KORG modwave mkii

[_leras]

Rather than just go straight to hardware I picked up the native version. I actually think it sounds a bit different to the hardware which maybe has a bit of edge.... maybe converters? maybe no difference?

This synth is deep. I think I will need to get the manual out and spend a fair bit of time to explore this thing... I wish the plug in showed more controls at the same time.

Love the sound of this synth. Seems like a permanent high pass type thing. But I love that slightly clangorous sound it makes. So many ideas for this thing.

edit: it's also still on sale.

[serge]

To my ears, the hardware sounds pretty identical to the plugin. In general, for an instrument this deep & complex, I really like having both. The hardware with all its knobs, switches, and kaoss pad just screams “tweak me” in the way the plugin just doesn’t for me. But programming sequences, I like the Editor for hardware and the plugin. I think having a hardware in addition to plugin, is like having two different instruments - where I end up going with sound design and playing, is in two different directions. But overall, what a crazy, insanely deep instrument it is.

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[D-Fusion]

Rather than just go straight to hardware I picked up the native version. I actually think it sounds a bit different to the hardware which maybe has a bit of edge.... maybe converters? maybe no difference?

This synth is deep. I think I will need to get the manual out and spend a fair bit of time to explore this thing... I wish the plug in showed more controls at the same time.

Love the sound of this synth. Seems like a permanent high pass type thing. But I love that slightly clangorous sound it makes. So many ideas for this thing.

edit: it's also still on sale.

Probably volume difference in how hot the hw is pushed into the soundcard.

When I had the Roland System 1 and the plug out came out i could'nt figure out why my imported sounds had more punch and power in the hw vs the Software when i imported the sounds into the SW.
Then I thought of Checking the volume difference and changed the volume on the SW to match the volume of the HW and then they sounded identical.

The Modwave and the Modwave native are the same so there should not be any difference.

[egbert101]

To my ears, the hardware sounds pretty identical to the plugin. In general, for an instrument this deep & complex, I really like having both. The hardware with all its knobs, switches, and kaoss pad just screams “tweak me” in the way the plugin just doesn’t for me. But programming sequences, I like the Editor for hardware and the plugin. I think having a hardware in addition to plugin, is like having two different instruments - where I end up going with sound design and playing, is in two different directions. But overall, what a crazy, insanely deep instrument it is.



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Best of both worlds. I have a hardware Wavestate but I've been more focused on Modwave for bread and butter presets. If I were to compare, the Wavestate just peaks over the edge when it comes to pads, ambient stuff and cinematic sounds. But Modwave is really damn close in terms of pads. Both are S tier instruments for such sounds.

[_leras]

To my ears, the hardware sounds pretty identical to the plugin. In general, for an instrument this deep & complex, I really like having both. The hardware with all its knobs, switches, and kaoss pad just screams “tweak me” in the way the plugin just doesn’t for me.

Thanks for giving your experience with that.

Yeah have to say the hands on interface would be pretty amazing. Looks.to cover quite a bit.. the vst is fairly intuitive but dialling in sweet spot.

I really like the sound and have got some great arps and leads out of it already.

For some reason I thought it would have some kind of decent 90s piano sounds in there, but I couldn't find a good one yet.

[_leras]

Best of both worlds. I have a hardware Wavestate but I've been more focused on Modwave for bread and butter presets.

I think its has a great tone, so it's pretty good takes on those basic type sounds. Slightly 90s, seems mid rangey, but sits well in the mix

[serge]

For some reason I thought it would have some kind of decent 90s piano sounds in there, but I couldn't find a good one yet.

Would probably be pretty hard to do with a wavetable synth. Not impossible: https://youtu.be/Q5pnLRyHCT8?si=dXyJj_q6NiK9AsoX but, probably easier through multi sample in the Wavestate. For Pianos/keys, I generally like the MC-101/MC-707 with the zencore patches.

[stoopicus]

While I agree it's not the main bread and butter of the thing, it can still do pianos just fine. But yes I would choose something else for that.

For me I really dig the way it can get both harsh and aggressive and deep and rich at the same time. It seems like a great synth for electroindustrial and other heavier electronic genres.

Lots of synths can do this, but the Modwave seems especially good at it.

[egbert101]

I think Yamaha and Roland do very good piano emulations for very cheap, but I wish there was a cheap module version. I guess, may as well just use a virtual instrument instead.

[kritikon]

For some reason I thought it would have some kind of decent 90s piano sounds in there, but I couldn't find a good one yet.

Wavestate and/or Opsix cover a lot of that ground. Wavestate has quite a few pianos in its samples, most of which are good IMO - many of the presets are piano-based and a few of its samples are definitely Korg 80s/90s heritage. Opsix can do pretty well anything a DX could do in terms e-piano if you like that sort of thing, and when you get into the guts of it, can get close to physical modelled strings/wires with its FX operators. Personally I generally don't much like wavetables, so I didn't get a Modwave - I wouldn't pick it as a piano type synth though.

[_leras]

Would probably be pretty hard to do with a wavetable synth. Not impossible: https://youtu.be/Q5pnLRyHCT8?si=dXyJj_q6NiK9AsoX but, probably easier through multi sample in the Wavestate. For Pianos/keys, I generally like the MC-101/MC-707 with the zencore patches.

Ha ha! Thats a great patch in that video, instant Boris Brejcha.

And as it happens, yes, this type of Roland piano is actually exactly what I'm after. (Well as it's korg perhaps more of an M1 type).

Apologies for accidentally derailing the thread. I'm not sure why I thought it would have piano. I think I thought it was maybe part rompler as well as wave table.

Anyway, I really like it so far!

[_leras]

Personally I generally don't much like wavetables, so I didn't get a Modwave - I wouldn't pick it as a piano type synth though.

yeah, don't worry I didn't pick it up for piano sounds.

The first sound from here is what sold me, biegerish:
https://m.soundcloud.com/korg/sets/modwave-demo-sounds

I think it has own kind of timbre. Digital edged, but not too harsh. I plan to use it for some non lead ones techno parts.

[serge]

The modwave just blows my mind every time I fire it up. I do think one may need to be under influence to get the most out of the synth. I just can’t imagine the intelligence required to be being highly intentional and creating a very specific complex sound you are after that touches more than like 30% of what this synth is capable of. Basic sounds, with run of the mill modulation sure. But ones where you modulate the modulator of modulations with chaos pad’s physics controller and use a few sequence lanes, these are probably 20-30% intent and the rest happy accidents. So happy for a nice, robust randomization engine to make up for my lack of competence.

[kritikon]

I feel the same with that whole Korg Trilogy. The depth and complexity in all of them is way beyond the time I am prepared to put into them. They're really not far off being fully modular with the dazzling amount of modulation they can do. The dice are my friend too...

[zaphod betamax]

One of my faves as well.
I have the OG mki
and I bought a newer mk2 both in keybed form.