Groove Synthesis - 3rd Wave Desktop

For those who have been eagerly awaiting a more compact version of the 3rd Wave, the 3rd Wave Desktop Module delivers. It retains all the features and connections of its keyboard counterpart but in a smaller unit, making it perfect for studios with limited space. The only compromise is a reduction in the number of knobs and buttons. Nevertheless, with its three oscillators per voice, analog low-pass filters, and multi-stage wave envelopes, the 3rd Wave Module offers the same powerful synthesis capabilities. This smaller footprint and lower price point might be just what you need to finally add this remarkable synthesizer to your collection.

This is not something you come across every day. This is a synthesizer that takes you back to the legendary PPG Wave days while also featuring some “modern” enhancements. Developed by Groove Synthesis, this beauty offers a digital/analogue hybrid experience that has the potential to leave its mark on this decade.

3rd Waves center is – of course – the Wavetable Engine. It features 32 classic PPG wavetables that retains all those beautiful growly artifacts that were an important part of the original character. It also has 48 custom high-resolution wavetables, and seven analog-modelled waves. A best-of waveforms so to say. On top of that, you get the ability to import your own wavetables and as of firmware version 1.8 there is also a sampling option.

If you ever had the pleasure of programming a Prophet 12 you’ll immediately find similarities in their design. This is not a coincidence. Bob Coover, one of the founders of Groove Synthesis used to work for Sequential and was part of the team that developed the Prophet 12. They definitely did not skimp on the build-quality either, this thing is S-O-L-I-D!

3rd Wave has extensive multi-timbral capabilities. In an attempt to justify its price, you could imagine it as four independent synths. You can split it into four distinct parts, each with its own engine and effects. This flexibility means you can play huge single sounds, layer multiple parts, or trigger different sounds on separate MIDI channels.

A feature not to be missed in a Wavetable-Synth is the Wavetable-Envelope. This Synth has three of these and it is a six-stage variety. It allows you to sweep through the 64 waveshapes within a wavetable, adding movement to your sounds. Combined with the synth's four-part multi-timbrality and 24 voices of polyphony leads to epic results quite often.

72 WT-Oscs, 24 LP-Filter with Saturation plus digital Multimode-Filter, 48 VCAs. The list goes on. These are the basic features and Groove Synthesis is constantly working on improvements. The latest addition being a Sample-Option. We just urge you to take a listen to the sound demos to get an impression. Or better yet: Visit our Showroom for a test-ride.

Features:

• Classic PPG-inspired wavetable synthesis
• Four-part multi-timbrality with 24 voices of polyphony
• Three oscillators with 96kHz high-resolution wavetables
• Six-stage Wave Envelope for dynamic sound movement
• Importable custom wavetables via Wavemaker software
• Onboard arpeggiator and dual effects per part
• Extensive modulation matrix with 16 assignable slots and 114 destinations
• 64 User wavetable positions with 48 wavetables with 64 waveforms per table
• 32 Original 8-bit wavetables of the PPG2 instruments
• 7 Modelled analogue waveforms (Sine, Saw, Triangle, Supersaw, Pulse, White Noise, Pink Noise)
• VCO sync
• Linear FM
• Analogue low-pass filter (Dave Rossum 2140 low-pass resonant filter)
• State-variable filter (SEM-Style)
• 4 x ADSR + delay envelopes
• 4 x LFO’s (Triangle, Sawtooth, Reverse Sawtooth, Square, Pulse 1, Pulse 2, Pulse 3 and Random (S&H))
• 2 Digital effects processors (BBD, Stereo Delay, Tape Delay, Chorus, Phaser, Flanger, Distortion Pedal, Rotating Speaker, Ring Mod, Room Reverb, Hall Reverb, Super Plate Reverb)
• Sequencer (4 multi-part songs per programme, 24 sequences per song)
• Arpeggiator
• 16-Slot modulation matrix per multi-part
• 77 Knobs and 39 buttons
• Pitch and mod wheels
• 500 Presets (possible to overwrite by user presets)
• Added in FW 1.8: Sampling support