Waldorf Edition: PPG Wave 2.V

Nope i have to dissapoint the users of the vsti ppg
emulation thinking they have a ppg 2.3 for 20 dollars.
While the waveforms are indeed those found in my real
ppg (2.3 v6 with waveterm and prk fd)it totally misses
the 'character' of the sound, the waves don't alliase
as on a real ppg, it doesn't have the bottomend of a real one ( how can you compare the stale digital filters in the emu with the real analog SSM (prophet5 anyone) of the hardware version is beyond me, enveloppes are much faster and tighter on a real one (only the yamaha dx can rival
the ppg2.3 in this respect), the vsti sounds muffled and dull compared to a real one. If you could hear them side by
side you'll agree.

This doesn't mean the emu is not useable to tap into
PPg esque sounds but it just ain't a PPg, believe me,
the comments saying on ppg usersforum that it's an excact copy are blatently untrue.

A free ppg 2.3 sim vsti is made by this expert on the original hardware
www.hermannseib.com/english/synths/ppg/wave sim.htmRead Review

The real key to my brief review is for you to consider what I was looking for: an emulation of the PPG2.3 -a synth costing thousands of dollars that in the 1980's produced really different timbres. I paid 10$ for my used copy of PPG2.V on Ebay (compared to the 300$ cost a couple of years ago and the 50$ blowout price last year!)

Does the PPG VSTi sound like a PPG 2.3? Yes I would say almost perfectly.The PPG user group admits this openly. A collector who can afford a used PPG 2.3 probably is not so excited that their rare beast has competition...hehe..The PPG2.V uses very little CPU and is very programmable. I would have paid the full cost when the program was new but I was unable to do so. If I had the money I sure would have.

I am still fascinated with synth sounds from as far back as the 1960's and think perhaps I may not ever get a bank of modular syths stacked like refridgerators...I may not get rare synths to play with. Oh well, the idea that this program fulfills my dreams of having the PPG sound is real. As previous reviewers (here and elsewhere) have noted TD, Depeche Mode and others like Thomas Dolby used this sound to great effect. The PPG 2.V has a distintive sound, decent interface and an extreme sonic resemblence to the hardware PPG 2.3. If it had the function of the waveterm B added somehow my heart would pound! But if you want something so close to the old school PPG this is the emulation that succeeds! The menu is rather awkward for grabbing patches to tweak and some knowledge of programming will help. If you understand what sound you want and it involves the PPG you should be able to get it either by programming or by tweaking an existing patch. (My, I wish I had even more patches to use as a starting point!)

No one has really mentioned this much as far as I can see but if you collect virtual instruments this is a fantastic one to add. If you love this sound of the true PPG this is the best. It is a matter of preference and taste perhaps. Effects will really help this straight forward VSTi sound even more genuine as will layering.

This has a unique and distintive sound worth a small fortune. 10$ !!! I am so pleased I got this. Oh, incedently the updates are still available from the web for this now defunct Waldorf concession product.Read Review

This is very like the original PPG and so fits in to the Depeche Mode type sound category of the 80's. Tang Dream i believe had a lot of influence in the original's design. The filter is good, the wave tables are very good. The arpeg is very simple and easy to use and stays in sync (unlike some). This is good for digital sounding pieces. I don't like it as a lead but more for arpegs. The GUI is absolute beautiful. (the original is still one of the prettiest looking synths ever). The VSTi can be multi in one instance which is very very useful. Specially when CPUs hover at 80% and you really don't want to add another instance.

I have started to fall in love with this one.Read Review

Just wanted to add a few comments about the Waldorf PPG Wave 2V.

If you are interested in the PPG Be aware that - IMHO - the factory presets go a long way towards underselling this VSTi.

In a nutshell, if you simply judge this by the factory presets, you may find it a bit bland or limited.

Granted, there are some limitations given the nature of an emulation, but in my experience you really should roll up your sleeves a bit and play with it.

You will need to play with it a bit to get a better idea of the range of sounds this is capable of, or try some of the many excellent banks that are readily available (although the demo does not allow that)Read Review

It's brilliant. I have played a true PPG, i have experienced also the infamous crashes and lock ups. This VST instrument, for me, is an exact reprodution of the real beast without the problems and with some nice adds, like the midi sync. The sound is great and it not possible to achieve bad results. Of course, like all complex and versatile instruments, we have to struggle a little to obtain certain simple sounds, like modern techno basses and mooglike leads (remeber Muon Tau, Quadrasid and the Rebirth Basslines).

But if we try, it is possible to "make it simple" also on our PPG: remember to avoid all the doublings and detunes.

Arpeggiator is very useful and nice, the interface is great. For the "no name" presets, is it difficult to listen them in a half an hour and to write something? I use PPGwave everytime for all, pads, basses, "sequencers", bells and i have also programmed and sampled some 808 type drums.

I would like to have a more versatile "stereo" mode and continous detuning, some "smooth morphing" for the wave shiftings and the choice to load my sampled waves (like PPGwaveterm or WaldorfWave) but perhaps these could lead too far from the original PPG.Read Review