The PPG Wave System: Pioneer of Wavetable Synthesis

Tangerine Dream has been one of the bands to use the PPG Wave System, as have more 80's synth-pop type bands. Whether you like synth-heavy prog rock or are more of a new wave fan, this is a great synthesizer to consider. Doris tells a little bit about the synthesizer, Wolfgang Palm (the maker of the synthesizer), the expansion options, and it's history. This ultramarine blue goodness is not to be missed! Made any music with a PPG Wave keyboard? we wanna hear it! Drop a link in the comments.
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[@synthland4526]

Wow thanks that you made a video from my suggestion!!! I didnt expect that😱. I own a PPG system (ppg wave 2.3 + Waveterm B) im 20 years old and saved up 3 years of hard work as a chef money. It was worth every penny!!!! Thanks alot for making this great video!! Cheers Luka

[@NoirEtBlancVie]

I enjoyed this AND very much enjoy Dream Machine's music :)

[@mrdavies7894]

I’ve been playing synths since the original Juno 106 and I’ve got a lot of strong opinions. I just discovered your videos and band today and am finding your synth history videos to be really interesting, very informative, and endlessly entertaining! There’s not a lot I __ know about these beasts but you are actually teaching me a lot of things I hadn’t known before! A sincere thanks from a new fan.

[@eccremocarpusscaber5159]

I love your attitude. And agree with you wholeheartedly!

[@eccremocarpusscaber5159]

Oh and make a video on The Synclavier - with attention drawn to the sampling and hard disk recording as well as the ground breaking FM synthesis. And maybe Kate Bush’s use of the Fairlight, especially on ‘The Dreaming’ 👍🏻

[@fuzzcityrecords432]

@@eccremocarpusscaber5159 Hell yeah, I've been wanting to make one about the Synclavier. I'll be sure to do that one next time! Thanks for watching!

[@NEELWELLVIDEO1]

I JUST LOVE DORIS 😍😍😍😍

[@aliensporebomb]

Wolfgang Palm was WAY ahead of his time. He created the first commercially available hard disk recorder (that could merit its own video) and the first hardware baed software synthesizer in the PPG Realizer in 1987 (which kind of bankrupted the company but you could emulate a mini-moog on its touch screen). Some of these items were close to 20 years ahead of their time and everything was massively expensive and was what I'd call bleeding edge technology. Wolfgang Palm didn't stop producing cool synths though - he later helped condense the PPG software system to a single ASIC chip for the Waldorf Microwave and Microwave XT synths and later produced the Steinberg Plex software which was a novel way of producing sounds much like the PPG Wave was novel at the time. Then later, he resurrected PPG and produced new software synthesizers such as the Wave Generator, Wave Mapper and Minimapper. He basically has retired in March of 2020 which is sad since he's now 70 and figured it was time to bow out. The guy is almost single handedly responsible for some of the ideas we take for granted today. Thanks for your excellent video!

[@Rhythmattica]

Respect... I met Wolfgang in 1990 in Sydney when at the time, being the distributors of Steinberg, they where the conduit for the MW1.... Oh damn.. I always wanted a PPG, but the MW1 was a PPG 2.3 (plus) in a rack)... What a dude.... I eventually got hold of a MW1 ( though Waldorf probably had /have the best digital oscillators as code) The Analog Filters where still my choice for sound.... I needed up selling the PPG2.3 , and though It still had its own personality, the MW1 just did what int did sooo much better... Theres so many innovators that are somewhat not known for their contributions, and can be so ignorant of the facts ... Like when I hear those rave about the VI Serum and how somethinbgh has copied it, totally disregarding Serum itself is Based on Palms technology and approach. Realistically, Besides the era of analog , Moog, Smith , Kakehashi added innovations that many others honed and expanded upon.... Thank John Chowing @ Stanford Uni for FM, Yamaha expanded on the patents they had access to, then licensing it to Synclavier..... Moog, Chowing , Wolfgang, and Ryrie / Vogel...... All legends.(yes TO, DS are up there, but expansion on what was, is different to what wasn't)

[@Robotique69]

I just simply love to listen to someone like you, talking about synths in the same passionate way as I do. Kudos! 🙂

[@AndyKing1963]

I'm working on a list of Tangerine Dream's equipment including their first PPG synth in 1975 (the monophonic Kompakt synthesizer) - 147 pages so far

[@andrewgenner2613]

Well done you. What a project! Quite early on TD had PPG modules mixed in with Moog gear - I think that might have been mainly EF and PB. There are also pictures of Edgar with various PPG synths on stage. So much of their kit was either custom built or custom modified. If you manage to unravel those mysteries you will do their fans a huge service.

