Synth Warmer
by Kazrog · Filter · Ladder filter / drive
Not rated yet
Synth Warmer models the ladder filter and drive circuit of a 1973 "model D" monosynth as an insert effect for any track.
It has low- and high-pass modes, self-oscillation and up to +48 dB of drive, with a wet/dry knob for parallel processing.
Best for: Keys & Synths, Bass, Drums, Sound Design. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Hip-Hop & Trap, Lo-Fi.
Keywords: synths, bass, drums, 70s, built-in mix knob, warm, parallel processing, samples & loops, hardware emulation, classic, lo-fi, mixing, oversampling, resizable UI, smooth, sound design.
What it does
Synth Warmer is a "meticulously modeled analog synth filter emulation" based on the 1970s monosynth ladder filter. It is meant to warm up soft synths, bass, drum loops and risers.
- Ladder filter: low-pass and high-pass filters based on the classic 1970s monosynth ladder design, with resonance up to self-oscillation.
- Drive: a drive circuit with +48 dB of gain for the overloaded, "jacked-in" sound.
- Wet/dry: a mix knob for parallel filtering and saturation.
- Quality options: oversampling up to 32x with separate real-time and offline settings, and a resizable window.
The free demo drops to silence at random intervals and disables preset saving.
When to use it
Synth Warmer is a simple, static filter with character, not a modulation tool like Soundtoys FilterFreak or FabFilter Volcano 3. Pick it over Cytomic The Drop or Kilohearts Ladder Filter when you want Moog-style ladder tone and heavy drive at a low price; Universal Audio's Moog Multimode Filter Collection is the official Moog alternative.
- Best for: warming and pushing back synths, filtering drum loops and basslines, and resonant sweeps via automation.
- Genres: electronic, hip-hop and lo-fi production.
- Look elsewhere if: you need LFOs, envelopes or tempo-synced modulation; Synth Warmer has none built in.
- Standout: the way the resonance reacts to transients, which users say sets it apart from other filters.
What producers say
KVR users like its smooth, characterful sound and value, but want built-in modulation.
- KVR users (2018): one said it seems to "grab" the input transients and resonate around them, better than The Drop; another called it "all you need in a regular go-to filter."
- Gripe: users wanted an envelope or LFO ("excellent filter but, I want more features (env)"), and one (2020) said it is "not as good as a hardware analog filter insert."
Where to buy
- Kazrog: $14.99
Tutorials and reviews
- Synth Warmer - Out Now! (Kazrog)
- Synth Warmer by Kazrog (No Talking) (Elektronick Musick)
- Kazrog Synth Warmer -Revisión en Español-
Similar plugins
- Filter MINI by Arturia · Ladder filter · $49
- Moog Multimode Filter Collection by Universal Audio · Moog-style filter · $149
- Oligarc Filter by Stillwell Audio · Analog ladder filter · $39
- Ladder Filter by Kilohearts · Free ladder filter · Free
- The Drop by Cytomic · Analog-modelled resonant filter · $99
- Dual VCF by ToneBoosters · Dual non-linear analog filter · $21.57
- Nonlinear Filter by Kilohearts · Drive filter with nonlinear modes · Free
- FilterFreak by Soundtoys · Resonant analog-style filter · $149
- Oligarc by Stillwell Audio · Filter, drive, chorus and phaser · $79
- FAT 2 by SoundSpot · Analog-style multimode filter
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