Cobalt Filter Neo User Manual

Manual language: English
Product version: 0.9.0

1. Introduction

Cobalt Filter Neo is a mono/stereo audio filter plugin designed for sound shaping, tone control, and creative filter movement. Version 0.9.0 supports the Windows 64-bit edition. Cobalt Filter Neo offers two processing cores: Cobalt Core, which is tuned for the feel of a zero-delay feedback (ZDF) ladder filter, and the more straightforward Clean Core. With Cobalt Core, you can combine Drive and Cobalt Color (Now / Vintage) to control filter character across a wide range.

Main features

• Three filter modes — Low Pass (LPF) / High Pass (HPF) / Band Pass (BPF)
• Three slope steps — Cobalt Core: 6 dB / 18 dB / 24 dB per octave. Clean Core: 6 dB / 12 dB / 24 dB per octave
• Cobalt Core / Clean Core — switch between character-rich and clean filtering
• Cobalt Color — Now / Vintage (Cobalt Core only)
• Drive and Makeup Gain — input drive and output level compensation
• Response graph — visual frequency-response feedback
• 2× oversampling — anti-aliasing (ON / OFF)
• Preset banks — Factory presets and user saves

On startup, Init from the Factory bank is selected.

2. About the Evaluation Build

Cobalt Filter Neo 0.9.0 is a published evaluation build. Full operation is not guaranteed in every DAW, environment, or project. Specifications, sound design, presets, GUI, parameter layout, and save formats may change in future updates. Back up important DAW project files before use. Version 0.9.0 is published mainly for:

• Basic operation checks
• DAW loading verification
• Identifying areas for future improvement

Demo and Full Editions

Distributions include a Demo edition and a Full edition. In Menu → About, the Demo edition shows a Demo line. The version string is 0.9.0. The Demo edition has these limits:

• Approximately 15 minutes after launch, audio output fades out safely and then becomes silent
• To continue evaluation, reload the plugin instance or session
• Save, and Menu Export Expansion / Rename Expansion, are disabled

The Full edition does not include the above time limit or save-related restrictions.

3. System Requirements

Supported OS

• Windows 11 64-bit recommended
• Windows 10 64-bit or later

Supported Formats

• VST3
• CLAP

Behavior of the CLAP edition may vary depending on the host and environment.

Supported Hosts

• 64-bit DAWs that support VST3 or CLAP
• Mono or stereo audio tracks (input and output channel counts must match)

4. Installation and Launch

Cobalt Filter Neo is distributed as a zip package. There is no installer. Extract the zip and place the plugin files manually.

Distribution file names

Expected file names

• Cobalt Filter Neo.vst3
• Cobalt Filter Neo.clap

VST3 install location

Place the plugin in one of the following folders:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Common\VST3

For most setups, we recommend the all-users location:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3

CLAP install location

Place the plugin in the following folder:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Common\CLAP

After placing the VST3 or CLAP file, restart your DAW or run a plugin rescan.

5. First Steps

1. Insert Cobalt Filter Neo on an audio track
2. Send audio to the track (playback, input, or looped material)
3. Check the track monitor, mute, volume, and master output
4. Select Bank / Preset from the top preset bar
5. Adjust Cutoff and Resonance to hear the filter effect

6. Screen Layout

The Cobalt Filter Neo window uses a single-screen layout based on 1080 × 414 pixels. The window can be resized from 940 × 360 to 1620 × 621 with a fixed aspect ratio. Area Position Contents Preset bar

Top

Bank / Preset selection, Save / Load / Init, Undo / Redo, Menu FILTER

Left

Cutoff, Resonance, Drive, Makeup, Core, Cobalt Color Response graph Upper right Frequency-response visualization MODE / SLOPE

Lower right

Filter Mode (LPF / HPF / BPF), Slope (Cobalt Core: 6 / 18 / 24 dB, Clean Core: 6 / 12 / 24 dB),

Oversampling

The GUI subtitle displays ANALOG ZERO-DELAY FEEDBACK LADDER MODEL. A good starting workflow is to choose Filter Mode and Slope, shape the basic tone with Cutoff and Resonance, then select Core for character.

Reading the response graph

The response graph in the upper right shows the frequency response based on the current parameter settings. Item Description Frequency axis 20 Hz to 20 kHz (log scale) Gain axis +36 dB to −24 dB Update Real-time updates as parameters change

Use the graph as a guide to filter shape. With Cobalt Core and high Drive or Resonance, the actual audio output may not match the graph display exactly.

