Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave 8M mini-review and multisamples coming up!
Dear Friends on Patreon!
Here’s a mini review of 3rd Wave 8M by Groove Synthesis - I'm experimenting with embedding videos in posts - if this doesn't work out for you, you can check out the video on youtube.
I’ll also upload a whole batch of multisamples to the Modulator and WaveShaper tiers - both my “old” 3rdWave multisamples, along with a few interesting new sounds 8M can make.
As usual, a disclosure: Groove Synthesis sent me the synth, other than that no money changed hands, they have no say over this review and don’t get to see it before it’s published.
3rd Wave 8M is a shrunken-down version of the flagship 24-voice 3rd wave. It’s a patch-compatible desktop module; it has the same exact wavetable/PPG/FM/analog low pass filter synth engine and features, with a dash of samples sprinkled in, but can only play 2 different timbres at a time instead of 4, and has a total of 8 voices compared to the keyboard or 24M module.
The transition works well, due to a much bigger screen with more soft encoders and soft buttons than the original, letting you control 12 parameters at a time as opposed to only 8 on screen.
The workflow has now become mostly screen oriented, one where - you select a module, and then edit its parameters on screen using endless detent encoders, though some modules like the oscillators, filters and envelopes have a few hands on controls as well.
Often all the relevant parameters are on screen at the same time, but sometimes you'll need to swap a few pages - for example to get to the different wave envelopes and In the envelope pages, there’s a change row button to get control of the 7th continuous parameter (see the video to get a feel for this)
If you’re worried about changing a parameter before seeing its value you can press the show button which freezes all parameters and just jumps to the screen that parameter is on.
Overall I found this workflow very intuitive and fast - obviously not as fast as having 77 knobs and 39 buttons - but considering the lower price and condensed form factor, this is a good way to get into the 3rd wave sound without parting with a lot more cash and desktop real estate.
If you want more details about how the oscillators, filters, envelopes, LFOs, effects and everything else works, please check out my full review of the original keyboard 3rd wave, since it’s essentially identical in that respect (here's a link to it)
Connectivity is identical to the 24-voice 3rd Waves, except there are only two pairs of stereo outputs because there are only two timbres.
The pros and cons are also pretty much identical as per my full 3rd Wave review, but I have a few more thoughts on top of that:
A few more “pros” have been added in firmware updates since my review: most notably, they’ve added sample and multisample playback capability, meaning that you can designate that different keyboard zones play different samples. That said, the total available memory for samples is only 35 seconds across all presets, so it is fairly limited. Other added firmware features are MPE, Prophet VS waveforms, new presets and more.
One more con beyond my original video: Having only 8 voices is a bit limiting if you use two timbres at a time. Perhaps not so much in the case of a split where you might play a single note on one (say, a bass or lead) and a chord or arp pattern on the other, but if you layer the two timbres, you essentially have a 4-voice synth.
So that’s it for this mini review of this synth - which brings back PPG-style sounds but also many modern features - stay tuned for the multisamples coming right up!
All my best,
Ziv (loopop)