3rd Wave from Groove Synthesis -- Both Keyboard & Desktop

The Lounge Other Gear
#63

I sold a Waldorf Iridium (amazing synth, but not so hard to replace its capabilities and sound with plugins), Moog Subsequent 37 (I’ll miss it, but I have Moog apps and Diva that can get a very similar sound) and an Octatrack (I don’t perform live) to fund a 3rd Wave keyboard.
You could think I’m crazy, but this synth is so good, I think it was worth it.

The sound is stellar, it can sound like a Prophet, Oberheim, it can sound like a PPG (obviously), and it can sound like a proper modern wavetable, and all these personalities can always be interacting as you have 4 parts.
For people who are used to a Sequential synth workflow (Pro 2/3, P12, rev2), they will feel at home with it.

It’s a flagship synth, it has a premium price, but also premium built and sound. I think the word expensive can lead us to think “overpriced”, so I wouldn’t even use that word. Yes, it requires a bunch of dollar bills to own it, but when you put it against synths like Quantum, OB-X8, Prophet 10, Moog One, etc… you realize how much more you’re getting here.

I loved my Iridium, and I still do, I think it’s a fantastic synth. But there’s one little thing about it that I didn’t like. The different engines don’t really interact with each other, there’s no cross modulation between them. You are layering them, that’s it. The 3rd Wave is different, you can have a PPG wave on one OSC, a modern wavetable on another, and a Virtual Analog one on another, and you’re still doing sync, and FM between them. Sounds like a small thing, but it’s actually a big one for me in terms of workflow and sound design.

Also we all know how effects in synths are usually mediocre. I think the ones in the 3rd wave are very, very good. The kind you’d expect to have on a good quality external multi fx pedal.

12 Likes
#64

Indeed. Same for me.

(you can probably do some of that within the “kernels”, but I find that too fiddly)

1 Like
#65

I really wish it had VESA mounting.

#66

I read on a forum that some people think the sound is a bit scooped, mainly emphasising lows and highs. Big bottom end but a little unwieldy. Can anyone comment.

#67

I don’t find it lacking in mid frequency content in the demos. It sounds just right to me. It really comes down to the sound design I think. With the Digitone I usually have to reduce the mids.

1 Like
#68

Honest question: I’ve been playing with one of these in my local shop trying to figure out what makes it great and completely failing. This is 100% my lack of knowledge and patching skills with wavetables, I feel. So those that are out there and loving the 3W, what’s your go-to trick? What’s the thing you do, then hear it, and are like, “Yeah, that’s the stuff!”

#69

Can speak directly to the 3rd wave but the M is a similar idea, I would say for a very PPG sound go light on the filtering, pick a wavetable that sweeps resonance and add a bell type wavetable. The technically most interesting part of the PPG sound is essentially the way it gets around aliasing sounding “bad”, instead the aliasing is always harmonically relevant to the sound. Playing sounds down a few octaves usually shows this off best.

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#70

This guy plays some pretty sweet sounds - especially the first one. Beautiful. Makes me want that desktop model even more.

5 Likes
#71

It appears that one either likes that sound or one doesn’t. Wavetable is apparently not for me.

#72

And you really had to write that reply in a wavetable synth thread? :smile:

#73

Yes, for I’ve realised it just now :cool: (I used to own a Hydrasynth and its WT part never appealed much to me either)

#74

The 3rd wave is like a super luxury Hydrasynth and I don’t think you can compare the two. I hear a much more refined (vintage) tone on the 3rd wave and it has analog filters.

I’d say wavetable is only an advantage since you have so many waveforms to work with. You don’t have to sweep through the wavetable in every sound.
I got fed up with the Hydra too and I’m selling it.

#75

All I hear is reverb.

A better reverb than the Hydrasynth but really that’s what’s giving the most character to these sounds.

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#76

Well I completely disagree. The reverb has nothing to do with the synths overall character. I’m talking about the sound of the oscillators and filters. Plenty of sounds in the playlist above without reverb.

2 Likes
#77

The Third Wave sounds damn good , TBO im blown away by the sound quality.
Im trying to sell my Waldorf M to afford one since its just very expensive … harggg.
Its too bad there is no 12 voices versions for a more reasonable price since i could live without the multi timbral / 24 voices version.

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#78

yesterday one was listed on MW for $2450. there was a feeding frenzy until the seller corrected his typo to $4250 :rofl:

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#79

Would love to have one, but without selling other gear it’s not gonna happen. In the meantime I’ll just stick to the mighty Blofeld

2 Likes
#80

LOL, this is the literal same unit I’ve been trying and failing to get comfortable with at the store! He makes it sound so much better. Something I’m hearing is much greater use of arps or S&H or whatever than I would normally use in a patch. I kept trying for evolving pads, but it sounds better in discrete, woven bursts — even with pads on top like that example at the end. I need to grab him next time I’m at the shop and beg for tips.

1 Like
#81

I swear a lot of people are succumb to the “this costs more must sound better” between the 2… they do have different flavors I suppose and workflow on the 3rd wave is much more modern. But between the asic bug and the transition samples on the M I have zero temptation to move over to the 3rd wave. I suppose I prefer the more 90s edge of the M though… while the 3rd wave hits the 80s type sounds a bit more?

3 Likes
#82

I wish i liked the M workflow but i hate it even if i really like the sound. I dont like the multimode, the GUI, the workflow in general and the M is buggy. Kinda regret buying the M tbo though i like the sound. So thats why im looking at the 3 wave as a replacement .
Edit:
But there was a huge price drop on the M (gonna sell with a huge loss) so i might keep it and hope Waldorf fix the bugs and refine the firmware.

1 Like