And the Award for the Best Synth in a Supporting Role goes to........

Here's a brief look at the 3rd Wave from Groove Synthesis and how I am utilising it to create not only highly complex evolving soundscapes but also all the "bread & butter" sounds you might need when composing and recording electronic music. Hope you enjoy the track at the end, listening back there are definite influences from Santana and Billy Joel. What's your favourite synth for building up your songs?

[@GrooveSynthesisMark]

Thank you for this, Tim. So good. We appreciate all of your support and everything you do.

[@furiobisotti8150]

The only bad thing about this synth is the price. A very clever use of existing legacy with new power. A masterpiece

[@RikMaxSpeed]

That’s why a bought a Waldorf M, and later expanded it to 16 voices. Still way cheaper, and the M has really good filters.

[@sK3LeTvM1]

@@RikMaxSpeed Agreed, but still the M doesn't sound as refined as the 3rd Wave. But hey, who cares?? 🙂

[@untml]

@@RikMaxSpeed The M looks great, too bad Waldorf made it so damn simple.

[@GertBoers]

I love these kind of deconstructing videos. Thanks for making and sharing! Lovely music as ever. And that analog filter on the 3rd Wave really makes the sound. Really beautiful! (Note to self: I need to use my Peak more.)

[@emdotambient]

I never thought I'd say it about a wavetable synth, but this thing is a total dream synth. Expensive? Yeah, but totally worth the price. Especially considering that the original PPG Wave started at about $7,000 in 1981 dollars ... that's about $19,000 in today's money. So, synths are still expensive, but nowhere near what they were historically.

[@trebleboost7]

Exactly why I went with this synth. It mixes so well, and exactly what I wanted out of a poly to provide excellent filler/foundation. Love the track.

[@MinPlanck]

Such a beautiful instrument. I love wavetable synthesis in general and this knocks it out the park. Great vid as always. Cheers Tim!

[@mikereynolds7363]

Beautiful- thank you Tim. I needed this today. ❤

[@expandingknowledge8269]

I enjoy using all my synths for sound layering. I use my Korg DSS-1, Yamaha TX-81Z, Yamaha AN1X, Roland JV-90, Korg Wavestation A/D, Lemon Drop Granular, Venom, Microfreak that I use with my Behringer Neutron for sequences, Mutable Instruments Shruthi-1, and lastly My Yamaha WX-11 wind synth. I am old school and use these fine synths for hardware multitracking, Think Synergy CORDS, VERY DENSE AND THICK.

[@ByronHadley1]

That's some really good stuff there, Mr. Shoebridge! I enjoyed that tune very much.

[@osirismaximus2787]

This is my dream synth

[@5ynthesizer]

We seem to have a strong affinity when it comes to create our preferred sound types 😉. Creating choral sounds with subtractive synthesis is not easy, which also led me to my love for vocoders. Of course sampling has made it a lot easier, like the Roland VP-770 which has lovely choirs, but my challenge is to create them without samples and let them have a clear synthetic character. The same thing with piano sounds, only a piano sounds like a piano. My goal is to create a sound that matches the natural one as far as possible without denying or hiding its pure synthetic nature, which in my case explains my fascination for subtractive synthesis. Of course, the possibility to have wave tables as oscillators like the 3rd Wave, elevates sound synthesis to a much higher level.

[@MrCoov]

Very nice! I wouldn't have picked this out as the 3rd Wave, but it really does fit right in. Love the VS choir spatial spread and love that piano - who would have thought it was only two single cycle waves. Thanks, Tim. And I think a big point here is that the 3rd Wave will sound great, (especially in person without KZbin data compression), and will do a large number of unique things due to the wavetable making, features, and 24 voice/4 part capability. BUT... it will also cover a huge amount of ground that you also need for those "bread and butter" normal synth sounds and sound great doing it.

[@samanthajanesmith9591]

Top class episode as usual. This was a synth I had paid no attention to and when I looked at the price I know why.

[@MyBichSustained]

TIGHT,Man!

[@mick3950]

Great tune thanks for sharing ,

[@ianwilson7637]

Great work Tim, I'm more of a synthetic guy but the sax work was fantastic and really enjoyable.

[@CreativeSpiral]

Nice track Tim! Good use of 3rd Wave and emotive lead.

