Waves Flow Motion

while the key tracking button above locks it to a
ixed frequency when deactivated (important
for percussion sounds), and the Feedback knob
modulates the oscillator by itself as it’s raised.
At the very top of the Flow page, the
Arpeggiator ofers four octaves of range and
four modes (Up, Down, Up/Down and Random),
while the Note Sequencer runs up to 16 steps
with 124 semitones of ofset per step. Both
include Swing and Gate controls.
Going through the Motion
With the oscillators set up in the Flow page,
processing their collective output is done in the
Motion page. At the top is the multimode
resonant ilter, featuring low-pass, high-pass,
band-pass and notch modes, 12 and 24dB/
octave roll-of slopes, and a dedicated ADSR
envelope. There’s also an amp envelope with
variable Gain, and a four-band paragraphic EQ
with high and low cut ilters.
The FX section manages to squeeze eight
efects into a very small space, by only providing
controls for the stereo Delay and Reverb
modules, and boiling the other six (Drive,
Distortion, Crusher, Phaser, Flanger, Chorus)
down to just an amount knob each. That might
appear hopelessly restrictive on paper, but in
fact, it its nicely into Flow Motion’s ethos of
immediacy and rapid worklow – and all eight
modules sound fantastic.
The four modulation sources on the right can
be used to move numerous controls in the Flow
and Motion pages (oscillator Volume, Pan, Ratio
and Feedback; ilter Cutof, global Tune, FX
depths, etc), as well as the FM/PM paths
between oscillators. Sources are assigned by
dragging them onto the black ‘insert’ sockets or
right-clicking, and every modulation path can
accept up to two inputs at a time. Each of the
four sources can operate as a loopable ADSR
envelope with adjustable velocity response, or a
host-syncable LFO with fade-in, smoothing,
variable polarity, one-shot or looped play, and
monophonic or polyphonic retriggering. The
lack of any kind of modulation sequencer is
disappointing, but the envelope and LFO are
both perfectly capable – the envelope loop
option is a highlight, efectively enabling the
creation of custom LFO shapes.
Moving on
Flow Motion is unique, slick, innovative and
wonderfully easy to use. There’s real method to
the graphical madness of the Flow page, which
keeps everything clearly in view at all times; and
the modulation path inserts are a very clever
touch. One annoyance with this and other
Waves plugins, however, is that LFO and ilter
frequencies, and envelope timings, are all
described as values from 1100. Annoying.
Sonically, it’s beefy at the bottom and bright
at the top, if not always hugely characterful; and,
like any FM synth, it can come across as harsh if
not handled with care. It’s great at basses, keys,
bells, percussion, plucks and pads, but it’s the
Snapshot Sequencer that really sets it apart,
enabling insanely animated progressions and
textures that couldn’t be made any other way. A
fast, reliable synth that does everything it can to
keep things moving, Flow Motion is a solid
investment for any electronic producer.
Web waves.com
Verdict
For Makes FM synthesis a snap
Rewards experimentation
Snapshot Sequencer is amazing
Intuitive, powerful modulation
Huge preset library
Against No Snapshot import
Frequencies and envelope timings aren’t
displayed in Hertz and milliseconds
With its exceptional ease of use and
addictive Snapshot Sequencer, Flow
Motion is as fun as it is productive
9/10
Alternatively
Sugar Bytes Cyclop
181 » 9/10 » €99
Cyclops Wobble section is also
good for building fast-changing
sound sequences
Native Instruments FM8
109 » 9/10 » £129
For a more conventional take on
FM synthesis, look no further
Not content to break new ground with
the groovy Flow page GUI, Flow Motion
also innovates with the amazing
Snapshot Sequencer. This lets you
deine up to 16 complete parameter
states (sub-presets within the current
preset, efectively) and switch between
them rhythmically using a 16-step
sequencer, and/or manually on the ly
by assigning MIDI CCs to steps.
The sequence length is set by
dragging the end point handle in the
sequencer, and each step is assigned a
snapshot number by dragging up and
down on it or tweaking a ‘learnt’ MIDI
controller. Steps set to the ‘die’
snapshot number will select a random
snapshot when played back. The Flow
Motion GUI always relects the
snapshot in the currently selected step,
and changes made to the parameters
of a snapshot are automatically stored
– you don’t have to actively save them.
Snapshots can be copied and pasted
between slots, but not imported from
other presets or as discrete iles, which
is a hindrance. A controllable snapshot
randomise function, for instant
inspiration, would have been an idea.
The sequencer itself runs at step
rates from 4 Bars to 1/32, and can be
triggered by note input, the host
sequencer transport, or set to run free
regardless of host playback status.
Snap judgement
The Motion page sticks to a more conventional design
sensibility than the out-there Flow page
Program rhythmic
preset changes
with the Snapshot
Sequencer
Fits nicely into Flow
Motion’s ethos of rapid
worklow and
all eight modules
sound fantastic”
March 2019 / COMPUTER MUSIC / 93
waves flow motion / reviews <
CMU266.rev_flowmotion.indd 93 1/8/19 9:26 AM