Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave - New multi-timbral PPG-style wavetable Synthesizer in the works

[egbert101]

It sounds great to me, but it's going to be completely out of my price range. It would be nice if the Behringer knockoff Wave came out at a decent price, which might tempt me.

[Uncle E]

Pro-VS but wavetables instead of Vector

[Uncle E]

If I could only have one Waldorf I'd probably pick an M because of it doing a little bit of everything and all of the modern functions and portability.

Thanks. That's good logic, I think I'll do the same. Listening to the different wavetable modes has made me realize that these were a bigger factor in the Microwave 1 vs. 2 than the filters:

http://youtu.be/2l_2krPHu5Q

[Uncle E]

The M is definitely the closest thing you'll find to the sound of a classic MicroWave I Rev A. But IMO, the new analog filters in the M sound way more "polite" than the CEM filter in the original MicroWave. Basically, the M's filters sound "modern analog" whereas the MicroWave filters sound like what you would expect in a 30 year old synth.

Thanks! Someone local has a Rev. A, I'll try to do a shootout between it and the M.

Personally, I love the Quantum filters and detest the filters in my Kawai K3, so I might actually have a bias towards the modern sound.

[pdxindy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoRmV_uKDjg

[OllieBoi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoRmV_uKDjg

While this is a nice demo (Inhalt patches are terrific,) does the 3rd Wave sound $4,000 great to you? I'm honestly asking and not trying to be snarky. I personally think that you could create something equally impressive as Inhalt's demo with a $600 Waldorf Blofeld module. And I actually really dislike the sound of the Blofeld.

As an aside, I bought a Blofeld after everyone was just beside themselves going on and on about how great it was. I think I tried to play every patch in the synth. It was just a sea of awfulness. So I returned the Blofeld the following day. Years later there was some weird sale on the Native instruments site where NI was selling the Waldorf Largo plugin (which is pretty much a VST version of the Blofeld) for $70. I thought to myself, oh, the Blofeld couldn't have been that bad. Largo is only $70 on sale. That's a great deal. Just get it and spend more time exploring it. Nope, still pretty bad (even though the Largo UI is almost a work of art). Largo is by no means unlistenable. It's just not great.

And even having said all that, I think the Blofeld could give the 3rd Wave a run for its money in a demo or song context (whereas the MicroWave and MicroWave II XT would just blow it out of the water).

I know the 3rd Wave looks impressive (and is trying its very best to make you think that it's the second coming of the PPG). But just try to listen to the sound of it without being mesmerized by all those knobs and beautiful blue color. It's just okay sounding, IMO.

Now for $1,500 (or maybe even $2,000,) that might be a different conversation.

[pdxindy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGOIexgyJP4

[pdxindy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOm9g7QjbMQ

[zerocrossing]

Pro-VS but wavetables instead of Vector

Cute toy, but I’ll wait for something with an actual decent amount of voices… and maybe still ignore it, as the Arturia VS V is so good. I don’t really care that much about accuracy, but it was interesting when Charlie Clouser posted a-b comparisons up on GearSpace. I definitely couldn’t hear a difference, or at least one that made an impact on how I enjoyed the sounds. Arturia’s on fire. If they do a PPG, I’ll be super happy.

[zerocrossing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoRmV_uKDjg

While this is a nice demo (Inhalt patches are terrific,) does the 3rd Wave sound $4,000 great to you? I'm honestly asking and not trying to be snarky. I personally think that you could create something equally impressive as Inhalt's demo with a $600 Waldorf Blofeld module. And I actually really dislike the sound of the Blofeld…

…I know the 3rd Wave looks impressive (and is trying its very best to make you think that it's the second coming of the PPG). But just try to listen to the sound of it without being mesmerized by all those knobs and beautiful blue color. It's just okay sounding, IMO.

If you can’t hear the difference between the Blofeld and the 3rd Wave, you should maybe choose a different hobby, or seen an audiologist. The difference is very clear. I actually like the sound of the Blofeld, but not enough to use up desk space for one. Largo handles that sound and is a bit better for various reasons.

If you really like the sound of wavetables going though an analog filter, you’ll be able to appreciate the 3rd Wave, though I admit that sometimes the difference is subtle. When I first got my M, I did have a moment of “oh man, maybe I should have just stuck with software” moment, but after a few moments, I found those spots where it just really sang in a different way. If there’s something that’s all digital, I’ve not head it. Maybe the Solaris, but that’s in another price range.

The 3rd Wave is just a lot of hybrid voices with a lot of modulation. More importantly, it does the wave generation in a way that mimics the original PPG Wave 2, which just sounds great to my ears. I’m going to stick to my 002r, because I have no room for another keyboard, but man, I still wish I could get one.