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New Hardware Synths by Korg: Modwave, miniKorg, ARP 2600M
Seems like Korg are continuing to be busy. After releasing their rompler Wavestation and FM-based Opsix they are going for the same size-format with the Modwave which seems to be tackling wavetable synthesis and bringing some features from the Wavestation as well but also a Kaoss pad to modulate.
Their blurb is among the lines of: "modwave builds on the DW legacy and transforms it into a modern monster synth, featuring incredibly deep wavetable oscillators, gorgeous filters, wildly flexible modulation, unmatched polyphony, comprehensive pattern sequencing, and immediately satisfying hands-on control to deliver unique, powerful, and easily customizable sounds and phrases.
It features over 200 wavetables, each containing up to 64 waveforms—from thousands of individual waves. You can use the 30+ Modifiers to change their basic character, and the 13 Morph Types to process them in real-time. Create new hybrids from any two wavetables using the realtime A/B Blend, giving you over 230 million wavetable variations out of the box. But you can also load your own custom wavetables in Serum or WaveEdit formats."
There's the full press release here:
https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2021/01/18/new-korg-modwave-wavetable-synthesizer-a-synthesis-powerhouse/
The other one is a reissue of some ancient release of them and it seems like the famous Kitaro has some nice memories of it
Lastly it's the smaller version of the ARP 2600 they re-released some time ago at a very expensive price but still became sold out quite quickly. Then You-Know-Which-Nemesis-Of-The-Audio-Hardware-World decided to clone it for cheap thus I suppose this is trying to get some ground back.
Comments
Sweet. Now I can finally recreate Being Boiled.
All of this looks great, but I think the most exciting part of this is the Kaoss Physics and Motion Sequencing 2.0 branding. That means it’s a safe bet we’ll start seeing the features show up in future products. I’m not in the market for a keyboard synth, but an updated Electribe Sampler would be VERY welcome.
Kronos successor please...
Keyboard-less modules please of all these: modwave, wavestate, and opsix.
I would like that as well, but I think over on the big gearslutz Wavestate thread a Korg official mentioned some time ago a desktop version is not at all a priority. I find it hard to see why, as the Minilogue XD desktop was well received.
Would a Kurzweil K2600 successor do instead?
https://kurzweil.com/k2700/
Apparently Yamaha will drop some new stuff during this week as well...
I read a translated article some time ago but apparently they will revive some classic Yamaha tech what ever that means.
PLG-150AN was mentioned in the article (that I can't seem to find right now).
a reFace MX with multiple synthesis methods be a real boon
It'll be an interesting week for sure!
Loving the look of the Modwave
Best news, for me, is that Korg announced there will be an editor forthcoming for the Wavestate. That got me off-the-fence!
I get confused with mod wave and wave state/ wish they were rolled up into one. It almost looked like one was boutique size from one pic. Wave runner is next synth, then jet ski wave mod and wave state mod xd od.
Found this post by Dan Phillips of Korg:
They're very different, actually.
The Wavestate is fundamentally a samples + subtractive synthesis architecture. Wave Sequences play lists of samples, and can also modify synthesis parameters, like a complex step sequencer. The primary point of interest is the way that Wave Sequencing 2.0 can manipulate the order, timing, and synthesis parameters associated with the samples in complex, non-repetitive, and modulatable ways, and the richness that this provides when combined with the samples themselves.
The modwave is primarily a wavetable synthesizer. (It can play samples too, but not wave sequences.) Its oscillators play single-cycle waveforms. These waveforms are grouped into sets called "wavetables," which let you smoothly transform from one single-cycle waveform to another. You can change these wavetables in various ways at load time (such as isolating odd or even harmonics, adding new harmonics through anti-aliased clipping and quantization, etc), and also manipulate the oscillators in realtime, with modulation, in some ways similar to analog oscillators (sync, several variations on pulse width modulation) and other ways which are digital-only (such as mirroring and flipping).
The modwave also has an advanced, per-voice step sequencer that leverages the discrete "lanes" concept of Wave Sequencing 2.0 for creating complex, non-repetitive patterns. Unlike Wave Sequencing, though, it doesn't trigger samples with sequencer steps. **Kaoss Physics **is really quite a different thing than any previous Kaoss Pad, btw - it's a game-like physics engine designed to be used as a modulation source.
Thanks governor! All pretty clear now. That kaoss dual knob thing seems awesome. Have a good weekend.
Article about Modwave by Francis Preve (who also did sounds for Electribe Wave) https://cdm.link/2021/01/inside-korgs-modwave-sound-design-tips-for-this-upcoming-wavetable-synth
Too complicated.
Modwave is like two instances of Serum stacked or SynthmasterOne. Unless you really want a hardware digital synth, there are plenty of options in software already. For parameter sequencing which those don't have, you could always use an external sequencer for midi cc like Drambo, miRack, or Stepbud.
Korg have also shown the WaveState SE with a five octave keyboard with aftertouch (for future release). I’m not really in the market at the moment for hardware, but if I were, that would definitely be on the shortlist.
I must admit, seeing one of the sound designers recommend to use the software editor for a ‘knobby’ synth like this doesn’t feel right to me.
