PPG WAVE 2.3 Sounds

Typical Sounds of the PPG Wave 2.3 Synthesizer
www.tma-music.com

[@MrSpasticdancer]

keep coming back to this video. PPG sounds otherworldly!

[@vidjenko8349]

That PPG terminal is looking damn fine

[@user-jr8hi5wh2o]

Funny. The PPG hardware sound never gets old. Always strong and captivating.

[@chinossynthesizer705]

Yeah, it reminds me of a lot of old computer sounds. I think that's how they made the waveforms from a old computer.

[@timdowns7937]

A favourite of Tangerine Dreams late founder Edgar Froese, I can hear his spirit here 🤗

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

Thanks for your comment

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

Didn’t know that Herr Froesse had passed.

[@winterland2011]

Edgar got the first prototype of PPG. This is , at least, the third version of this wonderful machine.

[@revokdaryl1]

Yes indeed. They used it on the Firestarter soundtrack.

[@entropybentwhistle]

@@winterland2011 Tangerine Dream had started using PPGs in the late ‘70s starting with the PPG 360.

[@itdies2dayyo]

Jeeze. This synth just has so much heart and soul, it's hard to put into words how it feels when a sound is emitted. I couldn't imagine getting to play one of these.

[@adam872]

I've always loved the sound of the PPG. It's really quite unlike anything else out there (that came before it anyway) and is a nice contrast to the analogue machines of the same vintage. I'm a massive Rush and Ultravox fan, so I naturally loved those sounds popping up on their albums.

[@bigskyrockies6034]

Grace Under Pressure features it on every track.

[@DamienDrake]

I just finished listening to Grace Under Pressure. The liner notes brought me here. If I had the money, I'd grab one. It's got such a striking sound!

[@luiseduardo_ear]

@@bigskyrockies6034 Power Windows too!!

[@xerostar2K09]

@@luiseduardo_ear Mystic Rhythms and Manhattan Project are my favorite songs from Power Windows

[@lo-firobotboy7112]

Nice lush sounds for a digital/analogue hybrid. I love the physical design....looks like a piece of lab equipment like an old audiometer or EKG interface.

[@carriersignal]

A beautiful machine in so many ways. Please take care of her. As time goes by, many of them will inevitably cease to function. Great demo.

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

+carriersignal Thanks for your comment. I love this machine

[@SPAZZOID100]

They can be repaired

[@BlakeFoster050]

I feel the same about my Akai EWI1000/EWV2000, unfortunately such instruments will never be fully reproduced and will eventually die. It's really sad.

[@sumchi3690]

I know it’s blasphemy but I’m sure you are aware ...Behringer

[@JamesCorbettMusic5000]

@@BlakeFoster050 luckily behringer are reproducing if 1:1 :) it

[@TryptychUK]

I briefly worked for PPG and used them a lot during my career. Totally unique in their sound, and really came into their own with the Waveterm. Very underrated.

[@dannybrazen]

Underrated?! Have you seen the prices these go for!

[@TryptychUK]

@@dannybrazen Yes, but that is more down to their rarity in recent years. They were never a popular synth compared to the Japanese and American manufacturers.

[@sapainca]

indeed not evidenced so much, or at least obviously in tracks.

[@TryptychUK]

@@sapainca A lot of people used them. Most notably Tangerine Dream, but also Rush, Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, Go West, Level 42, Pet Shop Boys, Enigma and a load more.

[@sapainca]

@@TryptychUK A-Ha, Wang Chung (mine is ex wang chung). Its a very obvious, thick and big sound.. Its in AIR's Caramel Prisoner from 10000hz at 1.50

[@ElectronicazMusic]

A truly remarkable machine. Can't believe the scope of its sounds baring in mind how old it is!

[@SharpblueCreative]

Unmistakable 1980s Tangerine Dream sounds. Lovely machine.

[@ralfmaas9697]

Dream Machine.Wohl einer der schönsten,Zeitlosesten und best klingensten Synthmaschinen die es je gab.Mit dem Waldorf Wave meine Favoriten am Synthi Himmel.

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

Danke für deinen Kommentar

[@HavenMarches]

I've never felt this way listening to a synthesizer. It's such a warm feeling too... What a beautiful machine

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

Many thanks for your comment

[@tony714keene]

This is a beautiful piece of equipment

[@aliensporebomb]

Stunning sounds. Still ahead of its time in many ways.

