Ppg Wave Vst

Sonically, it isn't yet absolutely the same as the original, but it comes really close; close enough to allow a really good impression how, for example, a generated wavetable would sound if it had been sent by the full Waveterm C to a real PPG Wave 2.3.

Ppg wave vst

Some of the WTs also use the Upper Wavetable. Since I have not used the standard waves at position 61,62,63 like in the original PPG EPROMs, the upper and lower wavetables can be used as one double length table! This is especially interesting with sounds that demand a long loop. To achieve this, set "ModWheel -> Waves" = 1 (MW=1) and turn up the Modwheel as desired. Luckily, the ModWheel intensity is included in the wave program dataset! I marked the fxb's where I used that with (U) "using upper WT".

Please don't ask me about the original voices, you may guess it, but there is space for fantasy. I noted the MIDI-key for the original pitch in brackets. E.g. MIDI-key (69) is the middle A on the wave Keyboard.

For owners of the original Waves and EVUs there's the possibility to load these wavetables into their devices, as long as they contain V8.3 or a younger OS. For that, I've writtena special "mini version" of Waveterm C that can handle Wolfgang's original files.It can be downloaded here.Since original Waves and EVUs can't handle VST-compatible sound banks, you'll also need Wolfgang's original files.They can be downloaded here.

Cornel Hecht has created a direct comparison between WaveSim and his Wave 2.2 with some of Wolfgang's wavetables, and put it up on YouTube:Part 1 andPart 2. The similarity is really astonishing.

It sounds great. Excellent for long pads, and hollow/weird sounds. Sub oscillator is really nice, but this is not going to be a fat synth. The filter does not self-resonate, nor is it smooth by any means. It gets very weird when resonance is up but i like that. There is a certain buzz about it that makes me understand just how complex the waves are, when compared to traditional analog subtractive. The filter shines well on mid frequencies, and with some modulation it will sound very profane, almost perverse.

Waldorf's PPG Wave 2.V virtual synth is an emulation of the classic PPG wavetable synth. The hardware saw the light of day in the early '80s and experienced a number of revisions: 2 (the original), 2.2 and 2.3.

The soft version has been around for nearly a decade now and, though we've seen minor tweaks, fixes and even a repackaging, there has never been a significant update. We've seen variations on the wavetable approach (including Waldorf's own Largo), but the PPG clone seemed to be collecting dust.

A brace of buttons allows access to the digital facilities. The sound is as familiar as the GUI. Subtractive synthesis is the name of the game here, though instead of the usual smattering of simple waveforms, the PPG uses wavetables, each consisting of a series of digital waveforms strung together in a linear fashion.

This allows for a far greater range of sounds, but wavetables really come alive when using modulation to dynamically sweep through the waveforms, resulting in the shifting, evolving timbral changes that are the PPG's calling card.

Many of the sounds that we associate with the original PPG machines came courtesy of the bulky blue sidecar computers known as Waveterms. These heavy-duty processors opened up new possibilities for PPG owners, providing sampling, custom wavetables and more.

Yet we can't help but feel a little disappointed that more of the Waveterm's functionality wasn't included. We'd dearly love to see the ability to cobble together custom wavetables (Waldorf suggests that this might be implemented in the future).

So how does the software stack up to the hardware? As the Wave draws upon digital wavetables, the oscillators are, as you'd expect, pretty close. The main differences that we found were in the envelopes, which isn't uncommon in emulations.

If they hypothetically pair up two of their wavetable oscillators alongside two more traditional, Moog-esque analog oscillators and filters, this circuit could have a huge potential for a brand new hybrid synth design!

Known as the father of wavetable synthesis, Wolfgang Palm is the founder of PPG Synthesizers. PPG Synths have graced the stages of artists like David Bowie, Jean Michel Jarre, Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, Stevie Nicks, Pet Shop Boys, Mike and the Mechanics, and Stevie Wonder.

It was clear to me that the basis of that sound was sine waves. My Farfisa had some sawtooth waveforms. So I designed a lowpass filter circuit, which made the sound more sine-like. I had to attach a filter to each of the organs oscillators, which was about 70 times. Anyway, I managed to do that, and the organ sounded much better.

I developed wavetable synthesis in the late 70s, with the available hardware at that time, which was very limited. With today's computers, this can be done without any additional hardware, and CPUs are so powerful that we can synthesize a lot of voices and extend functionality. But Wavetable synthesis has some basic limitations.

