Audiobus: Use your music apps together.

What is Audiobus?Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.

Download on the App Store

Audiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.

OT - Korg Wavestate

I got my Wavestate a couple of days ago, still finding my way around as it has a very steep learning curve as its very unique, unlike nothing else.
Well I suppose you could say its similar to the original wavestation, which I do have for my iPad, but it doesn't actually feel anything at all like the wavestation IMO, just shares a similar concept, but the execution and use and feel and outcome between the wavestation and wavestate is vastly different.

I never got into the wavestation as it was too much of a pain in the butt to use, and I always found you could twiddle knobs and there would be virtually no change at all (i.e. playing around with the filters in the wavestation made hardly any discernable change to the sound, or maybe that was just me not knowing how to use it properly). But the wavestate is nothing like that, you can go from conventional piano sound to constantly evolving slow atmospheric soundscapes in just several minutes.

If anybody is considering a new piece of hardware, its definately worth a look.

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Comments

  • Definitely on my buy list. I was very surprised and excited by this one. I’ve been a user of the original for years (decades really). Glad to see Korg push the concept forward. Besides the obvious improvements to the programming interface, the addition of a high quality filter is appreciated. Its the one thing I always thought original needed. I like that they didn’t water it down either. Its incredibly deep and complex, and should remain that way.
    My only wish would be a rack/desktop version. I’m running out of space over here.

  • First piece of hardware I've been interested in in years...

  • @lasselu said:
    First piece of hardware I've been interested in in years...

    Same. Actually, many years (maybe decades). What's the build quality like on this one?

  • edited March 2020

    I've gone through lots of s> @lukesleepwalker said:

    @lasselu said:
    First piece of hardware I've been interested in in years...

    Same. Actually, many years (maybe decades). What's the build quality like on this one?

    Its unbelievably light, really really remarkably so. One usually equates lightness and plastic with a feeling of cheap quality but it doesn't feel that way. The knobs are nice and firm with a nice feeling resistance to them and the buttons don't feel flimsy. I'm sure if it was made of metal and they stuck a lump of lead inside it just to make it weigh more it would feel more quality, but its fine as it is.

    I'm not a keyboard player so can't comment on the keyboard.

  • @mungbeans said:
    I've gone through lots of s> @lukesleepwalker said:

    @lasselu said:
    First piece of hardware I've been interested in in years...

    Same. Actually, many years (maybe decades). What's the build quality like on this one?

    Its unbelievably light, really really remarkably so. One usually equates lightness and plastic with a feeling of cheap quality but it doesn't feel that way. The knobs are nice and firm with a nice feeling resistance to them and the buttons don't feel flimsy. I'm sure if it was made of metal and they stuck a lump of lead inside it just to make it weigh more it would feel more quality, but its fine as it is.

    I'm not a keyboard player so can't comment on the keyboard.

    Cool, thanks for the report. I was hoping you'd dissuade me.

  • One of the things I love about iWavestation is the "musical roulette" it offers with that Random button up at the top. I often hit that thing and then stretch myself to adapt a tune to whatever shoots out. It looks from the documentation and videos that Wavestate offers the same (plus ways to more precisely randomize specific variables). Is that the case in your experience, @mungbeans. Love your user name, btw.

  • edited March 2020

    I came real close to buying the Wavestate, it inspired me to actually play around with iWavestation which has sat unused on this iPad for a long time. I came to the conclusion iWavestation actually sounds better the the original Wavestation which I sold and heard everyday in the 90’s during my Jim’s Music Center days .. probably due to the cleaner DAC .. same thing with the Wavestate .. it doesn’t have that nasal boxy quality the originals did .. which I never liked. Now if Korg would just give us a rack mountable version of the Wavestate or a 5 octave version like the original I’d be in, but as a keyboard player the 3 octaves is a no go for me on such a pad monster like this. For others the small form factor I imagine is perfect. Different strokes I guess.

  • I would like a desktop version of this.

  • @lukesleepwalker said:
    One of the things I love about iWavestation is the "musical roulette" it offers with that Random button up at the top. I often hit that thing and then stretch myself to adapt a tune to whatever shoots out.

    Interesting idea...I'm gonna try that...

