INFILTRATOR 2 vs EFFECTRIX 2 vs LOOPERATOR
Sequenced multi effects are some of the most fun to work with and the perfect tools for creating glitchy and abstract music. The main draw for these effects is the ability to draw a sequence that activates a variety of basic effects based on a pattern grid. They are like drum machines for effects. Usually the sub module effects are on the simpler side, and the real power comes from creating a pattern of different filters, loopers, modulation, and delay, but often times there will be secondary modulation and other ways to get a bit more utility from this sort of tool. I picked Infiltrator, Effectrix, and Looperator simply because they are some of the easiest to work with and have have the most similarities in terms of the effects sequencing side of things. There are many more options out there for this style of effect, and an even larger selection when it comes to multi effects in general. I plan to do a more comprehensive list in the future, but for now I feel like if you are interested in any of these, you might want to compare them to the others.
*note, when counting effects I opted to include repeat effects as the same item, for example, all of infiltrators filters were counted as 1 effect, the two loopers in Effectrix were consolidated as well as the 2 reverbs in Looperator. Also note I will be referring to Infiltrator 2 and Effectrix 2 as simply “Infiltrator” and “Effectrix”
ACROSS ALL 3
-All three have quite a wide range of effects, including distortions, filters, modulation, delays, reverb. Additionally they also all have loopers, time warping, and granular effects.
-They all have some way to swap presets or states and some form of secondary motion in addition to the effects sequencing.
-They all have tempo sync and pretty tight timing as well, this isn’t always the case with this style effect, but these options are solid.
-All three also have ways to randomize the patterns, motion, and sounds.
-I plan to compare some of the individual effects between these in the future, particularly the Loopers, delays, and Granular effects
this comparison does not take into consideration how individual effects might overlap or allow for unique ranges
INFILTRATOR
Effects: 10 effects lanes, with approximately 32 different effects to chose from
Sequencer
Length: up to 32 steps
Divisions: 1/32 to 16 bars (includes 3/16 and 1/12)
Preset Switching: uses midi program change messages to switch between presets within a folder.
FFT effects cause audio dropout between changes
Secondary Motion: 1 hardwired mseg per effect, 1 assignable mseg or envelope follower per effect
Unique Features: Infiltrator stands out the most in this grouping with fully drawable MSEGs that give you a bit more intuitive control. The effects selection is also quite a bit larger with some really interesting options like a frequency shifter, FM, and a wide variety of distortions and FFT spectral effects to chose from. There’s also an additional distortion and compressor just at the end of the chain as well as an OTT effect and bass crossover isolation. The macro system also allows you to really milk bit more variety out of each preset. Editing is
quite a bit more thorough as well with many quality of life features such as filling in sections or repeating sections.
There is some ability for polymetric motion when using the msegs, but midi input can hinder this.
Unique Limitations: The looper effect doesn’t have any pitching, you can get by this with the varispeed effect to some degree, but it can not pitch up above incoming audio. This is something the loopers in the other two can do, and I do find myself really missing this option sometimes.
There isn’t really sample hold randomization, you can somewhat fake it with a slow ramp and random start position, but it’s locked to the sequencer division only. It would be really nice to have some random motion in the mix.
The modulation type effects all rely on the MSEG for their motion, this is fine for the most part, but it limits what you can do with chorus/flanger/phaser quite a bit.
Steps can not chain into the next step, this isn’t a huge issue, but can interfere with some sequencing ideas
Delay and reverb are mix mode only not send, this can affect how you might use them.
There’s no singular bitcrusher effect, there’s two different effects for sample rate reduction and bit reduction.
Effects tend to have fewer controls.
Personal Use Cases: I use Infiltrator for the vast majority of motion sequencing, anything that needs repetitive transport synced motion. I prefer this over automation for the most part as it’s quite a bit easier to work with. The spectral effects are quite fun to mess with and I love infiltrator for really heavy glitch processing.
