Korg has turned its powerful modwave hardware wavetable Synthesizer into a native VST/AU/AAX plugin for macOS and Windows.
In 2022, an exciting and welcome trend emerged in the Synthesizer market. More and more developers are going a hybrid route. Hybrid in the sense that certain products no longer exist exclusively as hardware or software. Korg, Roland, or Arturia offer current hardware synthesizers as software versions. For example, users of the MiniFreak Synthesizer get an emulation for the DAW for free.
Roland, on the other hand, offers a complete environment with the ZenCore Engine that stands on hybrid legs. Korg has also released its latest innovative digital hardware synthesizers as native plugins. And with the modwave, Korg is now bringing the third digital synth to your DAW as a native version.
Korg modwave native
The Korg modwave native is the plugin version of the modwave hardware Synthesizer. It includes the same rich feature set as the hardware. A dual-layer DW-8000-inspired wavetable engine with sample content, various filters, high-quality effects, and a rich modulation engine with up to 1000 possible destinations.
A highlight is loading your own wavetables and samples inside the engine. You can use custom wavetables from the WaveEdit software or the popular Serum plugin. In this way, you can massively expand the sound spectrum and give the modwave its very own character.
Not to be scoffed at is the large selection of filter models and high-quality effects with which you can manipulate sounds. Already in the wavestate and opsix they were completely convincing.
Another feature highlight of the modwave is its sophisticated modulation engine, which is anything but small. It offers different envelopes and LFOs with over 1000 possible destinations giving you endless sound design possibilities. On top, you can also set sounds in motion with the built-in KAOSS physics engine that is exclusively available in the modwave synth.
And if that’s not enough, you can launch the motion sequencing 2.0 engine, initially premiered in the wavestate Synthesizer. A powerful engine with multiple tracks allows you to capture parameter movements.
You get everything from the hardware in one plugin. Glad to see that Korg is offering this to existing customers as well as non-hardware users. Even though hardware synths are always held in higher esteem by musicians, this step is a very good one.
Mainly because it allows you to discover the complete engine on one screen without spending hours looking at a mini display and working through the menu. One of the weaknesses of current Korg digital synthesizers. Massive innovative engines but mini display and a lot of menu diving.
The native plugin version is here a significant improvement. What you should not forget: you can also send sounds from the plugin version to the hardware or vice versa. So a perfect hardware and software match.
Korg modwave native is available now for an introductory price of $149 USD. Existing hardware customers can crossgrade to the native software version for $49,99 USD. Check out the Korg website for further details. It runs as a VST3, AU, and AAX plugin on macOS and Windows.
More information here: Korg
modwave hardware is available at my partner
Please Korg, look at Aruria, how customer loyalty has been done!
You buy a Minifreak, you’ll get the Plugin as well.
you buy a Korg Modawave and order the Plugin, you get a bill over 99 bucks 🤷🏼♂️
Modwave has absolutely nothing to do with DW8000 whatsoever. Just some crap Korg put in their marketing.