Behringer Wave Now Shipping From Factory With $599 Price

Behringer today announced that its Wave synthesizer, a knockoff of the classic PPG Wave synth, is now shipping from its factory.

The Behringer Wave copies the PPG Wave 2.2, a pioneering digital/analog hybrid synthesizer from the ’80s. Like the original, the Behringer Wave combines wavetable oscillators – which offer a much wider range of waveforms than traditional analog oscillators – with analog VCFs and VCAs.

The original PPG Wave was a key element of the Tangerine Dream sound in the ’80s, and you’ll hear echoes of this in the audio demos in Behringer’s intro video:

Features:

  • Wavetable generators and analog VCF and VCA designs based on the PPG* Wave 2.2 and 2.3 from the ’80s
  • Digital wavetable synthesis with 8 or 16-bit resolution
  • Aanalog signal path based on original VCF and VCA designs
  • 8 voices configurable in modes such as splits, layers, and unison
  • 30 classic factory wavetables and 64 user-defined wavetables, each comprising 64 waveforms, along with 32 user-defined transients
  • Import of user wavetables and transients through SynthTribe
  • 200 user presets with storable sequence
  • Authentic and advanced oscillator modes for versatile sound design
  • Manual wavetable control for precise navigation through selected table waves with optional crossfading
  • Two ADSR envelopes for shaping the filter, amplifier, or wavetable position
  • Additional AD envelope for oscillator pitch modulation or wavetable position control
  • LFO for creating vibrato, tremolo, or cyclic wavetable sweeps
  • Built-in polyphonic sequencer optimized for both performance and studio applications
  • Dual arpeggiator with play modes including up, down, up-down, and random
  • 49 full-size keys featuring velocity, aftertouch and polyphonic portamento for expressive playability
  • Stereo width control for dynamic voice placement within the stereo field
  • Individual audio outputs for all 8 voices to enable external processing per voice
  • CV/Gate and Sync In/Out connectivity for integration with external gear
  • Expression and sustain pedal support
  • MIDI implementation for full integration and flexibility

Pricing and Availability:

The Behringer Wave is now shipping from the factory, with a street price of $599 USD.

Note: It typically takes a month or so for new Behringer synths to be available at its ‘super partners’ after it starts shipping.

37 thoughts on “Behringer Wave Now Shipping From Factory With $599 Price”

  1. This is the first synth that they’ve done that really interests me, but I don’t want or need another keyboard. If they did a module version of this and cut the price by $100, it would be an instant buy for me.

    I’ve only used a couple of Behringer keyboards, but they’ve had terrible feel. Inconsistent, ‘spongy’ lightweight synth action. You can work around a lightweight keyboard action, but not if it varies from key to key.

    I’m a big fan of Tangerine Dream, and it definitely sounds like this can recreate those classic PPG sounds, which are all over their music, starting in the mid 80s.

    1. Don’t buy much hardware anymore, but for $600? I’m in. Add the actual physical keyboard sound tweaking audio design aspect, especially for someone like me that is about 90% in the VST world, and IMHO, it is definitely worth the very fair price of admission.

      1. The tariffs are going to double on parts imported from China, but not on goods made in China.

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        Yes, this is bass-ackwards to anybody that cares about US businesses. But the US government is controlled by a handful of billionaires now, and they want to kill everybody’s business except their own.

        1. But surely you realise that Dump, Muck, Swampy, and Bozo are going to make ‘Merica Greed Again!

          And these policies are designed to give business with economies of scale even greater advantage, since you know, socialism is actually good for those whom least need it.

    1. It has din midi in and usb, I’m going through the manual and there is a lot going on that is addressable with cc, nrpn, and sysex!

  5. Considering the fact that a Korg Modwave with a freely available sound pack can do all the Tangerine Dream sounds you’ll ever want, I feel the (otherwise tasty looking) product by Behringer comes just a few years too late to truly cause excitement over here.

