Filterquest 2020

[DOSS BS-1]

The quest: I'm looking for a filter that can handle guitar (mostly) but sometimes I run tracks thru my board. It has to do LP/BP/HP, controls for frequency and resonance, and it has to take an expression pedal. Definitely prefer a smaller enclosure. Trying to keep it under $200 used if possible.

The possible solutions and their issues:
Mu-Tron Micro-Tron - Looks amazing but it's pricey for what it is. The one thing I really don't like is the 1/8" input for expression pedal. That means I'd have to go and buy ANOTHER cable.
EHX Riddle - This one is close but it's large and I'm not sure about the quality of the filters (I haven't taken a demo dive yet). Seems to be the only option you can get under $150.
Elta Polivoks 2 - I'm not sure how this sounds with guitar. Pricey and large. The v1 actually looks great but I can't find it anywhere.
Subdecay Prometheus DLX - Nearly perfect. Just a little over budget.
DBA Evil Filter - Very pricey and large. I don't need the fuzz section at all. It would be great if they just had the filter in a smaller enclosure.
Moog MF101 - Too expensive. Large. LP only.
Dwarfcraft Happiness - I tried this one but just didn't vibe with it. It has more bells and whistles than I need. I highly recommend it for synth players and musicians using LFOs with filters.
Pigtronix Resotron - This one is the closest. It ticks all the boxes. The only downside is that it's 18v 300mah. That's not a deal-breaker but it complicates things. (My CAE wah takes under 7mah. That's over 40x as much power for the Piggytron)
Dr. Scientist Dusk - Waiting for more info on this one. But I think it's LP only.

Anybody have experience with those? or others that you liked?

I guess I'm leaning towards the Subdecay, Pigtronix, or EHX but I feel like there has to be more out there. Anything else I should be considering??

[Chankgeez]

I don't have any experience with it, and it's a little more than you wanted to spend, but have you considered the WMD Protostar?

[lordgalvar]

Frostwave resonator
DeadEnd FX diy Frostwave resonator
Maxon af-9 (mutron like)...or any of it's siblings. The fireblade is good enough can be modified
Like chank said, protostar
Koma fb-201

Do you want static cutoff or locked into an envelope or doesn't matter? LFO?

Warm star shape shift mountain too. Think it's just lp though

Q-trons take exp pedals (at least some...could be modified anyway). Designed by Mike beigel.

[coupleonapkins]

Subdecay Prometheus DLX would be my choice from your list, even if the price is slightly out of your range - I can't think of another that does all three, with all the options you're seeking. Pigtronix is always a no-go for me, as I've had QA issues with every device of theirs I've tried to keep, but unless you're willing to go DIY to save a little bit (a la the Frostwave or even a DBA Kill Kill Filter), the headache would be removed by just going with the Subdecay, straightaway, maybe?

[lordgalvar]

Subdecay is always solid.

[kaeth]

I have a WMD Protostar and really dig it. They're much cheaper used than new, but if you're aiming for $200 you'd probably have to lurk for a while. I pretty much stick with the low-pass mode, which sounds amazing though. Some of the other modes don't sound like much to me but I use it with bass pre-dirt, so there's probably just not much to filter in those bands. It's got expression, 2/4 pole, LFO, FX Loop, compressor, blend, patchbay. It's a good oscillator and noise box too. You can modulate the feedback with external signals or send audio-rate modulation to the LFO for ring-mod kinda sounds. It's a solid choice.

[echorec]

Source Audio has produced multiple filter pedals that can do LP/HP/BP, but they don't have a 1/4" exp jack. You'd have to use a 1/8" out and their dual-expression controller. I own the Stingray, but you might also look into the Pro Poly-Mod. The Spectrum is more compact, but it's got an alt button to switch between freq/res.

I bought the Warm Star (discontinued) and the Elta Polivoks from PCA and returned both of them. The bleed was horrible---intolerably noisy. The Elta didn't have much character or grit. I was really disappointed with it.

My favorite filter is the Lida Machine, but it's a dual LP VCF.

[jondom22]

- 3Leaf Chromatron:
Pros: really nice sounding analog filter, can switch between expression and envelopes control with left footswitch. Sounds excellent with fuzzes, and the loop itself is such a great feature for triggering the envelope with your dry signal but applying the filter post loop. I use LPF the most but babdpass is really cool too and with a high cutoff and set the range to high you can get a HPF sound.
Cons: picky about which expression pedals work (ie works with Dunlop DVP4 etc but you’ll wanna tweak the low range trim pot on the eco pedal), doesn’t work properly with multi-output expression devices like source audio reflex and mission expressionator. No LFO.

- Subdecay Prometheus:
Pros: another awesome sounding analog filter, lots of cool LFO patterns and many options. Multi-wave, step, and s&h patterns sound dope. Can do LFO, envelope or expression control.
Cons: when expression is plugged in, tap tempo for LFO is over-ridden by expression. Can be tricky to dial in, wish it had a master volume for level attenuation/boost. No fx loop.

- Source Audio C4/Spectrum:
Pros: tons of filter modes give you a lot of options, can be controlled via envelope, expression or LFO. There filters have prob most sounds avail for gtr pedal filters. Sounds very good for digital.
Cons: need desktop or mobile app editor to program, end sensitivity can be a little finicky to dial in, need TRRS cable for expression, digital filter (while good) doesn’t sound as good as my analog filters.

Worth checking out the filter from Iron Ether, the older SA sting ray and big soundblox filter. Moog sounds best but costs most and is large. Could also try the CBA condor or something.

[DOSS BS-1]

This is all solid info. Thanks so much.

I think the WMD might be more than I need but it's NICE.
I'm looking into the others now. So much good stuff.

[Inconuucl]

The Dr. Sci Bitquest also has a pretty capable filter on it.

[shikawkee]

Personally I'm crazy about the Protostar. It's super duper.

[cantremember]

The dr scientist dusk should be out within the next few weeks. The clips he posted on YouTube sounds great and the price is right. I'm just not sure if it is Lp/Hp/BP. Also, I really enjoy the filter section on the CBA condor. Not 100% sure that's what you'd be looking for and it's a little out of the price range.

[cosmicevan]

I don't have any experience with it, and it's a little more than you wanted to spend, but have you considered the WMD Protostar?

Protostar is pretty excellent. I've got one that I am not using that I’d let go of for the stated budget of $200...so there’s that.

[Chankgeez]

There you go, OP, hooked up by cosmicevan.

[gila_crisis]

WMD Superfat Manwas also a very cool multimode filter!