Waldorf – PPG Wave 3 v2.0.0 for WiN

Waldorf PPG Wave 3.V is the reincarnation of the legendary PPG Wave synthesizer, which is undoubtedly considered one of the most respected high-end synthesizers of the 80s. Designed by Wolfgang Palm, this instrument sounds on countless records and inspired a whole generation of producers, composers and listeners.

The PPG Wave 2 was the very first digital wavetable synthesizer with analog filters that opened up completely new worlds of sound and limitless sonic possibilities. Its successor, the PPG Wave 2.2, was released shortly after and was destined to go down in history. With its gigantic arsenal of waveforms, it could reproduce not only the well-known analog sounds, but also magnificent choirs, bells and whistles. Digital wavetable sounds were previously unknown to anyone and offered sensational sonic solutions due to the smooth transition from 64 waves to 64 waves and back.

But the technical capabilities of that time led to the appearance of such crude artifacts as aliasing and others, which were unavoidable at that time. Today, despite the fact that technology has advanced several steps forward, Waldorf engineers have managed to bring back this crudeness to recreate the character of the beast.

Wolfgang Palm, the inventor of wavetable synthesis, assisted us during the development process so that we could recreate PPG as accurately as possible. “We are very grateful to Wolfgang for his insightful advice and ideas that helped us in the development,” says Waldorf developer Stefan Stenzel.

The combination of digital waveforms and analog filters in PPG provided unrivaled bass boost and punch. This has been faithfully recreated in PPG 3.v, down to the smallest detail. In PPG 3.V, you can switch between several versions of the original. In addition to PPG Wave 2.2 and PPG Wave 2.3, you can customize PPG Wave 2.V and adjust their subtle differences in aliasing and other sources of harshness.

The Waldorf PPG Wave 3.V can play up to 256 voices of polyphony, depending on the capabilities of the host computer. Each voice has two wavetable generators with the ability to play samples with a resolution of 8, 12 or 32 bits. Samples can be easily loaded using drag and drop. The 8-part multimode allows you to use multisamples with the same convenience and simplicity as the original.

The sound is further processed by a selectable low-pass filter with a slope of 12 or 24 dB, which is an exact copy of the classic PPG Wave 2.2/2.3 filter, and then by an additional overdrive for enhanced fuzz. In addition to the LFO, three envelope generators are used as modulation sources, which provide both original coarse and modern smooth modulation.

Up to eight parts can be organized in polyphonic, dual, quadraphonic and monophonic unison modes, with separate semitone tuning for automatic chords or melodies. The multi-mode with eight stereo outputs makes the instrument well suited for both studio work and stage performances.

The arpeggiator offers ascending and descending melody modes, as well as an alternate mode and the “cascade mode” that is a distinctive feature of PPG. For additional processing, several effects can be used simultaneously, including a 4-band EQ, several overdrive modes, a 12-stage phaser and a chorus with six decays. Flanger, stereo delay and reverb are also available.

The original PPG featured a unique user interface: an “analog control panel” provided direct access to many settings, while digital menus were edited using arcane abbreviations that had to be looked up in the manual.

PPG Wave 3.V works on the same principle, but with more understandable parameter names and values. Almost all parameters can be automated by the host and conveniently controlled via MIDI commands by assigning control numbers. This allows PPG Wave 3.V to be easily integrated into any existing production environment.

General

• Up to 256 voices per instance (depending on CPU power)
• 8-voice multi-mode
• 8 stereo outputs
• Automation of most parameters via host
• Automation of most parameters via MIDI controller
• Over 100 new wavetables created by Wolfgang Palm
• Original Waveterm B Factory sample library
• Original PPG Wave Factory sounds
  

Per voice

• 2 wavetable generators
• 8-bit, 12-bit or up to 32-bit sample playback
• Authentic emulation of PPG Wave 2.2/2.3/2.V aliasing or non-aliasing
• 12 dB / 24 dB low-pass filter
• Authentic emulation of PPG Wave 2.2/2.3 filter
• Post-filter overdrive
• 1 envelope generator
• 3 envelopes
• Authentic emulation of modulation grain (switchable from True PPG)
  

For each part (up to 8 parts available)

• Poly, Dual, Quad and Mono mode (8 timbres) with 8 different semitone shifts for creating chords or melodic lines
• Arpeggiator with up, down, alternate and cascade (PPG special) modes
• True PPG mode with the ability to switch between PPG Wave 2.2, Wave 2.3 and Wave 2.V
• 4-band EQ,
• Overdrive with different types,
• Phaser up to 12 stages,
• Chorus up to 6 stages,
• Flanger,
• Stereo Delay,
• Reverb
  

Other features

• Load samples via drag and drop or via the file load dialog
• Play multiple samples with the 8-channel multimode
• 8 adjustable cutoff/resonance offsets to simulate analog imprecision
• Fine-tune multiple values ​​with Fine Modulatione mode