[@janetcraft]

Very good :) I can hear Tangerine Dream and Jonn Serrie sounds. Thank you for playing :)

[@JackNance22]

What a marvelous instrument, thank you for the demo.

[@Gerald_Daniel]

I watched this on my tv set several times. It´s already been twice that this Instrument tranquilizes myself to such an extend that I happily fell asleep. Even the samples are great not only the waves.

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

Thanks Lubraltar, but these sounds are only made with waves and wavetables. No samples used!!

[@Gerald_Daniel]

Torsten Abel Alright but what about the sax? Ain´t that the 2.3´s original sample? I remember listening an old miles davis record with a similar sound.

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

Lubraltar In Wavetable 31 (Only in Wave 2.3) 2 samples are stored as wavetables. Piano and Sax For all other samples you need a Waveterm to load. I own a Waveterm B also :-)

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

Lubraltar yeah, I think I have it. It`s one of the factory sample library for Waveterm. It`s a sample :-)

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

Thanks Angelo :-)

[@jawoody9745]

It's a beautiful synth...

[@charliewisp]

Beautiful and the lights are a great addition

[@rodneygipson4055]

Thanks for posting this video. I had one in perfect condition back in the early 90's and I miss it! I now have a Waldorf Microwave II XTk and faithfully reproduce about 70 percent of the sounds but certain sounds like the choir preset just don't cut it like the original. I'll replace my PPG one day in the future if I can find one in good condition. It was so fast to program and come up with new sounds.

[@maurize83]

Best synth sounds i've come accross in a LONG long time. Great stuff!!!!

[@meedily]

My fav digital synth ever.

[@indyenna]

I remember Musical Youth keyboardist, Michael Grant playing a PPG WAVE synth on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE back-in-the-day.

[@cnfuzz]

The list goes very broad who used this in pop , paul king , kajagoogoo , thomas dolby of course, righeira , la bionda , matia bazar , a lot of neue deutsche welle , a wonderful instrument i never would sell mine as nothing sounds like it

[@soundscapejourneys-wileymonroe]

Nice sounds! Thanks for the post

[@DigitalDesires87]

Herrlicher Sound, lädt zum Träumen ein! :)

[@tony714keene]

Thank you very much for your video on the ppg wavetable synthesizer computer.

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

Thanks for your comment

[@yeezeid]

Amazing sound.

[@johnstarcluster]

these sounds are beautiful

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

many thanks

[@michaelumlauf494]

Vielen Dank für deine Hilfe, meinen PPG wieder flott zu machen.👏

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

jederzeit wieder lieber Michael

[@bernios3446]

Wow, spannende 11min mit einem so gut klingenden Synthesizer. Gleichzeitig digital und warm! Ein Bekannter von mir hat den Wave 2.1 (oder 2.0?), der klingt wie eine Naturgewalt. Ich hatte meinen Waldorf "MicroWave 1" stolz daneben gestellt, beim Klangvergleich zeigten sich krasse Sound- Unterschiede, der moderne Waldorf (mit analogen Filtern immerhin) klang im Vergleich zum PPG flach und steril.

[@ArruVision]

Very nice, thank you!

[@chrisstrobel3439]

Wow that PPG is like in time capsule condition! Though the Waldorf PPG V3 synth captures the essence of the hardware quite well, there is nothing like the D/A converters of the real hardware. Great video 👍

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

Chris Strobel many thanks for your comments. It is a fantastic machine and I'm proud to have two Waves in best conditions

[@jackcimino8822]

Torsten Abel What is your opinion on WaveGenerator and PPG Infinite?

[@revokdaryl1]

I feel the same way about my Roland D-50. Mine was also made in '87, the first year of production at that. That being said, I wish I had a PPG machine like yours! It's absolutely gorgeous looking and sounding! Gary Numan was also a huge fan of this beast and used it throughout his 80's albums, sometimes exclusively.

[@GB3770]

@@revokdaryl1 yeh looks rly cool doesnt it...so retro

[@revokdaryl1]

@@GB3770 Yes, it does...

[@slightlytwistedagain]

That sax at 7:06 is the exact same sound used in Lemmings 2 for the sports tribe.

[@chinossynthesizer705]

This sounds very nice

[@gus7935]

BEAUTIFUL

[@sepulchre10]

Man, I wish I had these wavetables! Beautiful!!

[@looneyburgmusic]

Honestly, you really don't need a PPG anymore... unless it's for the nostalgia... there are so many synths now that can do the exact same sounds...

[@jackcimino8822]

For example...