  • @lukesleepwalker said:
    One of the things I love about iWavestation is the "musical roulette" it offers with that Random button up at the top. I often hit that thing and then stretch myself to adapt a tune to whatever shoots out. It looks from the documentation and videos that Wavestate offers the same (plus ways to more precisely randomize specific variables). Is that the case in your experience, @mungbeans. Love your user name, btw.

    I've only played with the random button a bit and haven't experimented with it much, but so far it seems good at putting out stuff which is actually usable, or a starting point for usable stuff, rather than useless gibberish.

  • @cloudswimmer said:
    I came real close to buying the Wavestate, it inspired me to actually play around with iWavestation which has sat unused on this iPad for a long time. I came to the conclusion iWavestation actually sounds better the the original Wavestation which I sold and heard everyday in the 90’s during my Jim’s Music Center days .. probably due to the cleaner DAC .. same thing with the Wavestate .. it doesn’t have that nasal boxy quality the originals did .. which I never liked. Now if Korg would just give us a rack mountable version of the Wavestate or a 5 octave version like the original I’d be in, but as a keyboard player the 3 octaves is a no go for me on such a pad monster like this. For others the small form factor I imagine is perfect. Different strokes I guess.

    Different strokes indeed.
    I absolutely love the gritty DAC conversion sound of the Wavestation I have had since 1991.
    In contrast, the modern day digital impressions are clinical and somewhat lifeless to my ears.
    “nasal” and “boxy” are a far cry from the adjectives I would use to describe the sound.
    I agree that the original ( Yamaha I believe) keyboard would be preferable. However I have not played the Wavestate. But these modern slim keys etc are not that great...

  • edited March 2020

    @Jes said:

    @cloudswimmer said:
    I came real close to buying the Wavestate, it inspired me to actually play around with iWavestation which has sat unused on this iPad for a long time. I came to the conclusion iWavestation actually sounds better the the original Wavestation which I sold and heard everyday in the 90’s during my Jim’s Music Center days .. probably due to the cleaner DAC .. same thing with the Wavestate .. it doesn’t have that nasal boxy quality the originals did .. which I never liked. Now if Korg would just give us a rack mountable version of the Wavestate or a 5 octave version like the original I’d be in, but as a keyboard player the 3 octaves is a no go for me on such a pad monster like this. For others the small form factor I imagine is perfect. Different strokes I guess.

    Different strokes indeed.
    I absolutely love the gritty DAC conversion sound of the Wavestation I have had since 1991.
    In contrast, the modern day digital impressions are clinical and somewhat lifeless to my ears.
    “nasal” and “boxy” are a far cry from the adjectives I would use to describe the sound.
    I agree that the original ( Yamaha I believe) keyboard would be preferable. However I have not played the Wavestate. But these modern slim keys etc are not that great...

    Considering the price, I find the form factor a very acceptable compromise.
    The keys are standard size, unlike the *logue keybeds.
    Gritty DAC conversion can be emulated by using the built-in FX if you're into that but I love how the plastic box sounds. Nothing like plastic at all.
    The included sample set is outstanding IMHO and they've included the original Wavestation samples as well.

  • @rs2000 said:

    @Jes said:

    @cloudswimmer said:
    I came real close to buying the Wavestate, it inspired me to actually play around with iWavestation which has sat unused on this iPad for a long time. I came to the conclusion iWavestation actually sounds better the the original Wavestation which I sold and heard everyday in the 90’s during my Jim’s Music Center days .. probably due to the cleaner DAC .. same thing with the Wavestate .. it doesn’t have that nasal boxy quality the originals did .. which I never liked. Now if Korg would just give us a rack mountable version of the Wavestate or a 5 octave version like the original I’d be in, but as a keyboard player the 3 octaves is a no go for me on such a pad monster like this. For others the small form factor I imagine is perfect. Different strokes I guess.

    Different strokes indeed.
    I absolutely love the gritty DAC conversion sound of the Wavestation I have had since 1991.
    In contrast, the modern day digital impressions are clinical and somewhat lifeless to my ears.
    “nasal” and “boxy” are a far cry from the adjectives I would use to describe the sound.
    I agree that the original ( Yamaha I believe) keyboard would be preferable. However I have not played the Wavestate. But these modern slim keys etc are not that great...

