I find the lack of a Blofeld 2....puzzling to say the least. Give it a few extra features and give it plenty of hands on controls. The Sledge is a good attempt but it's only half a Blofeld....you can glitch it to get extra features though....but not many.

Not the 008 or 002. I am not too big a fan of the rest.

exactly, sad indeed

After reading all this and the Korg product page I am now totally confused. OK, it has a Kaoss pad and a more complex motion sequencer. Is wave sequencing missing from this synth? What makes it different than Wavestate in the way it manipulates the waveforms?

Thanks! We have no plans for a module. Despite what one might think from the posts here - and certainly not to discount anyone's personal preference - our experience is that not that many people actually purchase modules in the current market. That can certainly change, of course!

Funny i was going to ask someone like yourself what the choice is - this or blofeld desktop?

I think a better alternative to modules would be groovebox form-factor versions.
Take away the keys, add a souped up sequencer. Etc.

The Opsix, Modwave and Wavestate as Electribe-style grooveboxes would be pretty sweet.

Until I get to look at the Modwave manual I can't comment.
The nuts and bolts of the Modwave would be contained in there.

As of today, I can not find a manual on the Korg website.

At 699 euros it should be good:

https://www.musacorner.fi/korg_modwave_wavetable_synth

They're very different, actually.

The wavestate is fundamentally a samples + subtractive synthesis architecture. Wave Sequences play lists of samples, and can also modify synthesis parameters, like a complex step sequencer. The primary point of interest is the way that Wave Sequencing 2.0 can manipulate the order, timing, and synthesis parameters associated with the samples in complex, non-repetitive, and modulatable ways, and the richness that this provides when combined with the samples themselves.

The modwave is primarily a wavetable synthesizer. (It can play samples too, but not wave sequences.) Its oscillators play single-cycle waveforms. These waveforms are grouped into sets called "wavetables," which let you smoothly transform from one single-cycle waveform to another. You can change these wavetables in various ways at load time (such as isolating odd or even harmonics, adding new harmonics through anti-aliased clipping and quantization, etc), and also manipulate the oscillators in realtime, with modulation, in some ways similar to analog oscillators (sync, several variations on pulse width modulation) and other ways which are digital-only (such as mirroring and flipping).

The modwave also has an advanced, per-voice step sequencer that leverages the discrete "lanes" concept of Wave Sequencing 2.0 for creating complex, non-repetitive patterns. Unlike Wave Sequencing, though, it doesn't trigger samples with sequencer steps. Kaoss Physics is really quite a different thing than any previous Kaoss Pad, btw - it's a game-like physics engine designed to be used as a modulation source.

I hope that helps a bit...

Why is Korg obsessed with the barely functional 37 note keybed?

This is cool but like a lot of other i hope its more of "things to come" rather than a one off.

It is pretty weird they keep comparing it to the DW (I own one & am big fan) yet didnt even include a modelled version of the DW filter??

I hope the trend continues so they do something similar with a V/A based on update of radias/King Korg engine.

Again like a lot of others I cant help but think maybe these engines could all make it into a "rule them all" work-station!! with decent number of keys (aftertouch!!) &, big screen etc...

Even though I personally wont buy any of these little keyboards my hat really goes off to Korg for acknowledging & extending their legacy gear

Hey @ Dan Phillips -

Can you pass on the request and/or comment on the lack of 61-key versions of Korg's recent poly keyboards?

I was a Minilogue XD owner, and as much as I liked the sound engine, I just couldn't get over the 37-key interface... ended up selling it.

I've had my eyes on the Opsix and Wavestate... both are highly of interest to me, and now this new board as well... though I won't be picking them up just due to the keyboard size... it's such a small keybed for a high poly synth. I'd rather just see a rack unit and 61-key versions.

I know for many people 37-keys is fine (if you're primarily into just sequencing it), but there's a lot more players who like to be able to play a bass note or octave down low while playing a lead/melody up above. Add $200 for a 61-key version of these boards, and I think you'll see a lot of new business.

When can I preorder this thing?

I am in the same boat.
Opsix, Wavestate and Modwave should have a rack or/and 61-key version,
and please make that display slightly bigger.

Because then people don't whine that it's a module

Weight/Shipping costs

I don’t know why Korg is implying that the Modwave is a descendent of the DW-8000. The DW-8000 didn’t even have a wavetable...

