The Korg wavestate Demystified

To understand the Korg wavestate, it’s a good idea to understand the evolution of sample-based synthesizer features in the Korg M1 and Wavestation.

Korg M1

In 1988 Korg released the M1 workstation, at a price of $2166, adjusted for inflation that would be approximately $6,135 today. It was one of the first “music workstation” keyboards released: providing a multitimbral synthesizer engine supporting layering and keyboard splits, combined with an eight-track sequencer, and onboard digital effects. It also featured drum sounds, allowing an entire song to be composed within one device.

It featured 61 keys with velocity and aftertouch support, 100 instrument sounds and 44 drum sounds (4 MB of 16-bit samples). The joystick was used to manipulate pitch bend (horizontal) and modulation (vertical) at the same time.

It supported 2 multi-part modes:

• Sequencer Mode - Used with internal sequencer or an external MIDI sequencer to compose music with eight sequencer tracks, each assigned a Program
• Combination Mode - Designed for playing multiple parts live from the keyboard. Also supported 8 tracks / programs, but with support for layering or splitting sounds across the keyboard using zones, combined with velocity switching (playing one program or another depending on a configured lower/upper velocity zone).

Each of the 8 “programs” supported in these modes could support one oscillator (Single), two oscillators (Double), or a set of drum sounds. Each oscillator includes its own synth engine (filter, amplifier, envelopes, LFO modulation).

8 programs, possibly supporting 2 oscillators each, comes to a total of 16 oscillators, which is the voice limit of the synth. Obviously, if one wanted 3 voice chords for a certain program, they would need to limit the number of programs being used in Sequencer or Combination mode.

In summary, the M1 was the introduction of a sample based synthesizer characteristically known for its ability to dynamically layer sounds across a keyboard, with pitch/filter/amp envelopes and other modulation settings (including effects) causing multiple independent movements in the timbre at the same time.

Korg Wavestation

The Korg Wavestation was released in 1990 at a price of approximately $2,195 ($5400 today).

Instead of using the term “program” for a sound, the Wavestation used the term “patch” instead. Instead of featuring 1 or 2 oscillators per patch, the Wavestation featured the ability of having 1, 2, or 4 oscillators configured within a patch.

The Wavestation was aimed more at sound designers, performing keyboardists and studios using external MIDI sequencing, so it did not feature a built-in sequencer. It did still support playback of 8 patches at the same time.

Synth Engine

The predetermined modulation options of the M1 were expanded with a virtual modulation matrix in the Wavestation that allowed more flexible modulation capabilities.

The M1 synthesizer engine had dedicated envelopes for pitch, filter, and amplifier. With the Wavestation, the Filter envelope was designated as a general purpose “Envelope 1” that could be assigned to the Filter, Pitch, Amp, or LFO1/LFO2 rate and modulation depth.

Dave Smith’s Influence

After Sequential Circuits ceased operations and its assets were acquired by Yamaha in 1987, several former engineers such as Dave Smith, John Bowen, Scott Peterson, and Stanley Jungleib joined Korg in 1989. The architecture of the Wavestation grew from the Prophet VS’s vector-synthesis ideas rather than directly from the M1 workstation design.

That helps explain why it feels less like “M1 Mark II” and more like an advanced descendant of the Prophet VS that happened to use Korg PCM and effects technology.

Vector Synthesis

The joystick was repurposed for the purpose of vector synthesis (VS), controlling the mix / crossfading between the 4 oscillator parts within a patch rather than controlling pitch bend and optionally configured modulation (like a mod-wheel). In fact, it featured the vector joystick in addition to traditional pitch bend and mod-wheel.

In addition to using the joystick you could program the automation of the vector joystick movement over time using a “mix envelope”, allowing for the relative balance of all 4 sound sources to travel around a programmable path, including the ability to loop the movement.

The MixEnvMod options additionally allow for modulation of the vector controls from various sources (aftertouch, mod-wheel, LFO1, LFO2, etc).

A demonstration of the vector synthesis features can be seen in this Wavestation plugin tutorial by Anthony Chisnall.

Wave Sequencing

Wave Sequencing was the larger conceptual change introduced by the Wavestation. On the M1 an oscillator had the ability to only play one sample sound for the life of a note. The Wavestation introduced the ability to configure multiple steps over time that change the sample sound source (PCM waveform), duration, pitch, fine-tuning, level, and crossfade time between each step. A wave sequence could support up to 255 steps.

A wave sequence consisting of seven steps

The sequence could loop, play forward and backward, and be synchronized with an internal or external MIDI clock.

This feature made it possible for smooth timbral evolution over time when used with crossfade times, sounding like one continuous transforming texture… Or it could be like an arpeggiator, repeating a transposed rhythmic sequence consisting of different timbres, pitches, and levels.

Many synths feature a built-in arpeggiator, allowing you to hold a chord and have it step through the notes in certain patterns and synced to various timing (1/16th notes, dotted 1/8th notes, etc.), for for MIDI-synchronized live playback. Others include 8- or 16-step sequencers that let you program the intervals between the notes and play them back in the same manner, transposed by the key(s) you press.

