Tim Exile SLOO

Continuing in a somewhat experimental manner, we have Tim Exile’s new SLOO. Shorthand for ‘Shed Loads of Oscillators’, this so-called Voice Swarm Synth is a Reaktor-based instrument that employs 48 simultaneous oscillator/ voices designed to behave like a flock of birds. Conceptually, the 48 voices share a core set of parameters determining pitch, frequency modulation, filtering etc. However, each section also has a ‘distance’ control that determines the voice’s possible deviation range during the swarming process.

The best place to start is with the four banks of presets, whereupon you quickly realise that SLOO covers quite a bit of sonic territory, and is quite unpredictable at times. For those expecting an immediately playable instrument that fits into more conventional musical structures, this may not be for you. However, if you are willing to spend the time exploring (and definitely reading the manual a few times), it can deliver some interesting, and often unexpected, results. Its hold mode is particularly useful for drone creation. Bruce Aisher https://shop.timexile.com