AudioThing Hainbach Octaves, the latest collab, is a cross-platform bandpass filter plugin modeled after the Brüel & Kjaer 1613.
In mid-November, AudioThing and Hainbach released the B00ga plugin/app, a unique sound generator for micro sounds. It fascinated me so much from day one that I used it in a live performance a few days later.
The Booga’s effects section houses a special bandpass filter called Octaves, which I’ve been wanting as an FX plugin. It’s mentioned in the review. Well, my wish came true because AudioThing and Hainbach have now released Octaves as a standalone processor.
AudioThing Hainbach Octaves
Apparently, more people wished for a standalone FX version, so now we have the Octaves plugin for macOS, Linux, Windows, and iOS (AUv3). According to Hainbach, it has major refinements compared to the B00Ga version.
Some of you might be thinking: yeah, another filter plugin. Let me reassure you, it’s not another modeled Ladder, Roland, or Oberheim Synthesizer filter. It’s a filter unlike anything you’ve ever seen in an effects plugin before.
AudioThing Hainbach Octaves is a faithful emulation of the Brüel & Kjær 1613 bandpass filter, going beyond the original.
Bandpass filters were primarily used in audio research in the past. Often, to tear apart sound spectrally or to hit them with short bursts of pulses called pinging, turning them into colorful percussion boxes.
These vintage bandpass filters were based on metal coils, each wound for a specific frequency band. And they were heavy. For example, the Brüel & Kjaer 1613 clocks in at 2kg. The plugin version is definitely lighter on your hard drive and on CPU.
At first glance, Octaves gives you all the features of the original hardware. Of course, the big, latched frequency knob goes from 31.5 to 16000 Hz, plus a linear option.
Unlike the original hardware, you have dedicated controls for the audio input, output, and dry/wet mix. Enable soft clip, and it infuses the output with gentle saturation to tame peaks and add extra flavor. With these controls, you can nicely overdrive the filter and add crunch.
Then, you have the artefacts knob that controls the amount of imperfections and artifacts when adjusting the frequency control. A bit like a vintage knob, but here in a filter, and it goes further.
Crank it up, modulate the frequency knob, and voilà, you have a drum machine thanks to the pinging functionality. The plugin has a fascinating back panel. This is true of very few plugins. Okay, if you use Rack Extensions, they can be fun.
The Extra Bandpass Filter Sauce
Flip the view switch to access the back panel, where an interface greets you, inspired by the interior of the Brüel & Kjær 1613. In this, you can basically “soft circuit bend” the AudioThing Hainbach Octaves engine.
First, they added impedance control, which was not available on the hardware model. The impedance can be seen as the “newly discovered” resonance control.
Higher settings influence the character of the bandpass filter, giving you more shape and intense sounds. Don’t forget to use both volume and soft saturation simultaneously for extra sonic evolution.
Further, you can modify the initially fixed frequency band levels to turn Octaves into a full filter bank. It’s like taking apart the original hardware, tweaking the individual bands, and putting it back together.
In hardware terms, that’s a huge undertaking; here, it’s a matter of a few minutes, tweaking the volume knobs. Map the controls to a MIDI controller, and you have a truly unique, playable filter bank.
AudioThing Hainbach also added an oversampling control to help avoid artifacts caused by hitting sample rate limits. They recommend using it at 2x or 4x if you have enough CPU power. This gives you a rougher sound.
Like every AudioThing plugin, it also has a built-in preset browser with various presets and a preset randomizer, giving you instant new results.
First Impression
Hooray, Octaves is now a standalone FX! That’s great news! Like the B00ga version, it mangles/filters the sounds in a very raw, ear-candy way. It’s nice to add some hiss and humming to a mighty sound as a contrast. You can also use it to make space in a sound.
There are many areas of application, and the new features include additional fascinating sound design options, such as pinging and feedback experiments.
AudioThing Hainbach Octaves is available now for an introductory price of 19€ instead of 39€. It runs as a VST, VST3, AU, AAX, and CLAP plugin on macOS (native Apple Silicon + Intel), Linux, and Windows.
The iOS version with AUv3 plugin support is out now for $3,99 from the Apple App Store. AudioThing also launched its 15th-anniversary sale with discounts up to 69%. Happy Birthday!
More information here: AudioThing / App Store
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