[@herrrastakrautpasta1599]

@@andrewgenner2613 for the 1981 tour and „logos“ it was custom built on a 340a processor with Grothe Sequencer (8 units a 8x16Step).

[@andrewgenner2613]

@@herrrastakrautpasta1599 Are they the large units on stands behind Edgar and Johannes on the Logos cover? They were obviously custom units, but I never knew what they were.

[@herrrastakrautpasta1599]

@@andrewgenner2613 yes. These are Sequencers with the 340/380 Software. Franke mentioned it in an Interview. All Units where synced

[@OudartPatricia-Claire]

❤ thank. So glad today Behringer took this synth to life for the People. Tangerine Dreams Rubycon is still my reference so I imagine this tool Ill be mine too😊

[@JFMatte]

Haha love the intro, very well said ! I enjoy your videos 'cause they're simple and aeasy to follow. Synths are a new found passion, I'm a guitarist and new nothing about since, until I bought guitar midi system,....Since then, the more I learn, the more I love these things, specially those old vintage pieces of art !

[@brianjordan4351]

Great presentation!! Thank you!!

[@crominion6045]

Tangerine Dream's album Exit is what made me fall in love with wavetable synthesis and PPG in particular. 👍

[@andrewgenner2613]

I remember hearing Exit (and White Eagle) without knowing anything about wavetables, and wondering, where do those incredible sound textures come from? Earlier PPG WT synths on Tangram and Stuntman, of course.

[@jeffc1753]

The breakdown in Kiew Mission with the PPG is probably my favorite of all their music! Love how it “sings”.

[@crominion6045]

@@andrewgenner2613 The live album Poland has a lot of great PPG too. 👍

[@andrewgenner2613]

@@crominion6045 it does indeed. Great album, made in challenging conditions.

[@Chad48309]

We need to get you, Matthew, and Look Mum No Computer in the same room together. Pure magic

[@arthurcrime]

Well that was supercool & enjoyable. Cheers.

[@guidedbyvoices23]

Very well spoken, that first minute needed to be said..respect

[@Dudderlyful]

It was a good opportunity to mention Modal Electronics and ASM, they are at the forefront of accessible, commercial wavetable hardware today. Brilliant video though!

[@thomassluys1711]

Great video, thx!

[@mackadresse6095]

thank you, great Job, I learned a lot. You made a good and simple presentation

[@kalthoff1965]

the PPG Wave 2.2 and 2.3 was brought to Tangerine Dream mainly by Johannes Schmoelling who joined TD after Peter Baumann left the group. Schmoelling plays the Wave 2.2 and 2.3 even today on his actual releases.

[@crominion6045]

Schmoelling is awesome. One of my great regrets is that I first saw TD live in '86, just after he left the band. Haslinger was great too, but the Froese, Franke, Schmoelling lineup was my all-time fave.

[@willfomes406]

I love Synthesizers too. Excellent knowledge of synths by the way. You really know your stuff.

[@heyrichjones]

Very well done and informative. Thanks for this.

[@joxer96]

Excellent video, very informative. The PPG lives on (sort of) in the Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave. I don't know how the two compare sound wise, but the 3rd Wave contains some of the original PPG wave tables.

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

The PPG Wave 2 line is a definite trailblazer of the 80s. Although the first 2 chronological synthesizers to include digital oscillators and an analog filter were the EDP Wasp and the Fairlight, the Wave 2 was the first example of digital oscillators and a complete analog subtractive followup section in its architecture. In the wake of the 2.2, we were then graced with the different E-Mu Emulator (and Emax) models, the Ensoniq Mirage, ESQ-1 and SQ-80, the Korg DW-8000 and DSS-1 and the Sequential (Circuits) Prophet 2000/2002, Prophet 3000 and Prophet VS. Where the Fairlight may not have necessarily impacted the design of those other keyboards and synthesizers, the Wave 2 did.

