Korg wavestate

[optimystery]

Reposting this here:

Looking at the video reviews and thought process behind this synth ('lanes' inspired by early serialist composers), the Wavestate looks like an absolutely brilliant synth.

For sound design, electronic music, as well as garden parties, new age spa music ))
Ozric Tentacles used lots of Wavestation and it can sound really amazing in the right hands.

Buttttt......... it is (so far) another wavetable synth where you cannot load user samples, even though it has a massive library of sample data on board. That makes me wonder, is there something special about those samples and how they interact with the synth engine, or they need to be a max length or whatever. Even if that were the case, sonically breaking things is fun, and a sample upload dialog could reject any samples that would crash the OS.

I'm really curious to know if uploading samples might be included in a future update, and if not, what is the thinking behind that decision. I'm sure many people (including me), especially sound designers, would make a decision to buy based on that feature!

We could start a petition to Korg

[SLiC]

A lot of p[people have said they wish it had user uploads, who knows if thats possible with the exciting architecture, but 6 Gigs+ of stuff (including the old wavestation and expansions, the Triton wavetables etc..) will keep most people busy!

Maybe if its a big hit they will do a big brother with User waves and a 61 note kerbed with AT...

[optimystery]

Yes, it seems like a question of who it is aimed at. Personally I am trying to get away from seductive presets designed by someone else / playing evolving sounds with one finger, and create my own sound. Using my own acoustic instruments, drums and found sounds would be the way to do that. I guess if user samples doesn't look likely I would probably spend my money on UVI Falcon instead.

I am still really curious what it could be about the architecture that prevents this.. in 2020!

It could so nearly be perfect..

[Lotuzia]

I don't see user sample import as a big problem when there's already so much on board. Largo is in the same boat, and I could create tons of new patches for it. Overall I just prefer Largo over other WT synths whare you can import wavetables because of it's special sonic signature. WT import is certainly a plus, but, tbh, i never felt 'limited', if only once, by it's lack on Largo. I suspect it mlight be similar -for me- for the Wavestate.

Daniel Fisher video shows there's a lot to do already with the Wavestate 'as it'.(imo)

Well done Korg

[EvilDragon]

First up, that would be the perfect use for a paging file (virtual RAM) or, if this random wave function actually exists (not seen it mentioned anywhere), maybe it picks the random samples ahead of time, staying one or more steps ahead of the output? But even if it doesn't do any of that, Korg's vagueness around how much there is leads me to think it's probably only around 2GB, quite possibly less, which any 32 bit system can handle.

Paging file is on hard drive and inherently slower than RAM, even if it's an SSD. Not fast enough for ad hoc retrieval without any sort of preload.

And it's indeed 6 GB of samples inside, confirmed in many reviews.

[lfm]

When it comes to user samples - how does that usually work compared to samplers?
With samplers you usually have to sample every couple of pitches, stretch one over the entire keyboard usually become not so nice sounding.

Are you picking just a single wave period, and not taking so much memory, or?
I think KingKorg had some kind of user sample thingy, but not sure how they did that or bothered to check it out.

Hardware like Akai MPC I looked at has everything that software samplers has - with layers, accept sample each pitch, velocity mapping etc. Then add envelopes and such.

From what I read on Korg forum - there are no plans to implement user samples, those that talked to Korg about it.

If they planned from start maybe a SD card slot or something would be a way to go, something that can just reside there with no further intervention, not sticking out so you break anything etc.

Maybe there are samplers better fitted for that.

Maybe a SDK for wavetable is a better way, like Prologue has for user oscillators.

[EvilDragon]

When it comes to user samples - how does that usually work compared to samplers?

You get x amount of space for your samples, then off you go. The rest depends on the sample playback implementation, in most cases yeah you gotta make a keymap.

KingKorg didn't have user sample memory.

[Tj Shredder]

Obviously you have no idea what I am doing! (And of course I have no idea what you are doing...)

Unless you have 48 arms and can play everything live at once, I have a enough of an idea what you are doing to say what I said.

I am kind of interested in one, exactly one hardware synth to play in the park. And I don’t mean a synth park like Keith Emerson or Rick Wakeman...

Well get an Uno and learn how to use it. Job done. But if what you say is true, then the reason you'd not be interested in this is that it doesn't run on batteries.

And I do some secret conspirational politics to make every synth developer and potential synth player aware of the importance of expressive synthesis...; - )

Which has bugger-all to do with MPE compatibility in this instance. Wavestate will be able to do pretty much anything any MPE compatible synth can do without the faffing around. With velocity, release velocity and polyphonic after-touch it has the necessary ingredients for full polyphonic expressivity.

This will remain the first question I pose whenever a new synth pops up! And you will deliver the popcorn for sure, you cannot resist and help the case that way...

And I will try to always be here to provide some real-world common sense to balance your idiocy.

Thanks for approving all I said to be correct, you can’t see that obviously... (you hold the mirror not only for that last word btw...)

[BBFG#]

Especially with what Editor/Librarian they are packaging with it.
And what version driver they're starting it with...

Manual states that usb is class compliant and they skipped their midi driver it seems. Probably why some VST is dropped too.

I had so many issues with Korg midi driver anyway, both with KingKorg and Prologue - just as well they do it class compliant.

+1 (It's about time!)
Now about that editor/librarian...

[AnX]

watched a couple of vids, sounds pretty good.

i think despite the limited kybd size, it will be useful for live stuff, pads etc where you don't need a big range.

[cptgone]

tb;wb
(too big, won't buy. Drop the keyboard, Korg)

[vurt]

tb;wb
(too big, won't buy. Drop the keyboard, Korg)

youd have more space if you didnt have so many pedal power boards.

[cptgone]

youd have more space if you didnt have so many pedal power boards.

Muziker sell drones too, I may turn 'em into pedal hoverboards.

[vurt]

youd have more space if you didnt have so many pedal power boards.

Muziker sell drones too, I may turn 'em into pedal hoverboards.

off topic.
i got one for xmas.
cant fly the thing but its bloody addictive

(mines darth vaders tie fighter )

[Jace-BeOS]

they should have made this into an updated wavestation plugin instead of a HW synth

Korg is a hardware company that only semi-seriously dabbles in software just to make sure their income is diversified via infrequent opportunism in the computer realm. Of course they put this into a keyboard.

Hell, it wouldn’t surprise me if this product was proposed as an update to the Wavestation plugin, only to have executives say “are you kidding? We are a hardware company. The new stuff goes in keyboards!”