[@crime_wavcorp]

those envelopes come on so smoothly

[@sK3LeTvM1]

As always, thank you.

[@richied1939]

Thanks for the great breakdown Tim. Knob Grotto has to be my fave term of the day….

[@nabooka316]

I have a Waldorf M running through a Night sky & Microcosm that takes me to digital fizzy pop heaven - nice job turning the 3' wave into a binaural Prophet VS 😮😮

[@tarkus9786]

Definitely nailed the VS choir…Sounds just like my VS patch #36

[@NikoNoxious]

Just ordered the desktop module today - cannot wait to try it out and try the MPE. One thing no review I have seen has mentioned is how the 4 different tambres can be each controlled via separate midi channels. I can't wait to put that to use in a DAW and easily switch it off for DAWless. That plus the 4 stereo outs makes this like four entire synths with 4 sequencers and the works including seperate fx for each.

[@untml]

Isn't that the all purpose of multitimbral? playing separate parts on separate channels?

[@NikoNoxious]

@@untml most people I have seen stacking sounds or using the keyboard split function.

[@NikoNoxious]

@@untml in fact the synth comes by default with the function turned off

[@untml]

@@NikoNoxious Ohh so this is why people raving about multitimbrality? split and layer? I totally missed this is the more popular usecase. That's explain allot

[@NikoNoxious]

@@untml yes its really sick!

[@byrdy60]

Tim! I haven't the coin for a 3rd wave so iam settling for my Blofeld and Kyra for wavetables so far so good😊 Great video by the way.🎉

[@zap7759]

Excellent combo. I'd rather have a Blofeld Keys and Kyra than a 3rd Wave ngl

[@byrdy60]

@@zap7759 Thanks 😊

[@ingolf7411]

Very interesting insights of how your songs are created. Ok, the 3rd Wave is nice (but out of budget) but the demonstration of your song "construction" is excellent 👍.

[@reecedeyoung6595]

Hey tim, I'm a software developer and ive been a bit confused with hybrids like the 3d wave, that have dedicated DSP oscilators and only provide a couple algorithms. Thats why im really excited about the direction Korg is going. The SDK of the first generation logue products was pretty limited. However the nts-1 mkii SDK is MUCH more capable. It has me really excited for Minilogue/Prologue mkii. Hopefully ill be developing my own oscillators. Curious to hear your thoughts.

[@reddragonrespect]

Nice. How bout Summit? bafta winner☺️?

[@davidsobel3303]

Very Blade Runner-esque. Love it!

[@johncarter2741]

I’m also a choir aficionado. Dunno why. Maybe because growing up amongst purely basic analogue synths that couldn’t do them well, choirs seemed to be the holy grail. Also I was listening to Tomita from aged 7 and his choirs were fabulous in 1978 so it struck a chord with me.

[@MarianoPerez]

I love these type of tracks. This is the type of music i want to start making. You ready for a big complement lol, it reminds me of one of my favorite tracks, Robert Miles Meresias from 23am album. I have a motif xs, and believe it or not the sax is quite close to what you have here on the montage. I just wish they'd have a montage rack the size of the iridium. By the way, what synth out there do you think gives a virus ti2, 16 part multi a run for its money?

[@JAAPIOJO]

Udo gemini for me. 1 The sound of the filters 2 The crazy amount of sweetspots 3 The amount of familiar classic hits sounds 4 The ribbon for happy accidents 5 Looks. So it is big but I have desided I will only buy 1 synth anyway, we will see. Also waiting what the moog mirror will be about. Moog sounds are also great but I think I will prefer the Gemini.

[@zap7759]

$5K supporting role. Who's the star and how much does it cost? 😆

[@cortical1]

Hi Tim. Very nice video and beautiful piece of music. Question: Where can we find your music for streaming and/or purchase? I've poked around and not found it in some of the usual places. Thanks! Cheers from Carlsbad, California.

[@TimShoebridge]

Hi. Many thanks 🙏 The music I create for commercial use is not in my name. This is a conscious decision. I've thought about producing music for myself, it's something I'd like to do, but if I do it I think I will look at physical media rather than streaming. That said, I never seem to have the time! Hopefully that will change.

[@jackcimino8822]

Have you tried the modwave?

[@jondis]

The intro LMAO !! !!