7. Preset Bar

The preset bar at the top of the window handles preset selection, saving, undo/redo, and menu operations. Control Role Bank Select preset bank (Factory / User) Preset Select preset < > Move to previous / next preset Save Save current settings to the User bank Load Load a preset (.cfnp) or bank (.cfnb) Init Return settings to the initial state (Factory: Init) Undo / Redo Undo / redo edits Menu About, Expansion Import / Export / Rename / Delete Save and Load are separate functions.

• Save — Saves the current parameter settings to the User bank with a name. A .cfnp file is also written to the preset folder on disk.
• Load — Loads an existing .cfnp (single preset) or .cfnb (bank) from a file.

Init restores each parameter to the contents of the Factory Init preset. Undo / Redo tracks in-plugin edit history (up to 64 steps) and is independent of your DAW's Undo.

8. Quick Start

Using presets

1. Select Factory for Bank
2. Choose a sound from Preset (e.g. Warm LPF, Acid Bass)
3. Play audio and check the filter effect
4. Adjust output level with Makeup if needed

Building a filter from scratch

1. Select Init
2. Choose LPF / HPF / BPF with Filter Mode
3. Set rolloff steepness with Slope
4. Choose Cobalt Core / Clean Core with Core
5. Shape the filter with Cutoff and Resonance
6. With Cobalt Core, add character with Drive and Cobalt Color (Now / Vintage)
7. Compensate output level with Makeup if it drops
8. Set Oversampling to 2x if aliasing is a concern (default is 2x)

9. FILTER Panel

The FILTER panel on the left handles basic filter parameters and core selection.

CUTOFF uses a log scale with 1 kHz near the center of the GUI, allowing fine control from low to high frequencies. Raising RESONANCE increases resonance; with Cobalt Core, filter character becomes more pronounced. DRIVE is available only when Cobalt Core is selected. At 0, gain is unity; higher values increase saturation. MAKEUP is manual output level compensation. With Cobalt Core, manual makeup is added on top of automatic level compensation tied to resonance. With Clean Core, only the manual amount is applied.

10. Filter Mode and Slope

Use the segment buttons in the lower right to select filter type and rolloff slope.

Filter Mode

Default Summary 6 dB / 18 dB / 24 dB (6 dB / 12 dB / 24 dB with Clean Core) Filter Slope 6 dB/oct / 18 dB/oct / 24 dB/oct 24 dB/oct

Filter rolloff slope

With Cobalt Core selected, button labels and rolloff are as follows. Button Summary 6 dB Gentlest rolloff 18 dB Medium rolloff 24 dB Steepest rolloff (default) With Clean Core selected, the same three buttons produce the following rolloff. The middle button displays 12 dB. Button Summary 6 dB Gentlest rolloff 12 dB Medium rolloff 24 dB Steepest rolloff (default) On the host, the parameter name (Filter Slope) always shows 6 dB/oct / 18 dB/oct / 24 dB/oct regardless of Core type. Higher Slope values steepen attenuation near cutoff and tend to emphasize Resonance peaks. 6 dB suits natural tone shaping; 24 dB suits pronounced filter effects.

11. Cobalt Core and Clean Core

What is Cobalt Core?

Cobalt Core is a ladder-filter-based processing core. You can achieve character-rich tone when adding Resonance and Drive. With Cobalt Core, the following features are available:

• Drive — Input drive and saturation inside the filter
• Cobalt Color — Switch tonal character between Now / Vintage
• Resonance-linked makeup — Automatic output level compensation based on resonance amount
• Slope — 6 dB / 18 dB / 24 dB per octave (see §10)

What is Clean Core?

Clean Core is a more straightforward filter processing core. Nonlinear drive and Cobalt Color processing are not applied. Drive and Cobalt Color controls are disabled (grayed out). Slope is 6 dB / 12 dB / 24 dB per octave (see §10).

Cobalt Color (Cobalt Core only)

Setting Summary Now Default Cobalt tone; relatively modern and clear character Vintage Character with slight cutoff drift and richer tone shaping When Core or Cobalt Color is switched, the filter's internal state is reset. Audible discontinuities may occur when switching.

