Mutronics Mutator

Mutronics Mutator creates mind boggling filter sweep effects on any sound source - guitars, vocals, keyboards, drums, etc. Mutator is essentially a super sweet stereo analog filter and an envelope follower, based on technology developed for analog synthesis in the 1960s. It's fair to say that The Mutator is more of a creative tool than purely a mix tool.

Mutronics Mutator was an instant success when it came out in the early 1990's and had an enormous impact of the sound from that decade. The Mutator can clearly be heard on records created by artists such as Radiohead, Beck, Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers, Nine Inch Nails, Massive Attack and many more.

But the Mutator was short lived. Production ceased abruptly when a vital component was discontinued by the component manufacturer. The original has since then only been available at auction sites, often at prices much higher than the original purchase price. Softube has worked closely with Mutronics to ensure that the plug-in captures every delicate detail of the original hardware.

What is the Mutator? 

Mutator has an analog voltage controlled filter (VCF) for each of its two channels, which can create synth-like filter sweeps on any sound source that is fed into the unit. The filter can be controlled from a number of sources, for example the envelope follower, which sweeps the filter in proportion to the amplitude of the sound source. In Gate mode, the filter is either on or off, and the filter can also be controlled by the on-board LFOs. These have four waveforms, which create filter sweeps in our out of time with the music.

Another very cool option is to use the external sidechain input, to have an external sound source control the filter movements. For example, insert the Mutator on a pad track and have the filter move in sync with a drum loop. You can also link or unlink the two channels for trippy stereo effects, use the Width control to extend the stereo field and use the Mix knob to blend in the original sound source with the mutated sound.

To further understand what the Mutator does, we recommend that you check out the product video! (located by clicking the right arrow - over the main product graphics towards the top of this page).

Features:

• Mind boggling filter effects
• Control filter sweeps by the sound source's amplitude, from the LFOs or from an external sound source
• Used on many seminal records from the 1990s
• Based on technology developed for analog synthesis from the 1960s
• Each and every component carefully modeled
• Extremely analog behavior of frequencies, phase, distortion, etc

System Requirements

• macOS Big Sur 11, Monterey 12, Ventura 13
• Windows 10 (64-bit), Windows 11
• Softube account
• iLok account
• Computer with AU, VST, VST3, and/or AAX-compatible DAW host software
• Internet access (for downloading installers and managing licenses)

Supported CPU Families 

• Apple macOS computers with Intel Core i3/i5/i7 or Apple silicon (M1 or newer) CPU. Apple silicon is supported natively. 
• Windows computers with quad-core Intel Core i3/i5/i7 or AMD quad-core processors with SSE 4.2 support.
• Other Intel processors (Celeron, Pentium, and Xeon) are compatible if they support SSE 4.2 instructions. 

Supported Host Software (DAW)  

Any 64-bit VST, VST3, AU, or AAX (Pro Tools 11.0.2 or higher) compatible host application should work. However, due to plug-in host differences between DAWs—and our rigorous standards—Softube only officially test their plug-ins and instruments in the most recent versions of Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Ableton Live, Studio One, and Reaper. Softube plug-ins are not tested regularly in non-listed systems. They will likely work if the system requirements are met. However, the manufacturer cannot guarantee a solution for issues in unsupported systems. 
  
Softube strongly recommend using VST3, as some of their plug-ins have features that are not present in the older VST format. Supported sample rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, and 192 kHz, in both mono and stereo. The most recent maintenance release of your DAW application is recommended. AAX DSP is not currently in active development. TDM/VENUE/RTAS are no longer supported. See Legacy Installers.

Important Note: Make sure that you always use the latest iLok License Manager. It is not included in the Softube installer but can be downloaded from www.ilok.com​