[@jackcimino8822]

looneyburgmusic The PPG Wave has an analog filter, which helps define its special character that can not be replicated by any other synth, not even the Blofeld, which does have a PPG filter. The Blofeld's PPG filter is still digital. I rather get the Wavegenerator than the Blofeld though. Edit: Why did I say the last sentence when I already owned a Blofeld a year ago before selling it for an iPad?

[@jackcimino8822]

I realized that the character of the PPG also has to do with the bit depth of the waves. I can get the PPG character in PPG Infinite by slightly adjusting the bitcrusher.

[@valley_robot]

Hello arturia microfreak

[@foolproof3091]

Super Synth!! Klasse Sounds.

[@jauqq]

Thank you for the video !! I've a MicroWave 1, but wish I had one of these !!

[@RayyMusik]

Fantastisch! Bravo!

[@hendog3894]

Such a beautiful machine

[@Miler97487]

Some of the synth timbres I hear here get me thinking of The Fixx. "Saved By Zero", for example, but then Rupert Greenall did use a PPG Wave. So did Thomas Dolby. Edgar Froese used a precursor to the PPG Wave, the 360A on Stuntman and I hear many of the same timbres that can be done on the Wave.

[@Miler97487]

The 360A is a Wave synthesizer too, just a predecessor to the Wave 2 series, no wonder I hear some of the same synth timbers on Edgar Froese's Stuntman to the early '80s New Wave synth pop artists that used the Wave 2.

[@christophersousa6109]

Absolutely beautiful

[@JohnBarrylizard]

Sounds great!

[@neonether]

Legendary synth!

[@JohnLRice]

Sounds great! Thanks for sharing! :-)

[@ralffreigeldorff6342]

extrem geile, komplexe sounds.

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

vielen Dank :-)

[@marcuskeulertz5852]

@@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel auf dem Album "Brother were you bound" von Supertramp hört man PPG Wave und Synclavier zusammen.

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

@@marcuskeulertz5852 dann sollte ich das mal versuchen nachzuspielen.

[@Mabase]

Geddy Lee of RUSH

[@carriersignal]

+Mabase Grace Under Pressure. Loved it.

[@adam872]

Sure was and it was the album that introduced me to this great machine.

[@brucechouinard512]

I feel that the PPG 2.2 was used on Rush Grace Under Pressure album (particularly on The Enemy Within) Also Tangerine Dream’s Exit to Poland years. The 2.3 was used with the 2.2 (Edgar Froese R.I.P.) on Poland in 1983. The 2.2 seemed to be more dynamic (cracklings and pure pings). The 2.3 was played by Johannes Schmoelling on Poland.

[@user-df9hd5bi2k]

Wonderful

[@johnthecloud]

Reminds me of the soundtrack to a Michael Mann film.

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

Thanks

[@javiceres]

So Right !!!

[@michaelmitchell8218]

Advance for its time. Just think how old it is now and still sounding wonderful. Still could do a lot with this classic synth.

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

Michael Mitchell oh yes I love this machine.

[@IpfxTwin]

Those sounds at 3:04... oh man those gave me the same chills I had when I first faced Zio in Phantasy Star 4

[@michaelumlauf494]

Klasse. Sehr schön gemacht. LG Michael

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

danke sehr Michael. habe deine Nachricht erhalten und melde mich über Email bei dir

[@Bernd_Bruening]

Super Demo Video. Wusste nicht, dass du hier auch unterwegs bist!

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

Eigentlich schon lange, aber ich mache nicht so viel Synthesizervideos

[@casuahu]

sehr schöne soundbeispiele, und video torsten, grüßle, der casi

[@af92ub29]

Is 10:28 the Wavechime or chime preset? I loved that sound the most amongst the others. All are great sounds, but the last preset is so vast, majestic, and fulfilling IMO.

[@clobbyhops]

awesome synth, never heard of it

[@edsknife]

I don't remember Tony Banks having one of these, but it totally sounds like him.

[@wernervannuffel2608]

WOW : An owner of the original and real PPG WAVE 2.3 and Waveterm above it! 👍😃

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

I own Wave 2.2, 2.3, Waveterm B and PRK FD

[@wernervannuffel2608]

@@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel This is fantastic. PPG was a dream in thé '80 and it is still today for me. I wish you all luck with this splendid gear. 👍😃

[@wernervannuffel2608]

@@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel I'm waiting for the Behringer Wave, now... Which I like to play with Wolfgang Palms' App's : PPG WaveMapper2, PPG WaveGenerator2, PPG Infinite and PPG Phonem.. So I hope after more than 40 years and old dream can becomes still true.

