I think I can speak for the masses in saying that when I search for a certain product that I have an interest in that I want to learn about, I get a shot of serotonin and dopamine when I find the Loopop thumbnail that covered it for me 😍 Similar to a child's Christmas morning. You are the ultimate dictionary, thesaurus, owner's manual, and user guide in human format and I wish I could rent you. Bless you Loopop.
Those 5 pound plastic cases are just terrible. They feel like recycled Happy Meal toys. They definitely need to build a professional instrument like Moog, ASM, Sequential, etc.
@Kurt Faasse I work a normal, full time day job, run a record label by myself, release my own music, and get paid to tour. If you want something, work for it.
Those new Korg units are both stunningly mesmerizing and scary to me at the same time, haha. SOOO many options and features. All for very little money. That's crazy imho, especially when you look at the very fair pricetag. And to be honest, you don't really need more than one or two of these and can start exploring endless sonic territory, honing your sound design skills. A great time to be alive... Solid and accessible gear for everyone.
Thte UX of these new devices is the best its ever been - but the sound quality is the worst its ever been. Miniaturization and cost-cutting for the Beats/Airpods generation has really brought it down. I recently restored a Yamaha TG77 and the sound quality is lightyears from this toy.
@@xfloodcasual8124 Interesting! We may have lost the sense for great sound due to the lack of machines like the TG77. I mean, when I testdrove the Minilogue XD, I did not compare it to something else and quite frankly liked it, hehe. But I DO own classic drum machines (909, 808) and can clearly sense the difference there when compared to let's say an RD-8 or a TR-09.
Full Ack. I started my synthesizer addiction about 30 years ago, and when I think about how expensive it was back then.... I spent incredible amounts of money together with a friend. For a tiny fraction of that you can get the Modwave today, and that alone opens up a universe of possibilities.
@@xfloodcasual8124 The point is: how do you define "sound quality"? Some synthesizers from the 80s have terrible sound quality (from a sound engineer's point of view, with aliasing, frequency response and all that) - yet they have tremendous character. Like the DX7 or the D-50. "Sound quality" is a completely useless criterium for synthesizers.
Honestly that's probably my biggest reservation too. Sometimes too much choice can be paralyzing, I might end up spending an hour just deciding which filter to use on a patch lol, at least while still getting accustomed to all the choices.
Nobody does this like u bro. There are some wicked channels out there. But sometimes can baffle you. You break it down and Explain the Synth,Drum machine, Sampler etc, so well. It's just another level 👏🙏🔥👊👊💪🔥🔥🔥
All 3 Korg new digitals are must have and endless fun. Compared to some other manufacturers that do retro replicas, Korg took 3 different synthesis technologies from the 80s and brought them to the new updated level suitable for 2020+. Imagine if they made keyboard detachable so you can easily make table top modules such as Minilogue XD module. Cheers! S
I am loving my new sequencer and wish it was a bit larger...it controls a 2600 clone, 500 clone, two moogs, and a matrixbrute and sends data to a force via USB, probably going to buy another. Solid build and speaks fluent MIDI, USB midi, CV and more. I use several sequencers sometimes and this is a keeper. I hope the new model gives us more lights and soft led switchs...the CV units share data as well so the MIDI and CV together is a wet dream.
I have the wavestate which as people already know is very heavy especially in it's ability to create wave synthesis and sounds from scratch. This is here is quite intriguing.
I own modwave for a few weeks now and still try to tame this beast. In this task, your video is the reference I keep coming back to. So cool, thank you!
Korg making great synths as usual, i was in two minds if to get the wavestate or the modwave and i think this will be in my studio as soon as its out, thanks for the great demo and tutorial.
@Korg: Please, please make Desktop versions of your lovely new digital Synth's. I really do not need more Keys (and especially no bad quality keys ...). I believe that I am far from alone with this wish. I would buy them all!
Korg has some interesting sounds which I like. I don’t have any Korgs, and I’m hoping they might release this or the wavestate in a desktop form factor.
@loopop: I’m an iPad guy without a laptop so I can’t get the editor for this but this video made me think that indeed I could manage without the computer. What a sound !
I, in a state of weakness that lasted over a week, bought the Modwave and Wavestate from Guitar Center for a really good deal. Thank you Loopop, you are amonst many things the greatest synth salesman on earth.
