Korg Wavestation
The Korg Wavestation is a vector synthesis synthesizer first produced in the early 1990s and later re-released as a software synthesizer in 2004. Its primary innovation was Wave Sequencing, a method of multi-timbral sound generation in which different PCM waveform data are played successively, resulting in continuously evolving sounds. The Wavestation's "Advanced Vector Synthesis" sound architecture resembled early vector synths such as the Sequential Circuits Prophet VS.
| Wavestation | |
|---|---|
Korg Wavestation | |
| Manufacturer | Korg |
| Dates | 1990–1994 |
| Price | $2195 £1575 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Polyphony | 32 |
| Timbrality | 8 parts (Wavestation, EX and A/D) and 16 (SR) |
| Oscillator | 4 x 32 digital oscillators with over 200 waves each |
| LFO | 2 x 32 – Triangle, Square, Sawtooth, Ramp |
| Synthesis type | Digital vector synthesis with Wave Sequencing |
| Filter | 32 low-pass |
| Attenuator | 32 ADSR envelope generators |
| Aftertouch expression | Yes – Channel (mono) — Wavestation A/D capable of receiving polyphonic aftertouch |
| Velocity expression | Yes |
| Storage memory | see memory allocation chart |
| Effects | 2×47 or 55 |
| Input/output | |
| Keyboard | 61-keys |
| Left-hand control | Pitch and Modulation Wheels, Joystick |
| External control | MIDI |
Designed as a "pure" synthesizer rather than a music workstation, it lacked an on-board song sequencer, yet the Wavestation, unlike any synthesizer prior to its release, was capable of generating complex, lush timbres and rhythmic sequences that sounded like a complete soundtrack by pressing only one key. Keyboard Magazine readers gave the Wavestation its "Hardware Innovation of the Year" award, and in 1995 Keyboard listed it as one of the "20 Instruments that Shook the World."
The Wavestation lineup consisted of four models: the Wavestation and Wavestation EX keyboards, and the Wavestation A/D and Wavestation SR rackmount sound modules.
In 2020, Korg released a new hardware 3-octaves-full-of-knobs keyboard version called Korg Wavestate, which integrate a much more powerful version of the original Wavestation, called "wave sequencing V2".