PPG Wave 2.2 – a fascinating hybrid synthesizer

PPG produced some highly innovative, creative products in the early and mid 1980s. Especially their synthesizer range has always been fascinating. PPG Wave instruments are a unique conglomerate of technical unreliability and unsurpassed musical expression.

Wave 2.0 / 2.2 and 2.3 are among the greatest synthesizers of all time, although they are no instruments for the occasional user. You need to invest time (and some money) to get the best out of these machines …

Some pictures and sound examples of a PPG Wave 2.2 …

PPG-Wave-01

PPG-Wave-02

PPG-Wave-03

PPG-Wave-04

PPG-Wave-05

PPG-Wave-06

PPG-Wave-09

PPG-Wave-07

PPG-Wave-08

Filed under 2013, General

“Es genügt, einen Ton schön zu spielen” sagte der Komponist Arvo Pärt im Jahre 2005. Diese Aussage ist ebenso einfach wie ich auch exzellent: Es braucht kein Meer an Tönen, denn entscheidend ist der Klang. Dass so mancher Vintage-Synthesizer der 70er und 80er Jahre teils unerreicht hochwertige Klänge liefert, steht außer Frage. Doch tatsächlich leben wir “heute” in einer nahezu perfekten Zeit. Einerseits hat man – mehr oder weniger – noch Zugriff auf die Vintage Analogen, andererseits wird auch bei Neugeräten die wichtige Komponente des hochwertigen Klanges wieder zunehmend berücksichtigt. Doepfer, Cwejman, Synthesizers.com, MacBeth, Moog, GRP, Studio Electronics, COTK, John Bowen und andere Hersteller bauen hervorragende Synthesizer, die den “Klassikern” in nichts nachstehen. All diesen (alten wie neuen) “großartigen” Instrumenten ist Great Synthesizers gewidmet. _________________________________________________________ In 2005 composer Arvo Pärt said: “Playing one tone really well is enough”. In other words, it is sufficient to play one tone 'beautifully'. I agree with that. All musical efforts are focused on the sound itself. Although I studied classical music (piano and drums), it’s the electronic sound that inspires me. Synthesizers are the epitome of new sounds and exciting tonal spheres. Today, many companies produce high-quality - excellent! - synthesizers: Doepfer, Cwejman, MacBeth, Moog, GRP, Synthesizers.com, COTK, Studio Electronics, John Bowen and others. It's their products I'm really interested in ... apart from Vintage Synthesizers, which I have been collecting for 20 years. Subsequent to our former websites Bluesynths and Blogasys, Peter Mahr and I have now created GreatSynthesizers. We hope you like it.

3 Comments

  1. How good is a Microwave I in comparison with the PPG? Sound wise I mean…character, are they close enough?

  2. Theo Bloderer

    … not really. No Waldorf synth (not even the huge Wave) sounds like a PPG. You hear it clearly in the above audio demos … the PPG VCAs are powerful and the VCFs are fantastic … and, very important, the stereo image is superb! Anyway, the Microwave I (especially with Access programmer) might be the most “authentic” PPG emulation out of the Microwave series … thanks to its analog filters …

  3. haleberry

    the greatest synth ever, a real game changer at the time, unbelievable how palm got the envelopes so thight with such a tiny cpu as they are digital, warm cutting fizzy, furry and totally unique, and easy to operate, I will never part with mine

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