Excellent Demonstration as always. All I can add is that "I am sooooooooo glad I just got myself a Wavestate". For me it was just the correct choice. This might be perfect for another Musician. As with all Synth users, the sky is the limit and perhaps this might be a nice companion for the Wavestate. I believe that I would go the Analog route on any future Synth additions.Just my 2 cents.Peace-
@@jaydekaytv the wavestate is with the latest update 2.0 (librarian/editor/user samples) an incredible machine. and the modwave continues these awesome possibilities with wavetable besides wavesequencing. these are not really mainsysnths with 37 keys, but very useful and versatile helpers for analog companions like pro-/mini-/monologue, ph'ty, sub, gr'ma, matr'ch etc. unfortunately, the 80s fm synthesis is not quite my case, so I will certainly buy the opsix at a later date for his functionality beyond fm. i would prefer this formfactor for real korg analog duo-/paraphonic monster besides my logues, something modern between monopoly, odyssey and minimoog, moog subsequent, and instead another copy of multiengine more focus on multitimbral, osc/lfos.
I got my Modwave a few hours ago, found it for 320eur if you can believe. My jaw keeps dropping since I've turned it on, this synth is a whole world of sounds. Similar to Serum in many ways but even more powerful, this is pure love at first sound
Thanks for another fantastic review. I’ve had mine on preorder since January. I can see it’s totally worth the wait and yes I look forward to designing patches with it.
Wow! This looks like something I might actually want. The Wavestate wasn't quite in my comfort zone, but this one has entered through a side door... Oh, and that Kaoss Physics feature is almost *exactly* the same as something I was planning to code for VCV Rack. It's like they were reading my notes over my shoulder :) Really pleased to see someone doing that stuff! Well done, Korg.
@@loopop I should probably mention that it's not a short-term project! I've designed it but not coded it, and I've not coded for VCV before. However, it's on my list :)
Ahh so this is why I got my Wavestate a couple months ago for such a deep discount. It's a win-win for me as I'd rather have the Wavestate than this but this looks amazing too!
@@Jason75913 that's interesting, as if i remember correctly, the OpSix prototype pics that originally did the rounds over a year ago were of a 61 keys unit.
Hoping for an SE version soon. It's not that I object to the key count it's just that I need to retire my non-velocity sensitive DX27 as my main full-size keyboarded synth so a 61-key Modwave would meet that need.
@@JGW-im3nf The Drumlogue is going to be different tech to the Modwave and Wavestate. It will be a mix of analog, Multi Engine, and samples. It is like a drum machine in the same tech family as the Minilogue XD and Prologue.
I have to agree that Korg has been on fire. From Gadget 2 to Minilogue XD to this Modwave, Korg is battling 1000! I must add that you, my friend are battling a very close 900.98! Every one of my last 5 or 6 synth buys have been a decision made after one of your video reviews. Did I say that’s been since last December? Let’s see: Behringer Pro One, Behringer Model D, Korg Minilogue XD, Behringer TD-3, Arturia Keystep Pro, Arturia Microfreak, Novation Circuit Tracks, Novation Circuit Rhythm, Korg NTS-1, Korg Modwave, and UNO Synth Pro. Not to mention how many tricks I’ve stashed in my “trick-bag” thanks to your “ever expanding book”. I have an attraction to Korg since my first synth in 1984 was a Korg Poly 800. Just saying thanks for the education and putting the pro level presentation on your work. Very well done. Keep up the great work, I appreciate you. My friends call me JC. Oh, and I ordered Plinky, but as you well know, I’ll be waiting for that one for a while.
Hi you are perfectly in the right as far as synths are concerned. On another hand the workstation machines mine does not appear very coherent on a marketing point of view. Kronos Kross Nautilus Krome I do not see the same vision strength
Same. I really want one of these but hate having attached keyboards. IDK if I want to wait for something that potentially might not happen either though
They have said numerous times, they never will do modules again for any smaller platform. They simply don't sell and they got burned by the mini-series. Which massively undersold. Thats unacceptable post pandemic as a risk. People will be lucky if they manage to get the SE editions out.
I also wish uli's gang released the poly D as a module. I really hate this small keyboard trend. I get why they do it as a compromise but for someone with an already good controller it's just redundant and takes up space.
This adds interesting sounds to an already crowded palette of wonderful sounds or us it as a decent starting place! Get one as it is a very useful audio design tool.
