DOD Envelope Filter 440 review

Radiohead-approved envelope filter

  • £89
  • €117
  • $149
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The 440 is one of the most eagerly anticipated reissues in the DOD line

MusicRadar Verdict

There are no subtle wah textures; the 440 is all about in-your-face filter goodness, with a host of intuitive, faithfully recreated tones.

Pros

  • +

    Rich, pronounced sweep. Filtered chord decays and dynamic fingerpicking sound great. Easy to use.

Cons

  • -

    Not a lot.

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For most players, envelope filters - and their groovy brethren, auto-wahs - will be forever associated with funk, thanks to their quacky snap, controlled using picking dynamics.

However, for players of all genres, the 440 is one of the most eagerly anticipated reissues in the DOD line, thanks largely to its use by Jonny Greenwood on live versions of Radiohead classics such as Paranoid Android.

"It's hard to resist digging in for funky stabs, and the 440 has a rich, pronounced sweep"

For those not familiar with envelope filters, let's explain those controls: level adjusts the sensitivity of the envelope; the higher the sensitivity, the lower the signal required to activate the filter.

Range controls the frequencies affected by the filter's movement; the further clockwise you go, the higher the frequencies swept.

New for this reissue is a voice switch - in the up position, it delivers the classic 440 treble pop, but switching it down emphasises bass frequencies for keyboard- like tones.

It's hard to resist digging in for funky stabs, and the 440 has a rich, pronounced sweep. Think outside the box, though, and you'll find plenty of other creative uses, such as utilising the level control to dial in filtered chord decays and dynamic fingerpicking.

Michael Brown
Michael Brown

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.