[@BobIGomez]

Thoughts of Blade Runner & Cowboy Bebop

[@user-sx2iw2hq3l]

If I were a rich man, I would definitely hire you first to work in my studio as a double ganarar producer. For me Tim, you are the coolest and most mature reviewer. Would you like to come work with me?☺️

[@MarkoDeLaVoota]

what is your choice of drums ? hardware, software ? I could recognize your music by your drums choice

[@TimShoebridge]

Must admit in terms of sound I do prefer real drums to synthesised, or at least a hybrid kit with a mix of both. So I tend to go with sampled sounds either from VSTs or from sampled kits on workstation or rompler hardware.

[@JonayArmas]

Best clickbait ever!

[@roland4507]

The price for that synth is quite steep but It sure sounds good in your hands.

[@kierenmoore3236]

Was the Sax (and Guitar) sound generated by the 3rd Wave, too ?

[@TimShoebridge]

No. They are from Yamaha Motif / Montage

[@kaiwetronic]

If you like 'choir' and 'piano-like' sounds, you don't need a WT synth... Tim, have you ever consider getting a Matrix-1000...? Seriously, mate... Sync and filter FM (with a proper modulation matrix) opens analog synthesis to any sort of electro-acoustic or wind/string instrument sound, whether real or imagined....

[@maxmeier532]

5 grand for a wavetable synth, it better be Oscar worthy.

[@dankeplace]

It's actually quite cheap when you consider you get 4 6 voice engines that can do their own thing and have their own outs.

[@AudioLomtik]

@@dankeplace that, or it can be 3 separate parts with 8 voices each, or two parts with 12 voices each etc. Unlike other synths with high poly count however, which often have to be stacked to sound fat, this synth can sound great with a single oscillator on a single part. Worth every penny.. I got the desktop though as I didn't need another keyboard.

[@jloiben12]

I really hope they make a “desktop SE” version. - 1 osc - just the svf - no wave envelope - remove one of the four “normal” envelopes - remove the effects and sequencer - only two parts instead of four They should be able to do that for around $1,500. Functionally all of the R&D was already spent. The cost would almost entirely be in the actual physical device which, while not nothing, would certainly allow for a good margin. It would be a great introduction into the ecosystem while still giving people the core product

[@JohnTrasher]

There is a desktop module

[@jloiben12]

@@JohnTrasher Which is why I said a desktop SE version

[@untml]

I'm sure they will do it. When you establish a new boutique brand you usually start with a flagship, building a name for manufacturing the "best instrument possible" then you make a lower cost version so you can say "now also you can also have a 3rd wave". That worked for many before, The most expensive parts are the analog SSI filters, VC'A's, controllers, case, connectors, development and country of origin. Most of what you suggested to exclude are the part of the DSP programing and will not affect the price if the same DSP or similar is used, it's better to lower the voice count to say 8 and subsequently the number of output but keep the voice structure as it is so it will run more or less the same software. I hope they will not artificially make it less comprehensive just keep the 3rd wave sales. Interesting to see what they will do with the controllers since people like controllers, I hope they will not stop manufacturing in the USA and skimp on quality just for that reason. I would love to have it with 8 encoders and matrix control (like the evolver) maybe even a blank 1U version with an editor but I learned most people don't like that.

[@dankeplace]

3rd Wave is an insane synth, it's good to see an old idea (PPG) moved onto something more modern. I prefer this approach to the clones that don't do anything really modern, ie the UBXa. Pat and 16 voices is nothing when compared to 24 voices, 4 synth engines with 6 voices and 4 pairs of stereo out with 4 separate sequencers. I'm trying to sell 5 kidneys to get one but I need at least 1 kidney to be able to play this. Bob and his team are a fantastic bunch of people. Thx for the upload.

[@taxmoneyyy]

Thanks for the video. Although next time so basic HPF on your voice mic? Plosives hurt

[@danbient]

If at some point you'd like a real saxophone, Id be down...

[@MrPhillee1982]

To damn expensive

[@HJPhilippi]

Yes, it may be a good sounding and very powerful synthesizer, but its price is almost ridiculous. Nothing for the common people, only affordable for professionals, high earners, or KZbin influencers I guess.

[@untml]

You forgot the most rare demographic, People with patience that can resist their urges and save for it for a year or two :)

[@ichiban8558]

Shit Genesis.