After Later Audio - Stairs

Stairs by After Later Audio — Stereo Ladder Filter Offering Everything From Pure to Peculiar.

After Later Audio's first ladder filter comes in stereo, and it brings some unexpected tricks. Each channel offers high-pass, band-pass, and two types of low-pass filtering (12dB/24dB). It is also capable of decent volt/octave tracking for about 3 octaves.

What makes Stairs special is its Bias control. This parameter deliberately starves the filter's transistors of current, creating everything from slight detuning to complete sonic mayhem —  like watching a perfectly rational conversation slowly dissolve into delightfully coherent nonsense. The effect becomes particularly interesting when combined with resonance - expect warbles, glitches, and unstable behavior that still manages to stay musical.

The stereo architecture is constructed in a way so that each channel has its own cutoff CV input for independent movement, while the resonance and bias controls affect both sides globally. The high-pass and band-pass outputs behave conventionally at low resonance, but push them harder and they'll reveal some fascinating quirks. Stairs excels at both clean filtering tasks and experimental sound design. The transistor-based circuit delivers that sought-after ladder character, while the bias function opens up a new world of sonic experimentation. Definitely an interesting take on a classic!

Features:

• Stereo multimode ladder filter
• Four modes per channel: HP, BP, LP-12dB, LP-24dB
• Transistor bias control with CV input
• Independent cutoff CV per channel
• Global resonance with CV input
• 1V/octave tracking (3 octaves)
• Level control affecting filter response
• High-quality transistor circuit
• Stereo or dual mono operation