YEAR ONE: A ROUND-UP OF 3rd WAVE 8M REVIEWS
The 3rd Wave 8M desktop module has been in people’s hands for about a year now. Over that time, it has been measured, sequenced, multitracked, compared with its bigger siblings, and lined up against everything else in its category. Reading back through the reviews, a few common threads emerge: that the 3rd Wave synth engine handled the move to a smaller box without a hitch, that the greasy analog filter does a lot of the work on character, and that the bigger screen and six contextual encoders make the reduced control set feel like an inspiring alternative to the 24-voice models rather than a compromise.
In this article, we’ll have a closer look at those common themes that have emerged in reviews and YouTube videos.
Same Engine, smaller Box
The most consistent observation across the reviews: the synthesis engine in the 8M lives up to the expectations of the 24-voice siblings. The compromises lie in voice count and parts, not in sound quality or feature depth.
Sound On Sound
Rory Dow has now reviewed all three 3rd Wave models for SOS and has had as long with the 3rd Wave as anyone outside Orinda. His September 2025 review of the 3rd Wave 8M weighs the voice-count compromise against everything that didn’t get touched in the move to a smaller box.
Matt Johnson
Matt’s review explores the full sound engine with examples from each oscillator type, plus a sequenced demo that shows the 8M sitting comfortably in a tracked context.
Gearnews
Marcus’s Gearnews review opens with the question of whether the smaller box still carries the magic of the larger models. He answers it with an unequivocal ‘yes’ and gave the 3rd Wave 8M 4.5 out of 5 points.
Beyond The PPG
The 3rd Wave’s PPG heritage was always just the starting point. Reviewers who spent real time with the 8M kept arriving at the same conclusion: the PPG sound is one capability among many, and definitely not the whole story.
Devin Belanger
Devin makes the case directly, then proves it by exploring some of the authentic PPG parameters, and then moves somewhere completely different. The Fender Rhodes sample patch in the second half of the video is worth the watch alone.
Attack Magazine
Adam Douglas’ Attack Magazine review, titled “More Than Just Classic Wavetables,” approaches the 8M as a wavetable instrument among other wavetable instruments and lands on the same point: the true PPG sounds are there, but they’re only the opening chapter.
On the Sound
Different reviewers, different sessions, different conclusions about what they liked best. The common theme: the 3rd Wave sound itself. And often, specifically, the greasy-round tone of the 2140 Dave Rossum analog filter.
Musicradar
Andy Jones reviewed both the original keyboard and the desktop module for MusicRadar before getting to the 8M, so he’s comparing notes against the rest of the family. His verdict puts the 8M in the same conversation.
Midlife Synthesist
The Midlife Synthesist treats the 8M as a first-impressions session, using the MPC Live III’s 16 tracks to play and capture sounds while he explores. The result is less a structured review and more a real-time sound design walkthrough, which is its own kind of useful.
The Creative Instrument
Several reviewers highlighted that the smaller front panel and larger screen do not feel like trade-offs in practice. The contextual encoders, the layout choices, and the level of finish all drew particular praise.
Starsky Carr
Starsky has been around the PPG conversation longer than most. His review digs into the PPG-style controls in detail (wave smoothing, wavetable smoothing, reverse-key-to-waves) and then proceeds to recreate a nine-part track using only the 8M.
Keyboards
Marc reviews for Keyboards / Sound & Recording and brings a German studio engineer’s eye to the 8M. His take: the build quality, the filters, and the modulation depth add up to a tool that belongs in serious studios.
Amazona
Heiner Kruse’s Amazona review (titled “Edler Wellenreiter,” or “Noble Wave Rider”) covers the OS 1.9a additions in detail, including the sampling workflow and the WaveMaker. His closing observation is that playing the 8M produces what he calls a “click moment” that keeps pulling him back.
* translated from the original German
Thanks to everyone who took the time. The 8M is the most accessible way into the 3rd Wave family, and hearing it through other people’s ears (and rooms, and projects) has been a privilege. If you want to put your own ears on it, find your nearest dealer here.
