Korg Wavestation
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| Wavestation by Korg | |||
| Synthesis type: | Sample Based Subtractive | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Polyphony: | 32 | ||
| Oscillators: | 32 (1,2, or 4 per patch) | ||
| Multitimbral: | 16 | ||
| VCF: | 32 lowpass | ||
| Keyboard: | 61-key Aftertouch + Velocity | ||
| Left hand control: | Pitch, Modulation | ||
| Velocity sensitive: | {{{velocity}}} | ||
| Aftertouch: | {{{aftertouch}}} | ||
| External control: | MIDI | ||
| Memory: | 2MB or 4MB ROM + optional cards | ||
| Onboard effects: | 2x47 or 55 | ||
| Produced: | 1990 - 1994 | ||
| Original price: | $1400 new, $450 used | ||
The Korg Wavestation was a vector synthesis synthesizer marketed in the early 1990s. Its design resembled early vector designs such as the Sequential Circuits Prophet VS.
The Wavestation lineup consisted of four variants: the Wavestation / Wavestation EX keyboards and the Wavestation A/D and Wavesation SR rackmount sound modules.
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[edit] Concept and features
All modules shared a unique design by Korg standards at the time, very different from their traditional music workstation designs. The idea was to mix different waves in sequences and control their volume balances and parameters using the integrated joystick or other performance controllers. Those "wavesequences" were played in real time by the performer, making all kinds of evolving, organic-textured sounds and even semi-arpeggiated and rhythmic patterns. A large number of preset, factory-created wavesequences and sounds were shipped on the internal memory, and the user could make his/her own sounds and patterns using the programming facilities.
The internal synthesis architecture was based on the "AI synthesis" system used in Korg's previous M- and T- series synthesizers. The Wavestation offered 32-voice polyphony, up to four digital oscillators per patch (generating sounds from sampled waveforms in ROM), with a simple low pass filter (non-resonant) and an amplifier block for each oscillator. Modulators, LFOs and envelope generators were offered as control sources for those blocks. The effects section was also taken from previous designs: two DSP blocks capable of a wide range of processing algorithms, such as reverb, delay, chorus, flanger, phaser, etc.
The Wavestation's synthesis engine differed from other PCM-based sample playback synths ("romplers") in two respects. First, as an alternative to playing single waveforms, each oscillator could be assigned to play a series of waves ("wavesequence"); each step in the wavesequence could be given a different pitch, fine tuning, level and crossfade amount. This resembled in some respects the wavetable synthesis seen previously on the PPG Wave and later on Waldorf's MicroWave series. Second, any two or four oscillator patch could vary the volume blend of its oscillators over time via a dedicated envelope, the front panel joystick, or other controllers. When done with four oscillators this is known as vector synthesis. It was also possible to combine the two techniques, vectoring four evolving wavesequences together. This was the key to the Wavestation's power as a pad machine.
No sequencer or arpeggiator was offered on the Wavestation series. The lack of sequencer on the keyboard versions could be seen as a sales limiting factor, because in the early 90's almost all keyboard synthesizers at this price point were offered with some sort of sequencer. Machines that could record entire songs using onboard multitrack sequencers were very much "in". Even Korg at the time was producing almost only sequencer-based synthesizers and rackmounts, and the Wavestation was a rare exception to the standards of the era.
[edit] Musical impact
The Wavestation was known as the best synth-pad generator, and was (and still is) used by many electronic musicians to explore uncommon synthesis textures, albeit limited by the non-resonant filter and lack of complex synthesis structures, such as ring modulators. It was also used by many mainstream artists on the early 90's, such as Jan Hammer, Phil Collins, and Genesis. In fact, most of the synth pads and background sounds found in Genesis' We Can't Dance album were recorded directly from the Wavestation, as Tony Banks (the band's keyboardist) stated in several interviews.
As the mid-90's approached, the vector synthesis lost appeal in the synthesizer market (though it never drew massive attention), and newer technologies such as virtual analog and physical modelling synthesis were taking over. The Wavestation's lack of arpeggiator and resonant filter, along with the inability to load user sampled sounds, surely didn't help its fading market position.
[edit] Legacy
Today the Wavestation remains as a unique synthesizer and commands average prices in the used synth market. Korg has recently produced a collection of software-based synthesizers (Korg Legacy Collection) that incorporate the Wavestation original samples, wavesequences and presets, making the vector synthesis concept more affordable and known to a wider audience than the past one.
Korg's latest flagship music workstation, the 2005's OASYS, has a full-blown wavesequencing and vector synthesis implementation (complete with joystick), along with virtual analog, sample-based synthesis, and a massive 16 MIDI + 16 digital audio tracks.
The sound of the wavestation is familiar to users of the Apple Macintosh, since the startup chime that has featured on every mac since the Quadra 700 to present day was created on a Korg Wavestation by Jim Reekes.
[edit] The Sequential connection
It's not a secret that the Wavestation was designed by Dave Smith, famous engineer that designed the Prophet-5, Prophet-VS and, along with Roland, invented the MIDI protocol in the early 1980s. His synthesizer company, Sequential Circuits, declined its marketshare and position in the late 1980s and eventually disappeared. A part of the Sequential Team, including Smith, was taken by Korg and designed the Wavestation, refining many Prophet-VS concepts. Other parts of the team were recruited by Yamaha and designed vector-based synths under the SY series, though arguably less successfully than Korg's designs.
[edit] Variants
- The original Wavestation. Keyboard version (61-key), it appeared in 1990 and premiered the vector synthesis and wavesequencing concepts under the Korg brand (some Yamaha SY-series synths along with the Prophet VS had previously introduced the vector synthesis concept to the market). Its 2MB soundset was synth-oriented, lacking conventional acoustic sounds or drums. It could take Korg's own format PCM and RAM type expansion cards. The user interface comprised a large backlit, graphical LCD and several function and numeric buttons.
- Wavestation EX. It was almost the same Wavestation keyboard with twice the ROM, several new samples added (most notably piano, acoustic sounds and drums), and some new effects. Clearly, it was an attempt by Korg to reach a wider market, offering more "bread-and-butter", general-use conventional sounds. Also, acoustic and piano sounds are less suited to "evolving" wavesequences.
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Wavestation A/D. It was the first rackmount version of the Wavestation technology. It replaced the lever-type joystick with a smaller one and the large display of the keyboard was retained. A unique feature was its analog inputs, capable of accepting guitar, mic and line-level signal; it allowed the effects blocks of the machine to process those signals in realtime (particularly useful with the vocoders in the new EX effects). This version was highly valued by guitarists. Most of the keyboard's front panel buttons also survived the transition, thus making the programming process very similar to the original Wavestation. The A/D inputs also were an option when creating wavesequences, incorporating the input signal into the synthesis engine in realtime. This gave way to some unique and interesting sounds.
Wavestation A/D
- Wavestation SR. The last implementation (and perhaps the least sought-after) of the Wavestation technology, it was a 1-unit rackmount variant. It lacked the A/D inputs of its predecessor, the screen was downsized to a character-based LCD, and most buttons and function keys disappeared. It was marketed basically as a preset module version of the technology, featuring several ROM preset banks that were previously sold as expansion cards. The module was programmable but, without an external MIDI sound editor, it was a very difficult task.
[edit] Notes
Many models of the Wavestation's LCD suffered premature dimming and eventual failure of the backlight. Though the LCD continued to display characters and information properly, it became even more difficult to program the keyboard from its front panel. There are currently several editor programs (primarily Windows-based) that allow for easier programming of the multi-layered architecture of the Wavestation.
