Korg’s ‘California Trio’ of digital synths – the Opsix, Wavestate and Modwave – were introduced just as the world went into pandemic mode, and may have not gotten as much attention as they might have otherwise, as a result.
But, with Korg’s recent sale on the Opsix, and as more demo and performance videos have gotten out, people are starting to realize that each of the three synths features a powerful synth engine that offers a modern take on a classic digital approach to synthesis.
Here’s a short synth jam that showcases some of the power of the Korg Wavestate, a live performance of the Blade Runner End Titles, from the score by Vangelis. The performance features patches by sound designer Maik Schott.
The Wavestate amazes me more every day. There is no doubt that it is one of the most versatile synths available today.
Three or four Wavestates could almost equal a Steve Roach concert. Remember, the synth panel you see is repeated three more times underneath, four synths in one box. I’m liking the Wavestate Native a lot, as contrasted with staring into an OLED (even a good one) and pecking away at dots. Two instances of that churning away are surreal fun.
Still waiting for the 5 octaves that was announced and never being released
I also had thought to wait for the 5 octaves. Glad I did not. Having a great time with my Wavestate, which can also be played remotely through midi – so the octave limitation is not a real problem. Preset packs are a nice way to dive into its possibilities. While there are quite some uninspired packs to buy – Maik’s are excellent, as are the Berlin school preset from Waveformer.
i see this synth playing itself more than some human playing it; like those generative patches that require no skill to play. no thank you.
people who play keyboards usually make shitty electronic music…
BY “shitty”, I assume you mean “non-dance electronic music”. Although Georgio and Trans-X might also object to that particular characterization, anybody from the Classical Berlin School, Gary Numan, William Orbit, etc. might also disagree with you. Then again, “shitty” is in the mind of the beholder.
People should know when they are conquered
Wel, I couldn’t agree less with John. I do both, keyboard playing and generative electronic music. It requires a different skill set to make things work (resp fingers and planning), while creativity ànd the musical ear in both cases make music outstanding. is always determinant. Plain virtuosity and uninspired programming both lead to an empty music experience, I think …
the keybeds feel like crap. need to update them to justify the cost. don’t want to play something that clacks around and makes loud stupid noise.
who wants a wobbly keybed?
Somebody who wants to fully exploit MPE?
Then get the virtual version. Then, you can play it with any keyboard you want, and it sounds identical to the hardware version.