[@blueeyedsoulman]

Suzanne Vega used the PPG all over her album "Solitude Standing." It gave her songs a certain eerie quality. I owned a PPG 2.2 in the early 90's. It was in the shop being repaired more than it was being played.

[@franklucas9313]

fantastic job on the video very well done thank you!

[@xandertreffers]

Do check out the PPG Realizer as well. One of the most rare and mysterious synths (well, more like a module, or computer synth) ever.

[@alessandrogolinelli3185]

Complimenti. E grazie 🙏

[@jimmiwronecki9806]

Good research especially on the analog filter chip. Kurzweil also made wavetable Sythesizer. The manual states you can program these on on early Mac Apple software emulator. That would make a good technology review.

[@MJ-tg6wb]

Very informative video. Thank you. I first learned about this Synth watching Saga, Rush and Billy Squier videos from the 80s. I learned that "PPG" stands for "Palm Products Gesellschaft" ( Palm Products, Ltd. ) in Germany.

[@wattage2007]

Your synth videos are a great watch. I only found this channel last night and already I’ve watched dozens of these videos. Ignore the haters; the opinions of the jealous are of no interest.

[@enigmanemo9352]

As a Rush fan, I like this video. Geddy used the PPG on their Grace Under Pressure album.

[@juliesnow5542]

I have a ppg 2.3. Will never sell it. It’s amazing.

[@tweakingtuesday1743]

Glad you mention Propaganda! - I'm proud to own the wave 2 that they used (significant difference is that the wave 2 used CEM filters, so has a different character to the SSMs of the 2.2 and 2.3) - and I seem to remember that they listed their PPG system as one of the band members on at least one of their albums ;-)

[@generagan1817]

Very cool! I wonder where the Synclavier they used ended up?

[@EinzigfreierName]

I remember seeing Propaganda in a TV show in the 80s and that this nice blue machine caught my attention :)

[@jeffc1753]

Would just like to add, theJohn Bowen Solaris synthesizer also uses the original wavetables used in the PPG Wave system (and also the Waldorf Microwave), with Waldorf’s permission. It’s different than any other current wavetable synth, however, in that it intentionally uses the aliasing present in the PPG to get that choppy, “crunchy” type sound when scanning through the waves. Really cool!

[@DavidSmith-ne1zp]

Thanks for the cool synth history lesson!

[@charislinos]

Nice there synth Girl ! You made an effective presentation of PPG and wavetable and other similar architecture synthesizers

[@thedriverecords1317]

Amazing video, keep posting more stuff like this!!

[@fuzzcityrecords432]

Here you are 👉😎👉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3Tdk3pnZq9_h5I

[@N0B0DY_SP3C14L]

Another alternative to the PPG Wave 2.3 is the Waldorf Microwave. You mentioned Waldorf for just a moment. The rev A featured CMI 3389 based VCFs and the later rev B used CMI 3387's for the VCFs. The rev A's sound is a little nicer, by most accounts, including my own. With the addition of a voice card, it doubled the amount of wavetables, including the capacity for several User Generated wavetables that could be imported through sys-ex. That being said, it was/is something of a nightmare to program, requiring extensive menu-diving, with only one knob, and six buttons on its face. However, Access (later makers if the Virus) made a custom sys-ex controller, that turned the Microwave into a delightfully playable instrument in live and studio settings. They're basically a PPG Wave 2.3 in a two rack-space box, with a more extensive modulation matrix, and even featured user manuals that were actually fun to read. I highly recommend checking one out if you have the chance.

[@demokid2000]

Great video! I want one :D

[@nicmcv6925]

We need more people like you making vids about music. Yay, thanks for your videos.

[@aftertheendtimes]

You are awesome dear Doris, all essential info and more are there,..can you make a video on Arp Odyssey and maybe 2600, Thank you dear Doris Cheers😄💚🙏🙏🙏☯

[@RayyMusik]

Since you already mentioned Waldorf, I‘d appreciate a video about their early wavetable synths. :)

[@funkmasters]

Ppg wave terminal , the machine that made Dead or Alives you spin me round

[@jesusdiaz6663]

Excellent video. Very well done. May I also suggest one on the wave (pun intended) of lower-priced synths with digital multi-wave oscillators such as the Kawai K3, Korg DW-8000, Ensoniq ESQ-1 and all its kin that followed (e.g., SQ-80, Fizmo, etc..) plus the Prophet VS? I think these were the new generation of instruments that brought the more expensive Fairlight and PPG and Synclavier to their demise.

