When Sherman Electronics released the FilterBank in 1997, they created something that would become a studio and stage staple for everyone from Fatboy Slim to The Chemical Brothers—a dual-filter processor that treats sound like clay, ready to be sculpted into something entirely new.
The heart of the FilterBank is a pair of identical 12dB-per-octave multimode filters, each capable of low-pass, high-pass, and band-pass filtering with seamless transitions between modes. You get independent frequency and resonance controls for each filter, plus a correction knob that can subtract phase-inverted band-pass signals to create complex filter shapes and notch effects. The two filters can run in parallel for a gentler 24dB combined response, series for a steeper 24dB cascade, or anywhere in between thanks to a continuous blend control. A dedicated ADSR envelope generator with positive and negative modulation depth controls each filter independently, while an LFO with continuously variable speed from one cycle per minute up to 3kHz adds everything from subtle movement to ring-modulator-style effects. The second filter can be harmonically synced to the first at various intervals, creating locked harmonic relationships. An input overdrive circuit with its own AR envelope adds serious grit and saturation, and FM modulation lets you use the incoming signal, an external source, or the LFO to modulate filter cutoff. MIDI implementation covers cutoff frequency, resonance, envelope times, and modulation depths, making it surprisingly deep for a hardware unit from that era.
The FilterBank measures 430mm wide and 110mm deep, designed to sit on a desktop or integrate into a larger setup. It features a single audio input and dual outputs, with the ability to run mono or stereo depending on how you patch it. The hands-on control layout rewards experimentation, though there's no onboard memory to store your favorite settings—every tweak is a live discovery. Musicians have consistently praised its sound quality and flexibility for everything from subtle tone shaping to extreme sound destruction, making it equally at home in a DJ booth, live electronic setup, or production studio.
