page_title: PPG Wave
section_title: Specifications
hierarchical_section_title: PPG Wave / Specifications
caption_attribution_description: PPG Wave 2.2 control panel Note: this photograph is synthesis image of multiple photographs. These photographs are almost naturally connected each other, however, directions of each knob are slightly unnatural. (It may be easily corrected if you had spare time)
context_page_description: The PPG Wave is a series of hybrid digital/analogue synthesizers built by the German company Palm Products GmbH from 1981 to 1987.
context_section_description: PPG's Wave series represents an evolution of its predecessor by combining its digital sound engine with analog VCAs and 24db per octave VCFs, featuring 8-voice polyphony; and by replacing its nontraditional series of push buttons and sliders with a control panel consisting of an LCD and a more familiar arrangement of knobs.  Also added to the Wave series was an onboard sequencer that is capable of recording filtering and wavetable changes in real time. At the core of the Wave's processing unit is a Motorola 6809 CPU, and a variety of 6500 and 6800-series support ICs. MIDI support was added in 1984, via a 6840/6850 daughtercard.
  The PPG Wave was produced in three successive variants, the control panels of which were all liveried in distinctive ultramarine RAL 5002 blue:
  Wave 2 (1981–1982) - 8 oscillators (one per voice), 8-bit resolution, single modulation wheel, CEM 3320 VCFs
  Wave 2.2 (1982–1984) - 16 oscillators (two per voice), 8-bit resolution, dual modulation wheels, SSM 2044 VCFs
  Wave 2.3 (1984–1987) - 16 oscillators (two per voice), 12-bit resolution for samples via Waveterm (only) otherwise 8-bit, dual modulation wheels, SSM 2044 VCFs, 8-part multitimbrality
  The PPG Wave can be connected to multiple peripheral PPG components simultaneously, via a custom bus, such as a "smart" keyboard controller (PRK), 8-voice expansion units (EVU), and a wave computer called Waveterm A (later B version arrived) for sampling, audio manipulation, editing, sequencing and creating user defined wavetables.  Collectively, this setup is referred to as the "PPG Wave System", which with its sampling ad sequencing was intended to compete with the more expensive Fairlight CMI.
caption: PPG Wave 2.2 front panel
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