Korg Wavestate

KORG’s legendary Wavestation introduced the world to Wave Sequencing, transforming raw samples into sounds that no-one had ever heard before. The flagship OASYS and KRONOS keyboards developed Wave Sequencing even further, expanding on its unique palette of lush, evolving pads and driving rhythms. Now, KORG is proud to announce the next step in digital synthesis: the wavestate. Featuring the radically re-imagined Wave Sequencing 2.0, the wavestate delivers astonishing, ever-changing sounds with extensive hands-on control. Far from a nostalgic reissue, the wavestate is designed from the ground up for a new generation of musicians, producers, and composers, taking cues from sources as diverse as modular synths, groove boxes, and algorithmic composition. The compact form-factor, with 37 full-size keys, transports easily and fits neatly into any stage, studio, or desktop setup.

With the Wavestation, each step of a Wave Sequence had a duration, a sample, and a pitch. This created ear-catching patterns–but the patterns repeated the same way, over and over. What if they could evolve in organic, unexpected ways, instead of just repeating? Wave Sequencing 2.0 splits apart the timing, the sequence of samples, and the melody, so that each can be manipulated independently. Also added are new characteristics including shapes, gate times, and step sequencer values. Each of these is a “Lane,” and each Lane can have a different number of steps and its own start, end, and loop points. Every time the sequence moves forward, the individual Lanes are combined to create the output. For instance, a sample may be matched with a different duration, pitch, shape, gate length, and step sequence value every time that it plays. You can modulate each Lane’s start, end, and loop points separately for every note, using velocity, LFOs, envelopes, Mod Knobs, or other controllers. Each note in a chord can be playing something different! Lanes can also randomize the step order every time they play, with realtime control over the range of included steps. Finally, individual steps can be randomly skipped, with a modulatable probability from 0 to 100%. The result is organic, ever-changing sounds that respond to your control. The four onboard arpeggiators can interact with Wave Sequences for even more possibilities.

Bursting with knobs and controllers, the wavestate invites you to explore. All of the basics–filter, envelopes, LFOs, effects–are at your fingertips with dedicated front-panel controls. Eight programmable Mod Knobs are customized to bring out the most in every sound, often taking them in entirely new directions. Use the knobs in realtime performance, and also save the results as new sounds. Add in the Pitch Bend and Modulation Wheels and the unique Vector Joystick, and you’ll always have multiple dimensions of realtime expression. Want to dig deeper? Almost all front-panel knobs, and most on-screen parameters, can be modulated. You can even modulate settings for individual Wave Sequence Steps! Mod Processors let you transform modulation signals using quantization, smoothing, curvature, and more.

With all of that synthesis power, you might think the wavestate would play only one sound at a time. Not a chance. For even more rich and complex results, layer up to four Programs together in a Performance–each with their own effects and arpeggiator. The Vector Envelope and Joystick mix the individual voices of the four Layers, and can also modulate any other parameters.