"Works perfectly! Like its older brother (Waveterm A), the Waveterm B is a state-of-the-art instrument that is still used by many top studios around the globe. The Waveterm B features – 16 bit sampling, 5.25 inch floppy disk drive, WAVE 2.3 plays samples with 12 bit resolution (compressed), sequencer on board, storage of patches and the possibility to load multiple samples into the PPG 2.3"
"I used the expression pedal assigned to 'gain' on the Therevox, in order to be able to play the PPG with my left hand at the same time. Since I know some people will not read the description and ask: this is my improvisation, not an existing piece."
"With Midi, OS 6.0. eproms of OS 8.3 included plus a brand new battery and ppg connection cable to connect to a waveterm or ppg Wave.
New switch power supply and excellent cosmetically and technical condition. Extremely rare. With midi around 30 units built. No scratches. It already works with velocity and some other midi control functions"
"The EVU (Expansion Voice Unit) is basically a Wave 2.3 synthesizer without keyboard. It is developed as a predecessor of the Wave 2.3 to help the PPG system to get more voices. It is also superior to the then current Wave 2.2 in that it is 8-voice multitimbral and already has 12-bit technology. Each of the 8 voices can be adjusted separately in volume and pan position. Usually it has to be connected via the computer interface to the Waveterm and also a PPG wave synthesizer and the sounds can be controlled from there. So you have a 16 voice PPG. In my studio I don't have a Waveterm so I controlled this EVU via MIDI. This unit has the latest Firmware 8.3 so you also can control it with any MIDI Keyboard, but it lacks the sound tweaking. The EVU were very rare. The last I saw in as a auction on ebay was 7 years ago. There were maybe only around 50 units built. This unit is mint and I think to sell it, because I have no waveform unfortunately."
"Groove Synthesis 3RD WAVE synth interview and overview. In this interview about the 3rd Wave, Bob Coover (Groove Synthesis Founder + DSP) and Andrew Silverman (Embedded Programmer) take us through the 3rd Wave synthesizer, demo some features, and share what's next for the synth and company.
The 3rd Wave is a powerful new digital/analog hybrid wavetable synthesizer from Groove Synthesis which is heavily inspired by the PPG Wave 2.2 and 2.3 synthesizers from the 1980s. The 3rd Wave has 24 voices, 3 oscillators, 2 filters, 4 LFOs and 4 envelopes, a custom wavetable maker, sequencer, arpeggiator, 4-part multitimbrality, dual effects per part, mod matrix, and much more.
During a recent visit to California I had the opportunity to visit Groove Synthesis and interview Bob and Andrew about the 3rd Wave synth. I'm very thankful for their time and appreciate them sharing their knowledge about the synth with us.
"Le studio Mos-Lab a la particularité de ne présenter que des instruments rares voire même rarissimes. Une caverne d'Ali baba qui a de quoi faire tourner la tête à tous les passionnés de synthés analos vintage. Sébastien nous parle de ces 2 dernières acquisitions: le matrix 12 et le Sonic 5."
"The Mos-Lab studio has the particularity of presenting only rare or even extremely rare instruments. An Ali Baba's cave which is enough to turn the heads of all lovers of vintage analog synths. Sébastien tells us about these 2 latest acquisitions: the Matrix 12 and the Sonic 5."
"3rd Wave PPG Comparison — The third in a series of one-to-one comparisons of the 3rd Wave Advanced Wavetable Synthesizer and PPG 2.3. Note that the 3rd Wave isn’t designed to be an exact replica of the PPG. It’s our idea of where the original concept might have gone had it continued to evolve. And while we feel that it captures the essence of the original and can sound quite close, it is its own synth with its own character.
Programmed, played and recorded by Matia Simovich / INHALT at Infinite Power Studios.
Contact us: info@groovesynthesis.com for questions or sales@grovesynthesis.com to pre-order.
"The second in a series of one-to-one comparisons of the 3rd Wave Advanced Wavetable Synthesizer and PPG 2.3. Note that the 3rd Wave isn’t designed to be an exact replica of the PPG. It’s our idea of where the original concept might have gone had it continued to evolve. And while we feel that it captures the essence of the original and can sound quite close, it is its own synth with its own character.
Programmed, played and recorded by Matia Simovich / INHALT at Infinite Power Studios.
