Korg Modwave vs. Vintage Korg DW8000: A New-ish Take on Wavetable Synthesis

Today we're excited to have Zach Marr back in the studio checking out a couple awesome wavetable synthesizers. The new Korg Modwave's logo on the actual synth highlights the "dw" for a reason-- it's paying tribute to the classic DW8000. Does the Modwave improve on the wild and cinematic sounds? Take a listen and let us know what you think!
SHOP MODWAVE: www.alamomusic.com/korg-modwa...
0:00 Intro
12:43 Demos
34:46 Final Thoughts
__________________________________________________________________
♪ Contact us: www.alamomusic.com/contact
♩ Call toll-free: [phone]
♬ Connect:
Twitter → / alamomusic
Instagram → / alamomusic
Facebook → / 1375975579208745

[@kiko1935]

I do not understand why the modwave didn't get the analog filter. That was the entire point of the dw8000, digital wave forms, analog filter, like the Esq1. Getting rid of that aspect makes no sense to me.

[@jmclen7]

Money. If they made a version with an analog filter for $1,200+, would you buy it? Would anyone? Probably not enough people to justify its existence. Such a niche synth anyway. I think it represents a nice compromise for what it is but I understand the disappointment. One thing to keep in mind too about these demos is they aren't remotely apples to apples. The Modwave has a lot of onboard fx which, if enabled, will make the synth sound less analog, more distant, etc. I'd want to hear a more direct comparison before judging the VA filter. Modwave may sound more like the DW8000 after a mixdown or it may sound nothing like it. Hard to tell from this video. Maybe one day they could add these digital oscillators to one of their analog synths as an option?

[@dailyraillive1492]

China? Dw made in Japan. I'm not surprised

[@wolfdram]

@@jmclen7 : The Minilogue XD has analog filters and there's a third-party digital engine for it that can load the DW-8000 waveforms : kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXWcdX-JntGemtk

[@joshtomlinson8169]

the dw8000 wasn’t “all about” the analog filter in its design..that was a cost saving feature that at the time was considered lame and backwards looking..that BECAME it’s appeal but in taking account the design of the instrument if it was up to the designers, they would have gone all digital it was just too costly at the time (the inverse of today)

[@deanmorgan9034]

This is Haywood from food and friends. Remember that the top of the guacamole is by far the creamiest, you go digging any deeper than that things get a lot chunkier and much, much chewier down there

[@wayneclark3020]

I was assuming the Mod wave had an analog filter when I clicked on this vid but as soon as heard it at the beginning I knew it was all digital. The DW 8000 just blows away the Mod Wave with it's superior warmth, presence and fullness. Even in 2021 you could put a DW 8000 on a record and get satisfying results. I doubt you could do that with the Mod Wave.

[@danwentz]

This is true to a point, i still carry my EX-8000 around and these two sound amazing together! The biggest difference between these two instruments is you can’t sync anything on the DW/EX, while it’s a core feature of the Modwave.

[@user-lw8dr6xx8i]

I agree. Not so interested in the Modwave. Definitely keeping my DW 8000. Its perfect.

[@roberttodd2414]

weird really isnt it, you'd think korg would have added an analogue filter, isn't that their thing?

[@Pintosonic]

I don’t really understand why their marketing say that somehow the Modwave is related to the DW 8000. The DW 8000 is famous for being one of the first hybrid synth while the Modwave is a 100% digital synth. The analog filter makes a big difference here, that’s a shame because the DW 8000 sounds much warmer.

[@danwentz]

Well, from the standpoint of oscillator source - they are both wavetable synths, the original DW wavetables are even included.

[@johantorneheim1384]

I dream of a v2 with all those controllers and a full size keyboard. Knob-laden like a Summit… On the fence about the Modwave, but it could be a future classic. Please Korg, open up for loading PPG, Ensoniq, Serum and Falcon wavetables! Or the Prophet Vs waves…

[@Sonikbytes]

in this demo, DW sounds more full and vintage to me. The typical poly pads have more meat to them. Modwave's complex modulation reminds me a bit of Wavestation

[@homemmoita]

Everytime I see a DW8000 pannel if feel... home!

