KVR Audio

Scot Solida · Post by **Scot Solida** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 1:13 am

As some of you know, I recently purchased an original PPG Wave 2.2 from a fellow in Phoenix. This past week, I went down to Phoenix to master my new album and while I was there, I brought my new (old) baby blue back with me. I feel very lucky to have found this unit...there were only 300 2.2 models made...

This thing sounds magnificent! If you are a fan of early eighties New Wave, Prog or Art Rock, you have undoubtedly heard a PPG 2.2. They were used by everyone from Rush and Peter Gabriel to Gary Numan, Ultravox, Depeche Mode and Patrick O'Hearn.

This afternoon, I knocked together a quick tune using only the PPG Wave 2.2 and a little Effectron II delay (hey, they match!):

www.olscratchrecordings.com/Sounds/PPG_Wave2_2.mp3

Here's a pic of my new baby, along with two other recent additions: an ARP Odyssey and a Moog Opus 3:

vurt · Post by **vurt** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 1:18 am

beej · Post by **beej** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 1:21 am

Sweet! It's a shame there isn't a current AU of the virtual one, I'd pick it up otherwise...

Scot Solida · Post by **Scot Solida** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 1:22 am

beej wrote:Sweet! It's a shame there isn't a current AU of the virtual one, I'd pick it up otherwise...

The absence of a suitable OSX version made a very good excuse to plonk down the cash for the real deal...

beej · Post by **beej** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 1:25 am

Yeah, as if you really needed one (an excuse I mean, not the 2:2

)

Scot Solida · Post by **Scot Solida** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 1:31 am

beej wrote:Yeah, as if you really needed one (an excuse I mean, not the 2:2 )

It was a deal I couldn't pass up. These things don't come cheaply, but this one was in the town where I used to live, and I needed to go down there to master my album. The seller was good friends with an old friend of mine, so I was confident I'd get what I paid for. I'd been looking for a 2.2 for a very long time. I was just about to buy a 2.3 I found instead, but I always wanted the earlier model, since it was the one I heard on all those records I loved so much. Glad I held out!

beej · Post by **beej** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 1:38 am

I still remember an interview with Brian Gascoigne in the first ever keyboard magazine I bought, back in 1985 I think. It had a picture of what became my dream keyboard rig for a long time - I'll have to dig it out and scan it.

It consisted of a DX7, Matrix 12, Prophet T8, PPG 2.3 and Fairlight Series 3. Tasty..!

I think my first real taste of the PPG was on the early Propaganda stuff. Opened my synth horizons, that did...

mayan · Post by **mayan** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 1:45 am

Wow...such a unique sound. Thanks for the taste.

Genetic_Junk · Post by **Genetic_Junk** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 1:54 am

Wow the soft version captures the character pretty well! I would go for hardware any day though (if I had the money), tactile and less latency are important to me.

This sounds nice, thanks for sharing.

tee boy · Post by **tee boy** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 2:08 am

He had to do it didnt he?

Just as I was in remission from gearlust withdrawal...

TB

PS, Love the track!

Scot Solida · Post by **Scot Solida** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 2:20 am

Thanks for listening and indulging my show offery!

Yeah, the software version does seem to nail it pretty well, particularly in "true ppg" mode. I haven't done a head-to-head comparison yet, but I reckon they'll be close. Seems that the real deal is a bit harder to tame...

As for the hardware version having less latency...well, that depends on whether you use MIDI or not. Mine was retrofitted with MIDI, and it's very responsive when triggered from another keyboard or a sequencer. However, the actual PPG keyboard is among the worst I have ever touched. Granted mine needs re-bushing (I have the stuff to do that), but even so, it is a terrible, noisy, clacking, sluggish key mechanism. It's fine for pads, slow strings and the like, but I'd not be in a hurry to play a blazing lead from it...

tee boy: sorry for pushing you off the wagon...

vurt · Post by **vurt** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 2:22 am

Scot Solida wrote:Thanks for listening and indulging my show offery!

thats ok, while we have you distracted at the pc were sneakin in mission impossible style

beej · Post by **beej** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 2:33 am

Is yours one of the ones that bends down for aftertouch? That's gotta be the weirdest design ever...

Scot Solida · Post by **Scot Solida** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 2:34 am

beej wrote:Is yours one of the ones that bends down for aftertouch? That's gotta be the weirdest design ever...

Indeed it is...very stange! At first I thought the keybed was loose!

Genetic_Junk · Post by **Genetic_Junk** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 3:29 am

I know this is kind of a ridiculous way to ask but without the midi how many miliseconds of latency do imagine there being? Just curious.

I got my PPG Wave 2.2! Here's a taste!