I’ve added my tenth Korg “instrument” to the studio. I placed instrument in quotes because in this case, I’ve added the software version of the modwave, not the hardware. The purists among you are readying your pitchforks, because “software is not a synth, dammit!” But really, all modern digital synthesizers are really computers running a software synth. And so, I’m counting the Korg native apps as instruments. And, I have acquired the software versions of the other Korg R&D hardware synths I already have.
On several of my live streams, I’ve made a couple of key statements. One is that I love wavetable synths, but there are just so many of them that basically do the same thing. And I’m also a big fan of being able to morph between two sounds (morphing and mixing are two different animals). So, let’s talk about this….
By now, Korg’s general architecture should be familiar to anyone who’s been following this series. It really hasn’t changed much. In the modwave, “Performaces” have a couple of layers, each of which is a complete synth called a “Program” which consists of a voice section and effects. The outputs of the two synths are mixed with a reverb send effect, and passed through an EQ to the output.
In the case of the modwave, the synth is made up of two oscillators feeding a filter section and a control amp. An oscillator could be as simple as a single wavetable or sample, or it could be made up of two wavetables. And, here’s where things get interesting. In that configuration, you can actually morph (not mix) between the two wavetables while simultaneously altering table positions and morphing or stretching the resulting wavetable shape. This is sonically interesting and exciting!
Like the wavestate and multipoly, each layer also contains a sequencer. In the modwave, like the multipoly, there are lanes for step duration, pitch, step shape, and up to four assignable parameters.
Like the multi/poly, each layer has four envelopes and five lfos. There’s also separate filter and amp key tracking, as well as two mod processors. The mod processors provide ways of merging modulation sources into a new modulation source. Unlike the multi/poly, each layer also has it’s own arpeggiator in addition to the step sequencer. The effects section is pretty much identical to the multi/poly. Adding KAOSS physics actually debuted on the modwave, and in the example above, it’s moving several parameters. All this, times two, yields a synth capable of producing some incredibly complex sounds that are a natural for ambient electronic music.
This is what I’ve wanted several wavetable VSTs to be over the past couple of years, and I’m wishing I’d bought this much sooner. And, if I’m honest, I’ve long wished that I’d bought the modwave hardware instead of the wavestate back when I had the chance at a really good price. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the wavestate, but I think that modwave is what I really wanted. Live and learn, I suppose. At some point, I’ll pick up a used modwave, I’m sure.
As usual, there’s a YouTube playlist for you to peruse, and I’ll be adding modwave content to my own channel as time goes on.
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