Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave, the mighty 4-part multi-timbral 3-oscillator wavetable Synthesizer with analog filters, goes desktop.
The new company Groove Synthesis caused a surprise at NAMM last year. That with their 3rd Wave Synthesizer. This one came out of nowhere. A quick announcement is often enough to arouse people’s interest. It is a powerful synth heavily inspired by the iconic PPG Synthesizer.
24 voices, 4-part multi-timbral, 3 oscillators per voice, analog & digital filters, hardware wavetable generation, and more. Now comes the next step, one that has already been expected. The desktop version of the 3rd Wave is about to be released.
Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave Desktop
Update: it’s officially released!
The release is not yet official with a press release. However, the official Groove Synthesis website already shows the new 3rd Wave Desktop. We see a much more compact device in the beautiful PPG-style blue finish, just like the big 3rd synth.
The keyboard version of the 3rd Wave is particularly characterized by a very hands-on, instant user interface. It’s packed with knobs and buttons. In total, there are 77 knobs and 39 buttons. Different in the desktop. Here you can tweak sounds with 41 knobs if I haven’t miscounted. The rest is probably implemented using a shift system or with the menu.
There are also many small buttons for activating features and navigating. Not as big, beautiful buttons as on the 3rd Wave keyboard, but a logical decision given the small sizes. The display, however, has remained and provides direct feedback on the engine.
Hybrid Wavetable Engine
Both synths will probably share the same engine, which means you get the same powerful hybrid features in a more compact format.
- 24 voices
- 4-part multi-timbral
- three high-resolution digital oscillators with analog-modeling and wavetable synthesis
- 64 total user wavetable positions with 48 wavetables that contain 64 waveforms per table (32 legacy PPG waves with room for another 16 of this type)
- VCO sync and linear FM
- 6-stage wave envelope per oscillator with variable time and position that can be looped
- unique wave flow
- analog 24dB lowpass filter based on the Dave Rossum designed, classic, 2140 with resonance compensation
- state variable filter with 12dB
- 4 ADSR + delay envelopes with optional vintage PPG-style response
- 4 multi-wave LFOs with variable delay, note reset, and sync
- multi-fx section with two slots: BBD, stereo delay, tape delay, chorus, phaser, flanger, distortion pedal, rotating speaker, ring mod, room reverb, hall reverb, super plate reverb. Plus syncable and modulatable.
- wavemaker tool for custom wavetable creation in the hardware and Serum wavetables support
- sequencer with both note and parameter sequencing (4 parts per sequence, 4 sequences per preset…)
- arpeggiator with one arp per multi-part
- 16-slot modulation matrix per multi-part
First Impression
A logical next step. The desktop version looks very elegant, and I can imagine that many PPG friends will now be reluctant to put it on their desk.
Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave Desktop will be available for $3495 USD in November 2023.
More information here: Groove Synthesis
Available at my partners
Groove Synthesis confirmed on the Gearspace thread that the price will be $3495.
(https://gearspace.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-and-electronic-music-production/1380578-groove-synthesis-3rd-wave-ppg-inspired-advanced-wavetable-synthesizer-202.html)
This is amazing news! I’ll gladly wait a year to save up the cash to get my hands on this beast. <3
The keyboard version looks and sounds like a beast…unfortunately out of my price range! But this desktop version is a great move, cheaper, and takes up less space.