About the OSC SAMPLES mode...this is something I figured out just last night which is not obvious at first, so I'd like to share this for any new Modwave users. When you use the drum/perc samples, you'll surely want to repitch them and you absolutely can. On the right side of FILTER section press the PITCH button and in the Osc Pitch you can change Octave, Tune and Transpose to repitch. Hope this helps anyone who scratched their heads over it as I did for weeks, cheers! 🙂
In sample mode, it would be nice to be able to use the position (e.g. sample start), blend (e.g. loop start), morph (e.g. loop end) and morph type (e.g. loop type) knobs for *something*. There may already be plans for other functions, I am just trying to get more out of the ModWave, because I LOVE IT!
Did I hear correctly, 32 voice poly + bi-timbral? Great video as always, something about knowing what to expect from a loopop presentation, always consistent and will do the justice needed to understand a synth.
Love love love the Wavestate. It's a future classic. I'll never get rid of mine. Like the Opsix as well, but not as much. Not feeling excited about the Modwave. The editor is cool for those that want it. I'd love one on the Wavestate. Excellent video as always.
Supposedly an official wavestate editor is very close to release! I couldn’t be more excited. The wavestate is such an inspiring instrument and reminds me a lot of playing with a modular synth.
@@noahtotten Hooray! Wavestate is a lovely and special synth with so much modulation flexibility. It is a bit overwhelming at times, once you get deeply in to the mod matrix... will be nice to have an editor.
I too am not very impressed with how this thing sounds as compared to my WS. The thing I am really jealous of: the pitch lane on Modwave can quantize to a musical scale. I wish they added that to WS because once you start filling in other values than obvious intervals like +7,+12 on the pitch lane, I find it becomes very hard to play freely on the keys and still have good sounding results.
That's an interesting post! I do not own a Wavestate, but I do find the concept of Wavesequencing interesting. That being said, and I only watched the first 8 minutes of this video here; my thoughts were more like "I liked the Wavestate, but this seems even more fun" - So that's contrary to your statement. But YOU own the Wavestate, so I would really like to read WHY you like that better than the Modwave. For real, please elaborate :-)
Incredible.. if i got a lot of money then i would buy Waldorf synths, i dont, so this seems to do all the work and maybe more than all the other expencieve synths …again a superb rewiev from loopop :) Thanks :)
I pay a Q alongside the Korg units wavestate and modwave, all three say a lot , even with a half dozen analogs ..IF you do a few house keeping tasks. The problem is fitting in the beats, vocals, and making something you may be proud of in 20 years...check out Tangerine Dream's numbers compared to many others. It is self expression that counts. It took me years to get my gear and reviews warned me away from the bad stuff. I love a good review!
The 2GB of samples really takes this to the next level for me. I love layering musically harsh wavetables with acoustic instruments like drum hits and vocal snippets.
I used analog synths, digital and VST in a few decades. VST are amazing now and hold an interest for many. But, I have to say I love a hefty knob or two instead of of a mouse. Just my way of doing things now. I use a computer as a work sheet or sample/patch editor, maybe online. Computers can do the job , but they are not intuitive for some.
Love this sentence:"The chaos physics pad is a unique physics-based element, meaning that as opposed to a regular 2D XY-pad you can curve the 2D surface in a 3rd dimension as well as control other elements of the surface and then throw the xy-spot around that surface as if it was a ball which will in turn interact with that 3d surface as if it was rolling on top of it." ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fHnkl6dSmgs.html
Literally returned the opsix within a week just for that reason. It’s hard to feel compelled by an instrument that feels like a kids toy that will break in half. Super cheap build 🙃
Absolutely! These are the cheapest, worst, most plasticy keyboards I've ever seen on any synth. No reviewer seems to mention it. Wouldn't stop me buying one, though... 😱
Note that it will only retrigger if no voices are sounding. If anything is sounding, the LFO continues - regardless of whether or not a key is actually being held down. Let me know the use case for which this is insufficient, and I can add a feature request!
Another great video! These are really helpful, so thanks so much! This synth looks really tasty however I'm not sure whether to get this one yet and might wait a few months. I already have a Wavestate and Minilogue and haven't played with either as much as I would like.
When I got my first hardware synth, it was a Microkorg XL... but that turned out to be kind of a dead end due to its severe lack of physical patch editing controls. So I didn't learn much from it, and it ended up gathering dust once I got sick of the presets. I would have been much better off with something like the Modwave. It seems almost bottomless, and yet is still relatively straightforward to build new sounds and soundscapes on. I don't need one now though. I needed one 12 years ago. D'oh. But I'm glad people today will have nicer instruments than I started with.
