Between Timeframes: Coloray Brings the 3rd Wave 8M to Life in Berlin Studio Performance
Electronic artist Raynor De Groot showcases the new desktop synthesizer’s live performance capabilities in an intimate studio setting
There’s something magical that happens when the right artist meets the right instrument. In a synth-filled private studio outside Berlin, we witnessed exactly that convergence as electronic artist Coloray took our new 3rd Wave 8M desktop synth for its first major performance showcase. The result? A captivating live rendition of his track “Tonight” that perfectly demonstrates why the 8M is such a great performance tool and gateway into the distinctive 3rd Wave sound.
A Berlin Collaboration
The setting couldn’t have been more perfect. We partnered with composer Rainer Oleak, whose incredible private studio outside Berlin has become a peaceful haven for synthesizer enthusiasts and musicians alike. With walls lined with vintage synthesizers and high-end production gear, the space provided the ideal backdrop for Coloray to explore the sonic possibilities of both our flagship 24M and the newly released 8M desktop modules.
Raynor De Groot, known professionally as Coloray, brought his unique perspective as both an accomplished electronic artist and an existing 3rd Wave 24M owner. “I’ve been trying to dig deep into vintage synths and try to see what would fit my sound, because I like to make this sort of retro-inspired music,” he explains. “But so far, nothing that was modern also had a sort of retro flair, and I ended up deciding to buy the 3rd Wave 24M because it had that sound but also modern capabilities as well.”
The Coloray Sound
Coloray’s journey in electronic music spans from his early success as half of the dance project Tunnelvisions, which toured Europe and released on prestigious labels like Solomun’s DIYnamic and Moscoman’s Disco Halal, to his breakthrough solo career that began in 2019. His collaborative single “Can’t Stop” with Eagles & Butterflies became a dancefloor anthem, championed by everyone from underground favorites Four Tet and Hunee to mainstream powerhouses like Dixon, Âme, and Solomun. The track dominated Beatport charts and earned Pete Tong’s “Essential New Tune” designation.
His artistic evolution continued with releases on respected labels like Atomnation, Innervisions, Intercept Records, and Permanent Vacation, culminating in his groundbreaking “Future Static” audiovisual concept. This pandemic-era project ignored genre boundaries, drawing from ambient, EBM, techno, house, and disco to create something entirely his own. The futurist vision was completed with a virtual reality experience that showcased Coloray’s commitment to pushing creative boundaries.
Now based in Berlin, Coloray has found in the 3rd Wave the perfect tool for his genre-defying approach. “It’s sort of can combine the organic, the glassy feeling with something that’s really warm,” he describes. “And it makes it very special because most of the time synths do that one thing or the other.”
Discovering the 8M
When Coloray first encountered the 3rd Wave 8M, his reaction was immediate and enthusiastic. “I was really excited because I knew that it was smaller in size, but had the same functions, same operating system, same sound. So I knew that it would be very easy for me to take it with me on a live tour.”
But it was more than just portability that caught his attention. “Because it’s so to the point, I was tempted to make sounds quicker, and the sounds that I was getting out of it were just as good as I was getting out of the 3rd Wave [24M]. It has the same functionality and sound, but because it’s designed in a different way, you’re flowing differently in that synth. It’s more geared towards live performance, I feel, and it’s just easier to wrap your head around.”
The 8M’s streamlined interface, featuring a larger 7-inch display with six context-sensitive encoders compared to the 24M’s 5-inch display and four encoders, creates what Coloray describes as an intuitive workflow. “With the 8M, I’ve yet to encounter something that I find too difficult to find. It seems to be designed in a way that I can easily find what I want. If I want to sit down with it and create a sound, it just takes me to the controls that I need to have.”
The Performance: Technical Breakdown
In the studio performance of “Tonight,” Coloray demonstrates the power of using both 3rd Wave models in tandem. The setup showcases the unique strengths of each instrument: the 24M handles multiple sequenced synth parts (taking advantage of its 4-part multitimbral capabilities), while the 8M drives the performance with a compelling bassline that forms the foundation of the entire track.
