Groove Synthesis, an electronic musical instrument startup founded by industry veterans from Avid/Digidesign and Sequential, has introduced its first synthesizer: the 3rd Wave. The 3rd Wave is a 24-voice, four-part multi-timbral wavetable synth with three oscillators per voice, analog low-pass filters, a state-variable filter, six-stage wave envelopes per oscillator and a Wavemaker tool that lets users create custom wavetables in a single step through its proprietary sample-to-wave technology. Each of its three oscillators can generate a classic PPG-era wavetable, a modern high-resolution wavetable or an analog modeled waveform. While the 3rd Wave has roots in the classic digital wavetable synths of the past, it takes the concept into the 21st century with a lush, expansive sound that’s a product of its expanded wavetables and analog filters. It boasts a Dave Rossum-designed 2140 analog low-pass filter with variable saturation and resonance compensation, and a second, SEM-style state-variable filter for additional tone-sculpting. Both can be used in series for harmonically complex textures.