The Wave Sequencing feature took that kind of functionality and moved it closer to being like a time-based programmable PCM oscillator whose identity changed over time.

This overlaps with one of the central goals of wavetable synthesis—creating timbres that evolve over time—but achieves it by sequencing discrete PCM waveforms rather than scanning continuously through a wavetable.

Layered Architecture

The Wavestation used the term “performance” instead of “combination” to describe the combination of 8 patches assigned across the keyboard, with velocity zones, transpose and tuning, level and pan, and shared effects routing configurations.

If you look at the intersection of all the abilities inherited from the M1 and added by the Wavestation, you have sound design possibilities that exceed what some are able to cognitively understand easily.

• Performance
  • Up to 8 Parts, each containing a Patch
    • Up to 4 oscillators per Patch
      • Each oscillator can use a PCM waveform or Wave Sequence
      • Each oscillator has its own filter, amplifier, envelopes, and LFOs
    • Vector Mix automation between the oscillators
  • 2 effects processors shared across the Performance
  • Parts assigned across keyboard and velocity zones
  • Limited by a maximum of 32 voices

There are several nested systems that operate simultaneously. It is a lot to wrap your head around.

wavestate Engine

Now that you have an understanding of the M1 and Wavestation features and design, it’s easier to understand the Korg wavestate mk2.

The wavestate was introduced in 2020, reviving the dedicated Wavestation hardware lineage roughly 25 years after the original series was discontinued. The second version, wavestate mk2, was released in 2023.

	mk1	mk2
Released	2020	2023
Voices of Polyphony	64	96

Both versions support integration with wavestate Editor/Librarian software, as well as the wavestate Native plugin you can run in your DAW (Ableton Live, Cubase, etc.)

Programs

The wavestate has ditched the term “Patch” and adopted “Program” again. Each Program contains an oscillator based on either a multi-sample or Wave Sequence, followed by a Filter, Amplifier, Effects.

Where the Wavestation only had a non-resonant digital low-pass filter, the wavestate offers multiple types of filters (2 pole and 4 pole low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, band-reject, MS-20 low and high-pass, Polysix low-pass, and a multimode blendable Multi filter).

The wavestate features 3 LFOs, 2 modulation processors, and expands on the modulation abilities to make most parameters of the synth engine available as modulation destinations.

Layers

The wavestate still features a “Performance” with keyboard and velocity zones, however instead of 8 programs it is now reduced to 4 “Layers”.

Additionally each layer only runs 1 oscillator/program, not 4. Each layer however does also include a traditional Arpeggiator feature.

	Wavestation	wavestate
Parts/Layers per Performance	Up to 8 Parts	Up to 4 Layers
Sound assigned to each Part	1 Patch	1 Program
Oscillators per Patch or Program	Up to 4	1

This may seem like an odd trade-off, with the wavestate synths supporting 2-3 times (64-96 voices) the number of voices as the Wavestation (32 voices), but featuring fewer layers in a performance and only one program/oscillator per layer.

In the most demanding configurations, a Wavestation Performance could appear highly layered but leave very little practical polyphony. Eight active Parts using four-oscillator Patches could consume all 32 voices with a single played note.

At moments when all four Layers are active and each Wave Sequence is crossfading between two samples, a single played note may temporarily require eight voices. Long releases, sustained notes, and independent arpeggiators can increase voice use further.

This new design makes for a better balance with the available polyphonic voices supported.

Effects

The Wavestation relied on 2 effects shared across all 8 Patches/Programs. The wavestate introduces 3 effects assigned to each layer (Pre FX, Modulation FX, and Delay) in addition to Master Reverb and EQ effects that apply to the entire performance.

Vector Mixing

The original Wavestation mixed the 4 oscillators inside of one Patch. For the wavestate, the joystick and Vector envelope mix at a higher level - affecting the 4 Layers at the Performance, rather than 4 oscillators within each program/patch. The vector system can also be used as a modulation source rather than being limited only to crossfading.

Wave Sequencing 2.0

The biggest difference in design from the Wavestation in the wavestate is a newer Wave Sequencing 2.0 engine.

The original Wave Sequencing supported by the Wavestation bundled together the following across up to 255 steps:

• Sample
• Duration
• Pitch
• Level
• Crossfade

Wave Sequencing 2.0 separates these into independent lanes.

• Timing
• Sample
• Pitch
• Shape
• Gate
• Step Sequence A
• Step Sequence B
• Step Sequence C
• Step Sequence D

Each lane can have its own number of steps, start and end position, loop start and end, and playback behavior.

The wavestate can produce a much longer evolving composite pattern from several short asynchronous lanes.

The wavestate also adds:

• step probability
• randomized step order
• modulatable lane start, end and loop points
• per-note lane variation
• independent lane lengths
• modulation of individual step parameters

A step can have a 40% chance of playing, for example. The Sample Lane might randomize while the Pitch Lane remains ordered. Because Wave Sequences run independently for each voice, different notes in a chord can follow different lane positions and probability outcomes.

