Wavea Flite is a new sampling and synthesis workstation plugin designed to create hybrid, evolving sounds or explore just the sounds in the free Play version.
There are different types of Synthesizer plugins: simple ones that only offer one or two synthesis types and the “workstation” that gives tons of sound sculpting options. Among the latter are virtual instruments like UVI Falcon 3, Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2, or NI Kontakt 8.
All these plugins offer deep sampling and synthesis capabilities. One disadvantage is that they are high-priced plugins, often costing twice or three times as much as a simple synth. Wavea, Sharooz Raoofi’s new company, wants to change that with Flite.
Wavea Flite
Flite is a new hybrid workstation Synthesizer plugin for macOS and Windows. It has two versions: the Player version is a free download that allows you to play and tweak sounds with a handful of macros. Nice!
The Flite Create version is for those who want complete control or want to craft new sounds from scratch. Once purchased, a sound design toolbox opens with sampling, synthesis, effects, and more—everything you would expect from a Synthesizer workstation.
Under the hood is a hybrid engine consisting of four multi-samplers and a multi-engine Synthesizer. Let’s start with the sampler.
Each multi-sampler can host single samples or multi-sample instruments with individual sound and group controls. You can customize them with various controls, including gain, pan, coarse, fine, sample start/end points, loop start/end points, and more.
I miss more creative sampling features, like a granular sampler, in the current version — maybe we will see this in an update. You can also export these mapped multi-samples as monolith files.
Then, you can layer a multi-engine Synthesizer engine to the four multi-samplers. Multi-engine because it gives you virtual analog, FM, and wavetable synthesis with multiple oscillator modes to explore. How far the synthesis goes would have to be seen in a detailed test.
Filtering, Effects & Deep Modulations
Besides this, you have a colorful noise generator with four flavors and level and pan controls, which completes the sound generator level.
These now go into a multimode filter with dual 12/24dB lowpass, highpass, and bandpass characteristics, analog and modern flavor, and flexible routing options. The final step in the signal chain is a multi-FX processor featuring seven effects, including a granular reverb by Sinevibes.
On the modulation side, Wavea Flite also offers a lot. First, you can find three multi-wave LFOs with key trigger, delay, and rate controls.
Right next to it, it hosts three freely assignable ADSR envelopes. Although they seem very classic, I would have been happy with more modern multi-segment envelopes, which give you more freedom to design advanced sounds.
Wavea Flite also hosts two 32-note and modulation sequencers with randomization duties, smoothing, and different trigger settings. This is a great addition to creating evolving sounds. A very clearly designed modulation matrix with plenty of slots manages all this. It’s neat that you can assign modulators with a button press.
Further, you can work with eight custom macros. Plus, each voice includes a 5×3 band equalizer (EQ).
Wavea Flite Play
If that’s too much synthesis and sampling nerdism for you and you only want sounds that inspire, there is Wavea Flite Play—a free version of the plugin that only playback sounds supported by a handful of macros.
Both plugins ship with 2.5GB of samples, including multi-sampled vintage and modern synths and drum machines (Yamaha CS-80, U3, Juno 106, TB-303, TR-909, Oberheim OB-8, Xpander, Sequential Circuits T8,…)
Plus, you get 200+ patches to explore by Sharooz Raoofi, Wavetick, Principleasure and more.
First Impression
An exciting new synth workstation. Many features remind me of earlier Sharooz Raoofi plugins like Audiaire Zone or Astra in collaboration with Splice. The plugin offers a lot of scope, but in my opinion, there is still room for new sound mangling features in some areas.
Flite definitely looks more user-friendly, modern, and hands-on than the other workstation synths. It’s not like an Excel table “on steroids” for synthesis. It’s very positive that there is a free version with many patches to play with. The price is also very attractive.
I hope the plugin will be maintained and continued longer than the Audiaire stuff I miss on my macOS Apple Silicon.
Wavea Flite is available now in the Create (full access version) for $99, and Wavea Player is a free download. Both releases run as VST3 and AU plugins for macOS (native Apple Silicon + Intel) and Windows.
More information here: Wavea
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