The Polivoks Filter is a desktop filter pedal from Elta Music built around the classic Soviet filter chip, the same circuit that gave the Soviet Polivoks synthesizer its character. Elta Music says the pedal "utilizes the classic Soviet filter chip for a unique and iconic filter tone"1. It is a multimode filter, meaning one pedal covers lowpass, bandpass, highpass and notch filtering, so it can thin a sound down, sweep a band across it, or cut a notch out of the middle1.
It is not a conventional stompbox. Elta Music notes that "the pedal is switched on with a switch, rather than a stomp button, catering towards use as a desktop filter"1. That makes it a natural fit for sitting beside a synth or on a desk next to an amp, rather than at the front of a pedalboard. If you are new to filter pedals generally, the filter pedals type page covers how lowpass, bandpass and notch shapes differ.
Controls and connectivity
The Polivoks Filter takes external control seriously. It has an external CV input for filter frequency control, so a sequencer, LFO or other CV source can sweep the filter automatically1. It also carries an expression pedal input: Elta Music says it "provides both CV and Expression pedal inputs for ultimate control"1. Plugging an expression pedal into it turns the cutoff into a playable, foot-controlled parameter.
One quirk worth knowing before you patch it in:
The Polivoks Filter is switched on with a switch, rather than a stomp button, catering towards use as a desktop filter1. That is a different arrangement from the usual stompbox, so plan where it sits on your pedalboard or desk accordingly.
The built-in noise generator is the other distinctive feature. Elta Music describes "added noise, with an on/ off switch and volume level"1. With the noise switched in, the filter has a self-contained source to chew on, which is a common trick for turning a filter into percussive, synth-like textures without feeding it a guitar signal at all.
The family: Filter 2 and PF3 Dual Filter MK2
Elta Music has built the Polivoks filter concept out into related units, and the differences matter when choosing between them.
| Polivoks Filter | Polivoks Filter 2 | PF3 Dual Filter MK2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | Desktop filter, switch operated1 | Desktop filter, switch operated2 | Double-stereo filter3 |
| Filter types | Lowpass, bandpass, highpass, notch1 | Lowpass, bandpass, highpass, notch2 | Two independent 12dB multimode filters, lowpass, bandpass, hi-pass, notch3 |
| Modulation | Built-in noise generator with on/off and volume1 | Built-in multiwave LFO with fast/slow range switch and on/off2 | Modulation CV input, -5 to +5V or 0 to +10V3 |
| External control | CV and expression pedal inputs1 | Expression pedal input, external CV for filter frequency2 | CV controls FILTER 1 and FILTER 23 |
| Outputs | Separate LFO OUT for external CV devices2 | Volume plus clean/processed balance per channel3 | |
| Power | 9 to 12V AC/DC, any polarity1 | 9 to 12V AC/DC, any polarity2 | Universal mains adapter, 100 to 220V in, 12V 1A out3 |
The Filter 2 shifts the emphasis from noise to LFO modulation. Its on-board LFO has a fast/slow range switch and on/off, and a separate LFO OUT can be used to control external CV devices, so the pedal can act as a small modulation hub for a synth setup as well as a filter2. Its WOB fader is described by Elta Music as a cutoff manipulator, a dedicated fader for working the cutoff by hand2.
The PF3 Dual Filter MK2 is the stereo model. Elta Music calls it a "double-stereo filter" that "utilizes the classic Soviet filter chip for a unique and iconic filter tone"3. Its two independent 12dB multimode filters can be controlled by a single cutoff knob, and each channel gets its own volume and clean and processed signal balance3. Its modulation CV input accepts -5 to +5V or 0 to +10V3, and it is powered differently from the smaller units: a universal mains adapter with 100 to 220V input and a 12V 1A output3, so it is not a pedal you run from a shared supply.
The pedal is switched on with a switch rather than a stomp button, a choice Elta Music describes as catering towards use as a desktop filter4.
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Questions
What filter modes does the Elta Music Polivoks Filter have?
The Polivoks Filter offers four filter types: lowpass, bandpass, highpass and notch. Elta Music describes it as a multimode filter, and says that with these four types a player can shape tones into whole new realms. The Filter 2 and the PF3 Dual Filter MK2 carry the same four filter types, with the PF3 MK2 using two independent 12dB multimode filters.
Can I control the Polivoks Filter with an expression pedal?
Yes. The original Polivoks Filter provides both CV and expression pedal inputs, which Elta Music describes as being for ultimate control. The Filter 2 also carries an expression pedal input, along with an external CV input for filter frequency control. The PF3 Dual Filter MK2 uses CV to control its two filters.
What power supply does the Elta Music Polivoks Filter use?
The Polivoks Filter and the Filter 2 run on a universal power supply at 9 to 12V, AC or DC, with any polarity. The PF3 Dual Filter MK2 instead uses a universal mains adapter with 100 to 220V input and a 12V 1A output. Because the supply can be AC or DC with either polarity, a standard center-negative pedal supply is not the assumption here.
Does the Polivoks Filter have a noise generator?
Yes. The original Polivoks Filter includes added noise with an on/off switch and a volume level control, according to Elta Music's product page. The Filter 2 instead centers its modulation on a built-in multiwave LFO generator with a fast/slow range switch and on/off, and a separate LFO output for controlling external CV devices.
Is the Elta Music Polivoks Filter stereo?
The original Polivoks Filter and the Filter 2 are described as desktop filter pedals rather than stereo units. The PF3 Dual Filter MK2 is the stereo model in the family: Elta Music calls it a double-stereo filter, with two independent 12dB multimode filters and volume plus clean and processed signal balance per channel.
What is the Polivoks filter chip?
It is the filter chip from the Soviet Polivoks synthesizer. Elta Music says its Polivoks Filter utilizes the classic Soviet filter chip for a unique and iconic filter tone, and the PF3 Dual Filter MK2 is described the same way. The chip is the reason these pedals have their own character compared with filters based on more common designs.
Sources (4)
- POLIVOKS filter, eltamusic
- POLIVOKS filter-2, Elta Music
- POLIVOKS PF3 Dual Filter MK2, eltamusic.com
- ELTA Music reveals POLIVOKS PF-3 stereo filter in a box, gearnews.com, 2022-08-17
