Glowing Orb is a new vintage-voiced, Stereo State Variable Filter from WORNG Electronics. It takes the SSI2140 filter core (based on the SSM2040 filter which gives the Prophet 5 Rev 2 its big and beefy sound) and configures it in a -12dB/oct SVF circuit based on the Oberheim SEM design, combining characteristics of two of the best loved, best sounding vintage filters in a unique combination. Of course a module from WORNG Electronics has to include 21st century features like stereo operation, volt per octave tracking and a gain compensated drive circuit which enables an extraordinarily wide tonal palette. 

At 10hp, Glowing Orb is perfect for any sized system large or small, and packs in just the controls you need to keep things compact while still being incredibly usable, with space around the controls designed for human fingers. 

The module features stereo input, with normalling for mono to stereo operation if only the left input is patched. The stereo output switches between sweepable Low Pass/Notch/High Pass, and Band Pass filter slopes, on a single output pair to simplify patching. 

The Drive circuit increases the input level, introducing asymmetrical soft clipping and eventually hard clipping as the drive amount increases. It simultaneously reduces the output level, meaning you can drive your Orb as hard as you like and not have to worry about using up precious headroom in your system. 

Cutoff Frequency and Resonance controls round out the Glowing Orb’s interface, with an attenuvertor for Frequency CV Amount and a tuned Volt/Oct CV for Frequency also, allowing for a wide variety of modulation techniques to be patched, from classic envelope and key tracking, to pitched resonant pinging. 

Like all WORNG Electronics modules, visual feedback to the musician is important so there is an orb which glows proportionally to the filter cutoff frequency. This ensures that you don’t lose track of your patch in dark stages or dim studio lighting when the patch gets deep and complex.

All the features in the world would count for nothing if the sound of a filter isn’t great, and Glowing Orb really delivers in terms of sound quality. The vintage elements react in a non-linear fashion, allowing for beautiful clean tones, subtle overdrive, through to sonic destruction depending on the Drive level. The tone of the resonance changes as the Drive level is adjusted, from a clean sine at low drive, becoming less dominant as the filter core is driven harder, allowing a myriad of filter tones to be precisely dialled in.