    Considering the price, I find the form factor a very acceptable compromise.
    The keys are standard size, unlike the *logue keybeds.
    Gritty DAC conversion can be emulated by using the built-in FX if you're into that but I love how the plastic box sounds. Nothing like plastic at all.
    The included sample set is outstanding IMHO and they've included the original Wavestation samples as well.

    Yes I must admit that I am lusting after one of these

  • Anyone know if there is a System Exclusive specification for the KORG wavestate? Doesn’t seem to be found at the KORG wavestate Downloads section of KORG’s website at least.

    Looking at the MIDI implementation chart of the wavestate manual, I see it says that it supports device inquiry, master volume, and master fine and coarse tuning as SysEx.

    Could it really be that wavestate doesn’t actually support uploading and downloading performances/layers etc. using SysEx? I know KORG has stated that there is no software editor on the roadmap; it would be a shame if SysEx was omitted, since that would also mean that third parties can’t make patch editors either.

    I was seriously going to get a wavestate, but I’m having some reservations until I find out more about this. It seems like an awesome synth, complex and digital, but with hands-on control.

  • @cloudswimmer said:
    I came real close to buying the Wavestate, it inspired me to actually play around with iWavestation which has sat unused on this iPad for a long time. I came to the conclusion iWavestation actually sounds better the the original Wavestation which I sold and heard everyday in the 90’s during my Jim’s Music Center days .. probably due to the cleaner DAC .. same thing with the Wavestate .. it doesn’t have that nasal boxy quality the originals did .. which I never liked. Now if Korg would just give us a rack mountable version of the Wavestate or a 5 octave version like the original I’d be in, but as a keyboard player the 3 octaves is a no go for me on such a pad monster like this. For others the small form factor I imagine is perfect. Different strokes I guess.

    Thanks for this. Was about to ask the same question which you answered.

  • edited May 2020

    @coniferprod said:
    Anyone know if there is a System Exclusive specification for the KORG wavestate? Doesn’t seem to be found at the KORG wavestate Downloads section of KORG’s website at least.

    Looking at the MIDI implementation chart of the wavestate manual, I see it says that it supports device inquiry, master volume, and master fine and coarse tuning as SysEx.

    Could it really be that wavestate doesn’t actually support uploading and downloading performances/layers etc. using SysEx? I know KORG has stated that there is no software editor on the roadmap; it would be a shame if SysEx was omitted, since that would also mean that third parties can’t make patch editors either.

    I was seriously going to get a wavestate, but I’m having some reservations until I find out more about this. It seems like an awesome synth, complex and digital, but with hands-on control.

    No SysEx except for what you've found and there won't ever be a spec most likely because everything is done via IP packets in proprietary format.
    On the other hand, somebody patient enough to decipher the message protocol, hopefully with the help of a knowledgable guy from KORG R&D, should be able to build an editor.
    You can watch the protocol by installing a USB network interface and/or KORG driver (I did it, it's three months back, don't remember exactly) and fire up Wireshark to see the packets that are actually transmitted between the Wavestate knob panel and the control CPU.
    The protocol also supports patch dumps that hold all parameters at once.

    It's not that the Wavestate is a bad instrument without an editor though, after some getting used to, the panel works quite well.
    It's essential to get to know the architecture by heart.
    It's not a conventional synth at all.

  • @rs2000 said:

    No SysEx except for what you've found and there won't ever be a spec most likely because everything is done via IP packets in proprietary format.
    On the other hand, somebody patient enough to decipher the message protocol, hopefully with the help of a knowledgable guy from KORG R&D, should be able to build an editor.
    You can watch the protocol by installing a USB network interface and/or KORG driver (I did it, it's three months back, don't remember exactly) and fire up Wireshark to see the packets that are actually transmitted between the Wavestate knob panel and the control CPU.
    The protocol also supports patch dumps that hold all parameters at once.

    Yep, thanks, I did some more research, and found out that the Librarian indeed communicates via USB using the RNDIS protocol. It sure is a change from the traditional SysEx way.

