Korg Modwave

Slightly different implementation, but generally speaking, Hydrasynth Mutators are similar to modwave Morph Types.

The demo ā€œCassiniā€ is one of Francis’ sounds.

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June 16, $850? Also, Thomann and Juno.

probably more like $799 USD for US shops.

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899 CAN$

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Welcome to Elektronauts danatkorg !

Precisely. I’ve been comparing the two, as closely as the slim amount of documentation for the DW will permit, and there are lots of similarities. I think we should add the A/B Blend function in with the Morph functions too. The HS has their Ring Mod external to the Mutants as a separate part more or less at the same level as the oscillators, so it probably has more options for inputs, and separation into the mixer.

The DW documents so far don’t precisely call out all 13 of the Morph functions, but the ones that are listed sound pretty similar.

The DW has two oscillators each with two wavetables each that can be blended, along with a Sub/Noise oscillator, which is different. Each wavetable can be made up of up to 64 waves, but it loads as a block not as individual waves (as far as i can make out) which is different.

The DW also handles samples, and as best as i can tell some of the morph functions apply to samples too. The DW of course also has two layers of all this which can be key-mapped, velocity-split, or blended. These last two features really do differentiate the two synths.

But what’s on a piece of paper and what happens in someone’s hands is really different, as well as how it all sounds, and that’s where the true differences lie.

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Not excited to be honest. It doesn’t have any features I need to ā€œreplaceā€ the Hydra in my set up.

The motion sequencers of Korg are rubbish and a pain to program if you don’t want to record it live. They only smooth when recording live and not when dialing in let step. My pyramid can do this with ease.

And the Korg support in the NL is the worst I’ve ever seen.

Hehe look at me being grumpy in the morning :joy:

I guess that’s why we’ve not had any more demos more yet… that one livestream was pretty poor - demonstrating an osc mod whilst the other osc is drowning it out etc. Still looks cool in spite of that. Definitely hanging off in hope of a desktop version (and similarly for the Opsix).

Just watched the stream. That was the worst demo ever for a product. And then it was coming from Korg themself. For me it is a sign that the product won’t be that good. If you can’t demo your own product… missed chance.

Only the Kaoss part is rad. But further the sound is bad, the horrible menudiving when he clicks through the pages. :nauseated_face:

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I’ve been annoyed that there aren’t more demos, but can tell from a couple of the SoundCloud ones and my experience with the OPSIX that I will really dig the sound.

I’ve listened to countless Hydrasynth demos, on the other hand, with hopes of finding a reason to get one because I love the UI, but the sound is too tinny to me.

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I’ve just been listening to more Wavestate demos to get a clear picture of how the filters sound, as they are the same in the Modwave.

The multi filter is super flexible. Nord Lead 3 conceptual vibes, but far more customizable.

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That Multi Filter is so sweet; I really wish it was on the OPSIX too, but the OPSIX was designed by a Japanese team, not the same team that designed the Wavestate and Mod Wave. It’ll be interesting trying designs from both teams.

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After seeing Wavestate and Opsix in person, I have a little less concerns about build quality, although there’s still some problems, namely the very workmanly keyboard and the screws on the front panel, which just is not good design IMO. But overall I can see the value of these instruments.

The Wavestate SE looks to be more down my alley. Those aluminum knobs look mighty fine. If the keybed is nice it may be a slam dunk.

Trust me the Hydra doesn’t sound thin at all. It can produce ā€œwarmā€ sounds with ease. I have one and it is a lust. But it can be personal.

When I listen to the modwave and OP6 in comparison to the Hydra they have more ā€œdigitalā€ thinner sound palette to me. Therefor I would stick to the Hydra and the Digitone.

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Where are you hearing the modwave? I’ve only heard the single Korg promo video which is already overproduced and doesn’t give much to judge on, and the livestream recording which was garbage 96kbps audio anyway.
What other sounds have you heard? Links?

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Well yeah the demo is garbage quality I know. But on SoundCloud they have some examples. Jus go to the Korg website and check them out yourself. For me the sounds of the mod wave don’t do it at the moment. And agree there is not much to listen at the moment.

Yeah, it’s personal/subjective. I just don’t like how the Hydrasynth sounds at all. It irritates my ears.

I’ve owned the Digitone about 3 different times, and I’ve owned the OPSIX for a couple weeks now. Programming sounds on the OPSIX everyday, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s my favorite FM synth synth I’ve used in my over 2 decades of playing with synths.

If it’s not your cup of tea, that’s fine. I probably won’t be going to you for synth advice as you probably won’t be going to me either.

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Not a problem everyone has their own taste of sounds and that is a good thing. Sorry for the ā€œrashā€ Corona lockdown makes me grumpy.

The OP6 does appeal to me UI wise as it is laid out very clearly. So in that case I would consider it. As I hardly ever use the Digitone for the sequencer. So perhaps I would trade it one day.

So who knows we could have some advice somehow. For now the Modwave doesn’t appeal but like I said the demos are rubbish at this point. So I am curious when Loopop shows it.

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Still, I gleaned some good info from it that I hadn’t yet come across elsewhere.

Regarding the Master 4 band EQ (shared by both layers):

The EQ also lets you switch the high and low bands to filter or parametric modes for more detailed work.

Regarding the insert FX:

The included preset modes for each insert are insanely comprehensive. At the time I was programming, there were 19 different phaser modes and 58 (!) chorus/flange/ensemble presets. Also included in this processor are additional talkbox and wah-wah options, as well. And we haven’t even touched the 77 (at last count) stereo delay presets in the third insert.

Regarding more of the 13 Morph types not mentioned in Korg’s literature:

quite an array of Morph options, like several types of hard sync, phase distortion, and PWM-esque modifiers

I need to get my hands on this synth. The more I read about it, the more it comes across as what I had always wanted my old Microwave XT to be. More LFOs, more envelopes, some filter morph options, complex sequencing, and a multi-mode that isn’t a hassle.
It’s the only thing to come out of NAMM that I’m very excited about.

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I think Francis Preve was involved in writing patches for it and I’ve seen him get credits for a whole slew of synths (soft and hard) over the years so it was bound to be a helpful article. I only just got around to reading it also and found it really helpful.

I’m increasingly feeling that way too! I’ve promised myself I wasn’t going to indulge in any synths this year unless there was a great deal on something for Black Friday in November… this is making it really hard. Then again, I’m also impressed by the Opsix so I’ll try to delay myself by trying to pretend that desktop versions will be on their way!!

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