The wavetable-concept was extremely unusual when developed and released end of the 70s, beginning of the 80s. Even today, the PPG Wave-instruments are exotic synthesizers, since 90% of all synthesizer concepts utilize the callsic samples or waveforms to build up their sounds.

Those PPG sounds created with well-programmed wavetable-modulation-routings are just brilliant! Controlling the instrument via MIDI offers additional possibilities, as the computer might control pitch-wheel-data and other modulation source adjustments, influencing the wavetables while you turn and push the buttons and controls.

Sadly, these waveforms DO NOT fit to the rest of the wavetable, musically speaking. Usually you have very soft, round, organ-like waveforms. And you glide through the waves manually, or with the help of a modulation source.

Dozens of synthesizers offer wavetable synthesis these days. They are usually great instruments, most of them powerful machines in their very own way. But, interestingly enough, none sounds like a PPG Wave.

However, fact is that the two main ingredients for the PPG Wave sound are missing: The original wave tables (!!!), and the characteristic SSM 2044 24dB filter. Since some highly regarded sound designers claim that not even the Waldorf Blofeld, which offers all the original PPG wavetables and an emulation of the PPG filter, is able to properly replicate the PPG wave sound, this whole exercise is more about how to create "PPG style" sounds than to replicate any of its factory patches or well known sounds from world famous songs.

Oli, this is incredible! You have such a great talent for analyzing a subject (in this case the PPG Wave) and disseminating an objective, lucid, and thorough overview, and then prescribing suitable workarounds in the context of our application abilities (the TI2). Much appreciated! To me, the most interesting workaround presented here is using Bit Reducer Filter Saturation to achieve some of the PPG's grainy character. I might also suggest trying the wavetable oscillator Interpolation parameter to make wave scanning a little more coarse to possibly help emulate that PPG sound. Too bad the Blofeld doesn't have that. Also, of note, the original PPG 2.2 manual states that the wavetable suffixed waves are, "tri, pulse, rectangular, and saw". When I investigated this on the PPG and Waldorf wavetables as presented on the Blofeld, to my ears they were only Tri, interpolating to Square. interpolating to Saw. Two questions: "Wavetable using a different wavetable than OSC 1 to use it as main oscillator for Group B, use Unison set to "Twin", to create "suboscillator" doubling for both. Make sure that the Unison LFO Phase is set to 0."Is your suggestion of using Unison to create suboscillator doubling for two groups (Group A and Group B) actually more than what the PPG could originally do?And, did you mean the PPG is capable of LFO modulation of the wavetable index? (You just mention "wavetable").

And, also of note from the PPG manual, the Upper Waves wavetable is actually a best of collection of single waves taken form the other wavetables. I'm not sure how it works but I understand it was supposed to be used as an "extension" of a regular wavetable.

It's not clear to me to which extend the PPG Wave already did interpolation. Because according to some compiled documents, about half of the wavetable waves were not actual samples but interpolations. Plus it already had fully algorithmic wavetables, specifically the table which emulated a pulse width modulation from square to narrow pulse.

Also, of note, the original PPG 2.2 manual states that the wavetable suffixed waves are, "tri, pulse, rectangular, and saw". When I investigated this on the PPG and Waldorf wavetables as presented on the Blofeld, to my ears they were only Tri, interpolating to Square. interpolating to Saw.

Thanks to the additional four classic waves in every wavetable, and the Upper Waves which were always available, the otherwise slightly limited "suboscillators" became much more than just twins of the main oscillator. True, a "suboscillator" always used the same wavetable as the main oscillator, but it could be set to a different position, and therefore provide tri, pulse, square, saw or any of the other 60 Upper Waves.

And, also of note from the PPG manual, the Upper Waves wavetable is actually a best of collection of single waves taken form the other wavetables. I'm not sure how it works but I understand it was supposed to be used as an "extension" of a regular wavetable.

Sort of. If a modulation would end up with a wavetable index higher than 64, it would select waves from the Upper Waves. Although that seems to be a cool idea at first, I doubt that it does sound good, because the modulation would first select some of the suffix waves and then select some totally unrelated waveforms from the Upper Waves. I think the best way to think of the Upper Waves is like the Classic Oscillator on the Virus.