New Korg iWavestation App Coming Soon

[DayvanCowboy]

Hope so for you too, and congrats on owning this beast. Hope you can provide a sound comparison, how the app sounds compared to the hardware. My guess is that it would depend mostly on the D/A conversion...

One significant detail though, is that the app has resonant filters, which do sound great on long sweeps. Changes the synths character dramatically...

[Cinebient]

O.k. i bought it because i really need to take my hands on it to compare it to my other favourites for ambient, cinematic and soundscape stuff.
And if it doesn't fit....20 bucks is not the end of the world for a powerful synth to go.

[Cinebient]

First play...i really love the sounds. There is a lot cheesy stuff but also some wonderful bright and clear sounding pads and soundscapes. If i just could import my own samples it would be awesome.
I even would buy the plug-in too...if that would have a similar useful GUI.
This combined with Kaleidoscope and B2 must be heaven.
I wished some of my other synths had such a wave sequencer. Seems quite unique.
The vector synthesis is nice too but not nearly as advanced as in Mitosynth (and i can load in my own sound sources.
However, it´s for sure worth the price and it works without bugs so far!

[goldenanalog]

Lol! I sure agree about the cheese thing - it's a time capsule taking us back to when those sorts of sounds made 'hits'

One of the great things about this soft is that you have 96 user slots to make and store your own sequences of waves in - some of the basic waveform/sample content provided is actually quite good - I just spent a couple of hours or so scanning through a fair amount of it -

The beauty of this method of synthesis is that you're crossfading between individual waveforms and samples versus dealing with *fixed* sequences of waveforms ala ppg - it may be tedious to build your own wave sequences; but I appreciate the control over crossfade time, amplitude, and pitch - the pitch parameter can actually be quite useful in subtle ways to mimic motion - make wave sequences sound more organic.

Overall: I'm happy to say that this is my favorite app thus far on the iPad - this is going to get a lot of my time and attention over the next few weeks -

I also wish that it imported waveforms, absolutely - but I have a lot of desktop stuff that does that. Again: The selection provided isn't bad - and imho it was (and is) worth the extra 5 bucks to get all that Korg had to offer for the venerable Wavestation.

I also should mention iwavestation's resonant filters - they sound pretty good! And the modulation options available in iwavestation - while not being as plentiful as in Virsyn's Tera (the gold standard of iPad synths with options) give you enough to potentially create some very complex/animated sounds -

(Edit: I may rethink the above statement after I've spent a couple of dozen hours with iwavestation - iwavestation might be the new winner - vector synthesis can be ridiculously open-ended modulation-wise -)

[DayvanCowboy]

O.k. i bought it because i really need to take my hands on it to compare it to my other favourites for ambient, cinematic and soundscape stuff.
And if it doesn't fit....20 bucks is not the end of the world for a powerful synth to go.

So we finally got you I was sure you would like it!

Regarding sample import, it would expand this monster even further, but i kinda love the vintage flair of the built in samples, and keep the synths original character. Like goldenanalog said, i´m sure we´ll be occupied with this synth for quite some time. This is a legendary synth, the sound just feels so well crafted and polished. (And the factory samples play a big part).

What surprises me most, the effects are apparently the original ones, and they do sound really good, even after all this time! Still, can´t wait to put it through some modern state of the art overdrives, tape and verbs.

I´m so damn happy with this app This is a well needed reminder (for me) in this "analogue" crazed time, that there are legendary digital synths out there which can reach sonic heights where analogues can never go!

[Cinebient]

O.k. i bought it because i really need to take my hands on it to compare it to my other favourites for ambient, cinematic and soundscape stuff.
And if it doesn't fit....20 bucks is not the end of the world for a powerful synth to go.

So we finally got you I was sure you would like it!

Regarding sample import, it would expand this monster even further, but i kinda love the vintage flair of the built in samples, and keep the synths original character. Like goldenanalog said, i´m sure we´ll be occupied with this synth for quite some time. This is a legendary synth, the sound just feels so well crafted and polished. (And the factory samples play a big part).

