Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave
Hybrid Wavetable Synthesizer
- 24-Voice polyphonic
- 4-part multitimbral
- 3 digital oscillators per voice
- 64 user wavetable positions with 48 wavetables with 64 waveforms per table
- 32 original 8-bit wavetables of the PPG2 instruments
- 7 modelled analogue waveforms (Sine, Saw, Triangle, Supersaw, Pulse, White Noise, Pink Noise)
- VCO sync
- Linear FM
- Analogue low-pass filter (Dave Rossum design)
- State-variable filter
- 4 x ADSR+ delay envelopes
- 4 x LF oscillators (Triangle, Sawtooth, Reverse Sawtooth, Square, Pulse 1, Pulse 2, Pulse 3 and Random (S&H))
- 2 digital effects processors (BBD, Stereo Delay, Tape Delay, Chorus, Phaser, Flanger, Distortion Pedal, Rotating Speaker, Ring Mod, Room Reverb, Hall Reverb, Super Plate Reverb)
- Built-in Custom Wavetable Maker 16-bit / 96 kHz (sample-to-wave function)
- Sequencer (4 multi-part songs per programme, 24 sequences per song)
- Arpeggiator
- 16-slot modulation matrix per multi-part
- 77 knobs and 39 buttons
- Pitch and mod wheels
- 61-key velocity-sensitive Fatar keyboard, semi-weighted with aftertouch
- 500 presets (can be overwritten by user presets)
- Built-in power supply 100 - 240V, 50 - 60 Hz, 65 Watt
- Line output: 8 x 6.3 mm jack (4 x stereo L/R )
- Stereo headphone output: 6.3 mm jack
- MIDI In / Out / Thru
- USB MIDI
- Line input: 6.3 mm jack
- Pedal input: 6.3 mm jack for sustain/foot switch
- Volume and expression pedal input: 6.3 mm jack
- Dimensions (W x D x H): 978 x 362 x 127 mm
- Weight: 12.3 kg
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Available since August 2023
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Item number 572682
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Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
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Number Of Keys 61
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Touch-Sensitive Yes
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Aftertouch Yes
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Split Zones No
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Modulation Wheel Yes
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Number of simultaneous Voices 24
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Sound Engine Digital
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MIDI interface 1x In, 1x Out, 1x Thru, USB
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Storage Medium Internal
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USB-port Yes
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Effects 2x Multi Effect Processor
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Arpeggiator Yes
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Number of Analog Outputs 8
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Digital Output No
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Display Yes
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Pedal Connections 3
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Dimensions 978 x 362 x 127 mm
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Weight 12,3 kg
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Flagship synth for live work & sound design
The Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave is the flagship of the California-based manufacturer, aimed at musicians who want to combine uncompromising sound quality with direct, expressive control. As a fully featured wavetable synthesizer with a high-quality 61-note Fatar keyboard with aftertouch, it brings together a complex wavetable architecture with a clear focus on musicality and immediate hands-on access. With 24 voices and four-part multitimbrality, the 3rd Wave delivers the depth and flexibility needed for both modern productions and live performance. While the desktop variants in the range offer the same sound engine in more compact formats, this full-size model comes into its own as a standalone performance instrument – combining sound design depth with the immediacy of a purpose-built keyboard.
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Endless sonic possibilities...
At the core of the 3rd Wave are three oscillators per voice, covering classic 8-bit PPG wavetables, high-resolution 96kHz modern wavetables, and virtual analogue waveforms – including sine, triangle, square, sawtooth, supersaw, and two variable noise options. In total, 32 classic and 48 high-resolution wavetables are included, each with 64 waves, with transitions shaped by the dedicated Wave Flow button – smooth interpolation for evolving textures, or stepped for a deliberately digital character. The Wavemaker tool creates and stores custom wavetables directly on the instrument from recorded or imported audio. For further sound-shaping, two filters run in series: a Dave Rossum-designed analogue SSI 2140 low-pass filter with variable saturation and self-resonance, and a digital state-variable filter covering low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and notch modes.
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...expressive synth performances
The 3rd Wave's 61-note Fatar keyboard with aftertouch allows nuanced playing with direct control over sound parameters, supported by pitch and modulation wheels and connections for sustain, expression, and volume pedals. The Wave Surfer – the largest encoder on the front panel – sweeps through the wavetables of all three oscillators simultaneously, functioning as an instant timbre control for any loaded patch. Four independent layers allow musicians to play multiple sounds stacked or split across the keyboard, each with its own stereo output for external mixing and processing. The modulation matrix offers 16 assignable slots, 12 fixed-source slots, 27 sources, and 114 destinations – all per part, giving each of the four layers its own independent modulation environment. Two effects slots per part cover BBD, Tape, and Stereo delays, Room, Hall, and Superplate reverbs, chorus, phaser, flanger, ring modulator, Leslie speaker, and distortion.
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Synthesis and sequencing
The internal sequencer on the Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave allows notes, chords, and parameter automation to be recorded directly on the instrument, with up to 24 patterns of up to 32 bars per pattern, chainable into complete songs. The Wave Envelope – a six-stage loopable envelope generator, three per part – is primarily designed to sweep through wavetables, creating evolving, almost organic sound movements. Four DADSR envelopes per part are switchable between modern exponential curves and PPG-style more linear response. An arpeggiator with hold function, Unison mode with Chord Memory, and MPE support round out the performance toolkit. The behaviour of the envelopes can also be switched, from modern exponential curves to a character inspired by classic PPG instruments. As a result, the 3rd Wave moves easily between clean digital definition and a more deliberately vintage flavour.
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About Groove Synthesis
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Groove Synthesis was founded by a team of synthesizer veterans who previously contributed to instruments made by AVID, Digidesign, Sequential, and Oberheim. Drawing on decades of expertise, they craft innovative instruments that blend emotional sound design with cutting-edge technology. Their flagship product, the 3rd Wave, is a hybrid wavetable synthesizer that merges analogue warmth with digital flexibility, inspiring musicians with rich, evolving textures. Born from a passion for classic synths, the 3rd Wave reimagines vintage concepts for the modern era, pushing creative boundaries.
PPG heritage and the Waveterm B update
The 3rd Wave draws directly from the PPG Wave 2 – the first commercially successful wavetable synthesizer, released in the early 1980s and revered for its harmonically rich 8-bit character. Groove Synthesis have gone to considerable lengths to make authentic PPG emulation possible: enabling PPG envelope mode switches from exponential to the more linear response of the original; voice drift reintroduces the oscillator instability that gave the PPG its organic quality; waveform smoothing corrects the pitch irregularities between notes – or leaves them in for a faithful recreation; the upper wavetable exposes the final four waveforms hidden by default, mirroring the original PPG behaviour. OS 1.8 added the Waveterm B sampling update – named after the PPG's original sampling companion – allowing oscillators to play back multisamples with up to 3.3MB of RAM, approximately 35 seconds at 48kHz. On the keyboard, all of this sits under direct physical control: 70+ knobs, 40 buttons, and a five-octave keybed built for the kind of extended performance sessions this level of depth rewards.
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