[@Jedson66]

This is the content i need

[@dynoroad]

It's important to note that the DW isn't actually a wavetable synthesizer. It merely has digital single cycle waveforms. There's no real "table" that you can scan through via modulation or other sources. So the comparison is quite weird to me, both from sellers but also from Korg themselves. The Modwave has more in common with PPG and Waldorf synths than it has with the DW8000.

[@SeverityOne]

What I wouldn't mind is a comparison between the DW-8000 (EX-8000), Ensoniq ESQ-1 (ESQ-M) and the Kawai K3 (K3m). They are similar instruments, from roughly the same period.

[@AlchemicalAudio]

This would be a great video

[@geoffk777]

Wavetable synthesis isn't so popular in hardware, but it's very common in VSTs. Even in hardware, you have the Modal Argon8, and the Waldorf Blofeld, M and Quantum/Iridium. Waldorf (the successor to PPG) spans the range from the inexpensive Blofeld, to the retro M to the sophisticated and expensive Iridium and Quantum. I'd be more interested in how the ModWave compares to these modern competitors than to the vintage DW8000.

[@torbenanschau6701]

plus Ensoniq

[@Death_By_Media]

ASM Hydra Synth , Access virus had wt OSCs, Waldorf Q - uQ , Mutable Instruments shruti , many , many Wavetable synths , hell the Roland Sh 32 supposedly had Wavetable OSCs but I don’t consider playing a single cycle wave wt synthesis .

[@AdamTheAd-vanc3d]

Just love these videos. Great little history lesson on this one. I have a very mixed opinion about the modwave. However i can see its use and gap filling purpose in my setup.

[@empirelight5477]

Looking forward to the comparison between the three. 😎👍

[@joonglegamer9898]

The Wavestate and the Modwave are two entirely different beasts even thought they share some of the same architecture, for example they're both Raspberry PI3 based synths, and the internals are pretty much the same except the controller layout is slightly different for obvious reasons, them being two different synths, possibly complementing each other if you like. Whereas the Wavestate is a wave sequencing synth (playing samples in waves, if you like...in a sequence), the Modwave is all about those two oscillators. The two oscillators opens up a whole world of formant based synthesis because you can use one waveform to modify/form/shape the other. This is what makes Modwave so unique. And what's even more, because of all of those live controllers - unlike its predecessors you can do it all live, form and shape sounds as you go - on-the-fly. When it comes to rich sounds it's not as powerful as the Wavestate, not by a long stretch. It has 32 Polyphony whereas the Wavestate has 64 and sequencing. Since they are BOTH using the same internal hardware (The Raspberry PI3) I'm guessing that the 32 polyphony was sacrificed because of the raw processing power it takes to use two oscillators to mix two waveforms in real-time. So to sum it up, I guess the main difference between the Wavestate and the Modwave is that on the Modwave you are more in control in how you shape your waveforms/sound and can go deeper into shaping the sound itself, whereas the Wavestate focusses more on "more" of less, meaning you have more polyphony, richer sounds and more complex sequencing. But if you want to be more in control over each individual sound, I guess Modwave would be your thing. One thing besides the same hardware they do share - is the filters, and the menu layout. They both use an improved more user friendly way to interact with sound and shaping sounds, all the buttons and knobs are menu-contextual, meaning - if you turn a knob, it will immediately take you to the corresponding menu for that sound adjustment, this is revolutionary in itself and I wish more synthesizers did what Korg have done here. One thing you'll appreciate is that if you take the time to learn how Korg have made their new user-interface, and the way they have laid out the workflow, if you know the Modwave or Wavestate - you'll have an easier time diving into the next one if you should chose to opt for both synths, since they essentially use the same menu structure, workflow and layout.