Full Review: https://www.databroth.com/blog/infiltrator-review
EFFECTRIX
Effects: 14
Sequencer
Length: up to 32 steps
Divisions: 1/32 to 1/2 (including triplets and dotted)
Preset Switching: can swap between 12 states of a single preset using midi notes.
FX order remains between states
Secondary Motion: Stepped motion sequencer per effect control with envelope follower.
general shapes and sample hold available per step
Unique Features: The motion in Effectrix is a bit tricky to wrap your head around at first, but having full motion control per control is incredibly powerful. For example, you can sequence out a single control, but have one step random, and another react to an envelope follower. This gives you quite a few options for interesting motion. Effectrix allows for the most simultaneous effects and has the most controls per effect. The two loopers are really quite fun and a bit more powerful than Infiltrator or Looperator’s loopers. There is swing for the sequencer.
Unique Limitations: Each effect lane is restricted to its own effect
Personal Use Cases: Effectrix is the newest one for me, so I haven’t quite integrated it into my workflow yet, but it seems to be a fair bit zanier than the others. It seems to be a bit more suited towards general effects sequencing with some of the more basic effects, but the loopers and vinyl can get quite weird still. Effectrix will probably be the one I reach for when I want more cliche glitch patterns .
Full Review: https://www.databroth.com/blog/effectrix-2-review
LOOPERATOR
Effects: 6 effect lanes with 13 effects to chose from
Sequencer
Length: 16 steps
Divisions: 1/8, 1/4, and 1/2
Preset Switching: can switch between 128 presets via midi notes
Secondary Motion: Envelope follower, random modulation, or basic curves per effect control
Unique Features: The slice effect is a buffer shuffle effect, it can repeat a segment of audio from a previous step for much larger scale rearrangements.
Step drawing isn’t limited to just on and off, you can pick from a collection of sub-preset effects per step, or one of four user assigned sub presets, this gives quite a lot of power to effect sequencing, allowing for some more dynamic changes, including the ability to randomize sub-preset triggering for any given step.
I also enjoy that you can use the scroll wheel over any step to cycle through these su-presets
Chaining steps stretches the motion which can allow for some unique motions.
Unique Limitations: The sequencer is locked to 16 steps only.
Personal Use Cases: Looperator is probably the most fun to use. it has the least features on the surface, but the ability to sequence out sub-presets and the straightforward nature of its minimalism is almost a feature unto its self. As with all the others, I love to click through various presets and use it as a quick glitch creator, but I also find it particularly useful for some of the looping and buffer shuffling effects. Looperator is by far the fastest when it comes to drawing in different loop patterns as the sub-preset menu comes with a variety of instantly useful options.
Full Review: https://www.databroth.com/blog/looperator-review
You might notice across these that the more unique features one has, the more unique limitations it has as well. Most likely Infiltrator just ins’t the best option to compare with the others, and it’d be a bit more fair to lump Dblue Glitch in as the third choice. The only reason I didn’t is simply because I do not own Dblue Glitch. Infiltrator also often gets asked about with these others. As you can see there are quite a few reasons you might want to grab Effectrix or Looperator instead. Innevitably people will ask to compare to Shaperbox, but I find this to be more of a motion effect, as it doesn’t really have the step sequencer side of things. Arturia’s new _Efx Motions also has a little mini glitch sequencer, but over all doesn’t quite sit in the group. I truly enjoy all three and highly suggest both Infiltrator and either Looperator or Effectrix. It really depends on what you need. This type of effect can really transform your beats, I highly suggest playing with them and going through presets. You’ll be surprised just how weird you can get with music and these tools save you a lot of time
if this article helped convince you to purchase any of these plugins, please consider using one of my affiliate links below. (after you have searched to make sure you can’t get a better deal elsewhere)
INFILTRATOR 2: https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/2-Effects/53-Multi-Effect-/7627-Infiltrator-2?a_aid=61c378ab215d5
EFFECTRIX 2: https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/2-Effects/53-Multi-Effect-/11389-Effectrix-2?a_aid=61c378ab215d5
LOOPERATOR: https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/2-Effects/53-Multi-Effect-/1324-Looperator?a_aid=61c378ab215d5