Questions & compatibility
SludgeFAQ.
Turn incoming audio into moving textures, rhythmic gates and saturated filter sweeps. These answers cover the current Sludge V2 collection and the practical lessons from its original Multipass overview.
Updated
How many presets are included in Sludge V2?
The current Sludge collection contains 100 creative filter presets: 50 for Multipass and 50 for Snap Heap. The Multipass side includes gated, glitch box, heavy texture, infinite, sample-and-hold, saturating, spectrum sweep and stereo-focused filters. The Snap Heap side covers infinite, sample-and-hold, slow-evolving, audio-follow and Mid/Side designs. The original overview video demonstrates the Multipass portion rather than all 100 current presets.
Do I need both Multipass and Snap Heap to use Sludge?
The 50 Multipass presets require Multipass, and the 50 Snap Heap presets require Snap Heap. Both hosts are needed to use the full collection, and the presets require Kilohearts V2. Kilohearts software is not included. If you only use one of the two hosts, its corresponding presets are the relevant part of the collection; the two preset formats are not interchangeable.
Is Sludge a synthesizer, a sample pack or an effects preset bank?
This Sludge product is an effects preset bank for processing incoming audio in Multipass and Snap Heap. Supply a synth part, drum loop, vocal or another audio source, then use the presets to change its filtering, texture or movement. It is not a standalone sound generator or a set of finished audio loops. Sludge Grid Synth is a separate product with a different purpose.
See the separate Sludge Grid Synth productWhat is a useful way to audition Sludge filters?
Begin with a simple source. In the overview, Black Marvin uses a saw-wave arpeggio in Pigments so the change made by each filter is easy to hear, then switches to a more complex lead. Compare the bypassed and processed signal before moving on. Pigments is the source instrument in that demonstration, not a requirement for using Sludge on audio in its supported effects hosts.
How do the cutoff-driven and infinite filters differ?
In the Multipass overview, the spectrum sweeps and saturating filters are built around a cutoff control that articulates the effect. The infinite examples instead keep moving through autonomous, partly random modulation. Other presets introduce rhythmic gates, glitches or stereo movement. Macro assignments vary, and some glitch presets have a separate filter on/off control, so audition the actual controls on the preset you load.
Can I combine Sludge with my own delay and reverb?
Yes. The overview shows presets with an internal delay that can be reduced to zero, leaving room for another delay. It also combines the Celestial example with an external instance of Valhalla Supermassive to turn a short sound into a larger effect. That external plugin is part of the demonstration setup and is not included with Sludge. Start by hearing the Sludge preset alone before adding extra processing.
Why do some Sludge presets change the source so dramatically?
Heavy texture and glitch designs go beyond a conventional clean filter sweep. They deliberately reshape the source with additional processing. Around 11:21 in the overview, a heavy texture turns a short lead hit into an atmospheric effect. Black Marvin recommends post-EQ for the particularly distorted example. Use the result as a creative layer and judge its level and spectral balance in the arrangement.
Is there a Sludge demo, and does the old video still apply?
The current Sludge V2 demo offers eight working filters. The 2021 overview remains useful for hearing the Multipass filter families and learning how to compare source material, macros and external processing. It predates the current 100-preset Multipass and Snap Heap collection, so use the current product page for contents and requirements. Historical launch remarks in the video are not current offers.
Try the eight-filter Sludge V2 demoHave a question about your setup?
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