[@claudioricci431]

It can make both analog and digital sounds, and both of them are fat and/or loud and brilliant, very high quality (there is aliasing, and artifacts, but... they sounds good too!). Something similar to the Prophet VS, which is cleaner and more artifacts-aliasing free to my ears (can't say which one is better, both of them are great).

[@brandonferguson1060]

the reverb is strong with this one.

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

Thanks John :-)

[@WeinglasMusic]

Sehr cool! Erinnert mich an meine Jugend :)

[@MrBobLucas]

What a great sounding Synth.. I heard about it from the instrument listing of The Beach Boys' 1985 album, and there are some great synth sounds on that record if you listen out for them!

[@retroboy2741]

I recently saved a PPG WAVE 2.2 from being trashed. It was in a pile of rubbish! I was really excited.. but opened it up to find the motherboard and voice boards removed (probably for the precious metal?). Such a shame! So it's just sitting in my studio looking pretty.

[@Eyepatchfilms]

That is a crime against humanity. If it were really parted out for the insignificant precious metals inside, man has devised no punishment fitting of such an offense.

[@onsesejoo2605]

Really a shame. You might give a try to build a midi controller inside it, something like Arduino. Of course it wouldn't be the same, but at least you'd have a real cool looking Arduino system :)

[@stocchinet]

Eyepatch Entertainment A crime against the universe itself

[@LordCritish]

@@Eyepatchfilms I agree! Whoever is so idiotic to rip the boards out and sell them for precious metal didn't know that he could get far more out of selling the PPG intact.

[@antonisatwork]

@retroboy maybe you could find a genius technician who could rebuild the motherboard and voice cards. Although,I imagine the motherboard might be significantly complex and feature unobtainable parts that are necessary for its functioning. Worth speaking to some technicians, some of the larger companies might even have those parts. Try calling up Tone Tweakers or Syntaur.

[@ElSmusso]

She's lovely, you lucky man :)

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

ElSmusso yes, I had luck. Thanks for your comment

[@TroyBlackford]

Depeche Mode's sound had their first big change when Martin got one of these.

[@MrTONESHOP]

Developed and build in Hamburg / Germany by Wolfgang Palm - Palm Productions GmbH

[@MidoriMizuno]

The patch at 9:40 is absolutely splendid

[@jamespilcher5287]

God that sounds nice

[@DistantEarlyWarning]

Geddy Lee used this on Power Windows

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

Listening to this demo, I can hear why Alan Parsons’ synthesist from 1984-2000, Richard Cottle, played Wave synthesizers.

[@cnfuzz]

Apart from tangerine dream early users were michael boddicker, serge blenner , also much italian productions , i have 2.3 and prkfd

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

If you haven’t already, con fuzz, search for the *Bach-Handel 300* record recorded by Gratziano Mandozzi for Deutsche Gramophon 35 years ago. He had 2 Wave synths, a Waveterm, a PRK and an EVU module.

[@kwaddamage8286]

were you playing part of No Quarter at the beginning?

[@altor1964]

Amazing, i'm now your first and only thump up for 60 K of views and i don't understand why you don't get more regarding that we can read plenty of positive comments !?

[@mrduckbutt]

Are these your own custom soundprograms or the factory presets? I'm in the process of reloading presets to my 2.3 after repairing it. These sounds you're getting are fantastic!

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

Hello and thanks for your comment. Most of them are factory presets or presets I've edited. You can get a whole bunch of sounds at Virtual Music for free download

[@galaxiesmerge_original]

I own a PPG Wave 2.3 but sold a super great synth, the JOMOX 2.0 but even though the JOMOX wins on a number or items, the PPG 2.3 for me is still a synth I will not easily part with!

[@rodneygipson4055]

It takes all day to create sounds on my Kurzweil k2600. And it takes a lot of time to tweak the XTk to sound close to the PPG.

[@hitherescotty]

Could someone tell me, what is the blue screen in the top left of this video? Just curious, looks cool.

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

do you mean the blue lights of the sequencer, or the blue Waveterm B with the green screen?? www.hermannseib.com/english/synths/ppg/waveterm.htm

[@ms20user]

Nice Sounds Torsten :) greetz Volker

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

Vielen Dank Volker

[@theboofin]

Are they reliable once sorted?

[@shookstylez]

Great demo. What is it like programming sounds?

