Korg Wavestate

[mutierend]

I didn't enjoy the Wavestate at all so I returned it.

[Divinital_]

I didn't enjoy the Wavestate at all so I returned it.

What didn't you like about it? I fell in love when I heard that orchestral patch and just ordered one for $675 after canceling my Pro 3 (which would be harder to resell than a Wavestate at $600).

[mutierend]

What didn't you like about it? I fell in love when I heard that orchestral patch and just ordered one for $675 after canceling my Pro 3 (which would be harder to resell than a Wavestate at $600).

I guess it just isn't my thing. It sounds fantastic and a lot of the presets are really good. I just didn't enjoy using it and tbh I wasn't impressed with its "feel." It slid around on my stand. These are very much personal preference issues, not a wide critique of the synth.

[Divinital_]

What didn't you like about it? I fell in love when I heard that orchestral patch and just ordered one for $675 after canceling my Pro 3 (which would be harder to resell than a Wavestate at $600).

I guess it just isn't my thing. It sounds fantastic and a lot of the presets are really good. I just didn't enjoy using it and tbh I wasn't impressed with its "feel." It slid around on my stand. These are very much personal preference issues, not a wide critique of the synth.

I see. I'm a huge "feel" person and I'm disappointed the synth itself is so lightweight and plasticky, but, for what it is, it is what it is and it's just the thing my setup could use. Something limited only by imagination and time spent programming, from crazy orchestras, to layered pianos and generic dubstep, it can do it all I feel if I spend enough time with it. Sorry you didn't like it!

[mutierend]

To each his own, as the saying goes.

[Zymos]

The keybed is pretty sucky, but IMO the rest of the construction is solid.

[Divinital_]

The keybed reminds me of the ARP Ody I tried which was awful, but, since there's no aftertouch it's just an on/off switch and functions fine for me. Not really going to be shredding on this thing.

Made my first track after about an hour with it, not the best but I can't help but love shaka / orchestral sounds. This instrument will be a huge boon to my style I feel, in the long run.

[Zymos]

It’s a bit more than an on/off switch- there’s velocity and release velocity. But yeah, for most people this isn’t an instrument you get for playing synth solos....

[Divinital_]

It’s a bit more than an on/off switch- there’s velocity and release velocity. But yeah, for most people this isn’t an instrument you get for playing synth solos....

Sorry I forgot about velocity when I was writing that due to pondering the Korg ARP Ody keybed. So it's half an on-off switch, my bad.

[kindredlost]

I didn't enjoy the Wavestate at all so I returned it.

I get that. Initially I was disappointed in the whole thing for the first week or so. I let it sit and had a low motivation to try again to learn the ropes on it. I is pretty daunting at first and some of the controls are not at all intuitive. I finally left the pdf manual in my desktop for quick access and after a week or two of intensive exploration I am finding some real creative fun in it.
In my opinion it is more tailored to either EDM or soundtracks but I’m finding other styles to merge with the deep architecture within. It’s definitely a light offering from Korg. It would be more highly regarded if they had beefed up the keybed. I suspect they only forecasted limited sales but I’m no market guru.

Anyway I’m enjoying it immensely because it fits well in my scheme of things. I do have an example of a performance in the Your Tunes Here section if interested.

[Divinital_]

The physical key functions are quite strange, it was a hassle to program at first but you get swift. However, I'm going to sell it.

[Kent]

Moderator note: Divnital_ has been removed as a member here, not entirely due to having requested it.

[kindredlost]

Korg Wavestate is the best board so far 2020. The Korg OP6 is coming up quick as well.

[Zymos]

The Korg OP6 is coming up quick as well.

Off topic, but how is the OP6 “coming up quick”?

[kindredlost]

The Korg OP6 is coming up quick as well.

Off topic, but how is the OP6 “coming up quick”?

well... I don't really KNOW the timeframe but I meant as far as one of the best keyboards in the works, the OP6 looks to rival the Wavestate. Sorry if it seemed as if I had any inside knowledge.

[pmboos]

Glad to see what I am reading here, sounds like this is totally up my alley. I so wanted a Wavestation back in the day... And this looks far more capable. I would love another octave at least on the keybed, but I can live with the shorter one.

Probably the next thing I buy after another little boutique synth I am awaiting to be available again...

[Voltcontrol]

The Korg OP6 is coming up quick as well.

Off topic, but how is the OP6 “coming up quick”?

well... I don't really KNOW the timeframe but I meant as far as one of the best keyboards in the works, the OP6 looks to rival the Wavestate. Sorry if it seemed as if I had any inside knowledge.

Sorry, but can't see how they could be rivals. The OP6 is a prototype or mock-up 6 operator FM synth, the Wavestate a wave sequencing vector synth.

[Zymos]

If the OP-6 is released in 2020 and is awesomely cool, then sure- they might be rivals for for best keyboard of 2020. Being 2 completely different types of synths doesn’t change that.

[mallarme]

Anyone can tell if the Wavestate workflow is more or less like the one found in the Kronos? I had a Kronos (regret selling it, but it financed a proper piano) and I thought it was not that difficult to work and create wave sequences. Any thought on comparing both formats?

[WaveRider]

I just got mine and I spent a day with it.
I think it is very well done. The UI is pretty good overall and the concept is well executed. BUT you can see the limitations and almost can see the future updated models... limited choices of waves, lack samples/multisamples import... but wow really good for the kind of music I am doing! ..and it is easy to change a few things from a preset and get into very different territory! I was amazed by that. Lots of effects. Worth getting busy with it for a couple of years for sure. BTW, the same concept but with FM instead of waves (or both!) would be amazing for me.

[Voltcontrol]

Liking the LFOstore pads & sounds:

[pmboos]

Those are some beautiful patches - I feel like many are Jarré inspired...

I particularly liked Analog Heat, Resurrection, Orion, and Neon Pluck. Dreamer is a nice piano sound.

[Wavy Davy]

Has anybody thought about making a "Subharmonicon" style patch on the Wavestate?
It seems like the MOOG Subharmonicon, could be emulated on the Wavestate, with the various lanes and timing capabilities.
And the Wavestate would have more flexibility, and options than the MOOG Subharmonicon.
Would love to see something on this from someone smarter than me.

[shuchoco]

I think the Wavestate is awesome, no doubt, but a couple things are majorly bugging me about it:

1. No BPM indication anywhere??? I can't find the BPM in any of the menus. Read the manual watched lots of tutorials. For a synth that's so good at rhythmic stuff you'd think you'd be able to set the BPM exactly (I realize you can tap tempo). Am I missing something? Please don't tell me to just sync it via MIDI because, duh.

2. Is there a way to re-trigger the envelopes for each sequencer step? I've been hunting around and can't find a way to do this. Seems like it should be an obvious thing.


I'm finding the user experience for the wave-sequencer laborious in general. I feel like they could have made it much more fluid. The fact that you have to menu dive to set the sequence length is insane to me.

[Blairio]

A friend bought a Wavestate and loves it to bits. I had a Wavestation EX when they first came out. Used it solidly for 5 years. The build quality and playability of the Wavestate does not compare to the Wavestation EX, yet the new Korg Prolog is built like a tank.

The Wavestate is a very powerful synth, but its look and feel does it no favours. Very good condition EX's can still be bought second hand for around 2/3's the price of a new Wavestate. An interesting alternative......