Korg OpSix SE & Wavestate SE

Korg OpSix SE.

Korg’s Wavestate and OpSix are back, and they’re bigger than ever...

I got quite excited when I first heard about the Korg Wavestate because it promised to improve on the original and, in my view, wonderful Wavestation that I still use to this day. But when it appeared, it was a much smaller synth than I had expected, echoing the look and feel of Korg’s Minilogue. With its pitch‑bend and modulation wheels situated behind its parsimonious 37‑note keyboard, no aftertouch and no control inputs other than for a sustain pedal, it was clearly aimed at the home studio rather than live performance, even though its sound generator was superior to that of its predecessor. I must admit that I was baffled by Korg’s choice of hardware.

A few weeks later, I was equally excited by another Korg announcement. Tucked away behind a protective glass panel at NAMM 2020, it was called the OpSix and there was no doubting its lineage. Its name was obviously derived from 6‑op FM synthesis and, with its metal case, five‑octave keyboard and FM algorithms painted on its control panel, it was clearly a DX7 for the 21st Century. Offering subtractive, additive, virtual analogue and FM synthesis, the OpSix promised to be a mighty fine instrument. Then it arrived. It sounded great but, far from the original concept, it looked and felt much like the Wavestate.

When I reviewed them, I treated both the Wavestate and OpSix as desktop modules, playing them from much wider synths that generated aftertouch and had lots of control inputs. This made it possible to get the best from both of them. To be fair, Korg sell a lot of their smaller products (which suggests that I know somewhat less than I sometimes think) but I nonetheless concluded that synth engines of this depth and power deserved more professional, performance‑oriented hardware. After all, a small synth satisfies only those who need a small synth whereas, unless space is very limited, a larger one satisfies everyone.

More Is More

Now, four years later, we appear to have the synths that the Wavestate and OpSix always should have been. Called the Wavestate SE and the OpSix SE, these are built upon a metal chassis and boast 61‑note velocity‑, release velocity‑ and pressure‑sensitive keybeds similar to that used on the Kronos 61. This gives them a much more robust and professional feel and, despite Korg retaining the dubious fashion statement of protruding Allen bolts to secure their upper panels, I think that they look great. What’s more, they arrive in their own cases. These are solid and attractive, and will no doubt survive years of transportation in the back of your car. Having said that, I wouldn’t trust them to a tired and hungry road crew at 2 in the morning. If you’re going on tour — and especially if you’re travelling internationally — you’ll still need pro cases.

This is all good stuff, so I’ll now describe all of the improvements within their sound engines. Umm... I’ve finished. The architecture of the Wavestate SE is the same as that of the Wavestate and the recently announced Wavestate II, and that of the OpSix SE is identical with that of the original OpSix. The only significant difference, no doubt due to an iteration or two of Moore’s Law, is that the Wavestate SE’s polyphony is now 120 notes as opposed to the 64 of the original and the 96 of the Wavestate II, while that of the OpSix SE is 80 notes compared with the 32 of the original. Don’t misunderstand me; these are valuable improvements, but they do not make new sounds available.

Are there any other differences? Not many. In addition to a handful of new Programs and Performances, the Wavestate SE offers 4GB of space for user samples that wasn’t available when the first Wavestate was released. But, since this was introduced as a software upgrade in September 2021, I don’t think that it counts. There are even fewer changes between the OpSix and the OpSix SE — ie. none — so it should come as no surprise that the Wavestate editor is compatible with all three models, and that the OpSix librarian is compatible with both the original and the SE.

Korg Wavestate SE.

This means that we now have three models of each synthesizer: a basic version with a plastic case, a 37‑note keyboard, velocity sensitivity, and performance wheels located behind the keyboard; a standard SE with a metal chassis, a 61‑note keyboard that adds aftertouch, performance wheels where they should be, and a case; and a sexy platinum SE that’s otherwise identical with the standard one.

So, should you be interested in the new models, even if you weren’t turned on by the smaller versions? I think that you should. Both of the originals were (and still are) powerful and fine‑sounding synthesizers, but they were heavily constrained by their physical designs. The SEs make their power accessible to players who can take advantage of their enhanced keyboard widths and performance capabilities, so you may find that they’re useful in exactly the way that the originals are not. Nonetheless, I have three reservations. The first is a common gripe... the use of external power supplies on performance‑oriented keyboards. For me, this kinda shoots the whole concept in the foot. The second is the lack of controller inputs. With no way to connect an expression pedal or two, I still might find myself using a second keyboard to obtain the sounds and performances that I need. The third is the screen size. While a small OLED was suitable for the smaller models, a bigger screen such as that used in the Korg Krome series would be justified for the larger ones, as it would make programming both synths quicker and easier. I realise that this would have entailed software development as well as a more significant hardware redesign, but I think that it would have been worth it.

Finally, we come to the thorny issue of pricing. The short version is that you’re paying really quite a lot more for increased polyphony and some purely physical changes. Can this be justified? I suppose that it depends upon what you want to do with them. If you’re happy to use a Wavestate or OpSix as an expander, play narrow chords on them, use them to replay arpeggios and sequences, or even to use them as 37‑note monosynths, the additional cost of the SEs might seem preposterous. But if you’re a gigging musician for whom a more robust instrument, a 61‑note keyboard and conventionally positioned performance wheels represent the bare minimum that you need, the smaller models are useless, no matter how affordable they are and how good they sound. Consequently, the Wavestate SE and OpSix SE might turn unusable synths into usable ones.

However you view them, the SEs are significant improvements over the earlier models. If money were no object, I might be tempted to snap up both of them.

Conclusions

When I reviewed the original Wavestate and OpSix, I suggested that they should have been 61‑note synths with aftertouch, lots of expression pedal inputs, and bigger screens. Well... we’re halfway there, and you’ll have to decide for yourself whether this particular glass is half full or half empty. But however you view them, the SEs are significant improvements over the earlier models. If money were no object, I might be tempted to snap up both of them. Caveats notwithstanding, they’re amazing synthesizers that look great and can sound fabulous.