[@OscillatorCollective]

I owned a DW8000 and the Ensoniq esq-1 I really liked them, particularly the Ensoniq. The esq was a beast, that filter was insane, so warm. I gave away my Korg to my ex, and sold my esq to a gig musician. I would actually get another esq, it’s built like a tank too.

[@bushdada]

I owned both the 6000 and the 8000 and I sold the 8000 and kept the 6000. I bought the 6000 brand new and the 8000 about 10 years later. The 6000 just sounded more powerful to me. Maybe that is because it does not have velocity. I also had an ESQm which I liked but something about the sound grated on me and when I had to make a choice to sell something, I sold that and still kept the 6000. The filter is one of the most “wicked” that I have had on a synth and has a lot of bite. It does need to be run through an effects unit like most synths of that time, but once it is it sounds much better than what was demonstrated here. The 6000, Poly 800, CZ-101, TX-7 and ESQ were the core of my production tools for most of the 80s and 90s. Unfortunately I don’t have the room for the DW to occupy a permanent slot in my setup presently, but I still have it. I have the Modwave, but it’s not a replacement.

[@EuroDJ]

Analog vs Vst ))

[@gabo3k3k]

DW8000 sound it is not only on the filters, they are great but I think the key to its sound is the digital to analog converter from the 80s feeding that filter. And that is not possible to emulate digitally. Probably that is why Korg didn’t bother with analog filters.

[@thomaskolb8785]

I believe that this "the DW-8000 sounds much warmer than the modwave" thing is just placebo. Most of the "warmth" of the DW is because of its lack of high-end frequencies. Dial in a bit of LPF or EQ in the MW and you have a sound that is just as warm and cozy as any analog synth. And yes, I have both the DW and the MW.

[@lazercrotch9839]

No.

[@thesimulations8900]

Come on Tom older=better. We all know that! 🙄 Synth idiots are as bad as guitar idiots and they are complete rubes!

[@CDinkle]

Hi Zach , would love to hear your thoughts about the non-TI Viruses!

[@kzm4275]

Here for the DW8K

[@tedraven9214]

Hey Zach, I do like your videos very much. Nevertheless there seems to be a misunderstanding, probably based on Korg's promotion of the Modwave synth. Korg's DW synths are in no way capable of Wavetable Synthesis. They only have digitally stored single shot waves of eight (DW-6000), respectively 16 (DW-8000 and EX-8000) acoustic instruments. There are no wavetables like those used in Wavetable Synthesis. The waves are being used in a simple (but effective) subtractive synthesis. Though Korg's Mono/Poly and Poly/800 already had cult status when they were in stores, what you say about the popularity of the DWs is perfectly realistic as far as I remember.

[@tinkerwithstuff]

I'm knocking on wood that we'll be getting more hard-door sound design.

[@lukehunnable]

Hard-door?

[@nichttuntun3364]

The reason why Korg writes 'dw' with small letters is, the Modwave has the smaller sound. The vintage DW pronounced each single voice like it should with great fat warmness and awesome voice seperation. The Modwave can't cope with that in any way. But does that make the Modwave the weaker synth? Of course not. It is far superior versus the very limited vintage synth. The Modwave inspires going on an endless sound exploration journey. The Modwave waves already from up the first hill, while the DW 8000 is out of breath at its foot, having a first break. If you take the Modwave for what it is and not compare it to other synths, that's where you cross the threshold having lots of fun with it - getting more out of it as you can ever imagine. The sound examples here are conventional. I don't think that's the Modwave's strength. But it's nearly the only thing, the DW 8000 can do. And who wants that today, after 60 years plus history of conventional synthesizers? 😅

[@pizzagogo6151]

I like what Korg is doing & the modwav sounds great, thanks for showing it. I just don’t get how they are trying to make a connection between the two- they sound nothing alike (and they haven’t even bothered to put a DW modelled filter in the modwav?? ) It’s a enough good synth to stand on its own but it feelits a bit of disappointing marketing b*****it by Korg equating it to the classic DW’s hybrid sound..

