Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave Terminal Lets You Make Your Own Wavetables
Make your own multisamples too!
4,3 / 5,0 | 
Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave Terminal · Source: Groove Synthesis
Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave · Source: Groove Synthesis
Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave · Source: Groove Synthesis
Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave · Source: Groove Synthesis
3rd Wave Terminal from Groove Synthesis brings 3rd Wave synth control to your computer. And it’s free!
All About Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave
3rd Wave Terminal
Groove Synthesis has teamed up with composer and programmer Pedro Macedo Camacho (also known as Ocean Control) to create 3rd Wave Terminal, a free companion app for the whole blue synth family. The desktop app is a librarian and programmer, and also lets you make your own wavetables and multisamples – even from mp3 and mp4 files.
“When I saw the wavetable editing in addition to the librarian and patch editor, I got very excited about what Pedro’s app could add to the workflow,” says Bob Coover of Groove Synthesis. “The 3rd Wave does everything without software, and is close to knob per function, but for the four areas that the 3rd Wave Terminal handles, things are enhanced, or additional abilities are unlocked.”
The app is available now on the Groove Synthesis website. It works with the 3rd Wave, 3rd Wave Desktop and 3rd Wave 8M. It’s free for registered 3rd Wave users.
The 3rd Wave is available from our affiliate partners Thomann* and Sweetwater*.
Update: New Shimmer Reverb, New Wavemaker Mode & More
[25 August 2026 written by Lasse Eilers] The Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave and 3rd Wave 8M get a major firmware update with a new shimmer reverb, an expanded Wavemaker, and more!
Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave Firmware 2.0a
Good news for all owners of the mighty Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave and its little brother, the 3rd Wave 8M! Both versions of the wavetable synth just received a big firmware update. In addition to the usual bugfixes, version 2.0a brings a new effect and a new way of turning a sample into a wavetable.
If you’re one of the many fans of the popular shimmer reverb sound, you’re in for a treat. The new effect has been added to Effect 2 . According to Groove Synthesis, the algorithm is quite CPU-heavy, so it comes with certain limitations. You can only run the shimmer reverb on one of the synth’s two effect cores, meaning that only two of the four parts can use it. As the 8M only has two parts, this limitation doesn’t apply here. Still, the new reverb effect sounds like a great addition to the synth’s effects palette!
Moreover, the update introduces a third Wavemaker mode. In addition to the existing Pitch and Splice modes, the synths’s built-in wavetable-making tool now features a spectral mode, offering another method of turning a sample into individual waves. The new mode analyzes the spectral content of the entire audio file and uses this information to extract waves. Interesting!
Other updates include expanded MIDI CC mappings for the Desktop and 8M models, as well as new MIDI SysEx functionality for importing and exporting wavetables and multisamples. You can find a list of all new features on the manufacturer’s website.
The Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave and 3rd Wave 8M are available from our affiliate partners Thomann* and Sweetwater*.
More Information
Now With Sampling!
[15 May 2024] Just in time for Superbooth 24, Groove Synthesis has announced an exciting software update for the 3rd Wave Advanced Wavetable Synthesizer. The new OS adds the ability to record samples and mix them with the synth’s wavetable and virtual analog sounds.
Groove Synthesis‘s blue synth was already a very capable instrument with a beautiful wavetable engine and virtual analog oscillators for lush textures and evolving soundscapes. However, Groove Synthesis has found a way to add yet another sonic dimension to the 3rd Wave: Samples! The manufacturer has announced an upcoming software update that will add the ability to record a 30-second mono sample on the synth itself or upload it over USB. You can then turn this sample into a new oscillator type for use alongside the synth’s wavetable and virtual analog oscillators. Neat!
This was possible because the synth already featured the ability to record your own sounds and turn them into wavetables. So the hardware was already there. However, Groove Synthesis says that “it took some tricky programming” to turn this into a sampling engine.
The new OS will be available free of charge for all owners of the keyboard and desktop versionssoon.
Available at Thomann*.
Advanced Wavetable Synth
[06 June 2022 / Robin Vincent] We saw a few glimpses of Groove Synthesis’ Advanced Wavetable Synthesizer in the lead-up to NAMM but after their big reveal at the show we can settle back and assess what it’s got to offer.
It’s a PPG inspired 24-voice wavetable synthesizer with 3 oscillators per voice, an analogue lowpass, Dave Rossum designed filter, a state-variable filter and built-in wavetable making. It has 4 envelopes, 4 LFOs and 2 digital effects.
The oscillators can either be a classic PPG-era wavetable, a modern high-resolution wavetable or an analogue-modelled waveform. It comes with 32 classic wavetables and 48 new hi-res ones and plenty of room for your own. The analogue modelled waveforms are all the usual ones, including a Supersaw and colour-variable noise. The waveforms can be modulated from a 6-stage loopable envelope which can either leap from one wave to another or smoothly transition.
A modulation matrix with 16 assignable slots, 12 fixed slots and up to 114 destinations gives you enormous flexibility.
Multi-timbral
The 24 voices can be divided up into 4 parts of multitimbrality that can either be layered or split into zones across the keyboard. Each part can benefit from its own sound, sequence and effects settings and has its own output with stereo panning.
Sequencing
The synth also has a pattern-based sequencer that includes capturing parameter movements. It seems to be about realtime recording, with or without quantization of up to 32 measures. You can then arrange up to 24 patterns into songs. The multi-timbral side means that you can sequence a couple of layers while playing over the top which is very nifty. There’s also an Arpeggiator in there somewhere.
Making wavetables
Lastly, there’s a built-in custom Wavetable Maker. You can sample straight into the 3rd Wave or bring audio files over via USB to generate custom wavetables.
Advanced Wavetabling
All in all the specs are impressive. The multi-timbral angle seems rare in synthesizers these days and gives it an opportunity to do a lot of work in your studio or sound design. The PPG influence is very obvious but hopefully, 3rd Wave can carve out a bit of its own character.
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3 responses to “Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave Terminal Lets You Make Your Own Wavetables”
Sounds nice. Looks nice. But that price?!!! I guess they’re going for the wealthiest end of the pro market. I’m not against that – I like the idea that there are now synths out there which are simply unattainable for mere mortals like myself; It adds to their mystique and perhaps creates an aura of envious respect for the lucky few who’ll appear on stage with them – like there was for anyone with a Jupiter 8 or CS80 or Fairlight back in the day. Almost everything new was relatively affordable in the 90’s and 00’s if you had 2 or 3 grand to spend. Maybe the Korg Oasys was the first to buck the trend?
I think it’s priced well. Small companies have high costs and a synth like this would be expensive to develop.
Also $3000 in 1992 is like $6k so this is only $1900 in 1992 dollars
The software is enabling this instrument to it’s full extend.
The hardware has mojo.