What surprises me most, the effects are apparently the original ones, and they do sound really good, even after all this time! Still, can´t wait to put it through some modern state of the art overdrives, tape and verbs.

I´m so damn happy with this app This is a well needed reminder (for me) in this "analogue" crazed time, that there are legendary digital synths out there which can reach sonic heights where analogues can never go!

I even bought the other cards as well
I read you can share patches between this and the plug-in. So i might get this too while it´s on sale. I mean it´s just a meal and a couple of beers
I´m sure they will port the other legacy tools for iOS too in near future.

[goldenanalog]

I'm wondering that while iwavestation can apparently *import* Wavestation vsti & actual Wavestation sysex data into it's user memory, I don't know about *exporting* files from iwavestation into the Wavestation vsti - it'd be great to get clarification on this one way or the other -

What I found:

https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/1632 ... tion-sysex

As an aside: iM1 is advertised as working bidirectionally with the M1 vsti -

[DayvanCowboy]

I´ve recently reactivated my old iPad 2, which i originally bought just for Garage Band in 2010 for long train rides. As soon as Apple introduced Garage Band i kinda knew this was the future. I just had to buy it! I still have the Akai SynthStation49, an ok Midi Keyboard that was built for iPad 1&2, and was on sale shortly thereafter. Well, it auto downloaded the iWavestation on the ol´iPad 2, and i just had to try it out, and runs perfectly!

The crazy weird thing is, it sounds totally different from my iPad Air 2, with the same headphones! The amp in the Akai fattens the sound severely, it´s darker, it´s amazing. I like it much better than on my iPad Air 2. The DAC in the iPad 2 always had a great reputation, and it´s a full analogue signal chain out of the Keyboard. This iPad 2 will only run this synth for the rest of it´s existance xD

I think when it comes to music, nothing ever gets obsolete

[Cinebient]

I still got no answer about the vst version. Can anybody who have both confirm if there are differents (beside the GUI).
Most important...do the VST have this useful randomizer button. It works wonder and gives a lot useful results, especially wavesequences.

[Jace-BeOS]

I still got no answer about the vst version. Can anybody who have both confirm if there are differents (beside the GUI).
Most important...do the VST have this useful randomizer button. It works wonder and gives a lot useful results, especially wavesequences.

I cannot test this without an actual Wavestation keyboard, but the software and hardware versions of Wavestation are supposed to be compatible (Edit: except for the resonant filter, which if I understand correctly, isn't present on the original hardware).

No, the VST does not have the randomizer button. If you create patches on the iOS version with the randomize function, you should be able to send that patch to yourself via email (or iTunes) and load it on the VST version of Wavestation (or even dump it to sysex from there to an actual Wavestation). (Edit 2: apparently you need to use iTunes, since there's no email functionality for exporting patches from iWavestation; this is a damn shame and hopefully will be changed in future because WTF not?).

[goldenanalog]

I´ve recently reactivated my old iPad 2, which i originally bought just for Garage Band in 2010 for long train rides. As soon as Apple introduced Garage Band i kinda knew this was the future. I just had to buy it! I still have the Akai SynthStation49, an ok Midi Keyboard that was built for iPad 1&2, and was on sale shortly thereafter. Well, it auto downloaded the iWavestation on the ol´iPad 2, and i just had to try it out, and runs perfectly!

The crazy weird thing is, it sounds totally different from my iPad Air 2, with the same headphones! The amp in the Akai fattens the sound severely, it´s darker, it´s amazing. I like it much better than on my iPad Air 2. The DAC in the iPad 2 always had a great reputation, and it´s a full analogue signal chain out of the Keyboard. This iPad 2 will only run this synth for the rest of it´s existance xD

I think when it comes to music, nothing ever gets obsolete

I was amazed reading this, DayvanCowboy, and really happy for you!

It makes me laugh how opposite the (2) recent Korg releases are in terms of resource demands - their oddy emu is an absolute hog, pushing my Air 1's CPU usage to ~ 60%; while their WS reinvention runs perfectly on your iPad 2! And sounds *better* then on your Air 2 to boot! Ha! I guess that Korg has something for everyone!