[@Pighood]

Them hand gestures tho

[@cmaynes]

sonically the DW8000 is superior- the analog filters really make the thing sound thick and creamy- all the KORG digital machines that followed it were thin sounding (I have an EX8000, M1REX and WS A/D) all of them are really great, but timbrally, the DW is much closer to the JX8/10P and the Oberheim Matrix 6 (albeit with significantly less programmabilty.)

[@fortheloveofnoise]

I have both the JX-8P and DW-8000, I prefer the sound of the 8000.

[@realmsofficialmusic1398]

Looking to sell my DW-8000 and DW-8P controller by Retroaktiv. I love the sounds but its just too big to keep in my collection. They should make a boutique like Roland is doing.

[@soundlabsounddesign9392]

The ModWave is a wavetable synthesizer, the DW family is a hybrid synth (subtractive analog synthesis with digital oscillators). The DW has a table of selectable waves (8 bit, single cycle) you can scroll through and use as oscillators in a digitally controlled analog synthesizer style. The Modwave has wavetables (different progressions of single cycle waveforms) that you use as an oscillator and MODulate the position in the selected wavetable through various methods (aftertouch, lfo, envelopes, etc) The DW family is more related to the Kawai K3 and Ensoniq ESQ-1 and SQ-80. The Modwave is closer to the Microwave XT than it is to the DW family (those red knobs are a nod, for sure). I think Korg just tried to link to one of their older products to the new line to be coherent. Nevertheless, it is an amazing synth on its own :)

[@audiolego]

Hey mannnn

[@roberttodd2414]

obviously the dw 8000 destroys it. Nice playing zach, i think you're getting better

[@dailyraillive1492]

The bill Gates of synths. Fantastic.

[@bilonggrisimmeri]

Modwave has both the actual DW8000 single cycle waveforms and scannable PPG style wave tables. 100s of them. Factory patches are not to my taste. Its digital filters and effects are top notch.

[@hmk8996]

The DW-8000 had 16 digitally generated waves available for oscillators. It didn't offer wavetables consisting of multiple wave forms that could be scanned as in the PPG or Waldorf synths. It is incorrect to say the DW-8000 used wavetable synthesis.

[@anoniconoclast2030]

I like the modwave sound vs. his DW8000 but not compared to my 8000 with the turbo mod. He chooses the most plastic sounds possible on the DW8000. Please for the love of God get some better sounds. Still, he makes the best videos on synths.

[@asoundlab]

Will strive to do better on my patch selection!

[@anoniconoclast2030]

@@asoundlab You are still head and shoulders above anyone else. It was just a case of me being defensive of the DW8000. At first glance it may seem like it's a limited synth and it is, but it's amazing what one can get out of it. I have an extra turbo mod if you want it. (no charge)

[@Ben-qn3it]

@@anoniconoclast2030 you still have that turbo mod? loving my dw8000 but i feel like i've hit the wall with what i can get out of it (maxed out all my custom patches too lol)

[@expandingknowledge8269]

I'll stick with my Korg- DSS-1 Synth, sounds much better than the Modwave!

[@michaelpierce3264]

sorry Zack but the dw 600 or the 800 are not wavetable synth they do have single cycle waves some created by short recordings of sounds and others created by additive synthesis dump into rom memory but they don’t have tables to go stand through so no they are not wavetable just single cycle non multi sample early digital oscillator synths same fo the sequential prophet vs

[@geraldmurer5274]

Rubish! I don‘t know, what he have smoked …

[@dirkkeersmaekers4343]

Too much advertising😡

[@florianhofmann7553]

Check "uBlock Origin" out - no more ads for you

[@westbethkid]

DW8000 is King, Modwave the jester