Groove Synthesis has released the major firmware update OS 2.0.a for the 3rd Wave synthesizers with a new shimmer reverb, new ways to make waves, and more.
The 3rd Wave keyboard marked the beginning of Groove Synthesis’s adventure, with the goal of building a wavetable Synthesizer that would be close to the legendary PPG Wave but also distinctly modern. In my opinion, they’ve achieved that.
The 3rd Wave 24-inch desktop followed, along with a more affordable 8M version. Good news: the first major free update, version 2.0a, is now available for all three Groove Synthesis devices with new features and improvements.
Groove Synthesis OS 2.0a
The new OS 2.0a is available now as a free download and is compatible with all three models: the 3rd Wave keyboard, 24 desktop, and 8M desktop.
One highlight of this new firmware is an all-new unique shimmer reverb, available in effect slot 2 after the Super Plate. It’s unique because it’s pretty comprehensive.
It gives you the ability to shift the pitch in fractions of a semitone across a full two-octave range, from one octave down to one octave up, which means you’re not limited to complete octave or semitone shifts like in classic shimmer verbs.
This topology lets you explore in-between settings and intervals most shimmer effects can’t reach. You can achieve lush and consonant to genuinely dissonant and unsettled results. A filter cutoff also lets you shape the reverb’s tone.
You can go deeper with the modulation matrix. Yes, the mod matrix includes some parameters: rev time, pitch amount, and LP/HP cutoff. This gives you the freedom to create very organic shimmer reverbs that breathe.
Makes Waves Level Up!
The 3rd Wave synthesizers don’t need an external software tool to create wavetables. All three have a tool built directly into the hardware for turning audio into custom wavetables. In firmware OS 2.0a, Groove Synthesis gave this a major level up.
It introduces a new third mode called spectral. Instead of tracking pitch or hunting for splice points in the waveform itself, it analyzes the audio in the frequency domain to find the best slices across the entire file.
The new spectral mode is well-suited for sounds with a pitch that wanders or never quite settles. Feed it something strange and Make Waves will find the wavetable hiding inside it. Like the other modes, you can create wavetables with a touch of a button and save them in the hardware’s memory.
Alongside these two major new additions, it expands the MIDI CC mappings for the 24M and 8M desktop modules and introduces new MIDI SysEx features. The latter includes wavetable and sample import/export.
On the firmware 2.0a menu, you can also find a new envelope retrigger option with a quick reset, plus various bug fixes.
Further, Groove Synthesis also previews more upcoming news. They are working on an official software companion to make it easier to organize and edit 3rd Wave sounds from a computer. They are looking for a small testing group.
In case you are interested, you can contact them via: support@groovesynthesis.com
First Impression
A great firmware update for the 3rd Wave Synthesizer series. It’s great to hear that they’re working on an official editor and sound librarian; that’s something the synth is still missing.
The new Groove Synthesis OS 2.0a firmware is available now as a free update for all three 3rd Wave synths: keyboard, 24M Desktop, and 8M Desktop.
More information here: Groove Synthesis
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Thomann
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