I was doing some comparisons last night between both apps, as a matter of fact - Korg nailed the Odyssey sound, no question. But their iWS is orders of magnitude more versatile - fun to think that some of the content came directly from the Prophet VS - probably Dave Smith & Co. sampling what? A Pro-1, maybe a Prophet Poly, or an OBXA they had sitting around?

- the soft is certainty a testament to a very efficient hardware sample playback engine - it had *huge* options in terms of how the samples and waveforms sonically travel and interact with each other over time: pitch, amplitude, order, crossfading - now with the addition of a decent resonant filter, it was and is quite a package - and definitely a lot easier to edit.

My next 'quest' is to figure out how to get around the iTunes limitation, if possible - I got ifunbox a while ago, maybe that will work. The idea is to make it much easier to share patches with other iwavestation users - this is a soft I could easily see using (5) years from now - it's that good.

[DayvanCowboy]

Thx man, yes it was a pleasant surprise. And a reminder, how much a "coloring" amplifier contributes to a sound. In this case the amplifier just matches very well with the sound character of the iWavestation. It has this vintage feel that is so hard to describe, it is crystal clear but with a certain colour! The amplifier adds a lot of warmth and depth to it, that is just not there otherwise, certainly not on the headphone jack on either iPad. I had planned to use the old iPad 2 for some midi Apps like Lemur, but this is just too perfect!

I´ve underestimated the Romplers all this time

So much of music perception happens in the subconscious, and i guess i just grew up hearing these synths. Being so fascinated by the iWavestation, i´ve also looked into the Prophet VS, and the legends that developed it.

The sample engine fascinates me too, because it just sounds that good. It has an amazing sound even on very basic patches, i love the way the different waveforms "melt" into each other. This is where the magic happens for me, the way they modulate and overlay. The possibilities seem endless. It is a synth that has to be really understood and explored, and the new UI makes this possible and very enjoyable. It feels very expressive too, due to the vast possibilities of envelopes and modulating them with velocity and aftertouch etc.

Korg cannot be commended enough for this outstanding job! I´m gonna look into the iM1 as well, i just have a feeling that i´m gonna love it too, especially with the "combo" mode where you can stack 8 dual oscillators on top of each other...

The resonant filters in these apps turn these synth into something very very different. Best example iWavestation Preset Number 14 on the KLC card "Refloating Pad". Just a dual oscillator with resonance cranked all the way up, and some delay feedback. An absolutely crazy sound even before wave sequencing or vector synthesis...

[Jace-BeOS]

I still got no answer about the vst version. Can anybody who have both confirm if there are differents (beside the GUI).
Most important...do the VST have this useful randomizer button. It works wonder and gives a lot useful results, especially wavesequences.

I cannot test this without an actual Wavestation keyboard, but the software and hardware versions of Wavestation are supposed to be compatible (Edit: except for the resonant filter, which if I understand correctly, isn't present on the original hardware).

No, the VST does not have the randomizer button. If you create patches on the iOS version with the randomize function, you should be able to send that patch to yourself via email (or iTunes) and load it on the VST version of Wavestation (or even dump it to sysex from there to an actual Wavestation). (Edit 2: apparently you need to use iTunes, since there's no email functionality for exporting patches from iWavestation; this is a damn shame and hopefully will be changed in future because WTF not?).

My apologies. I made a mistake. There does not seem to be a way to dump sysex from the VST to anything else.

[goldenanalog]

And a reminder, how much a "coloring" amplifier contributes to a sound. In this case the amplifier just matches very well with the sound character of the iWavestation. It has this vintage feel that is so hard to describe, it is crystal clear but with a certain colour! The amplifier adds a lot of warmth and depth to it, that is just not there otherwise, certainly not on the headphone jack on either iPad.

In my experience, This is unfortunately that often critical 'missed link' keeping software from sounding like the hardware that it's supposed to be emulating - on the back-end of *all* digital keyboards, you have a DAC/reconstruction filter/op-amp amplifier circuit that's actually what is listened to - either through a pair of headphones, with their own sonic characteristics; or speakers - that add additional amplification/speaker element tone/room ambience -

My guess is that most of the time: the digital core material that was used in a given digital keyboard is identical when ported to a software synthesizer designed to emulate it - what can change the sound dramatically (for better or for worse) is the efx/mixing/D-to-A simulation (or lack thereof) of the hardware -

In Korgs case: they're obviously paying a lot of attention to make sure that the details of the sound of the hardware remains in the software as much as possible.