Contact us: info@groovesynthesis.com for questions or sales@grovesynthesis to pre-order.
00:00 Opening Titles 00:33 Introduction 01:09 Switched On Digital Synths Part 2 16:08 Synthesiser Club 18:16 Commercial Break 20:07 Patching Today 35:15 Video Lab 40:45 Outro/Coming Up Next Time
SWITCHED ON - Featuring in-depth discussions about the history and development of the synthesiser over the years, including demonstrations and feature guides of many classic and iconic instruments
SYNTHESISER CLUB - A short musical demonstration of a synthesiser classic or two
PATCHING TODAY - A deep-dive into vintage modular systems and how to set up a patch on them, starting from scratch
VIDEO LAB - A look at old video equipment and how to create experimental visuals
The MemeTune Programme Credits: Everything in this video was created by B D Edwards (Benge) All music, design, writing, filming and production completed at Memetune Studios, UK, 2022
"In my last video [posted here] I compared some PPG 2.3 factory sounds reprogrammed from Wolfram Franke for the Waldorf Microwave 1. In this video I demonstrate those Microwave 1 PPG 2.3 presets in comparison to the Waldorf M. The Team from Waldorf reprogrammed all those sounds from the PPG 2.3 card, which was originally made by Wolfram Franke. I think they did a great job. Some sounds I skipped, because they did not match at all. I think it is not due to the synth, it is just a programming matter, like different modulation, envelopes and wavetable envelope. So finally here are the results of the sounds in comparison. No musical video at all, but just to demonstrate, how close can the Waldorf M sound to the Microwave 1. I this video I used the version B, with a bit of a different filter type to version A. The M uses SSM filter clones, like in the PPG. I tweaked a bit around and I recognized, that the resonance from the M Filter thins a bit out but screams more like on the Microwave. It has much more in common to the PPG Filter. So the M shall come closer to the PPG than the Microwave 1. I think that the M is a bit more comfortably sounding, the Microwave sounds a bit more aggressive and "vintage" also. But the differences are very subtle and I think that Waldorf did a great job with the M to recreate the classic Microwave. Thanks for watching and listening as allways."
"Excellent condition PPG Wave 2.3. Prior owner had it upgraded from 2.2 to 2.3, that's why the panel says 2.2. Has midi and individual outputs. I had my tech rebuild the keybed, and it looks and plays great now. Additionally, I had the v8.3 OS installed. The display is the older style, meaning it's more difficult to replace with a modern display. Since the display works fine (but no backlight), I decided to leave this part as-is."
"rare ppg custom wave computer 360 (not a 360A) serial number. 002 double memory Bank... and others modify like the cv input for control a wavetable and others
feautures like APDSR ...Lfo, Transform ...etc... unique sounds"
You can find demos of the PPG 360 A keyboard version in previous posts here.
"Groove Synthesis describes the 3rd Wave as “what would have happened if PPG never went out of business.” We couldn’t agree more. It can sound just like a vintage PPG (as the A-B comparison at the end of this video proves), sound much more high-res, and do virtual analog synthesis. There’s a wave envelope and a four-part pattern sequencer that plays like a looper. Watch for part 2 for more sound demos and less talking, but this one is a great features overview."
Return of the PPG! 3rd Wave Synth at NAMM 2020 part 2 of 2
The song was on an old ORWO music cassette that I had recorded at RIAS Berlin sometime in the mid-80s. The ending was stalled because the moderator had babbled into the recording again. As so often. 😃 I loved the song because I liked those metallic PPG synthesizer sounds. Without even knowing at the time that it was a PPG or how look a PPG synthesizer. 😉 It didn't matter either, because that was all unattainable at the time anyway.
Matia Bazar - Ti Sento (1985)
I used here the PPG wave 2.2 synthesizer for the most sounds. Layered with the E-MU Emulator II (strings, choir layer, percussion and some fx sounds)
The PPG Wave Synthesizer from the year 1982 is one of the most fascinatic synths ever. Used by Trevor Horn, Rush, Ultravox, Gary Numan Tangerine Dream, Depeche Mode, Propaganda, Tears For Fears, Robert Palmer and many others. Here can you find the full PPG wave playlist with a lot single sound demos, wavetable demos, PPG Waveterm demos and one synth demo tracks. Enjoy.
The PPG playlist:"
