Paradox Mod Filter

Name: Paradox Mod Filter
Price: 59 USD
Author: Kiive Audio

by Kiive Audio · Filter · LFO-modulated filter

Not rated yet

Paradox Mod Filter is a filter with a free-running or tempo-synced LFO, for rhythmic movement and transitions.

It has four filter types, min/max frequency limits and a stereo phase offset. It costs $59.

Best for: Keys & Synths, Drums, Sound Design. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Hip-Hop & Trap, Pop.

Keywords: drums, rhythmic, electric guitar, tempo-synced, samples & loops, synths, advanced, mixing, musical, smooth, sound design, pads, surgical, vocals, wide.

What it does

Mod Filter is an LFO-driven filter from Kiive's Paradox effects series, made to "turn held chords into rhythmic pulses, reshape drum loops, carve out transitions." It keeps the controls to a range, a resonance and one LFO.

Min Freq and Max Freq: set the span the LFO sweeps; setting Min above Max reverses the direction of the sweep.
Reso: low settings give a broad, smooth sweep; high settings a sharper, more vocal peak at the cutoff.
Filter types (advanced panel): lowpass, highpass, bandpass and notch.
LFO Shape and Period: sine, triangle, Saw+ and Saw- shapes, with Period setting the cycle length.
Tempo and Sync: the LFO can run free or lock to the DAW tempo with musical note values.
LFO Smooth: softens the sharp reset of the two saw shapes by blending them toward a triangle.
L/R Phase: offsets the left LFO against the right to spread the movement across the stereo field.

It can be combined with the other Paradox effects in build-your-own bundles, and it was on sale when this page was checked. It has free updates for life, and a 14-day fully working trial needs no card.

Source: Kiive Audio product page

When to use it

Mod Filter is the better pick when you want a tempo-synced filter sweep set up in seconds, with no modulation editor to learn. Compared with Soundtoys FilterFreak, it has a single LFO and no envelope follower or rhythm patterns, but its Min/Max range and L/R Phase make stereo sweeps quick to dial in. Cableguys FilterShaper XL lets you draw your own modulation shapes, while Mod Filter offers four fixed shapes plus smoothing. FabFilter Volcano 3 has several filters and a full modulation system, so it does far more but is more complex and costs more.

Best for: rhythmic pulses on held chords and pads, moving drum loops, auto-wah style guitar sweeps and build-ups into transitions.
Genres: electronic, hip-hop, pop and guitar-based music.
Look elsewhere if: you want drawable LFO shapes or multiband modulation (FilterShaper XL, ShaperBox), envelope-following (FilterFreak), or several filters in one (Volcano 3).
Tip: the digitalfilms review used it as an auto-wah on guitar and got an almost synth-like sound.

What producers say

The one review so far liked it on guitar; forum discussion is minimal.

digitalfilms (Oliver Peters) treated it as an auto-wah and on a guitar track got "a musical sound that was almost synth-like", calling it a very cool effect.
Gearspace thread had no specific comments on Mod Filter; one user said of the series, "I like them, quick and easy", while others were unimpressed by the bundle pricing.

Where to buy

Kiive Audio: $59

Tutorials and reviews

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