This mysterious new wavetable synth looks like a reborn PPG Wave

Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave
(Image credit: Groove Synthesis)

If you’re going to create a blue wavetable synth, it’s pretty obvious that it’s going to be compared to the classic PPG Wave, so we don’t think we’re being outlandish when we suggest that Groove Synthesis’ 3rd Wave instrument is going to take a certain amount of inspiration from Wolfgang Palm’s ‘80s classic.

There’s also that name to consider: the final iteration of the PPG Wave was version 2.3, so maybe this represents a stab at creating a version 3.

Little is known about the synth at this stage, as all we have to go on is a website holding page and a few snippets on forums, plus a new Instagram video from synth guru Peff (Kurt Karasaki) that indicates that he may be creating some presets for it.

This features a lush, Vangelis-style patch that demonstrates a lovely fat sound - more than enough to get people talking, basically.

It appears that the 3rd Wave will have three wavetable oscillators, low-pass and state variable filters, four LFOs, four envelopes, a sequencer and an arpeggiator. How much it will cost remains to be seen, but our first impressions are that this will fall into the ‘premium’ synth category.

We’ll keep an eye out for official information and bring you more details as and when we have them. The Groove Synthesis website says that the 3rd Wave will be released in 2022.

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it. 

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