Some people are very sensitive...

What I don't understand is how Korg came to the conclusion that modules don't sell well when they released the Minilogue XD long before the module came out. At that point users like me that were the true customer base already had one, and most, like me, didn't want to deal with the hassle of selling one just to buy the module version. I think they should release a module and keyboard version simultaneously and then get the real data. It's a flawed data set as it is.

that's a good point. and looking at their synth page on their site it's pretty striking how almost everything has a keyboard of some form on it, even down to the NTS-1. i'm assuming the decisions are based on some kind of logic, but it may more of a traditional-thinking hang up on the part of some decisions makers there, perhaps.

obviously one person's case isn't much, but if these recent synths (modwave/wavestate/opsix) were available as desktop modules (similar/same sized knobs, spacing, etc.) instead of these ugly/cheapo looking small keyboard things then i'd definitely be in the market for one...the opsix, most likely. as it is, i seriously doubt i'll ever buy the opsix just based on its size/unnecessary keyboard/ugly fckin face. really seems like they've made a mistake with this current line's format, but i'm not seeing their sales numbers which is i guess all that really matters to them of course.

I think they consider the Iridium to be the follow up to the Blofeld.

I agree, but a 61 key version would likely be $500 or more extra.....only $200 more is a pipe dream, unless the whole thing was plastic and used the worst keys imaginable. I say module everything, so we can use the MIDI keyboards/controllers of our choosing. One exception is the Yamaha Reface series, they are already so sleek that the keys hardly add to the space and they are extremely nice keys even though they are tiny.

People who would prefer a flimsy keyboard version over a module version that saves space and lets you use the controller of your choosing are no friends of mine.

(Yes I know you can use the controller of your choice anyways, but if it was just a module it would be cheaper....so we are theoretically paying more since it has keys.....another turn off. It will be a cool synth regardless...but a "pick one up cheap used years later" for me)

I am very sensitive...but being upset over the name is plain idiotic. What, are they Mormons or something?

Does Korg have any plans for MPE support?

Another point is that more people would be interested in buying a module would be if they were rackable in a 19" rack.

Basically that was my reason for not buying a Minilogue module. The desktop format is all nice and fun, but not being able to rack it as an alternative to keeping it on a desk is a big negative. Desk space is limited, while vertical estate can easily be added in most studios.

Korg has decades of experience selling synths, the xd is not their only data point.

It's also not only Korg that says that modules don't sell as well, other manufacturers say the same thing.

I remember Behringer in particular: when they were looking into if a Deepmind module would be feasible and at what cost the info they got from talking to retailers and such was that (if memory serves me well, it's somewhere on GS) they'd sell 7 keyboards for 1 module. They still went ahead with it, but the module ended up costing as much as the whole keyboard because the economies of scale aren't as good since they can't sell as many of them.

More recently when Behringer pooled people for ideas as to what to do next they outright said not to suggest more modules because, in their experience, modules that cost more than ~$300 (again, if memory serves me right, I don't have time to fish up the sources, this was on Facebook if I'm not mistaken) just don't sell well, it's not worth the bother.

Manufacturers have limited ressources, so they have choose between doing a keyboard + module versus doing two different keyboards or such. Keyboards win cause they're easier to sell.


Why? A keyboard is a complete solution. A module is a piece of a larger puzzle. It's like a laptop versus a PC workstation: for everyday people the laptop is just way easier to deal with. Plug. Play. Compact. Easy to move around. No need to figure out what cable goes where, what is compatible with what, how to configure this or that, what other bits do you need to buy to do what you want, etc. A laptop is not ideal in every way but it's convenient and more than good enough to get the job done.

To get back to synths, before being able to use a synth module you need to learn your way around MIDI. That alone is a big stumbling block. MIDI was not made for humans

Did you get drunk after dinner tonight?
Seriously though the Iridium is far from the follow up to the Blofeld. While the Blofeld does a lot the Iridium does much more than a Blofeld and costs a lot more. The Blofeld was/is a $500 module and a $700-800 keyboard. The Iridium is 2k. Totally different price catagories.
The Iridium is basically the rack Quantum with a non analog filters and a few cool tricks that make Quantum owners pretty much think about picking it up as well.

Dare I say your bias towards Waldorf Hardware synths creates a reality distortion field.