Wavestate SE flimsy joystick
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Wavestate SE flimsy joystick
I just got the Wavestate SE and noticed that the joystick is really light with no resistance at all. Is that how it’s supposed to be? It works okay, but it’s really flimsy.
Does it stay in position after you move it? Because it should.
I don't own a Wavestate (yet) so can't really comment on how its joystick feels - others will have to chime in with their thoughts on whether it's fine or flimsy. I do own several original Wavestations, however, and those joysticks are light with very little resistance if any, which is desirable. Just enough to hold the joystick in place after moving them. Well, the joystick on a Wavestation A/D is a bit firmer I suppose but it's different than the others.
Anyway, the vector joystick should not feel anything like a pitch bend/modulation joystick does, if that's on your mind. It's meant to be somewhat squishy or perhaps somewhat light so that you can smoothly, easily transition between vector points. You don't want to fight with it, in other words.
I don't own a Wavestate (yet) so can't really comment on how its joystick feels - others will have to chime in with their thoughts on whether it's fine or flimsy. I do own several original Wavestations, however, and those joysticks are light with very little resistance if any, which is desirable. Just enough to hold the joystick in place after moving them. Well, the joystick on a Wavestation A/D is a bit firmer I suppose but it's different than the others.
Anyway, the vector joystick should not feel anything like a pitch bend/modulation joystick does, if that's on your mind. It's meant to be somewhat squishy or perhaps somewhat light so that you can smoothly, easily transition between vector points. You don't want to fight with it, in other words.
Wavestate SE flimsy joystick
Thanks for the reply. Yes, it does stay in position after I move it.
I know it shouldn’t feel anything like a pitch bend/modulation joystick, like on for example the KingKORG. Perhaps, as you say, it needs to be light to smoothly transition between vector points.
It just feels very light in its build and movement, certainly not ”somewhat squishy”, like it could be easily damaged or come adrift. I’ve used a range of joysticks in the past and none of them have been as flimsy as this. Anyway, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it is more robust and durable than it feels.
(Similarly, on the KingKORG the knobs generally feel rather weak and flimsy, but in fact they are quite robust and I have never had any problems with them.)
I know it shouldn’t feel anything like a pitch bend/modulation joystick, like on for example the KingKORG. Perhaps, as you say, it needs to be light to smoothly transition between vector points.
It just feels very light in its build and movement, certainly not ”somewhat squishy”, like it could be easily damaged or come adrift. I’ve used a range of joysticks in the past and none of them have been as flimsy as this. Anyway, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it is more robust and durable than it feels.
(Similarly, on the KingKORG the knobs generally feel rather weak and flimsy, but in fact they are quite robust and I have never had any problems with them.)
I'd say that it was normal. The vector joystick on the Wavestate original feels light and precise, and similar to the Kronos vector joystick. The original Wavestation vector joystick has a little bit more resistance, but it differs from the other two joysticks only slightly.
The vector joystick on the Kontrol49 has a much lighter feel than those on the above keyboards.
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The vector joystick on the Kontrol49 has a much lighter feel than those on the above keyboards.
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Squishy isn't the right word to describe how Korg's vector joysticks feel, I admit. Forget I said that. Anyway, I don't recall seeing anyone say that their joystick broke from normal use, so my gut feeling is that it will hold up. Looking at photos, it looks like it might be the same part used on the Kronos. I mention that because the silver knob part is a press-fit design, pressed over the small shaft of the joystick, and some Kronos players mentioned that the knob came off easily. But that's like most knobs. I suppose not getting too rough with your vector joystick would be good advice. :)
Wavestate SE flimsy joystick
Thanks for the info and advice guys. From your descriptions it looks like the joystick on my unit is how it’s supposed to be and with care it will hold up okay. So I feel reassured. Btw, I’m always careful with my synths and am never rough with them. I love how the joystick enables you to swap between and blend layers. Cool function. I have come across the vector joystick before in a couple of software synths and I really liked it.
I am a Wavestation fan from way back, first hearing one of my synth heroes, Tony Banks, saying he loved it and used it extensively. I just loved its scope of sounds. I only just received my Wavestate SE a couple of weeks ago. It’s the most complex synth I’ve ever used, and so far I am loving it. It is truly unique and there is a whole world of sound to explore with it.