    1. I just didn’t like the Modwave series (there are mk1 and mk2, right?)
      I didn’t like the sound of it. Maybe it was the presets that I disliked and therefore didn’t do a deep dive into it (Modwave Native) or maybe I am too used to the PPG/Waldorf wavetables which sits justprecisely right with me.

      1. So just upload your own wavetables then?! It’s baffeling to me, that people get excited about a 30+ old synth clone instead of just using a modern one for the same price, cheaper but way more convenient options. So many collectors, so few musicians.

        1. Interesting, that some people think, that adding more functions and modern features inspires creativity. Most of these also just end Like gear collectors of modern gear…

  6. I’m with john about being able to adapt, but shabby key actions are like a chronic disease. All that bragging about great features XYZ, yet laying hands to one often makes me feel like I broke it by having the nerve to play it. Modules leave the shoddy keybeds behind. Going with softsynths allows me to give the finger to companies who seem to sneer at solid builds.

    Some people swear by their mixers. Too bad they can’t do that for their synths. The day they address that, I might actually buy my first B product.

    1. i am mostly about playing fast plucky sounds, so the light action is a poor fit for performance. however, working the aftertouch evokes a slower more deliberative performance, and in these cases the action has been fine on the UBXa.

      fwiw, I’m used to a piano, or Korg’s Prologue & Kronos keybeds. instruments with actions you can get excited and rambunctious on.

      i don’t mind the extra practice, playing is fun on it’s own. i picked this, UBXa, and the Kobol’s.

  7. The key action of my PPG Wave 2.2 was not anything to write home about either. More worried about the missing octave. Got to use another keyboard to play my old 80’s tunes. Would gladly pay more for 12 more keys.

    1. yeah, sadly, that ship has sailed. i would have bet the PPG was at least as popular as Poly Kobol to receive a 5 octave. however, product engineering is usually focused on delivering the majority of user preferences at a minimum cost; as such, 4 octaves makes sense coming from Behringer. the aftertouch and wavetable import was a nice addition though.

  9. Well, I can neither justify OR afford the 3rd wave,, no matter how much I may WANT TO…. So I think this may WELL end up being my first Behringer keyboard purchase in the new year!!!

    FWIW, I think some of the demo patches sound fantastic! I’ll just l have to learn to live with the keyboard action! (or control it from another keyboard)….

    I’ve always wanted a PPG….. This Behringer one will do ME fine!

    1. People moan about their keyboards

      It’s not like they are playing virtuoso piano pieces

      I’ve only ever seen anyone playing them in a pop/electro/techno context

      For which the keyboard is more than adequate – also considering the price point

  11. Is it multi-timbral like the original? To make up for not having effects, the original had 8 parts allowing you to create multiple distinct and huge sounds.

    1. you can import up to 64 PPG style wavetables, and some small number of short transient samples through synthtribe synth support app – which i hate, but i only need to use it a couple times a year at the most.. 3rd party wavetable creators are plentiful, i can do a lot with that as it is. and i’m not at all interested in doing cover tunes with it. i can do most of what Wave wavetables do with Prologue, but this was way more front panel knobs for modulation.

  15. eigenlijk precies de reden waarom ik de synth in de jaren 80 niet te vreten vond. wat een hopeloze k@t geluiden. Mag van mij meteen weer het museum in. zonder van de energie. Laten we vooruit gaan in plaats van achteruit naar wat toen al nix was

  18. I used to have a PPG 2.3 in a studio I worked at in the early 90s in Germany. I absolutely love the sound of the PPG and this will be a no-brainer at this price point. To me it’s one of the most inspiring synths. I tried and had a ton of wavetable synths over the years incl. the late Hydrasynth, but this is where it’s at. Wolfgang Palm was (is) a genius. Thanks, Uli for this hardware revival.

  19. I dunno why I find these Wave synths to be sort of a cheesefest… I do have the PPG Wave 3.V vst by Waldorf which has the same horrendous blue UI and it is plenty fun melting the cheese thru my Analog Heat +FX but… ok no buts, time to try the vst+pedal combo again.

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