Sonically, the synth nails what Wavestation fans expect – even just as a preset machine, this is an awesome source of rich, pulsating pads, oddball textures and powerful multi-timbral patches. Korg has done a fantastic job of walking the line between being faithful to a classic and offering something new. Taken as a whole, the Wavestate is an excellent instrument. It all adds up to yet more sound-shaping power for an already powerful instrument.
There’s a wide variety of emulated delays and reverbs included too, and most of the effects can be modulated from the synth’s main mod matrix. There’s a broad range of processing on offer here including a host of chorus, phaser and ensemble modes. This has three effect slots per-layer, labelled Pre-FX, Mod-FX and Delay, plus global Reverb and parametric EQ. The final element in the Wavestate’s signal path is a multi-effects processor. The Polysix and MS-20 filters have a high gain option too, to emulate filter overdrive. This fourth option actually reveals a total of 12 filter models, including multiple 2- and 4-pole variants, both low- and high-pass MS-20 models and a Multi Filter, which effectively offers three filters at once. A front-panel button lets users flip quickly between Polysix LPF, MS-20 LPF and a 2-pole HPF model, as well as a fourth selection labelled ‘more’. Korg has remedied that here with the inclusion of multiple resonant filter models, including emulations of both the Polysix and MS-20 filters.
One of the weaker aspects of the original Wavestation was its filter, which lacked resonance and character. The Wavestate receives polyphonic aftertouch via external MIDI, but it’s a shame not to have it built-in.
There’s one omission on the modulation front though, in that there’s no aftertouch from the built-in keyboard (although it does have velocity and release velocity). There are also six assignable performance, rotaries on the front panel, a complex modulation matrix – allowing for the depth of any routing to be modulated by a secondary source – and a pair of Eurorack-like modulation processors. There’s a lot more to the Wavestate’s modulation options aside from this though, including per-voice envelopes and LFOs for amp, pitch and filter, plus an additional LFO for pan position (each of the Wavestate’s 64-voices is stereo).
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