Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave

Now available in a desktop format, the 3rd Wave by Groove Synthesis offers 24 voices of polyphony, 4-part multitimbrality, and premium wavetable sound in a keyboard-less package. 3rd Wave continues in the tradition of hybrid wavetable synthesis design, making use of digital oscillators and analog filtering for a “best of both worlds” approach to creating sounds. But with modern features like MPE support, an onboard wavetable editor, and incredible modulation routing, 3rd Wave represents the next step in wavetable synthesis.

3rd Wave offers three oscillators across each of its 24 voices, and an individual oscillator may run in wavetable or modeled analog mode. 64 wavetable slots are available, half of which are classics from legacy PPG instruments, while the remainder can be used for custom 8-bit tables. Each wavetable itself can contain up to 64 different wavetables, ensuring that 3rd Wave excels at continuously morphing timbres. On the other hand, the modeled waveforms offer convincing emulations of classic analog waves: sine, saw, pulse, triangle, supersaw, white noise, and pink noise. In either mode, you can apply sync relationships and FM for even more sonic variety.

What’s better than one filter? Two, of course! 3rd Wave contains an analog, 2140-based lowpass filter, an evolution of Dave Rossum’s 2040 filter chip that was found in classic instruments like the Prophet-5. To complement this analog filter, a digital state-variable design is also on hand for other types of filters and responses, including morphable lowpass-notch-highpass and optional bandpass modes.

3rd Wave contains no less than four extended ADSR envelopes and four LFOs, which may be used to impart a number of modulations upon your patches. Two envelopes are pre-routed to the filters and VCA, but otherwise, the world is your oyster. The LFOs, in particular, provide a number of waveforms and may be synced with clock sources for tempo-locked movement.

Using sequencers with multi-timbral synthesizers can sometimes be a headache, but 3rd Wave was designed with this in mind. The onboard sequencer can not only manage note data across its four parts, but it’s possible to record real-time parameter changes as well. Add in the fact that each layer features an independent modulation matrix and arpeggiator, and you’ll have no shortage of ways to build dense, full-sounding compositions right from 3rd Wave itself.

Best of all, you’ll never get tired of 3rd Wave’s sounds thanks to its built-in Wavemaker Tool. Using the external audio input, you can sample directly into 3rd Wave and create wavetables in an instant. Plus, if you’ve curated a library of samples or Serum wavetables, these can be easily incorporated via a USB flash drive. If you’re hoping to stick a desktop-sized wavetable synthesizer in your studio, 3rd Wave is more than capable of bringing new sounds and inspiration to your projects.

3rd Wave Features

Hybrid wavetable synthesizer
Desktop format
24 voices, 4-part multitimbral
3 oscillators per voice
64 user wavetables
32 wavetables from classic PPG synths built-in
7 modeled analog waveforms: sine, saw, triangle, pulse, white noise, pink noise
Sync and Linear FM per oscillator
6-stage wave envelope per oscillator
Unison and chord modes
SSI2140 resonant lowpass filter (24dB/octave)
Saturation/drive and optional resonance compensation
Digital SEM-style state-variable filter
Morph between lowpass notch and highpass
Optional bandpass mode
4 extended ADSR envelope generators
4 LFOs with delay, note reset, and BPM sync
LFO waveshapes: triangle, sawtooth, reverse sawtooth, square, pulse 1, pulse 2, pulse 3, and random/S&H
Dual effects engine with delays, reverb, rotary effects, and more
Onboard wavetable editor
Sample external audio and instantly create wavetables
Import samples or Serum wavetables via USB
4-part sequencer
24 sequences per preset, 32 measures per sequence
Parameter recording available in all sequences
Per part arpeggiators
16 slot mod matrix per part: 27 sources and 14 destinations
500 factory programs
4 pairs of stereo audio outputs
MIDI Input, Output, and Thru
USB MIDI
Sustain, Volume, and Expression inputs