    So, I'm happy to report that I just got my Wavestate today! I'm going to have to dig in properly and enjoy the synth goodness. If KORG at some point decides to release documentation for the protocol and the file formats, then it's another ballgame. In the meantime, there are plenty of vintage digital synths to make editors for.

    It's not that the Wavestate is a bad instrument without an editor though, after some getting used to, the panel works quite well.
    It's essential to get to know the architecture by heart.
    It's not a conventional synth at all.

    Agree 100%. It's seriously deep, so deep it's ridiculous! I'm actually confident that it might not really need an editor that much anyway. It has a good size screen, and all those knobs and buttons. The Librarian helps to keep your own creations safe and maybe to distribute them to others too.

    The way I'm thinking is, the original Wavestation was released in 1990, and 30 years later, 2020 is the year of the wavestate. If I'm still alive in 2050, this is the synth I'll be tweaking. It's probably the last hardware synth I want or need, at least for a good while. Here's to the next 30 years.

  • As an alternative to Wavestate, check out EvolverFx by 4Pockets. It's epic how amazing it is.

    Lack of sysex on Wavestate is a bit mind-blowing.

  • @auxmux said:
    As an alternative to Wavestate, check out EvolverFx by 4Pockets. It's epic how amazing it is.

    Lack of sysex on Wavestate is a bit mind-blowing.

    There's today's coffee money gone...but then it was $7.99 and when I started this thread I was worried I was going to be convinced I needed the Wavestate itself at $799, so instead I shall feel wealthy all day and for that I thank you :)

  • @JohnnyGoodyear Enjoy! 😁 It's freaking deep. Top release for the year and there's been lots of stuff this year.

  • Yes, Evolver is clearly inspired by the WaveState and has been developed even since its launch - a top app!

  • I've had my Wavetate 3 months now, but I just couldn't get into it for a couple of months, but now I have eventually, what an original amazing synth. Nothing like it out there, really is original, and its so deep (and I have many deep synths such as a TI for example).
    All the presets are cheesy and crap and just too busy, too much going on using all four layers and trying to show off how to play an entire composition using a single finger.
    It wasn't till I simplified and stripped things down and just used a single layer and learnt that the timing lane is really key to sculpting things that I started to get into it.

    For evolving ambient soundscapes it can't be beat.

  • To me that's nothing more than a list of used open source libraries.
    All the interesting stuff is still in the hands of KORG only, I believe.

  • Oh. I’m that’s a shame.

  • Wonder if the wavestate has Bluetooth

  • “ I never got into the wavestation as it was too much of a pain in the butt to use, and I always found you could twiddle knobs and there would be virtually no change at all (i.e. playing around with the filters in the wavestation made hardly any discernable change to the sound, or maybe that was just me not knowing how to use it properly). ”

    I felt the same way about iWavestation, until recently getting my head around the interface. (after a lot of trial and error) Once I figured out the proper way to select sounds per step, how the modulation and FX bus works and other necessary features, I realized I was going about it the hard way before. What seemed awkward and convoluted, I now understand to be practical and incredibly powerful.

    I’m not sure I’d personally gel with the Wavestate now that the app has grown on me. I’m sure it’s much easier to use than the original, but I think I’d miss all the visual cues and niceties of the software.

  • A little (overdue) update:
    A lot has happened in 2021, some nasty things but also some positive developments:
    The Wavestate can now import a significant amount of user samples and KORG have developed a really good editing software plus a sample mapping utility to build your own multisample programs from your own material.
    These can be used as instruments or as part of wave sequences, just like the factory waveforms.

    Considering the now somewhat reduced price, it has become an even more interesting instrument that I'd still prefer over ModWave and OPSIX in terms of sound creation potential.

  • 3 questions for Wavestate users:

    1) if I design a patch on wavestate native (vst)
    can I transfer it to the wavestate hardware?!
    and how !?

    2) is granular (sort of) synthesis possible on wavestate !?

    3) any good not cheesy/experimental/weird/soundscape
    examples (audio or video) that push wavestate far out
    of presets (silly) sounds !?

    thnx!!!

    I'm thinking of getting one
    the last train ... (quite hard to get a new one nowadays...)

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