I've used Motion since a much earlier version. Since I constructed some patches for Motion 2.8 to enter a competition, I thought it was only right that I give it a review.
Motion comes with a brief but handy set of instructions to get someone started. Motion includes 128 presets, most of them fairy interesting and outline what the synth is capable of doing. There is a phase distortion oscillator and virtual analog oscillator with on/off switches for each, which makes it easier to hear each oscillator independently before combing them together for an overall sound. Each oscillator is divided into its own section and offers a general ADSR amplitude envelope, a filter envelope, and a button to enable velocity sensitivity. Each oscillator can be coarse tuned, step tuned, and contains a quality detune slider to add some thickness to the sound. The phase distortion oscillator also feeds into the virtual analog oscillator with an FM slider if one desires.
The sequencer section can be run freely or synced to the host’s bpm, and offers a “set” button to restart the sequencer from the beginning to ensure that a saved patch will sound correctly at a later date. My only complaint in this section is that it’s difficult to see if the octave sliders are all lined up in the pitch sequencer section. They may look lined up, but it’s not always the case. The sequencer section can add some unique movement to the pitch and/or filter of either or both oscillators. It’s very simple and quick to create some decent rhythmic loops. There’s even a button to randomize a patch to get yourself started.
I find that the power in this synth is really in the LFO section however, with numerous destinations to choose from. The LFOs can be synced to the tempos, and it’s the best place to start when trying to create a great sounding swirling pad. A good feature and great way to make some motion-like sound is to send an LFO to the PD Phase, and then send another LFO to the FM. The delay is also useful to thicken up a pad, or create some faint echoes in a rhythmic pattern.
Since there are three pan destinations offered, one improvement that could be nicely implemented in the LFO section would be a phase/reverse button so that one sound can be sent to the right side while the other sound can be sent to the left. Overall though, this is a great free synth that can create some beautiful sounds.Read Review