Both synthesizers are controlled via Ableton Live, allowing Coloray to play and manipulate sequences while maintaining hands-on control over the most expressive parameters. Throughout the performance, he uses the physical controls to sculpt filter sweeps and envelope responses in real-time, demonstrating the intuitive tactile experience that makes hardware synthesis so compelling.
The vocals add another layer of sophistication to the performance, featuring live vocoder processing that transforms his voice into another textural element within the synthetic landscape. With drums and vocal samples handled by Ableton playback tracks, the focus remains squarely on the interplay between the two 3rd Wave modules and Coloray’s real-time manipulation of their sounds.
The 3rd Wave Character
What emerges from this performance is something Coloray describes with particular eloquence: “It sits in between timeframes, and I cannot pinpoint where it’s from. I think that’s specifically the sound of the 3rd Wave.”
This temporal ambiguity is precisely what makes the 3rd Wave series so compelling for contemporary electronic music. The synthesizers can channel the glassy, ethereal qualities of classic digital wavetable synthesis while simultaneously delivering the warmth and presence of premium analog filtering. “It can sound almost very natural and glassy, but also, because it has vintage analog waveforms as well, you can make it sound just as fat as any other analog synth.”
This sonic versatility reflects the deeper philosophy behind Groove Synthesis: creating instruments that honor the past while embracing the future. The 3rd Wave 8M embodies this perfectly, offering the complete synthesis engine of its flagship siblings in a format that’s both more accessible and more performance-oriented.
Gateway to the 3rd Wave Sound
For Coloray, the 8M represents an ideal entry point into the 3rd Wave ecosystem. “I think it’s quite the commitment to buy a full-sized 3rd Wave keyboard, right? But just knowing that the 8M has the same sound but in such a small package, I’m very tempted to buy that, especially just to try it out.”
The complete patch compatibility between the 8M and 24-voice models means that sounds created on one instrument translate perfectly to the other, protecting creative investments and allowing for seamless integration into existing workflows. At $1,999, the 8M brings premium sound quality and synthesis capabilities to a broader range of musicians without compromising on the core elements that define the Groove Synthesis character.
“It’s incredibly deep, but still simple at the same time,” Coloray reflects. “I think it’s something that you really should try, and I think the 8M is your gateway into that.”
The Perfect Creative Partnership
Currently, Coloray is exploring a setup that combines modular synthesis with solid desktop instruments, and the 8M fits perfectly into this hybrid approach. “The 8M kind of takes that space of building around something that’s very experimental. So the 8M hosts a lot of presets that I can keep tweaking live, and it’s easy, accessible, and then you have experimental stuff on the other side.”
This balance between immediate accessibility and deep creative potential reflects the core strength of the 3rd Wave platform. Whether you’re seeking quick inspiration or diving deep into sound design, the instrument provides what Coloray calls “a solid character as a backbone” that “has a mind of its own” while remaining shapeable to individual artistic vision.
Beyond the Performance
The studio session with Coloray represents more than just a product demonstration; it’s a glimpse into how modern electronic artists are integrating hardware synthesis into their creative workflows. In an era where software synthesis offers unlimited possibilities, there’s still something irreplaceably inspiring about the tactile, immediate experience of hardware instruments that possess their own sonic character.
As Coloray puts it, “Why am I able to write a song on a piano every time? But when I sit behind a synth, I’m sometimes not able to get something out? Why is it that the instrument sort of decides what I write?” The answer, he suggests, lies in finding instruments with strong character that can inspire while remaining flexible enough to serve diverse creative visions.
The 3rd Wave 8M, as demonstrated in this Berlin studio performance, offers exactly that balance. It’s an instrument that sits between timeframes, between vintage warmth and modern precision, between accessibility and depth. For artists like Coloray who demand both sonic excellence and creative inspiration, it represents a gateway into a distinctive world of synthesis where the past truly meets the future.
Video Production by Sonic Lighthouse and WECAP Berlin.