FabFilter Volcano 2

Audio effects are extremely important to music production. They help you shape your tracks and mixes until you find the sound that you’re looking for. For example, filters are a good way of dramatically cutting frequencies while boosting others. There is a lot you can achieve with this simple effect, so you better make sure to get a plugin that suits your needs.

Now, any digital audio workstation will surely have at least one filter stock plugin, but it may not be powerful or versatile enough for your musical project. If that’s the case, then you should take a look at FabFilter Volcano 2.

Like most FabFilter plugins, Volcano offers great sound and a wider variety of options in an interface that you won’t get lost in, thanks to the very helpful tooltips. You can add up to four different filters simultaneously, which can be either a high-pass, a low-pass, or a band-pass filter. You can change the overall sound of each filter, the slope, the peak (resonance) and you can even link them together for easier adjustments.

Now, the modulation section is where the plugin stands out. You can add a wide variety of modulation sources, including LFOs, envelopes, and XY pads that you can link to any knob in the interface (including that of other modulation parameters). Using all these features requires a bit of knowledge, but once you gain it, nothing will put a filter on your creativity. Pun intended.

While you're still figuring out the ins and outs of creative filtering, you can browse through the plugin’s many presets, each tailored for specific uses. When you eventually find or manage to create a setting that sounds ok but you’re not yet sure that it’s what you’re looking for, hit the A/B button to open an alternate tab (B) where you can experiment more while keeping the previous settings intact in the previous tab (A).

I can only conclude that FabFilter Volcano 2 is a very well-designed plugin that can do wonders for pros and beginners alike.