Unsurprising the demos on SoundCloud have a quality reminiscent of Electribe Wave. Which I love but ironically find too basic (no adsr ENVs, no keyboard tracking for the filter).
Modwave has yet to reveal to me how much it would add for somebody who owns a Wavestate already. Wavestate can cover a lot of ground that the Modwave brings to the table but not vice versa.
Pretty much my feeling too. I mean, I really like Korg Wave and also Statler & Waldorf Nave, understand them fully etc, but can’t feel like paying that much money for a hardware keyboard of that sort of thing is the way to go. It indubitably is a good piece of kit, and has good knobs chosen for a good UX flow, but, well, Nave and Wave is cheaper and does the job.
I think my main objection is that it’s the same old over complex architecture that we’ve seen for decades from Korg’s digital thinking. Several layers of many programs of several blocks with several connection algorithms, each block having vast amounts of options, and so on. It certainly gives the original programmers of the scheme a hardon to give every possible option to the user, but really that’s not the way to go, draw a line somewhere and limit the options and limit it in a good way. The end result of this methodology is cognitive overload, and the product of that is patches that use a tiny percentage of the possibilities, because, well, there’s too many possibilities. The sound designer inevitably draws their own line of comfort and familiarity and then only works within that small area of the possibilities, ignoring all the other options.
At the moment I’m pulling away from complex architectures because although I understand them well enough, I never actually get much done in them. I’m thinking about what is the cognitive optimum synth for me. For a start it has to be one knob per function. Then it has to fit within the cognitive scratchpad of the artistic pursuit in hand. Should I be happy with, for eg a Crave? I’d find that limiting and I’d get bored after a while. Something like my old Mono/Poly? That was probably about the limit to be honest. Something like an OpSix? I’d love one, and I’m totally comfortable with FM, but again, it’s probably going to overload the flow state. The more I think about it, the ARP 2600 was probably the optimum synth to keep it all in the head at once.
Wavestate = Wavestation 2.0 in small keyboard. 2.0 is the Wave Sequencing 2.0 stuff, VA filters (MS-20, etc.)
Modwave = DW8000 2.0 in small keyboard. 2.0 is Motion Sequencing in 4 lanes, 5 LFOs, VA filters, generally more up to date wavetable synthesis, not to be confused with vector synthesis (Wavestation). Instead of Wavestate's Wave Sequencing, you get modulation up the wazoo.
That's how some folks have been spinning it.
The whole point of the DW8000 was digital waves with an analogue filters, seems Korg have come up short again.. shame really!
The people who want to buy a modWave seem to think the modeled filters sound really good. But that makes sense - if you think the filters sound terrible you wouldn't be thinking of buying this thing.
On a tangent, I was reminded of discussion about the Waldorf Iridium when it came out. Some people complained about it having digital filters instead of analog like its big brother the Quantum. Turned out that's how Iridium can offer more polyphony.
So I guess modWave would not have 32-voice polyphony if it had analog filters. Well, if it did, I think it would cost more than the $799 price that seems to be floating around.
Yeah, the spin that modwave is a DW8000 is meh. DW8000 was a lot more limited but analog filters are always pretty and preferred. If the filters in modwave were analog, I'd have more a desire for it. But with digital you can a lot more choices.
The people who have been saying modWave reminds them of DW8000 are the ones who want to buy one. I never owned or played a DW8000 so I sure wouldn't have come up with the comparison/analogy/whatever on my own.
I mention the DW6000 in this video here:
What The Fuck Do Those Knobs Do? iM1 DWGS
Well put. It’s all about that balance. Same with iWavestation (complex) and Kiev (basic), if they’d make those meet in the middle that would be the sweetspot for me.
Kaoss Physics might introduce interesting modulations, though I’d expect the results could sound similar to an LFO modulated by another LFO.
Still appreciate a big company like Korg producing synths like Wavestate, Opsix and Modwave.
I bet the Randomize function alone is fun. Sequencer seems great too.
I’m not bothered about the filters being digital (obvious with 32 voices). These models sound good and maybe the new ‘gain controls’ help spice them up. Also curious to hear the wavetable ‘modifiers’.
One such 'sweet spot' (for me) could be a AUv3 romper-style synth with two sample based oscillators (envelopes and lfo's for pitch, amp, filter, modulation) where one waveform could (if needed) modify the other (ie. wave-shaping, sync, ringmod, ,frequency modulation etc.) and an 8 slot mod-matrix (again only when needed) with all the classic Korg effects from the MDE-X Plug-In.
The above would easily fit on one screen so no menu-diving or page-flipping would be needed.
It could be complemented with an arpeggiator/step-sequencer page to create some animation to the sound and optional preset layering.
Top it of with 1-2GB's of classic Korg samples covering everything back to the beginning (DW8000, DSS-8, M1, 01W, WaveStation, Triton, ES, Electribe's etc.) and sell the app for $49.99
(Yeah, like that is every going to happen LOL).
Anyways, hope the VR 'hype' won't destroy Gadget completely...
@Samu Throw in a full featured gadget of that (call it Loveland) and I’m on my way to pick up a iTunes card
DSS-8? You mean DS-8, but that was a FM synth.
DSS-1 I missed a number
Real men store their samples on floppy disks 😅