I am a Wavestation fan from way back, first hearing one of my synth heroes, Tony Banks, saying he loved it and used it extensively. I just loved its scope of sounds. I only just received my Wavestate SE a couple of weeks ago. It’s the most complex synth I’ve ever used, and so far I am loving it. It is truly unique and there is a whole world of sound to explore with it.
I sincerely hope you come to love your Wavestate as you spend more time with it.
Speaking of Tony Banks reminds of when I first played a Wavestation in a music store in 1990, and it was a complete mind-blown experience. Instantly fell in love with it. Took a few years for the prices to come down to something I could afford. I probably wasn't aware that Tony Banks was using one until the late 90s or early 2000s, but I have a vague recollection of a Keyboard Magazine article or perhaps a Korg advertisement that mentioned he used one. Ditto for Phil Collins. Neither of those facts would have mattered because I knew already that I had to have one. When I left the music store on that first day I played it, I took home a free promo/specs fold-out flyer for the Wavestation, and I still have that today.
When Korg released a software version of the Wavestation in 2004, I remember feeling somewhat annoyed. By that time, I had acquired three of the hardware versions (originally, I had two WS EX keyboards, one as a backup, and then got a very good deal on an A/D in 2001). The software had more samples and had a resonant filter, whereas the hardware versions did not. But I was happy with what I had. I do think it's kind of amazing that there's a Wavestation app for iPhones and iPads, which goes to show how much technology has grown and improved over the past few decades. I couldn't imagine carrying a full-blown synthesizer in my pocket 30 years ago. Now you can.
As for the Wavestate, it's a somewhat different animal and in some significant ways it surpasses the original Wavestation's specs and capabilities. The Wavestate has a huge amount of stock samples in it for starters, and you can import your own as well. You can store an ungodly amount performances, patches, and wavesequences compared to the original. Wavesequencing 2.0 can do things we didn't even dream about doing back in the dark ages. All in all, it's in impressive synth. It doesn't have the 8-patch per performance structure that the Wavestation has. I'm unsure if that's a good or bad thing, but it's surely easier to cope with 4 layers instead of 8. Not that many performances on a Wavestation needed or used 8 patches. Four was usually more than enough for highly complex one-finger soundtracks with plenty of vector joystick waggling. Vector synthesis is a very cool thing indeed.
Speaking of Tony Banks reminds of when I first played a Wavestation in a music store in 1990, and it was a complete mind-blown experience. Instantly fell in love with it. Took a few years for the prices to come down to something I could afford. I probably wasn't aware that Tony Banks was using one until the late 90s or early 2000s, but I have a vague recollection of a Keyboard Magazine article or perhaps a Korg advertisement that mentioned he used one. Ditto for Phil Collins. Neither of those facts would have mattered because I knew already that I had to have one. When I left the music store on that first day I played it, I took home a free promo/specs fold-out flyer for the Wavestation, and I still have that today.
When Korg released a software version of the Wavestation in 2004, I remember feeling somewhat annoyed. By that time, I had acquired three of the hardware versions (originally, I had two WS EX keyboards, one as a backup, and then got a very good deal on an A/D in 2001). The software had more samples and had a resonant filter, whereas the hardware versions did not. But I was happy with what I had. I do think it's kind of amazing that there's a Wavestation app for iPhones and iPads, which goes to show how much technology has grown and improved over the past few decades. I couldn't imagine carrying a full-blown synthesizer in my pocket 30 years ago. Now you can.
As for the Wavestate, it's a somewhat different animal and in some significant ways it surpasses the original Wavestation's specs and capabilities. The Wavestate has a huge amount of stock samples in it for starters, and you can import your own as well. You can store an ungodly amount performances, patches, and wavesequences compared to the original. Wavesequencing 2.0 can do things we didn't even dream about doing back in the dark ages. All in all, it's in impressive synth. It doesn't have the 8-patch per performance structure that the Wavestation has. I'm unsure if that's a good or bad thing, but it's surely easier to cope with 4 layers instead of 8. Not that many performances on a Wavestation needed or used 8 patches. Four was usually more than enough for highly complex one-finger soundtracks with plenty of vector joystick waggling. Vector synthesis is a very cool thing indeed.