Tim Exile is a producer and electronic music performer and his recent release of FLOWs is a unique blend of looping software, synthesizer, and a sampler. The sound library was carefully crafted from Exile’s hardware performance rig aptly named “Flow Machine”. It contains over a gigabyte of loops and sounds from Exile’s personal collection of music over the past 5 years.
FLOWs features 4 channels for looping which can be cross-modulated and layered using discrete filters and envelopes on each channel. The channels are summed into stereo output by a technology called “ClearSum” which apparently prevents phase issues and lower-frequency clutter that is typical of layered loops.
The difference between FLOWs and a standard looping plugin is the amount of control the user has over the loops themselves. The modulation and sculpting functions can manipulate nearly every aspect of the sound and according to Exile, the software allows the user to “explore, mutate and create sonic structures”. In addition, switching between the loops can be controlled via LFO or by hand and is performed in sync without falling out of time and meter. There is even a visualizer which is handy for visual feedback of your manipulation of the sounds, or as a funky lighting effect at your parties… whichever suits you.
Although FLOWs requires Native Instruments Reaktor 6 as a host, they are both available for free and Exile accepts donations if you “Feel the Love”. To run Reaktor for more than 30 minutes or to save your work, a full license needs to be purchased if you don’t have one already.
FLOWs is available for free download via Tim Exile’s website (767 MB download size, ZIP archive, compatible with NI Reaktor 6).
