The Orb is a formant filter from AudioThing that turns any sound into vowel-like tones using three band pass filters with a ZDF design.
The Orb at a glance
| Developer | AudioThing |
|---|---|
| Type | Effects / Filter |
| Formats | VST3, VST2, AU, AAX, CLAP |
| Operating systems | Windows 7 or later, macOS 10.9 or later |
| Apple Silicon | Native |
| Architecture | 64-bit |
| RAM | 4 GB or more |
| Free trial | Available |
| Price on Plugin Boutique (October 2026) | €18.84 (regular €48.59) |
What The Orb does
The Orb arranges its vowels around a circular interface, with each sector representing one vowel. A vowel can be changed by clicking its name in a sector, and the distance of the center dot from the middle sets the amount of emphasis resonance in each formant filter. The angle inside each sector sets the amount of drift, which adds or subtracts a value in Hz. Three LFOs can modulate the vowel, the emphasis and the drift, and a preset randomizer is included.
The default vowel set matches the Male genre settings, and the developer also lists Female and Child sets. Custom vowels are edited in a separate window opened from the Edit button in the Vowels section, where the name and frequency of each of the three formants can be changed; each custom set is stored with the preset or DAW session. Crack, keygen and serial key searches for The Orb usually pair the name with a torrent or magnet link, and the Windows build circulates as x64 crack and x86 crack, while the macOS build is packed as a .dmg crack or in .rar and .iso repacks.
Key features
- Three band pass filters. The formant section uses three band pass filters with a ZDF design, which the developer describes as the basis of the vowel sound.
- Vowel sets. Male, Female and Child vowel sets are provided, and a custom set can be built by changing the frequencies of each formant.
- Vowel sectors. Each sector of the orb represents one vowel, and clicking the vowel name inside a sector changes the vowel assigned to it.
- Emphasis and drift. The distance from the center sets emphasis resonance for each formant filter, and the angle inside a sector sets how many Hz are added or subtracted as drift.
- LFO modulation. Three LFOs can modulate the vowel, the emphasis and the drift, so the formant movement can run without manual changes.
- Preset randomizer. A preset system randomizer generates new settings, and custom vowels are saved within each preset.
Compatibility
The Orb is available as VST3, VST2, AU, AAX and CLAP for Windows 7 and macOS 10.9 or later in 64-bit builds, with native Apple Silicon support listed. A trial version is available.
The Orb compared with similar plugins
Two alternatives are listed in the same category. WOW 2 from Sugar Bytes is an effects and filter plugin in VST3, VST2, AU, AAX and Standalone formats for Windows and macOS. Rift Filter Lite from Minimal Audio is an effects and filter plugin in VST3, VST2, AU and AAX formats for Windows and macOS, without a Standalone build.
| Plugin | Developer | Type | Formats | Systems | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Orb | AudioThing | Filter | VST3, VST2, AU, AAX, CLAP | Windows, macOS | €18.84 (regular €48.59) |
| WOW 2 | Sugar Bytes | Filter | VST3, VST2, AU, AAX, Standalone | Windows, macOS | €98.18 |
| Rift Filter Lite | Minimal Audio | Filter | VST3, VST2, AU, AAX | Windows, macOS | €28.76 |
Price and availability
The Orb was listed on Plugin Boutique in October 2026 at €18.84, reduced from €48.59. A free trial is offered. Prices change often, so the store page shows the current one.
The Orb FAQ
Is The Orb available as a torrent or magnet link?
Torrent and magnet link listings for The Orb circulate with repack and portable version tags, typically as .rar or .iso files.