Signal flow

Audio through Cobalt Filter Neo flows roughly as follows: [Input] → [Optional: 2x oversampling] → [Filter processing by Filter Core] ■■ Cobalt Core: ladder filter + Drive + Cobalt Color ■■ Clean Core: straightforward filter processing → [Makeup Gain (includes resonance-linked compensation with Cobalt Core)] → [Output]

Oversampling

Core and color usage guide

Use case Core Cobalt Color Notes Bass / synth LPF Cobalt Core Now Start from Acid Bass, etc. Warm low pass Cobalt Core Now or Vintage Start from Warm LPF, etc. Kick or low-end cleanup Clean Core or Cobalt Core — See Kick Cleanup (HPF) Clean EQ-style filtering Clean Core — When Drive is not needed Sub-bass emphasis Cobalt Core Now Start from Low Boom, etc. Narrow-band processing Cobalt Core Now See Drum Radio (BPF)

12. Factory Presets

The Factory bank includes the following presets: Preset Summary Init Initial preset on startup. LPF 24 dB, Cutoff 20 kHz, Resonance 0

Warm LPF

Warm low pass at 1.2 kHz. Moderate Resonance and Drive

Acid Bass

Bass-oriented low pass at 650 Hz with high Resonance. 18 dB slope

Low Boom

Sub-bass emphasis low pass at 60 Hz with high Resonance Kick Cleanup 38 Hz high pass for kick low-end cleanup Drum Radio 950 Hz band pass for radio-style drum processing Use presets as starting points and fine-tune Cutoff, Resonance, Makeup, and other parameters to fit your track.

13. Saving and Managing Presets

Save location

User presets and bank files are saved to:

%APPDATA%\Synth Studio Neo\Cobalt Series\Cobalt Filter Neo\Presets

Bank files use the .cfnb extension. Single presets use .cfnp. Legacy .cfnpreset files can also be loaded.

Operations

Operation Method

Save preset

Save button → enter Bank and Preset names → save to User bank Load preset Load → Load Preset (.cfnp)

Load bank

Load → Load Bank (.cfnb), or Menu → Import Expansion Export bank Menu → Export Expansion Rename bank Menu → Rename Expansion Delete bank Menu → Delete Expansion Delete Expansion clears user presets in the current session. Files on disk are not deleted.

14. Usage Notes

• High Resonance or Drive can raise output level easily. Check Makeup and your DAW track meters
• Switching Core or Cobalt Color resets the filter's internal state
• Oversampling at 2x increases CPU load. If load is a concern, set it to Off or reduce the number of instances
• The response graph is an approximate theoretical curve. Actual tone is affected by input level and nonlinear processing ---

15. Troubleshooting

Plugin does not appear in the DAW

• Confirm the VST3 or CLAP file is in the correct folder
• Run a plugin rescan in your DAW
• Confirm you are using a 64-bit DAW

No sound / filter effect not audible

• Confirm audio is reaching the track
• Check track monitor, mute, and volume
• Confirm Cutoff is not at an extreme position (e.g. 20 kHz on LPF, 20 Hz on HPF)
• Return to the initial state with Init and check again

Sound too loud or distorted

• Lower Drive and Resonance
• Lower Makeup
• Check your DAW track meters

High CPU usage

• Set Oversampling to Off
• Reduce the number of instances in the project
• Increase buffer size in your DAW

Preset does not save

• On the Demo edition, Save is disabled. Confirm whether About shows Demo
• Confirm write permission to the save folder
• Confirm %APPDATA%\Synth Studio Neo\Cobalt Series\Cobalt Filter Neo\Presets\ exists

Audio becomes silent midway (Demo edition)

• The Demo edition becomes silent approximately 15 minutes after launch
• Reload the plugin instance or session to continue

CLAP edition does not behave as expected

• Confirm install location is %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Common\CLAP\
• Try the same settings in another DAW or the VST3 edition
• Run a plugin rescan in your DAW

16. Specifications and Credits

Item Details Product name Cobalt Filter Neo Version 0.9.0

Supported OS

Windows 64-bit Formats VST3, CLAP Developer

Synth Studio Neo

This product is developed using the JUCE framework. The developer uses JUCE under a commercial JUCE licence. JUCE is a trademark of Raw Material Software Limited. For third-party software licence notices, see THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES included in the distribution package. Version information is also available from Menu → About. The Demo edition shows a Demo line in About. © 2026 Synth Studio Neo. All rights reserved.