Superbooth 2025: Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave 8M is the 8-voice module version of the 24-voice hybrid wavetable PPG-style Synthesizer.
With the 3rd Wave, the US-based company Groove Synthesis has revived the PPG Wave synths in a modern, more feature-rich version. They offer wavetable synthesis and short sampling combined with analog filters per voice. A GAS killer for many is the high price: the keyboard is over 5000€, and the desktop is almost 4000€.
For Superbooth 2025, the Groove Synthesis developers presented a smaller, cheaper, but less voicy version, the 3rd Wave 8M.
Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave 8M
The 3rd Wave 8M is a new compact desktop version of its best-known 3rd Wave 24-voice multi-timbral advanced PPG-style wavetable Synthesizer. This new version aims to make the device more accessible to more people without compromising on sound quality or core features.
It features eight voices of polyphony instead of 24 and bi-timbral operation (split/layer) instead of four parts. The engine remains the same in this version, with three oscillators per voice and various synthesis types: wavetable synthesis, VA, FM, and sampling.
Then, you can find the same eight analog filters and output circuit as in the 24-voice models (24K and 24M). Important note: the 8M patches are completely compatible with the other synths. If you have a 4-part multi-timbral patch, the synth can only play two parts.
A big difference is the new streamlined user interface. It has fewer haptic controls in the form of knobs. Instead, it has a significantly larger screen with six encoders instead of four. But you have complete hands-on control over the oscillators, filters, and envelopes.
On the backside, it has four balanced outputs, two for each part, for flexible studio integration, a phone jack, expression pedal inputs, an audio input, full MIDI I/O, and a USB port.
“We created the 8M to bring the distinct 3rd Wave sonic character and sound design capabilities to more musicians and producers,” said Bob Coover, co-founder of Groove Synthesis.
“This isn’t a watered-down version of our flagship 24-voice models. The signal processing chain, analog electronics, and the sound are the same as on the 24. The 8M just makes the 3rd Wave experience accessible to musicians, sound designers, and producers who don’t need the full scale system.”
First Impression
Many have been waiting for a cheaper version of the 3rd Wave. Now it’s here. I’m pleased they’ve responded to the requests and built a version that costs half as much. However, you’ll also have to forgo 16 voices and two layers.
The user interface is really important to me when buying an instrument. The 3rd Wave 8M and Waldorf Iridium Core both make me a bit nervous — they’re stripping an important part of the instrument down to the bare minimum. At some point, it makes more sense to buy a $200 Launch Pad pro and a softsynth instead because it will be more hands-on.
Mayer MD850 (which actually has 8 extra voices!). Yeah, not going to go for these things either. Those need to come with an editor, which will turn them into preset boxes with some live controls. I suppose there’s a market for these though.
One might say, it’s more focused than, and you will always have the “problem”, that a Launchpad, Launch Control or any other MIDI controller are not specifically made with a UI workflow in mind, like i.e. the Elektron boxes do.
For clarification, I’m no hardware gear nut, because especially for digital synths like this, it’s hard to justify a price tag of 2k for a software with knobs. In the end, it’s the user experience, I buy hardware for, not the sound. You can have any sound (yes, also analog or analog sounding, fight me, bros), but it’s the approach to making, creating, finding new sounds, that makes me buy hardware.
In this regard, I can’t recommend the modwave module enough. It’s flys so low under the radar and has gotten so dirt cheap, has a software integration and a software version and is so insanely powerful. I mean… it strikes the perfect balance between usability and giving you outboard controls and sound. In the end, any Serum, Phaseplant or Pigments will be more powerful and I just think, that there’s a physical limit of what you can build as a hardware UI, before it gets incredibly expensive like the Waldorf stuff.
Long story short… I think the value to money ratio on this one is a bit steep for what it is (also it’s butt ugly, but that’s my opinion). I use the modwave with the Launchpad Pro for performance, btw. Two octaves so I can play splits and then the four macro knobs mapped as faders. Super fun.
Yeah, exactly. Almost the only thing hardware has over software anymore is the UI. When a piece of hardware’s UI becomes less immediate, fun, or intuitive than software, may as well use software.
Will this have a 19″ rack kit?
I saw this yesterday at SB25 and actually I prefer it to the full-size module – the larger screen and 6 knobs above seems to work a little better for me – Groove Synthesis confirmed it is rack mountable and – a little thing maybe – but they’ve matched the blue of the overlay much closer to the kbd now.
Excellent, will buy (despite the colour, but that can be fixed i guess)