This moves the wavestate toward:

• generative sequencing
• polymetric and asynchronous sequencing
• modular-style modulation
• probability-based composition

The Wavestation was an evolving sample sequencer. The wavestate can behave more like an algorithmic sound-generation system.

For a practical presentation of this, see Mastering Wave Sequencing 2.0 by Ian Dixon.

Conclusion

The presets included with the Korg Wavestate are often designed to demonstrate the instrument’s capabilities as clearly as possible. They emphasize obvious motion, dense layering, dramatic sequencing, and large-scale changes that immediately reveal what Wave Sequencing 2.0 can do. The problem is that this kind of demonstration does not always communicate how powerful the instrument can be when those same abilities are applied with restraint and taste. Instead of sounding subtle, expressive, or inspiring, the Wavestate can initially come across as gimmicky.

That impression can lead to a misunderstanding of what the instrument is for. The Wavestate is not best understood as a keyboard-zone groovebox where pressing one key is supposed to produce a complete drum-and-bass arrangement. It can certainly be programmed that way, just as an auto-accompaniment keyboard can generate a larger musical structure from a simple gesture, but that is not the most interesting use of the design.

The Wavestate occupies a space somewhere between instrument and composition. A Performance can contain rhythm, pitch movement, evolving texture, atmosphere, and partial musical structure, yet still remain playable. The important point is not that the instrument performs a finished composition for the player. It is that it can capture a particular musical behavior or “vibe” and turn it into something that can be transposed, revoiced, altered, and explored from the keyboard.

This makes the Wavestate useful as an inspirational instrument. A musician can program a relationship between rhythm, timbre, pitch, modulation, and effects, then later load that Performance and discover new harmonic or melodic possibilities by playing it in different ways. The original programming may be partly compositional, but the result remains open-ended. It becomes a reusable musical environment rather than a fixed sequence.

The role of non-chromatic samples is central to this. Traditional sample-based instruments often place most of their emphasis on chromatic material such as pianos, strings, synth waves, bells, and other sounds intended to follow the keyboard. The Wavestate reveals that non-chromatic sounds can be equally important. Rumbles, impacts, breaths, scrapes, percussion, mechanical noises, environmental recordings, and short textural events can contribute rhythm, weight, movement, tension, and atmosphere.

When those sounds are introduced with the right timing and layered with pitched material, they become part of the musical identity of the Performance. They are not merely sound effects placed around the “real” instrument. They can shape the articulation, pulse, space, and emotional character of what is being played. In many cases, they are what gives the Performance its sense of place and motion.

A useful comparison is the value of specialized audio tools. Many plugins combine processes that could technically be reproduced with stock effects in a DAW. A particular result might be built from EQ, compression, saturation, modulation, delay, and reverb. The important question is not whether the result is possible without the specialized plugin. The important question is how much attention, routing, setup, and repetition would be required to reproduce it.

A tool becomes worthwhile when it packages a useful recipe or algorithm in a way that lowers the barrier to using it creatively. It preserves relationships between processes, makes them easier to recall, and allows the musician to manipulate the result as a unified system. The value is not necessarily exclusive capability. The value is accessibility, repeatability, and the new possibilities that become available once the system has been configured.

The Wavestate provides that kind of value for multilayered rhythmic sound design. Its independent lanes, polymetric cycles, probability, modulation, sample sequencing, pitch behavior, and layered Performances make it possible to construct musical systems that would otherwise require multiple tracks, plugins, MIDI regions, automation lanes, and routing decisions in a DAW.

Some of those results may be easier to create in a DAW, especially when the goal is a fixed arrangement. Cubase provides greater precision for editing and structuring a finished piece. The tradeoff is that the result does not automatically become the same kind of playable, transposable object.

Once a Wavestate Performance has been configured, the consequences of that configuration become available under the player’s hands. The rhythm can remain intact while the harmony changes. Some elements can transpose while others remain fixed. Different cycles can continue interacting while new notes and chords are introduced. Probability and modulation can create variation without destroying the identity of the Performance.

That is where the Wavestate becomes more than a complicated way to reproduce something that could be built in a DAW. The programming effort creates an instrument that did not previously exist. Its value appears after the setup is complete, when the resulting atmosphere can be played, transposed, revisited, and used to inspire musical ideas that may not have emerged from a conventional sequencing workflow.

A well-designed premium sound library can make this much easier to understand. Factory presets often need to be broad and demonstrative, while a commercial library can pursue a more focused aesthetic. When the sound designer applies the Wavestate’s abilities tastefully, the instrument stops sounding like a technical exhibition and begins to reveal its real strength: creating rhythmic, chromatic, textural environments that feel coherent, playable, and inspiring.

If you happen to purchase the Wavestate Native plugin, or an actual wavestate synthesizer, I recommend trying out a sound library such as Cinematic Pulses or Space Western. They offer a better peak at what kind of Performances are possible, ones that inspire you to play and explore.