THE MOST ACCESSIBLE WAY TO THE 3RD WAVE SOUND
The 3rd Wave 8M puts professional-grade synthesis within reach. This isn’t a watered-down version. This is 8 voices and 2 parts of pure, uncompromised 3rd Wave in a more accessible, compact package. Same premium sound engine, analog filters, and build quality found in our flagship instruments, now in a compact desktop format that fits more budgets and more spaces.
THE ANALOG SIGNAL PATH
What makes a 3rd Wave sound like a 3rd Wave?
It starts with the analog signal path.
Every voice runs through a Dave Rossum-designed 2140 analog lowpass filter with variable saturation, paired with a SEM-style state-variable filter offering lowpass, highpass, notch, and bandpass modes. This is the same signal path that is in our flagship 24-voice instruments.
The DC-coupled output stages deliver low-end power you don’t just hear but feel. Eight voices through this signal path will fill a room.
ACCESS ALL AREAS
The 8M’s interface focuses on what matters most during performance and sound design.
The streamlined front panel puts essential controls under your hands: oscillator selection, filter cutoff and resonance, envelope controls, effects. Everything you need to shape sound in the moment.
The 7-inch display with six context-sensitive encoders provides more screen space and more simultaneous control than even our flagship models. Navigation is immediate. Deep parameters are accessible without menu-diving.
FIVE SYNTHESIS METHODS. ONE COMPACT INSTRUMENT.
The built-in Wavemaker generates custom wavetables from any audio source. Create up to 64 of your own wavetables and save them with your patches.
All five synthesis methods can be combined within a single patch, layered across oscillators to create sounds that would otherwise require multiple instruments.
Each of the 8M’s three oscillators per voice can independently run:
- Classic PPG-era wavetables with the authentic processing chain and imaging character that defined ’80s electronic music.
- Modern high-resolution wavetables with Serum wavetable import capability for contemporary sound design
- Analog-modeled waveforms for classic subtractive synthesis tones
- Three operator linear FM per part for metallic, bell-like, and complex harmonic textures
- Multi-sampling of up to 8 samples across the keyboard.
Hear the groove
PATCH COMPATIBILITY
Every patch created on the 8M loads directly on the 24M and 24K. Start a sound on the road, finish it in the studio. Collaborate with other 3rd Wave owners regardless of which model they have.
Patches from the larger models load on the 8M as well, as long as they only use two parts.
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BUILT FOR MODERN WORKFLOWS
Four balanced outputs handle stereo operation or discrete part routing. Full MIDI I/O via DIN and USB integrates with any setup. MPE and polyphonic aftertouch support capture every nuance from expressive controllers like the Roli Seaboard or the Expressive E Osmose.
The compact desktop format fits where larger synths can’t. On a crowded desk, in a travel bag, or mounted in a rack with the included 19″ ears.
8M DESKTOP SPECIFICATIONS
8 Voices
2 Part Multitimbral
3 High-Res, Multiple Sample Rate, Digital Oscillators Per Voice
- 64 total user wavetable locations with 56 shipping wavetables that contain 64 waveforms per table
- 32 original 8 bit wavetables from the PPG 2 series instruments with room for 16 more user created 8 bit wavetables
- 7 high-resolution modeled analog waveforms (saw, square/pulse, triangle, sine, supersaw, white noise, pink noise)
- Linear FM – 3 Operator
- Sampling. 8 way multi-part. Loopable with seamless cross fading. 35 seconds at full bandwidth
- Oscillator Hard-Sync
- Optional wave flow section: 1. Wavetable interpolation on/off 2. Waveform, (pitch), interpolation on/off 3. PPG Upper Wavetable mode on/off
- Unison mode and chord mode with variable voice count
1 Analog Low-pass Filter
- Dave Rossum designed, classic, 2140 low-pass resonant filter
- 24 db per octave slope
- variable saturation amount
- optional resonance compensation
1 State-Variable Filter
- 12 db per octave slope
- Continuously variable between low-pass, notch, and high-pass, operation with optional band-pass mode
4 ADSR+ Delay Envelopes
- Filter, Amplifier, plus 2 additional envelopes switchable between exponential and vintage PPG-style response
- Freely assignable to multiple modulation destinations
- 6-stage wave envelope per oscillator with variable time and position that can be looped. Can be assigned to any destination
4 Low-Frequency Oscillators
- Triangle, sawtooth, reverse sawtooth, square, pulse 1, pulse 2, pulse 3, and random (S&H)
- Variable delay
- Note reset or free running
- Syncable to master clock BPM
- LFOs can be polyphonic or mono
2 digital effects (per part)
- BBD, stereo delay, tape delay, chorus, phaser, flanger, distortion pedal, rotating speaker with tube model, ring mod, room reverb, hall reverb, super plate reverb – Most modeled on famous hardware devices
- Syncable to master clock BPM
- Parameters modulatable via mod matrix
Built-In Custom Wavetable Maker
- “Sample-to-wave” functionality. Connect an audio source to the 3rd Wave’s Audio In port, press “Make Waves” and the audio is analyzed to create a custom wavetable
- Audio to convert is brought in as a 96 kHz wav file through USB
- Store up to 64 custom wavetables
- 64 waveforms per wavetable
- Accepts pitched or un-pitched material as input
- 96 kHz sampling rate
- 16, 24, or 32-bit resolution
- Audio up to 20 seconds can be analyzed
- Imports Serum™ wavetables
Pattern based with song mode
- Performs both Note and Parameter Sequencing
- 2 parts per sequence
- 24 patterns per 3rd Wave program
- Up to 32 measures per sequence
- Variable quantization resolution per sequence (32nd, 16th, 8th, quarter, half, whole note, or quantization off), that is settable in real time
- Variable swing
1 Arp per Multi-part
- Up, down, up/down, assign modes, and random
- Variable range (1, 2, or 3 octaves)
16 slot modulation matrix with 30 mod sources and 127 mod destinations
- 12 additional fixed-source mod paths with the same number of sources and destinations
- Modulation assignment buttons enable quick and easy modulation routing
- Mod Matrix runs at audio rates
- Sequencer can record and play mod parameter changes in real time
24 knobs and 36 buttons with a 7 inch display and 6 encoders. Complete editing with knob per function for performance controls
- Responds to polyphonic after touch
- Responds to MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression)
450 factory programs with 500 total rewritable locations
2 Balanced/Unbalanced Stereo outputs (2x 1/4″ phone jack per part)
- Headphone out (stereo 1/4″ phone jack)
- MIDI In, MIDI Out, and MIDI Thru
- USB port for bidirectional MIDI communication
- Audio Input for creating user wavetables from external audio source (1/4″ phone jack). Audio Input can also route audio through the filters, Output chain, and effects
- Sustain/footswitch input
- Volume pedal input
- Expression pedal input
External universal input power supply (100-240V) 15 volt 45 watts
Shipping Box Dimmensions Imperial Units: 21” x 12” x 8” inches
Shipping Box Dimensions Metric: 53 cm x 29 cm x 20cm
Shipping Weight Imperial Units: 10.5 lbs
Shipping Weight Metric: 4.8 kg
Yes, Rack Ears Included
SUPPORT Resources
Still got questions? Visit our support page for more resources such as product manuals, software downloads, and FAQs.
