BLEASS Peaks is a creative, polyphonic filtering effect with up to eight simultaneous filters, offering playable MIDI control and modulation-rich sound shaping.
Creative Multi-Peak Filtering
BLEASS Peaks is built around a multi-peak polyphonic filter design that can produce a single bell-filter curve with a user-defined number of resonant peaks and notches. In internal control mode, you set the quantity, root frequency, and spread of these resonances parametrically, making it straightforward to sculpt a complex filter response.
This filter can be shaped and animated using built-in modulation sources, including three LFOs, three audio-triggered envelopes, a MIDI-triggered envelope, and four macro controls. Each modulator can be mapped to up to four destinations, offering deep and flexible control over the filter’s movement and character.
Playable MIDI and Polyphonic Operation
Peaks becomes a truly performance-oriented effect when switched to MIDI mode. Here, the filter’s root frequency follows MIDI notes from a live performance or a recorded part, allowing the filter to track chord progressions and melodic contours in real time. You can also run up to eight filters simultaneously, achieving genuine polyphonic filtering.
This MIDI control turns the filter into an expressive instrument, useful for making drum loops follow chord changes, adding rhythmic harmonic pulses to pads, or creating chorusing effects on arpeggios. The plugin also recognizes realtime MIDI CC and MPE data for additional performance nuance.
Five Assignable Effects Slots
Beyond the core filter, Peaks includes five assignable effects slots for adding extra color and detail. You can insert distortions, dynamics processors, delays, and conventional low- or high-pass filters into these slots, letting you shape the filtered sound further.
These effects can also be modulated with the same internal sources, so you can tie their parameters to LFOs, envelopes, or macros. This integration allows for complex, evolving textures where filtering and processing move together in creative ways.
Workflow and Applications
When used as a conventional single-voice filter, Peaks provides deep spectral control over any audio source. Its parametric peak and notch curves make it suitable for surgical equalization tasks or for adding resonant character. The modulation sources allow gentle movement or extreme sweeps.
In MIDI mode, the filter is engineered for performance, letting you play the effect and unlock novel filtering ideas. It excels on drums, synths, and pads, adding harmonic pulse and arpeggiated shimmer. The plugin’s hands-on, synthesizer-like approach bridges the gap between filtering and performance.
Key features
- Multi-peak bell filter with up to 32 resonant peaks or notches
- Playable MIDI mode with polyphonic support for up to eight simultaneous filters
- Five assignable effects slots with distortion, dynamics, delay, and basic filters
- Three LFOs, three audio-triggered envelopes, one MIDI-triggered envelope, and four macros
- Each modulator can target up to four different destinations
- Recognizes realtime MIDI CC and MPE messages
- Synthesizer-style modulation for expressive filter animation
Best for
Musicians and producers seeking a playable, performance-oriented filter effect. It’s particularly suited for creative sound design on drums, synths, and pads, offering a new way to craft dynamic, MIDI-controlled filtering that goes beyond static, standard equalization.