Sugar Bytes

The irst version of Sugar Bytes WOW
(
123, 9/10) was a ilter and distortion
plugin hugely acclaimed for its plentiful creative
options and outstanding sound quality. WOW2
(VST/AU/RTAS/AAX) is everything that its
predecessor was, but with every area of its
functionality extended and/or improved.
The irst thing you notice upon launching
WOW2 is its eye-catching new interface, with the
cutof frequency, resonance level, distortion
shape and wet/dry mix now represented
graphically within their control knobs rather
than numerically. Nice. However, while preset
monkeys are going to love the new preset banks
(which include contributions from such stars as
Drumsound & Bassline Smith and Mouse On
Mars), the constant presence of the preset
browser onscreen is surely unnecessary – we’d
like to be able to hide it.
The distortion section now ofers seven
distinct distortion types (Parabolic, Hyperbolic,
Diabolic, Sine, 1bit, Crush and Digitize), all of
which are of incredibly high quality and can get
pretty violent – good news for noiseniks. You
can also now place the distortion module before
or after the ilter section, which greatly
broadens the sonic range of the plugin beyond
that of its predecessor.
The ilter type count has been increased from
ten to 21, ranging from natural and smooth to
sharp and tearing, and all of them sound
stunning. They’re split into four top-level modes
– High Pass, Band Pass, Low Pass and Special –
and among the new types are 2-pole and 4-pole
options for the High, Band and Low Pass, a
razor-sharp 8-pole Low Pass option, three
Diode MS options (which we reckon are based
on the Korg MS20), two Ladder MG options
(the classic Moog ladder ilter, no doubt) and
030 (which, unsurprisingly, screams like a
Roland TB303).
As with the original WOW, there’s also a vowel
mode that can be engaged, enabling you to
choose two mixable vowels at once (from a
choice of nine), interacting with the current ilter
type to create formant-shaping efects. Thus,
the expressive power of the vowel mode has
been increased just by the presence of all those
new ilter types.
Double WOW
Despite all the new features, WOW2 will still feel
and sound familiar to anyone who’s spent any
time with the original. The keen-eared will notice
that, just like its predecessor, WOW2 always
shaves of a certain amount of extreme high
end, no matter which distortion or ilter type you
go for (yes, even the High Pass ones). While this
isn’t always ideal, it does often relieve some of
the digital izz that many soft synths put out and
sounds reminiscent of a real analogue ilter.
We’d suggest, therefore, that WOW2 is best
Sugar Bytes
W O W 2 €99
The original WOW blew us away with its superb filtering and vowel
implementation, but can the sequel elicit even more superlatives?
One of the best things about WOW2 is
its comprehensive modulation setup,
which is also where the new interface
really shines. There are four modulation
sources onboard: an envelope follower,
an LFO, a step sequencer and the “wobble
generator”. The last – also found in Sugar
Bytes’ Cyclop synth – is the most exciting
of the bunch, letting you assign one of
16 LFO waveforms to a “wheel” of 12 LFO
speeds, so that when you change the speed
of the LFO (manually or via modulation),
the waveform changes shape with it. The
wobble generator also includes a Phase
control, making it an excellent tool for
making wobbly iltered basslines.
Modulation routings are still assigned by
right-clicking the control to be modulated
(targets including other modulators), but
you can now also make assignments from
the bottom panel. Rather excitingly, the
vowel shapes can also be modulated.
The new modulation system
suited to material in which the extreme high end
doesn’t need to be treated with surgical care;
but on the lipside, just inserting it at its default
settings on overly bright sounds can help to
tighten and warm up a mix. All that said, WOW2
is deinitely at its best used as a creative
irecracker rather than a delicate, well-behaved
precision ilter – and when deployed as such, it’s
an absolute ass-kicker and without doubt one of
the best software ilters money can buy.
Web www.sugar-bytes.de
Verdict
For Sounds awesome
21 ilter types!
Incredible creative options
Modulate the modulators
Visual feedback is handy
Against Always attenuates top end
Ever-present preset browser
Even better than the original, WOW2 is a
versatile, highly controllable analogue-
style filter plugin par excellence
8/10
Alternatively
SoundToys FilterFreak
N/A » N/A » $179
Perhaps the most authentic
analogue-style ilter we’ve heard,
but not as feature-rich as WOW2
Tone2 FilterBank3
N/A » N/A » £56
Very similar to WOW2, but with two
ilters, way more distortion and
ilter types, and a delay
98 / COMPUTER MUSIC / November 2013
> reviews / sugar bytes wow2
CMU197.rev_wow.indd 98 9/25/13 11:14 AM