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

After a short time of learning, it is easy to programming sounds with her. All knobs are funktionally like a subtractive synth

[@devmiles]

wow, the synth looks in excellent condition. did you put a new backlit lcd in it? also the frontpanel looks amazing! the sound is absolutely stunning!

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

Ammer Reduron Hello, yes. The Display is from here: huebnerie.de/blog/?p=215 Thanks for your kind words. I love this machine. It is in a very good condition, indeed.

[@FreddieShreddieTV]

she's beautiful. how old is she and how long have you had her?

[@BillDerBerg]

Those pads are just missing Geddy Lee's voice

[@AMSRMX16]

luckily

[@DistantEarlyWarning]

The synth era of Rush was the best, in my opinion

[@entropybentwhistle]

@@DistantEarlyWarning Since they had the Moog Taurus pedals since the very early days up until Alex got cranky at Geddy’s synth fetishing and they ditched synths mostly for Roll The Bones, that’s a pretty hefty chunk of their album catalog.

[@andythomas6246]

Grace Under (PPG) Pressure. I love it.

[@marsupialmicron]

Would you be so kind to make a video using he the sequencer of this machine? I m sure it would be a pleasure for you ;)

[@bastardseaman188]

Behringer just announced a clone being made is why i'm here

[@snidedj]

Same

[@kwaddamage8286]

yup

[@bitley]

Yup. The sounds reminds me of kawai k3, prophet vs, casio vz-1, korg dw 6/8k. For me the D-50 took of from there and reached other levels but the PPG and the VS are quite interesting for their wave scanning abilities. Nothing you can use on every track though. Software wise, both Subtractor and Thor in Reason are perfect for these early bird digital sounds.

[@bitley]

robby6511 That's true as well but I personally rate the D-50 higher

[@hINC]

Totally irrelevant for ppl who appreciate these classic PPG sounds. B*** is a shitty company, unoriginal and just living of other companies creative efforts. If you want to support that, fine. But not ethical in my book. I DO know that that's the Zeitgeist, getting cheap products for cheap and throwing them away after some years, because some even cheaper company throws even cheaper products on the market and again ppl board that train to cheapo-land :-D

[@resofactor]

Bat from the band Xorcist used a lot of PPG Wave 2.x

[@muzykjakub]

where i could buy this synth?

[@michaelumlauf494]

Verwendest du die originalen Werksounds Torsten?Klingen absolut super.Viele Grüße.

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

danke dir. einige sind angepasste Factorysounds, die anderen selbst programmiert

[@KurtFuller]

I love the vintage sounds it can do. I wish I had one of these. How much use to be for sale?

[@SPAZZOID100]

$5,000

[@KurtFuller]

Haha, ok... I´ll keep dreaming then XD!

[@oholm09]

I Love 80s I'm a entrepreneur musician composer I'm working myself as musician

[@rayramon5955]

not that it matters i can't find one anywhere but how much would one of these go for?

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

Hello Ray I think between 2000 and 3000 € for a Wave 2.3 in this exelent condition

[@GB3770]

Rly like that 1st patch....is that tremelo...vibrato....also the 3rd bell sound...v nice....

[@dankro279]

Der Lead/Pad Sound bei 5:40 klingt sehr vertraut. Ist das ein PPG Preset, oder habe ich den schon mal auf eine TMA CD gehört, Herr Abel?

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

dankro279 Ich denke, sowohl als auch ;-)

[@birdbon3s]

Gorgeous sounds, seeing one is selling for $21k. Wow!!!

[@timtimminz]

So cool. I wonder what the white keys sound like.

[@marzzz1]

Is that a factory preset at 0:24, or one of your own? Very Oberheim! The enigmatic PPG sounds are stellar, but some of those "analog" sounds are just sublime.

[@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel]

It is really a Factory patch

[@marzzz1]

@@TMA-Torsten_M._Abel Would you please tell us which factory patch that is? I would like to try to recreate it on my 3rd Wave. Thank you!

[@jennaleigh-raine]

Can hear GARY NUMAN BERSERKER and SHE CRYS

[@nielswil]

My dad use to own the prototype (PPG 360 A Wavecomputer). Some sounds remind my of that instrument.

[@michaelbauers8800]

I think a lot of the PPG family and derivatives have a similar sound due to some of the same wavetables, but that's a guess

[@nielswil]

I think so, thanks for the reply.

[@cubdukat]

3:03 Windpower?

[@S0und0racle]

Blue and White Dream.... :D