[@jesusdiaz6663]

Forgot to add: digital oscillators and analog filter hybrids.

[@tonyhill2318]

Very informative! Quick tip: don't waste your time complaining about the haters...they come with the territory and mentioning them only emboldens them.

[@nielswil]

7:16, your reaction on mention Tangerine Dream is funny.

[@jerryseinfeld9815]

You should totally do a video on the New England Digital Synclavier. Kraftwerk, Genesis, and Frank Zappa all used one

[@tenlittleindians]

I don't remember this synth! I've mentioned it before that I've got a Casio FZ-1 sampler that I bought new back when they first came out. It's really a hybrid synth as it also has wave drawing as one of it's features. It's kind of clunky the way you draw with it but it does work. Most people don't think of professional when the hear Casio but make no mistake, the FZ-1 was not designed or marketed for the home consumer market. It's a fully professional keyboard for it's time period.

[@fuzzcityrecords432]

Interesting, I'll have to look into the FZ-1 some more!

[@anoopsahal1202]

Excellent video, PPG Wave Synthesiser The TD synth I would welcome posts about this awesome synth, I heard that each of the voice of the 8 note polyphony required a PC board. The PC board used was a German clone of a desk top IBM computer. Berhinger is to re-issue a modern version

[@mikabreto]

Get this pair a series on Netflix, and cross-promote/pollinate with the limited series Maniac for full retro-futurist vibes. Bonus if you can produce the series on 1980s-era Hewlett-Packard bench test equipment or the Fairlight CVI.

[@lairdhenn4875]

I honestly hate like 90% of youtube synth videos but these are great. Please do more sometime!

[@fuzzcityrecords432]

Thank you! Let me know if you have any suggestions for which synth to do one of these videos on!

[@vladimirsalnikov5806]

Yes, PPG Wave is a true legend. Actually root of the wavetable synthesis as is. Curious fact - the wavetables itself as is in Wave 2.0 was actually an attempt to create VCF-like spectral morphing without VCFs. If you hear the WT01/02 of PPG Wave - it's actually an attempt to simulate the VCF resonant sweeps. Also, WT11 is the simulating of resonant HP VCF. But PPG Wave 2.0 sounded tiny and Wolfgang Palm decided to add the real VCFs to it. So iconic Wave 2.2 was born.

[@calyx93]

The Wave 2.0 had filters - CEM3320s and they were VERY responsible for the difference in sound from the subsequent 2.2 and 2.3. The other reason for the big difference is that the 360, 340/380 and Wave 2.0 is that they use sample rate transposition for the oscillator - this results in a much sharper sound.

[@vladimirsalnikov5806]

@@calyx93 True, I meant PPG Wave (also 1.0) prototype. My fault. Wave 2.0 had 2x 3320 and 3330 as VCAs per the voice card (4x inside). This gives 8x3320 inside the box.

[@mollygriswold7979]

Look at that rackmountable screen!

[@woohooo9984]

The VCS-3 eno used it a lot!

[@seangunn3079]

Doris I think your presentation, knowledge and style is spot on and I really like your clips. Would you do one one Ensoniq Synths and Samplers please?

[@jamesdelrogers542]

A lot of the great synthesizer companies went bankrupt When the market crashed in the late eighties So there was more to it than just competition , David Smith was smart enough to sell his patents off to korg and then his team went to work for them Giving us the korg wave station I've been rocking mine for 30 years And I own A ppg wave 2.2 The wave term a was meant for the 2.2 And the way of term B was meant for the 2.3 They allow you to use for your synthesis to create wave tables for the PPG Also they acted as a sampler The wave originally began when Tangerine DreamHad Palmer create a digital control lighting system From there they got the idea to create a synthesizer It just kind of went from there A notable user of the wave that everyone should check out is Patrick o'horn He was Frank Zeppa's Basest Zap encouraged him to get into synthesizers Leading to the album ancient dreams and in between 2 worlds

[@sabrinagibson3197]

Don't mind the naysayers and nitpickers; and don't mind me calling you "girl"; I'm in my 50's, and I call everyone not in their 50's "girl". I remember when this stuff, and the music, was NEW. Today, I think they should be HAPPY that young people still CARE about this stuff. These designers and programmers really created objects of art AND functioning, practical musical instruments simultaneously. It will all live on through people like us.

