P565 Siren is the filter plugin I’ve been waiting for…a very long time.

The actual filters themselves can compete with any of my hardware synthesizers and also offer a variety of options and sounds, that make it superior to good hardware. The quality far outstrips any existing filter plugin on the market. Need proof? If you turn up the resonance of a filter plugin or VST synth and do a filter sweep in the low-mid to low and sub frequency range...Compare the result to Siren and you will immediately know what I mean. Siren maintains the musical quality, adds no mud and is honest with the transients. The punch is retained and if you want, you can increase punch to levels of absurdity, without destroying the original signal.

Where to start on Siren when writing a review? phew!
3 filter slopes, all of which work and sound different. Extreme convincing resonance distortion within the 24 dB/oct filter slope. 2 bandpass filters with dual functions each. They can be used as BR, Bell, Notch and Peak.
It is worth mentioning that the notch filters can be used for mastering too. The HPF and LPF can also be used for mastering, especially when used with 18 dB/oct slopes. You can also go into negative values using the RES of the LPF, which I think no other plugin (or Hardware?) does that. And I can't think of any EQ I know with which you can notch out unwanted frequencies while working as clean plus staying musical.

The 18 dB/oct filter has its very own unique charm.

The built-in DRIVE is able to add a special character. Many other circuits in other plugins like to remove the punch and the transients from the audio signal, resulting in glassy-thin and scratchy high frequencies. Sirens DRIVE preserves the brilliance of the high frequencies a good amount and keeps low end punch alive and kicking. I haven’t heard anything like this from a plugin before.

Siren has 2 envelope followers that can be adjusted precisely to make them super-groovy and sensitive. You can also control them via side-chain. There is an option to switch to an emulation of the famous Mu-Tron pedal via menu to elicit previously unheard ITB chucka-quack funky style tunes.

If Drive isn’t enough, Siren simply shoots into orbit with Overdrive. This circuitry is brutal, and with its many other features, Siren is the perfect pre-sculpting stage for guitarists. But you can also perfectly shape typical distorted industrial bands voices like from Skinny Puppy, Ministry etc. Or, for example, a mercilessly distorted TB303 bassline is just a pleasure and sounds fully analogue. There is a delay trim-pot on board, usable on wet or dry signal information. In tandem with the MIX knob you squeeze out phasing, flanging and slapback delays. There is additional phase rotation on wet and dry signal, a stepped filter mode (Big Knob King Tubby style) and and and…

One nice thing is to add. Siren improves any signal floating through its circuitry, even without processing your audio. Just like good hardware. If you strive to exhaust all possibilities, you will be able to explore the most compelling and vibrant filter plugin that money can currently buy. You will discover completely new application possibilities almost every time. That’s how it’s been for weeks at least.

Imo Siren belongs into every tool box of:
- pro-musicians
- hobbyists which are audiophiles
- sound-designers
- mixing and mastering engineers

I reluctantly wrote this review because I consider it a secret weapon. but I really wanted to get some of p900s other plugins as I am currently not making bank. So I thought I'd share a story about my experience with p900 and the p565.

I was extremely skeptical at first. Having many parametric options in my toolkit from pro-q3, crave, fabfilter volcano 2. And then modelling filters like cytomic the drop & sugarbytes wow2. I thought I had all the good ones at least enough to move on from buying any more.

Then p565 comes along. I am a fan of urei products which is what the initial design was based on. Is this something I really needed? I contacted p900 and became a beta tester based on my experience with filters and UI design.

Then I got my hands on it. I was confused at first learning how the reject and bell work didn't make any sense in my mind... but the LPF/HPF sounded really damn good. Comparable and if not better than the drop. Those were certainly different enough for me to keep inquiring about it.

Next comes the drive and this puts the plugin in another league. I have not found a single plugin that sounds this way. For years I thought I didn't like distortion or it was a waste of time... Had no idea why but likely because any plugin I used sounded flat and boring. Dropping a distortion plugin here and there and listening but going meh. After using the drive and overdrive... I know I was just using the wrong stuff, this plugin delivers such a good distortion in a way that is musical and fits in my mind. Just that alone would be worth the $.

Ok, now onto the parametric section. For a long time these made 0 sense to me. I even suggested p900 to put bell curves in instead of the notch and and peak. Which were fantastic improvements and made the whole thing easier to use.

Then came along these Warhol videos about parallel bandpass filters.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8zIJ0A--lI
Then started to experiment with those and the dry wet signal and it clicked. This thing can replace a lot of my eq duties as well and sounds better than any of my other tools! WTF!?! Seriously ****ing my mind up. The value just keeps on adding up.

I strongly suggest you give this filter a chance in your toolkit. You can easily buy filters out of the box for over $1000. Here you get better quality more options for a quarter of it.

-Kirkwood

I make techno and filters are an absolutely essential tool for me in shaping my tones. In terms of pure sound, the P65 Siren is the best filter plugin I have ever heard. I own and use the SoundToys FilterFreak, Audio Damage Filter Station, Softube Mutronics Mutator, and the Softube Overstayer M-A-S Extended which also has resonant lowpass and highpass filters. These plugins all have useful features, but the P65 Siren destroys them in terms of analog authenticity.

