The WOW2 Filter Box from Sugar Bytes – a veritable Swiss army knife of a filter unit – is already well known to many Splice Users, as you can see by checking out these featured Splice projects! It’s currently ranked #9 of all plugins by the Splice Community, because it’s a simple and powerful way to add interesting modulation and texture to your tracks. It sports 22 Filter Types, 7 Drive Modules, a dedicated Vowel Filter, and a Next-Generation Modulation Section that will make your head spin. It’s everything that you need in a filter unit – and nothing that you don’t – in a compact GUI that gets right down to business. Check out Figure’s project which features the WOW2 Filter:
Let’s jump right in and take a look at what the WOW2 Filter Box can add to your music.
The Main Window of the Sugar Bytes WOW2
One of the best things about the Sugar Bytes WOW2 is its ease of use – the front panel has five oversized knobs to ensure that the main functionality of the unit is always front and center. It’s here that you have a DRY/WET knob to control the balance of the affected and unaffected signal – a VOLUME knob, to control the level of the outgoing signal – a CUTOFF knob, to control the operating frequency of the currently selected filter type – a DRIVE knob, to control the degree to which the distortion module affects the signal – and finally, a RESONANCE knob, to adjust the amount of resonance that’s applied to the signal during the filtering process. You’re provided with two METERS at far left and far right to monitor the levels of the incoming and outgoing signal, respectively, as well as a FILTER SELECTION MENU, a DRIVE SELECTION MENU, and a VOWEL SELECTOR.
The Filters
Sugar Bytes’ filters are second to none, and WOW2 provides you with no less than 22 unique filter types that are all readily accessible from the FILTER SELECTION MENU. Filter types come in four flavors, HIGH PASS, which cuts off low frequencies according to the cutoff frequency, LOW PASS, which cuts off high frequencies according to the cutoff frequency, BAND PASS, which cuts off low frequencies and passes through the cutoff frequency, and SPECIAL, which contains filter types that go beyond traditional filter classics.
The Drive Module
Sugar Bytes WOW2 also offers 7 unique flavors of distortion to provide you with everything from subtle saturation to full on bit-crushing mayhem. Accessible through the DRIVE SELECTION MENU, WOW2 features PARABOLIC, HYPERBOLIC, DIABOLIC, ONE BIT, SINE, CRUSH, and DIGITIZE distortion algorithms, each with their own individual characteristics. Once you’ve selected the desired distortion type, WOW2 provides you with the option of altering the signal flow at the top of the menu so that the drive module can come either before or after the filter in the signal chain, allowing for a vast range of sonic possibilities.
The Vowel Selector
WOW2 also boasts a VOWEL SELECTOR, which allows you to seamlessly fade between two separate vowel frequencies via the CUTOFF knob. This is useful for emulating human speech and can give the timbre a very lifelike and animated quality. To achieve this, simply click the center button on the module to activate it, then select the desired vowel sounds by clicking on either one of the characters at left and right and dragging upward or downward. The 7 vowel types that the Sugar Bytes WOW2 provides you with are: [i:] as in seat, [e] as in hen, [æ] as in fat, [y] as in tu (French), [ə] as in the, [ɑ] as in father, [ɔ] as in awe, [o] as in copy, and [u] as in boot.
The Modulation Section
Below the main window of the Sugarbytes WOW2 Filter Box is the MODULATION SECTION. As you may have discovered, right clicking (CTRL clicking on OS X) any of the knobs in WOW2’s main window presents you with a submenu that provides various modulation routing options. WOW2 offers, from left to right, an ENVELOPE FOLLOWER, a LOW FREQUENCY OSCILLATOR (LFO), a STEP SEQUENCER, and a WOBBLER. All modulation assignments created in this way are reflected in the MODULATION SECTION, where you can further adjust and fine-tune your settings for each device. Through the use of the PAGE BUTTONS at bottommost right, you can quickly access more advanced settings specific to each unit and even assign the modulation devices to modulate eachother, which opens up a world of possibilities for even more interesting and varied effects.
Sounds in your tracks that change and evolve over time add a heightened sense of interest for listeners and give them a feeling that elements in the arrangement are propelling them forward. The powerful modulating filters within the Sugar Bytes WOW2 Filter Box provide you with the creative tools to do just that, for everything from subtle filter sweeps to all out modulated chaos.
To get a taste of how the Sugar Bytes WOW2 Filter Box can sweeten up your productions, download a demo from the Sugar Bytes product web store here AND as always be sure to check out some of our featured Splice projects!
August 11, 2014
