Download Slate Digital Storch Filter for Mac

In the edit

The FX Boost slider is where Storch Filter starts to feel less like a utility and more like an instrument. Push it and the filter responds with a bit of attitude, which makes sense given Scott Storch had a hand in designing it.

Five effects, presets from Scott Storch, and an FX Boost slider

• An adjustable filter that shapes the tone quickly.
• Five built-in effects you can blend in for movement
• Presets from Scott Storch to get you going
• An FX Boost slider for extra character

Sweep the low pass filter to tuck a synth behind a vocal

Storch Filter works like a creative multi-effect rather than a plain EQ. You can sweep the filter to tuck a synth behind a vocal, or let the modulation add a wobble that keeps a loop interesting. The five effects give you options without burying you in menus. On a MacBook Pro M2 Pro, it runs cleanly, and the English interface keeps everything straightforward. If you produce beats or mix sessions that need a quick colour change, this one earns a spot in the rack.

Don't ignore the FX Boost slider for a flat sound

The most common slip I see is treating Storch Filter like a standard filter plugin and ignoring the FX Boost slider entirely. People dial in a cutoff they like and then wonder why the sound still feels flat. The FX Boost is where the personality lives — it adds a kind of push that plain filtering doesn't give you. Push it a little and your loop starts breathing differently.

Another one is cranking the resonance too early. Beginners hear that resonant peak and think it's the sound they want, but it usually eats up the whole frequency range. The better move is to set your cutoff first with a flat resonance, then bring it up slowly until the filter starts singing without drowning everything else.

People also forget that the five effects are linked to the filter movement. They set a nice reverb or chorus, then change the cutoff and wonder why the effect sounds different. It's by design — the plugin ties the effects to the filter's behaviour, so when you sweep, the reverb tail or phaser phase shifts with it. That's the point, but if you don't expect it, it can throw you off.

Drop it on a synth pad and scroll through Scott Storch's presets

Say I'm working on a beat that has a simple synth pad holding down the verse. It sounds fine, but it sits in one spot for too long. I drop Storch Filter on the pad's channel, scroll through Scott Storch's presets until I find one called something like "Wobble Pad" — they're named plainly, no cryptic abbreviations — and the pad starts moving right away. The LFO is cycling, the filter is opening and closing, and suddenly the verse has a pulse it didn't have before.

I tweak the cutoff a little lower because the pad is stepping on the vocal space. I add a touch of the stereo widening effect, just enough that the pad feels wider without losing its centre. The whole adjustment takes maybe thirty seconds because there aren't nested menus or sub-pages. You see the cutoff knob, the FX Boost, the effect blend — that's it.

Later in the session, I'm mixing a friend's track and there's a guitar loop that needs some character. I load Storch Filter again, this time with the phaser effect blended in. The phaser adds a gentle swirl, and the FX Boost gives it that extra weight. The friend asks what I used. I say "Storch Filter" and they nod like they already know.

Control the filter cutoff with an external MIDI controller in Logic Pro

Storch Filter sits in your plugin folder like any other AU or VST. If you use Logic Pro, you can load it on a channel strip and control the filter cutoff with an external MIDI controller through Logic's automation — no extra routing needed. In Ableton Live, the LFO wave shapes sync to your project tempo, so the wobble stays in time with the grid. That's useful when you're building a drop and want the filter movement locked to the bar.

On macOS, the plugin respects the standard Audio Unit format, so it shows up in the component manager without any fuss. I've also used it inside a channel strip in GarageBand for quick sketching — same workflow, same presets, no difference in behaviour.

You can pair it with a compressor before it in the chain to even out the signal hitting the filter, or put a limiter after it if the FX Boost pushes the level up more than you want. It's flexible enough to go early or late in your chain, depending on whether you want the filter to shape raw sound or processed sound.

Requires macOS 11 or later and Apple Silicon

One thing that comes up is whether Storch Filter works with older Macs. It requires macOS 11 or later and an Apple Silicon architecture, so if your Mac is Intel-based, you'd need to check compatibility. The plugin is ARM-native, which is good for performance on newer machines, but it means older systems won't run it without workarounds.

Another question is about the five effects — can you use them independently of the filter? The answer is no, and that's the point. The effects are tied to the filter's cutoff and resonance controls. You don't get a standalone reverb or chorus here. You get a filter that brings effects along for the ride. If you want a separate reverb plugin, you'd load one on another slot. Storch Filter is meant to be a single unit that does one thing well: colour your sound with movement.

People also ask if the presets from Scott Storch are useful for genres outside hip-hop. They are. I've used them on indie rock vocals and electronic pads alike. The presets are starting points, not locked-in sounds. You tweak the cutoff, adjust the FX Boost, swap the LFO wave shape, and it fits whatever you're working on. The presets just give you a quick way to hear what the plugin can do without starting from zero.

One last thing that comes up is whether the plugin is easy to remove or bypass if you change your mind. Yes — like any standard AU or VST, you can bypass it in your DAW's mixer or remove it from the chain entirely. It doesn't leave any background processes or system files that need manual cleanup.

New this release

• Build updated to version 1.0.6.

Mac it needs

• macOS 11 or later
• Apple Silicon
• Interface language: English