Where most filter plugins fall apart is with the sound of the resonance. The resonance on the SoundToys FilterFreak for example has a very thin and grating sound to it. As anyone who has used analog synths knows, the resonance is a crucial component to getting those deep and huge sounds, to fatten up your kick drum, synth bass etc. The resonance on the P65 Siren sounds fantastic and very very analog. In fact, it reminds me very much of my Electrix Filter Factory, which is my favorite hardware analog filter. Try opening up the HPF to about 31 on a kick drum and then dial in the resonance. You will get an incredibly fat and analog sound.

With the other filter options like bandpass, notch, etc, this is a very versatile tone shaping plugin. The Drive also has a very unique and aggressive sound, perhaps even too aggressive for some, but certainly useful for electronic music.

The only improvements that I could suggest are, it would be nice to have LFOs, and the ability to sync the tempo of the modulation to the tempo in your DAW. The Overdrive feature also is extremely aggressive and I think some sort of wet / dry control would be useful. While this plugin does not have as deep a feature set as some others like the SoundToys Filter Freak, it more than makes up for it with the authentic analog sound, which is what I look for in a plugin, and is what Pulsar Modular totally delivers with all their plugins. I also strongly recommend the P42 Climax and the Lunar Lander - they're both fantastic and the support from Pulsar Modular has also been amazing! Keep up the great work guys!!

I have waited a long time for a product like this, impressively rich warm filtering.There are similar plugins P565 blow them away and is now my go to plugin of choice l would also recommend P42 Climax, P11 Abyss from the launch of their first plugin quality is the best.

Siren called to me...

There were so many surprises with Siren that I was not expecting. Of course the filters sound fantastic and the resonance has been implemented very musically. Using it for acoustic guitars has been a pleasure in that it excels at gently carving out the boomy frequencies and generously highlighting the exact harmonic spectrum that you want to hear.

A lot of fun begins when you engage the envelope filters. This is my favorite for funking out bass guitar. You get more control than say the classic Mu-Tron III. I've found some envelope filter sounds that are so dang quacky and in your face. It gets all the liquid-rubbery bubble you'd want for staccato guitar.

The big surprise for me was the drive section. It has two modes: a subtle saturation (as transparent as the 'b' in subtle) which serves great for as mixing/mastering saturator as well as for drive on a bass, guitar, or synth).

The second overdrive mode is high gain and will destroy drums (in a good way, of course!). The two drive modes really help bring out definition for bass and guitar and I regularly use Siren as an overdrive. Moving the drive after the filters allows for the filters to shape the character and saturation amount of the drive. Putting them after allows them tone shaping. It kills for guitar solos!

Siren is also perfect for warming up soft synths. Not all soft synths are made the same, but I find you can make even mediocre ones come to life by running them into Siren and adding a light amount of drive and then shaping the EQ with the filters afterwards.

The GUI is easy on the eyes and makes for a pleasant work flow and just a great vibe for spending time using it. Pulsar Modular regularly updates their plugins and does a great job of listening to users.

If you'd like to hear a few of my Siren sounds and thoughts about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X_CgwsLnP0
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CgDbYZSJr0R/
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CgNgDSYPGeF/

As a singer-songwriter guitarist who enjoys experimenting with sound design, so to speak, I’ve been exploring Pulsar Modular's P565 Siren, which I am still very grateful for. Here's my take from a hobbyist perspective:

What is it?
It's a powerful oscillator and wave-shaping tool that can generate a wide range of sounds, from subtle harmonic enhancements to wild, distorted textures and even synth-like tones. It's designed to be used in creative sound design and is particularly well-suited for adding unique character to instruments.

What I like:
* Sonic versatility: The Siren can produce a vast array of sounds. It can add subtle warmth and harmonics, create gritty distortion, generate complex waveforms, and even create synth-like tones. This makes it a very versatile tool for sound design.
* Unique sound character: The Siren has a distinct sonic character that's not easy to replicate with other plugins. It can add a unique flavor to your tracks and help them stand out. This is due to the different filters within.
* Visual feedback: The visual displays provide helpful feedback on the waveforms and modulation, making it easier to understand what's happening to the sound. I admit, there's a learning curve but it's worth to spend some time exploring the options.

How I use it:
* Adding texture to electric guitar: I've used the Siren to add subtle harmonic content or gritty distortion to electric guitar tracks, creating interesting textures and adding depth to the sound.
* Creating synth-like sounds with guitar: By using the oscillators and wave-shaping features, I can transform my guitar into a pseudo-synthesizer, creating unique and unexpected sounds. I only use this on a send track to be blended in after.
* Experimenting with acoustic guitar: I've also experimented with using the Siren subtly on acoustic guitar to add some subtle harmonic richness. Subtly used, it can add some depth to your acoustic guitar tracks.

This is a low-pass and high-pass filter with an envelope follower. The envelope follower is very sticky and feels like the sound of an analog console. You can choose whether to apply the envelope follower to a high pass, low pass, notch, bell, or other filter.
There is also a delay with LFO at the bottom of the filter tool frame, which can be used as a wah or flanger. This filter is a must-have for guitar, bass, and synth sound creation. It is said that this filter can be used to create reggae-like sounds, but it can also be used in many other ways. We recommend you to try the demo.