I also think that their Odyssey emulation is one of the finest analog emulations that I've ever heard in digital - right up there with Moog's Model (or System) 15 app - and Korg's does 8 notes; and this amazing thing where you can link (3) of it's synth parameters to its 16-step arppegiator to be 'animated' over time -

Brilliant.

Korg obviously thought a lot about ODYSSEi before they built it - and I'm sure that it helped that they were building actual hardware Odysseys to make deep comparisons with.

Same with Moog's amazing iPad/iphone emulations - they build the hardware that they emulate in software.

- software apps that run on the friggin' iPad & iphone, no less! Hilarious, when you think about it -

Good times, indeed.

[DayvanCowboy]

In my experience, This is unfortunately that often critical 'missed link' keeping software from sounding like the hardware that it's supposed to be emulating - on the back-end of *all* digital keyboards, you have a DAC/reconstruction filter/op-amp amplifier circuit that's actually what is listened to - either through a pair of headphones, with their own sonic characteristics; or speakers - that add additional amplification/speaker element tone/room ambience -

My guess is that most of the time: the digital core material that was used in a given digital keyboard is identical when ported to a software synthesizer designed to emulate it - what can change the sound dramatically (for better or for worse) is the efx/mixing/D-to-A simulation (or lack thereof) of the hardware -

I think you´ve nailed it, i´ve conducted more iWavestation tests with my quite decent Teac AH-01 DAC-Amp with a decent Headphone Amp built in, in a pure digital signal path from the iPad Air 2 via USB to the OS X to the DAC, and it sounds very detailed, airy, neutral but very enjoyable. The old iPad 2 with the cheap-ish Synthstation 49 gives it a unique character, lacks just a little detail in the top-end but makes more than up for it with pure oomph and fatness, that does sound so not digital. Like you´ve said, the output stage makes all the difference, turns the same brilliant App into two very different sounding synths. This point get´s lost all the time in the never ending analog vs digital discussion. A prominent example is the Akai S1000 sampler series, who are kinda legendary mostly because their DACs color the sound significantly...

I´ve spent too much time on the couch just with the AKG Studio Headphones plugged in, obviously not a great idea. I love the iPad so much, because i like to chill on the couch while making music, designing patches etc. Sitting on my butt for work all the time...But kinda got used to the shitty headphone sound a little.

I also think it´s very telling that the greatest hardware manufacturers now make the greatest iOS Synths, and exclusively for iOS. I´ve bought the iPad Air 2 for the moog model 15 app, i had gotten away from iOS for a bit, because my old iPad 2 was getting on my nerves for being so damn slow. It is funny, it runs the iWavestation nicely, but as soon as you type in the name of the patch while saving the keyboard starts to lag.

I´ve listened to a very interesting podcast interview with the lead developer from Moog, this guy is obviously a genius, who could make all the money in the world but loves music so much he joined moog. Also quite interesting is the little segment on the Korg Website about their analogue modeling process, and how they´ve gotten the oscillators of the ODYSSEi so damn good. But if i´m perfectly honest, i think the Micrologue from Steinberg Cubasis is my favorite VA emulation atm. Not as complex as the the moog or korg, but it sounds unbelievable, especially the pads, 10 voices. It sounds eerily like Roland Jupiter 8...Just with chorus and delay it builds up a huge presence,it is amazing.

It gets me every time as well, the realization that this sound is actually coming out of a friggin iPad...what a time to be alive!

If Roland would ever release for iOS, i´d lose my shit. They are investing so much research in analogue modeling for their System -1 -8 plugouts. I think a monophonic like SH-101 would run on modern iPads even with their complex modeling. Personally, i think it´s a great strategy for companies to embrace the iOS market, to promote their brand. I don´t think it leads to cannibalization, very little piracy going on, and most of the code is already there!