@@unclemick-synths When I was a noob, I didn't know how important knobs are... so I went for something with a more powerful engine instead of something with a good UI. :(
@@unclemick-synths I probably would have been better off even with something as simple as a Reface CS. Or a Bass Station 2. Or a Minibrute 2. None of those existed at the time though, so perhaps an Ultranova. Now though, I'm mostly using a Pro 3. It's fantastic. Am planning on using it for a long, long time.
@@ToyKeeper I love my Reface CS. So quick to dial-in great sounds even if just a temporary sound to let me keep working that will be replaced by a sound from a synth that's slower to program.
They obviously want you to use that Kaoss Pad - but it looks like its working pretty well. I like the consistency - is KaossPad functionality set in every preset
I never thought about this but a pad seems way more comfortable to me than a joystick. I hate the minilogue XD joystick for the number of times I've tried to use it on one axis and ended up bending the pitch on accident. The pad seems more easily controlled.
Looks like an amazing creative tool/instrument. The WaveState and PCM patches has zero interest with me....but this Modwave with full sized keys and oscillator sound design is everything I had hoped for in the WaveState. Korg is sure making some fantastic synths today.
Did you get the modwave (I'm still debating on the Hydra/ModV/Argon8) Thing is the wavestate was never meant to be what everyone wishes it was...a wavetable synth... it's a vector synth same as Yamaha's sy35 or kawai's K4 or of course korg's wavestation...why people mistake it for a wavetable synth is beyond me. With that said I feel a powerful trio would be the WaveS/Op6/(insert any of the afformentioned wavetable synths)🤷🏻♂️
@@BendApparatus I'm way behind in my synth technology and purchasing; just bought a new Korg Minilogue a few months ago. I bought a sampler a year ago and need analog synths to sample into it, and then create new instruments from editing and layering multi samples to play on the sampler. I have been watching all synths carefully and still looking for a synth with lots of modulation options and polyphony. But since Roland introduced a version of the JD800 in Boutique, that will be my next synth, and also the the new JX-08 will probably follow. Digital synths with all the physical control analog synths enjoy have been rare throughout the digital decades and can't pass these up. Next I will be upgrading my old digital piano with new technology. Hoping the Mod/Wav/Opsix prices will drop in the mean time.
@@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene the minilogue was a great purchase. I'm stuck in a weird place... I have plenty of fully analog mono synths... And a few poly digital synths... So technically I need a analog poly... But instead I'm looking at another digital poly...🤦🏻♂️ Oddly enough I also have a monophonic digital as well as a monophonic wavetable synth! I'm all over the place...😅
great demo, as usual. korg really needs to make modules out of all these. i have a wavestate and that keybed is meh. i'm not buying any more of this form factor. i got a kromeEX workstation so i can run all my modules from one place. maybe ask korg to let us import our own samples via these softwares. i REALLY want to load my own wavestate samples and i hope the upcoming software enables this.
They announced a 61 key keyboard version of Wavestate with aftertouch....but no word on when it will be available or if they will do the same for the OpSix and Modwave. Sadly I don’t think we will see desktop versions of any of them
Nice. Now if Korg would kindly release an überModStateSix desktop module that houses the three raspberry pi’s from the wavestate, opsix and modwave in a nice and small format, that’d be great.
one thing I love to do with wavetables, is take the two wavetable positions to static spots, in order to make the resulting sound close to an acoustic instrument. I played around with this a lot on my micromonsta synth. I'm sure the modwave will have so many possibilities both with that, and with custom wavetables, which really interests me the most about it so far. I have already played on my wavestate a ton, and discover new things on it often.
close to an acoustic sound? why? And you have a Wavestate that does that better than any wavetable synth ever. Integra-7, MODX, Juno-DS, or Krome EX also all kill all wavetables at this, from among hardware synths.
@@Jason75913 i like doing that just for the experimental aspect, i.e. how much i can push the static position of single cycles. of course i do all kinds of wave sequences and moving stuff thats of course quite fun. For some reason after doing a few of those acoustic sound things, i thought, how many more of those can I do? haha, and it became this almost fascination. Recently Ive played with filters on analog waveforms to end up with bell like tones. Thats pretty neat too. I dont need to do it, but yea, its a neat side thing I do to see what i can get out of the different synth engines [filters, static waveforms/oscs]
As ever a really good review. I would perhaps have liked to hear a few more raw wavetables, but where to start and where to stop. I know! Btw. it's not yet listed on your website. :) Thanks for doing these reviews and tutorials.