Waldorf Edition - Manual (Page 34)

Waldorf Edition
User Manual 34 Waldorf
PPG Wave 2.V Wavetable Synthesizer
Introduction
Thank you for your purchase of the Waldorf PPG Wave 2.V software synthesizer.
The PPG Wave 2.V is the software version of the legendary PPG Wave 2.3
synthesizer, which was released in 1983. The PPG Wave 2.V combines the unique
Wavetable synthesis sound of the original synthesizer with the advantages of a
software Plug-In. In the end of 1970, the German company PPG came up with the
idea, to copy the sound and behaviour of analog circuits and replace it with a digital
representation of oscillator waveforms. In this process, different successive
waveforms were stored in Wavetables. While passing through, the sound changed
its character, which could be controlled by using envelopes, LFOs or other control
sources. This resulted in a sound which continuously changed its character and
enabled soft transitions between similar sounding waveforms or extreme jumps
between totally different sound spectra. With their additional subsequent analog
filters, the PPG synthesizers quickly reach cult status and their typical “Wave sound”
could be heard on a great number of music productions of their time. We at
Waldorf have successfully on-developed Wavetable synthesis for many years. But
there are still many fans of the initial powerful PPG sound around.
How near is the PPG Wave 2.V to the Original?
To give you a simple answer: very near! An example: the filter in the original PPG
was a SSM 2044 chip. If the resonance was increased, this filter attenuated the input
signal by up to 12dB. The PPG Wave 2.V works exactly like that. Furthermore, the
resonance of the SSM 2044 had a very special character, which in this form is not
implemented in any other filter circuit or IC. If you have the chance to listen to and
directly compare both the original and the Plug-In, you will find, that the resonance
(or Emphasis, as it’s called in the PPG) of both sounds absolutely identical. Another
characteristic of the original PPG was its Aliasing noise – actually a side-effect during
the reproduction of digital signals – which added an originally undesired noise level
to the sound. Actually, it is very simple to create Aliasing. But creating a type of
Aliasing that has the same behaviour as on the PPG, is a challenge. In the PPG Wave
2.V you can even choose, whether you want Aliasing or not. The only thing, that we
did not emulate, was the hum noise of the display back-lighting. We assume, that