Signal Sounds Goes Deep: Smear by Smoothie Audio – The 98-Pole Phase Mutant

Signal Sounds isn’t mucking about – Smear from Smoothie Audio is a dual stereo 98-pole allpass filter, and yes, you read that right: ninety-eight. Unlike your grandad’s low-pass, this thing doesn’t cut frequencies, it warps their phase, twisting your audio into new shapes. Allpass filters are usually hiding in reverbs or phasers, not standing alone in the rack like this. Stack up 98 poles, throw in some feedback and resonance, and suddenly you’re not just shifting phase – you’re bending reality.

Tom from Signal Sounds lays out the basics: Smear’s a 12hp stereo module, with inputs and outputs up top, big knobs for frequency, sliders for resonance and pole count, and a global feedback slider. The controls are simple, but the results? Anything but. If you’re after subtle, look elsewhere. This is a phase weapon for the brave.

First up, Tom throws some classic 808-style drums at Smear, splitting off the kick and running the rest through the module in split mode. Even with minimal settings, you get instant phasing – but crank the feedback and poles, and things get wild fast. Hi-hats shimmer, snares warp, and the whole groove starts to sound like it’s being beamed in from a rave on Mars. Smear doesn’t just process drums, it mutates them, making standard patterns sound alien and unpredictable.

But it’s not just about chaos. Mute the dry drums and you’re left with pure Smear output: strange, resonant, almost physical-modelling percussion that’s more at home in a sci-fi soundtrack than a standard techno set. This module turns your drum machine into a laboratory for weird, resonant, and utterly fresh beats. If you’re bored of the same old drum processing, Smear’s got your back.

Next, Tom patches in a classic saw wave and runs it through Smear. At low pole counts and resonance, you get subtle phase shifts, but as you ramp things up, the sound morphs into something far more aggressive. Feedback and resonance take you from gentle phasing to full-on flanger territory, and with 98 poles in play, the results are anything but polite. Smear can do bandpass-style tones, formant sweeps, and all sorts of unpredictable filtering – perfect for those who want their synth voices to stand out (or just get weird).

Stacking two allpass filters in series opens up even more possibilities. Modulate the frequency with LFOs, envelopes, or random sources, and you’re deep into sound design territory. The results are hard to predict but always interesting, from woody percussion to metallic drones. Smear isn’t just a filter – it’s a chaos engine for your rack. If you want safe, look elsewhere. If you want to break your sound in the best way, you’re in the right place.

One of Smear’s slickest tricks is split mode, letting you process two mono signals independently. Tom demonstrates this by firing triggers into each side, crafting bizarre percussive voices and synthetic stabs that defy easy description. With feedback and modulation, each channel becomes its own experimental playground, perfect for stereo weirdness or parallel processing in a live set.

This feature isn’t just a gimmick – it’s a serious tool for anyone who wants to push their modular rig into new territory. Whether you’re mangling drum loops or building evolving textures, split mode makes Smear twice as dangerous. Just be warned: the results are as unpredictable as they are addictive.