SMUGI
ISCONIC 1960S
FILTER BANK
SPECTRAL SCULPTURES
Smugi is a recreation of an iconic filter bank used in the most iconic early electronic music studios of the 50s and 60s. Radically reshape any sound you throw at it. Sculpt your sound with vintage warmth, or push it into wild distortion, thanks to the obsessively modeled saturation. Perform live, thanks to inspiring macros and experimental effect modules.
overview
But most importantly, Smugi invites you to explore. Use its stunning parallel filters to discover abstract textures hidden in your recordings. Or treat it as a highly musical multi-band EQ to instantly add that vintage organic tone to whatever you're working on. Once you've discovered this gem, there's no going back.
In the 1950s, decimated post-war Europe needed change. Composers began experimenting with repurposed laboratory equipment, tape, and innovative recording techniques to find a sound fit for a new world. While each pioneering studio had its sonic philosophy, they had one thing in common: Albiswerk 502 - the ultimate filter bank.
the story
Stockhausen used it. Pierre Schaeffer used it. They had one in RAI in Milan and half at the Radiophonic Workshop because it was too expensive for the studio to afford both filter sets at the time.
Smugi fuses the sound of this iconic filter bank with performance techniques originated at the Polish Radio’s Experimental Studio and presents it as a plugin that will change how you hear things forever.
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Adjust the volume of the filter bands with an authentic analogue tone.
INTERFACE
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Click on the frequency names to toggle the band on or off. Automate for instant rhythmic goodness.
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Bring your sounds to life with an LFO or 3 experimental effects. The controls are individual for each band.
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Get dirty with the authentic saturation of the 1960s germanium amplifier stage.
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Adjust multiple filter bands at once with macros.
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Open the sequencer to animate the filter bands in sync with your track.
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Click and drag the mouse up and down to set the values for the sequence.
SEQUENCER
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Quickly fill all steps in a row or randomize them for unexpected inspiration.
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Increase smoothing to subtly morph between the steps' values, or lower it for more rhythmic effects.
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Set all steps to sync to the same note division, or change it on per-step basis for instant polyrhythmic impact.
EXPERIMENTAL
TECHNIQUES
Split your signal into 12 extremely musical bandpass filters, then shape it with a per-band LFO and three experimental effects: movement, flutter, and feedback. The bands and effects react dynamically to your input signal - just like the hardware modeled after.
overview
Explore abstract sonic landscapes hidden in your sounds. Create constantly shifting sequences by using the built-in band sequencer. Get your mad scientist coat out and tweak away.
MOVEMENT
Create granular effects or let the filter modulate itself. Smugi employs a fine-tuned envelope follower on each band for instant creative modulations.
FLUTTER
Let your signal flow chaotically across the stereo field to create stunningly organic abstract textures.
FEEDBACK
Introduce feedback and resonance, or push your signal into pure mayhem and distortion. Approach with caution!
STEP SEQUENCER
Create interesting rhythmical effects with tempo-synced filter sequencer. Each filter runs on its lane with independent control over the number of steps and time division.
LEGACY OF PIONEERS
the ORIGIN
Smugi was born out of a fascination with techniques and tools used at the Polish Radio’s Experimental Studio, where repurposed test equipment clashed with creative tape splicing, ground-breaking sonic explorations, and a belief that paths are to be set rather than followed.
I’m incredibly proud to bring these tools to light and share them with the next generation of music producers. Put your explorer hat on. Dare to change things.
Karlheinz Stockhausen at the WDR studio. photo by Heinz Karnine. East news / AKG images.
Smugi is such a powerful creative and transformative tool. Nothing out there can do what Smugi can.
- Francesco Donadello
(Hildur Gudnadottir, Johann Johannsson, Modeselektor & Thom Yorke, Moderat)
TRY IT OUT
Download the free trial and experience Smugi at your own studio.
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With great power comes great responsibility. Due to its cutting-edge sound (no pun intended!), the plugin is CPU intensive. If you intend to use multiple instances, you might need to freeze some tracks. Download the demo to try it out before committing to a purchase.
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Windows (10 or newer) and Mac (10.11 or newer). 8GB of RAM and an i5 or better CPU required. 64-bit only. MPE requires a compatible DAW. The download and setup are handled by Pulse, which makes it easy to manage all your Felt Instruments. The fiels are watermarked to you.
The plugin works in every major DAW that supports VST3, Audio Unit or AAX plugins, like Ableton Live 10 or newer, Logic, Pro Tools, Cubase, FL Studio, Studio One, Reason 12, Reaper etc.
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There are no sales at Felt because I don’t think they’re fair to people who got the plugins earlier on. And those are the people who I want to support the most, which is why I offer loyalty pricing.
In a nutshell, purchasing the plugins gives you access to bundle upgrades and sweet discounts on new releases.
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I offer a 25% edu discount on individual products to students and educators. The discount will be valid for a year since it’s issued and will not work on the bundles as they’re already discounted. If you’re interested in edu pricing, please, send me a copy of your Student or Staff ID or a different proof of your enrolment and I’ll set you up.
Please, allow a few days for a response - Felt is a one-man company and support needs to get the priority treatment.