pitch Detector – lets your audio’s pitch drive parameters.
- Meta Knob – a macro-style control you can map to multiple targets and even quantize to musical scales.
- MIDI/CV Input – giving you performance control or even hardware-style sequencing from external sources.
Nearly every parameter in the plugin, including those within modulators themselves, can be targeted for modulation. And yes, modulation can modulate modulation, making cross-routing possible and genuinely useful.
This means you can build semi-modular style patches where, say, an envelope follower drives a sequencer’s rate, which in turn modulates filter cutoff. The interface makes this intuitive with drag-and-drop assignments and color-coded modulation indicators.
The 1.2 update also enhanced the sequencer with new glide, phase, and polyrhythmic controls, making it feel more like a mini modular sequencer built inside the plugin.
This unlocks advanced rhythmic modulation, which is immediately useful for electronic producers and sound designers who enjoy experimenting with complex modulation setups.
Presets and Workflow
Filterverse ships with over 1000 presets crafted by big-name sound designers and producers (including Infected Mushroom, Mr. Bill, John Lehmkuhl, and many others).
The tagging system is excellent, as it allows you to browse by type, mood, or effect category and quickly mark favorites.
For beginners, the presets are a great way to understand what each filter can do. On they’re launchpads into deeper sound design if you like experimentation.
Many of the presets are performance-ready, with parameters mapped to the Meta Knob or MIDI, which makes them easy to tweak live.
On the workflow side, Polyverse added several small but impactful improvements in 1.2:
- Alt+Drag I/O gain compensation keeps levels balanced when driving filters hard.
- Clip mode preset lock prevents preset changes from altering your global clipper settings.
- Legato/staccato refinements improve how modulation responds to MIDI input.
- An integrated Help button links directly to the online manual.
CPU usage has also been optimized, and you can switch between low, mid, and high quality modes to balance performance with fidelity.
Sound Design in Practice
I’ve dedicated an entire day to testing Filterverse as a tool for cinematic sound design and discovered that it is as much about inspiration as it is about precision.
On a relatively bland noise texture, throwing in the Fibonacci Chorus and a slow-moving Deep Phase instantly turns it into a shimmering, evolving ambiance. On a rhythmic synth pulse sequence, Time Warp adds unpredictable glitch stutters that lock perfectly to the tempo.
Running my favorite cinematic pads through The Valley with some resonance automation produces snarling movement I’d normally expect from complex layering, not a single plugin.
But on the other hand, the effect always feels under control, and you have all the parameters needed to perfectly sculpt the effect to the needs of your project.
What really stands out is how musical even the experimental filters are. BarberPole could have easily been a novelty, but it works great for harmonic movement that beautifully mixes with the source sound.
Similarly, the non-linearities and saturation built into many of the filters add character that is often needed as the final polish in a cinematic sound.
Final Thoughts
Filterverse 1.2 feels less like a regular update and more like an expansion. With the addition of five new flagship-quality modules, better modulation tools, and improved workflow, it cements Filterverse as one of the most powerful and creative filter-based plugins on the market.
It’s not a casual tool, though. You’ll get more from it the deeper you explore. But if you invest a bit of time, you’ll enjoy using it for Reese basses, glitching live beats, adding subtle movement to pads, or going bonkers with complex modulation.
At $149, it’s not the cheapest plugin, but considering it gives you 30+ filters, eight modulators, and effectively a semi-modular multi-effects environment, the value is outstanding.
More info: Filterverse ($149)
The Giveaway
Enter the giveaway below (or click the link) for a chance to win a free Filterverse license. We will randomly pick three winners on October 1st.
Last Updated on September 24, 2025 by Tomislav Zlatic.
Filterverse 1.2
Polyverse Filterverse 1.2 is one of the most inspiring sound design plugins I’ve used in years. It’s endlessly deep, surprisingly intuitive once you dive in, and capable of results ranging from subtle polish to mind-bending transformations. It’s highly recommended if you’re even remotely interested in creative filtering.
The Good
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Huge collection of 30+ creative filters, including 5 excellent new modules in v1.2 -
Powerful 8-slot modulation system with cross-modulation, MIDI/CV, and pitch detection -
Inspiring, well-tagged preset library with over 1000 sounds from top designers -
Flexible routing (serial, parallel, hybrid) makes complex chains easy to build -
Performance improvements and workflow refinements in the 1.2 update
The Bad
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Learning curve can be steep for beginners -
CPU usage can spike with heavy chains at high quality settings
