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Description
The Mutronics Mutator is a legendary piece of studio gear, revered for its analog voltage-controlled filters (VCFs) that deliver synth-like filter sweeps to any sound source. Originally crafted in the '90s, this effects processor quickly became a staple in the music industry, gracing tracks by iconic artists like Radiohead, Daft Punk, and Nine Inch Nails. Now available as a meticulously crafted plug-in, the Mutator brings that same rich, modulated sound to your digital studio.
Each of the Mutator's two channels offers dynamic modulation options, allowing you to shape your sound with precision and creativity. Whether you're utilizing the envelope follower to modulate the filter in sync with your sound's amplitude or leveraging the onboard LFOs' four distinct waveforms, the Mutator offers endless modulation possibilities. Its Gate Mode provides the ability to create modern stutter effects, while the external sidechain input opens up new realms of sonic exploration by allowing external sound sources to influence filter movements.
Perfect for both studio professionals and hobbyist musicians, the Mutronics Mutator is a versatile tool that can transform any track into a vibrant tapestry of sound. Its ability to link or unlink channels for stereo effects and its intuitive controls for width and mix make it an indispensable asset in any producer's toolkit.
Key Features:
- Dual-channel design with analog voltage-controlled filters (VCFs)
- Envelope follower and LFO modulation options
- Gate Mode for stutter effects
- External sidechain input for dynamic filter control
- Stereo width and mix controls for optimal sound blending
- Modeled after the iconic 1990s hardware unit used by top artists
Videos
Alex Ball
MUTRONICS MUTATOR: THAT 90s FILTER
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Mutronics Mutator.
Features and functionality
Comparisons
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Users compared the Mutator with the Soundtoys FilterFreak and Crystallizer, ultimately favoring the latter for its unique granular delay effects.
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Mods and upgrades
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Adding saturation with a Moog MF109S at the start of the processing chain enhanced the crispiness of the sound when used with the Mutator.
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User experience
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The combination of granular delay and Mutator filtering provided a satisfying sound, although not identical to the sought-after French synth effect.
Source
5.0 out of 5
Based on 0 Reviews and 3 Ratings
Artist usage
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Per the official Mutronics website, Daft Punk are listed as Mutator customers. Good of Mutronics to keep the page alive despite the Mutator being discontinued in 2007.
Jonny used this on the guitar solo in Paranoid Android in the studio. The Mutator is a stereo analogue filter and envelope follower with full control facilities. It contains two independent voltage controlled filters similar to those found in analogue synthesizers, which can be used to treat any external sound source. Each filter can be controlled from its own associated low frequency oscillator (LFO) and/or its own envelope follower section, which extracts the envelope contour of an input signal and applies it to control the cut-off frequency of the filter.
Each envelope follower can be switched to track either the envelope of the sound that is being treated by the filter, or that of an independent external control signal. This external control signal can be any audio source , eg. a drum sound, a guitar, a synth, a sampler output, or even a microphone. Thus the envelope characteristics of one sound can be superimposed onto the filtering contour of another.
Another switch on the envelope follower selects envelope follow mode or gate mode - in which the circuit detects whether a signal is above a certain threshold level before switching on.
In gate mode, the device can operate much like a dedicated noise gate unit, with the added capabilities of the analogue filter
The LFO's have four different sweep waveforms each and may be switched via a stereo link to produce stereo panning effects.
At the bottom of the article you can see the Mutator in the list of gear he used on Foley Room.
"As you would expect, the studio contains some of the finest processors in the world, including an SPL Transient Designer, two Empirical Labs Distressors, an Audio & Design F760XRS compressor/limiter/expander, a Focusrite Platinum Compounder, a Drawmer LX20 dual expander/compressor and two DS201 dual gates, Fairman and Smart Research C2 compressors, a Mutronics Mutator filter bank, an Electrix Filter Factory, a Teletronix LA2A compressor, a Massenburg Model 8000 EQ, a Tubetech LCA2B compressor, a Drawmer 1960 valve compressor/preamp, a Focusrite Red 7 mic preamp/dynamics processor, and a Joemeek stereo compressor."
"I've got a Mutronics Mutator here as well, so if I do wanna go for some weird filtering then I'll send it back out of the box, into that, and back in again. My vocal chain is the 1084 and Tube Tech CL 1B compressor; that's a winning combo for me."
Daniel Miller is listed as using the Mutronics Mutator in his studio setup, as noted in Sound On Sound.
It can be seen in the eleventh photo, captioned "Some of Marius de Vries' outboard gear. From top: Digitech Vocalist II effects, Yamaha SPX900 multi‑effects, Alesis Quadraverb GT and Quadraverb multi‑effects, Mutronics Mutator compressor, Avalon input channel, Yamaha REV7 multi‑effects, Alesis 3630 compressor and Tascam DA30 DAT recorder."
"@skudge_elias_landberg Racking #outboard #hardware #gear #mutronicsmutator #klarkteknik #reverb #h3000b #eventide #lexicon #bossce300 #chorus #boss"
A Yamaha SPX 900 unit can be seen in Stephen Street's studio, in the fifth photo. The fifth photo is captioned: A selection of Street's gear: from top, TL Audio Classic dual valve EQ and Indigo VP2051 voice processor, Empirical Labs Distressor compressor, Emu Vintage Keys and Proteus FX synth modules, Yamaha SPX900 multi‑effects, Antares ATR1 Auto‑Tune intonation processor, Novation BassStation Rack, Zoom Studio 1201 effects, Mutronics Mutator filter bank, Ensoniq DP2 effects, SPL Transient Designer dynamics processor, and two more Distressors.
Album Usage
The Mutronics Mutator has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Mutronics Mutator, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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