Beitrag in Facebook:
“I believe they’ve nailed it.”
We’re thrilled to share a feedback from Hermann Seib, one of the co-creators of the original PPG Wave. Hermann played an instrumental role in supporting the development of our Wave synthesizer, which has now been completed and is shipping. After over four years of dedicated work, we’re proud to have faithfully recreated the sound of this legendary instrument.
Here’s what Hermann had to say:
*My first impressions of the new Blue Machine. I’ve had the honor and fun to play with the beta of the Behringer Wave for some time now, placing it side by side with its great-great-granddaddy, the PPG Wave 2.2, which it is currently modeled after.
It’s a much smaller form factor, mostly thanks to the 4-octave keyboard. I’d have preferred the original’s 61-key layout, but the 49 full-size keys are OK—professionals will likely use a larger controller or master keyboard anyway. For most purposes, 4 octaves are sufficient. The smaller overall size poses no problem; the controller elements work well—they’re large enough with enough spacing. Former PPG owners will quickly readjust, and newcomers will find it easy to work with.
The display is very similar to the original, and the various pages (Analog, Digital, and Tuning) function just as they did before. I couldn’t help but grin when I saw they included the Mod Wheel setting on the Analog page exactly as I did in my V8.3 for the original—nice touch, Behringer!
The Program page is a bit different, and not every feature is identical to the original. Some elements, like the original’s relatively cumbersome sequencer, have been implemented differently. Of course, back then, the entire operating system of the PPG Wave had to fit into 24k—a very tight constraint. I also appreciated the little oscilloscope display beneath the main screen, which works quite well.
Now for the big question: ‘Yeah, but does it sound like a PPG?’—I believe they’ve nailed it. I played through all the factory programs I’ve cherished for years, and it reproduced them beautifully and authentically. Creating new sounds should be straightforward for anyone familiar with the PPG Wave, and the results match the original to a remarkable degree. Complete identity is impossible, of course, as each PPG unit sounds slightly different due to the analog chips and ‘tuned by ear’ filters, but this comes extremely close.
It even includes features that surpass the original, with more likely to come once the OS is fully complete. While the OS still has room to grow, the sound is already fully there in my opinion.
It’s truly exciting to see this new Blue Machine added to my arsenal. This is a fantastic revival project, and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”
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