[@curtis8516]

Michael Cretu from Enigma used it a lot of his, Sandra and Enigma's music.

[@chriszanf]

Thomas Dolby was also a big user of the PPG and the first song he used it on and generated most of the sounds was 'Windpower': kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6rcc4ZtZtqtnKM

[@jupitermarx]

I wonder if there’s a comparison out there, between this and DSI Prophet 12? As I here you talking about the P.P.G! I see and hear similars?

[@ronrobins3513]

Hey you may be interested to know one semi famous user of PPG is the ex Prince bass player Andre Cymone. He had a string of solo albums, and even produced songs by Evelyn “Champagne” King/Jody Watley and Adam Ant...The More You Know ✨🌈

[@aaimginggraphics2411]

how is it different than say a DX7 that uses FM synethis?

[@carriersignal]

Yeah, just the fact that you are a female, know what a PPG is and appreciate it is good enough for me. Not to sound sexist, but I've never known or dated a girl that "got" what synths are, so much so, that I never push it or even try to explain it to them anymore. Love your videos.

[@Anamnesia]

Yeah, I made the same mistake with the Waveterm. I figured 5.25" disc = better. It is, however the primary difference between the Waveterm-A to the Waveterm-B was the change from the 8-Bit Motorola 6809 CPU to the newer, 16-Bit Motorola 68000 CPU. Better CPU is *_MOAR POWAH_* !!!

[@andrewgenner2613]

Unfortunately, being truly pioneering, breaking new ground, can mean your products are very expensive. And with digital technology that moves so quickly (even in the 1980s) it becomes easy for others to soon make cheap(er) products based upon your discoveries. Wolfgang Palm stands alongside Moog, Buchla, Smith and Oberheim in my view. A true genius.

[@Olemarskan]

I did the math: PPG WAVE: £5,000 in 1982 is worth £18,800 in 2022: Which is equivalent to $25,776 today (USD) FAIRLIGHT CMI: £18,000 in 1982 is worth £67,689.58 in 2022: Which is equivalent to $92,799 today (USD) Which begs the question; who were these synths being marketed to? Clearly people with money.

[@robappleby583]

Nice defensive start to the video.

[@resofactor]

I also love when the dbags want to rip desktop users about their PPG 2x or PPG3x VSTi. It's like... wtf are you asshats complaining about? For SOME/most synth or desktop types... those Waldorf VSTs are likely the only thing close to working with the original hardware we'll EVER get a chance to work with! Even if I had $8-$10 grand to blow... I don't think I'd spend it on one piece of legacy hardware.

[@tsitracommunications2884]

you got to be rich to afford one

[@tschak909]

No. Just. No. You are conflating multiple developments, re the 340/380 and the 360.

[@jogibaerr50000]

Sorry, but a synthesizer video without at least playing 1 sound, sucks... 😪

[@fuzzcityrecords432]

Hey I see you've commented this on multiple videos and seeing that you're clearly wealthy enough to have synths laying around that are worth tens of thousands of dollars, please donate your Vintage 1980s PPG Wave system(s) to the following address: Doris Melton PO Box 526375 SLC, UT 84152 Once you do that, I'll make a demo video just for you! 😉

[@joshstrauts8358]

You gotta love the very real threat of attractive women to traditionally patriarchal sub cultures. You'd think they would be welcomed! (You all are -and there have been a growing number lately in the synth world-by me, of course) Nope!! They'd rather keep the country clubs to themselves. Less distraction, and besides, how are women to be kept subordinate if you can't condescend and subjugate them. Your videos are great. The Realistic Concertmate was made by Henry Moog (the man who invented the synth that doesn't rhyme with his name) for Radio Shack in I think the early 70s. Great machine.

[@PeaceDub]

Why you only talking and not play it? Boring

[@fuzzcityrecords432]

Because not everyone has a fortune to spend on highly saught after, insanely expensive synthesizers you entitled cretin