Where the heck is the Wavestate SE?

[mike3000]

Any word on the Wavestate SE? It’s been over two years since Korg announced it and they have been suspiciously silent since. I wonder if they’ve dumped it. It would be such a shame if they’ve canned it as it showed such promise. A synth as deep and complex as the Wavestate should have 61 keys IMO, just like the original, less complex, Wavestation.

[Acheron]

People were asking about it at Superbooth. The Korg reps who were there mentioned it was coming later this year. Since this information was second hand I do not know how reliable it is. When I heard about it, I decided to give up my search for a used Wavestation / Wavestation EX.

[Derek Cook]

I gave up waiting for it, and TBH the Wavestate native VSTs (and MODWAVE native) integrated into my rig is now much more suitable to my needs.

This rig includes quite a few quality keyboards with plenty of controllers, and I have always played the hardware wavestate from these and I really do not have room for another keyboard now - the Wavestate got displaced from my "fun corner" with a Hydrasynth Deluxe, so whilst I have not tried it yet, I am intrigued as to what Poly AT can do with the Wavestate!

I prefer the Native versions now, as I can layer multiple Wavestate/MODWAVE instances, play from any keyboard (inc the Hydrasynth), and sample management is superior to the hardware versions.

So I have lost interest in the SE. Two years ago, I would have gone for one, but not now.

[Acheron]

Any word on the Wavestate SE? It’s been over two years since Korg announced it and they have been suspiciously silent since. I wonder if they’ve dumped it. It would be such a shame if they’ve canned it as it showed such promise. A synth as deep and complex as the Wavestate should have 61 keys IMO, just like the original, less complex, Wavestation.

Wavestate SE is going into a limited production run very soon! Estimated price is around 2,000 US Dollars.

[voip]

The Wavestate SE has finally been announced officially:

https://www.korg.com/uk/products/synthe ... estate_se/

https://www.korg.com/uk/products/synthe ... _platinum/

.

[Derek Cook]

At last, but a little too late for me. When it was announced I would have traded my wavestate up in an instant, but now the native version works best for me.

[voip]

The Wavestate SE comes with aftertouch, plus there's a dedicated hard case thrown in. The 61 keys with aftertouch make it quite a tempting proposition for putting up evolving drone-type washes, held with a separate sustain pedal, whilst using the synth arsenal for layering the other parts over this.

.

[Derek Cook]

I know, but the space I had the Wavestate in is now taken up by a Hydrasynth Deluxe.

Immediately around me I have five keyboards (two 76 key, three 61 key, all with quality keybeds with AT - poly AT in the case of the Hydrasynth) and no room for others unless I sell one of the five.

The SE looks nice form factor wise and a good choice if you are in the markert for a five octave keybed as well, but they do not seem to be taking advantage of the extra space to provide a different GUI, which i think is a missed opportunity, but then I guess Korg would point to the librarian/editor and that GUI.

So the Wavestate native now suits me best and I can play from any of those keyboards

When I play live I have a NUC PC in my gig rack running Cantabile acting as a MIDI processor (all keyboards are star connected to it in both directions) and VST host. So that allows me to decide in each song what keyboard(s) (including part zones) I play the Wavestate native from, and in some songs I have multiple Wavestate instances or pair with other VSTs (Falcon and Modwave are sublime combinations with the Wavestate).

I am running Mulab VST inside Cantabile which gives me ableton like sequencing for holding those notes with different scenes for different notes/chords! Or I can use my Roland FC300 MIDI foot controller to send sustain as needed.

From what I can glean there is no difference between Wavestate MK1, MK2 and SE tech wise other than max polyphony and storage? And of course the SE gives you the larger form factor and keybed.

Don't get me wrong, the SE looks a fantastic piece of kit, but my GAS for it that I had two years ago has passed when considering the above. But I think Korg are targeting the market very smartly:

• Wavestate Native
• Wavestate MK1/MK2
• Wavestate SE

Which means there is a Wavestate for everybody.

It would be good if the reworked patches get issued for the Native version.