Organic, inspiring and breathtakingly powerful.

The wavestate SE is a powerful evolution of KORG's legendary WAVESTATION, taking wave sequencing to the next level. Designed in California and manufactured in Japan, the wavestate SE features a high-end 61-note keyboard with aftertouch in an all-metal chassis. Designed for a new era of musicians, composers and producers, the wavestate SE features hundreds of dynamic sounds, extensive manual control and 120-note polyphony to inspire new levels of creativity. KORG's legendary WAVESTATION introduced Wave Sequencing to the world, transforming raw samples into sounds no one had ever heard before. The flagship OASYS and KRONOS keyboards took Wave Sequencing even further, expanding its unique palette of lush, evolving pads and driving rhythms. In 2020, the famous wavestate took Wave Sequencing to the next level. Featuring the radically re-imagined Wave Sequencing 2.0, wavestate delivers stunning, ever-evolving sounds with extended manual control. Far from being a nostalgic reissue, the wavestate was designed from the outset for a new generation of musicians, producers and composers, drawing inspiration from sources as diverse as modular synths, groove boxes and algorithmic composition. The wavestate has also introduced another revolutionary concept: the wavestate's native software (*sold separately, wavestate users can buy it at a reduced price) makes it available in your DAW, with full compatibility and no compromises. It's the ideal solution for seamlessly switching between software and hardware. Today, KORG is pleased to present its flagship product, the wavestate SE. Made in Japan, the wavestate SE features a high-end 61-key natural keyboard with aftertouch, which offers the same feel as KORG's high-end workstations. The metal body is sleek and solid, ready for gigs and the studio. The metal knobs are just the right weight for easy adjustment. Under the bonnet, it offers 120 voices of stereo polyphony, almost twice as many as the original wavestate. The wavestate SE comes with hundreds of updated sounds for aftertouch control. It's also fully compatible with sounds and samples from the original wavestate and wavestate's native software, including many excellent third-party libraries.

High-end 61-note keyboard with aftertouch

You asked, we listened: this is the wavestate for professional keyboardists. Featuring a high-end 61-note keyboard with natural feel, the wavestate SE offers the same feel as KORG's high-end workstations. Aftertouch gives you fingertip control over the wavestate's unique and evolving sounds. Naturally, we've updated the Factory Performances for Aftertouch and added some new ones.

Premium aluminium and metal case

Beauty meets robustness. The elegant all-metal casing of the wavestate SE isn't just beautiful; it's built to withstand the rigours of the road. The matt black aluminium panel contrasts perfectly with the gloss black metal side panels. The metal-plated buttons add a high-end touch.

Exclusive hard case supplied as standard

The wavestate SE comes in a dedicated hard case, including space for cables and a sustain pedal. Your instrument can travel safely, whether you're taking it to a rehearsal in town or on a world tour.

Wave Sequencing 2.0

The original WAVESTATION gave each step in a wave sequence a duration, sample and pitch. This created attention-grabbing repeating patterns, leading to entirely new approaches to sound design. But what if sounds could evolve organically and unexpectedly, instead of repeating themselves? Wave Sequencing 2.0 separates timing, sample sequence and melody, so that each can be manipulated independently. It also adds new features, including shapes, gate times and step sequencer values. Each of these features is a 'channel', and each channel can have a different number of steps, as well as its own start, end and loop points. As the sequence progresses, the individual channels are combined to create the output. For example, a sample can have a different duration, pitch, shape, gate length and step sequence value each time it is played. You can modulate the start, end and loop points of each channel separately for each note, using velocity, LFOs, envelopes, modulation buttons or other controllers. Each note in a chord can even play something different! Lanes can also randomise the order of steps each time they are played, with real-time control over the range of steps included. Finally, individual steps can be skipped at random, with a probability that can be adjusted from 0 to 100%. The result is organic, constantly evolving sounds that respond to your control. The four built-in arpeggiators can interact with the wave sequences to offer even more possibilities.

Easy to express. Exceptional depth.

Packed with knobs and controllers, the wavestate SE invites you to explore. All the basic functions - filter, envelopes, LFO, effects - are at your fingertips thanks to dedicated front-panel controls. Eight programmable modulation knobs are customised to make the most of every sound, often taking them in entirely new directions. Use the knobs in real time and save the results as new sounds. Add to this the pitch bend and modulation wheels, as well as the unique vector joystick, and you still have multiple dimensions of real-time expression. Want to go further? Almost every front panel knob and most on-screen parameters can be modulated. You can even modulate the parameters of each step in the wave sequence! Modulation processors let you transform modulation signals using quantization, smoothing, bending and more.

Randomisation that inspires.

Looking for even more inspiration? A dedicated button on the front panel, marked with a 'die' icon, generates new sounds through intelligent randomisation. Randomise the whole sound or just part of it, such as the filter, sample path or effects. Use the results directly or as a starting point for your own creations.

An arsenal of effects.

The wavestate SE's superb effects produce production-ready sounds. Each layer has three dedicated effects; in addition, Performance has a master reverb and parametric EQ. In addition to standards such as compressors, EQs, choruses, flangers, phasers and stereo delays, you'll find specific processors such as Wave Shaper, Talking Modulator, Reverse Delay, Multiband Mod Delay and Overb (from OASYS), as well as modelled effects such as VOX guitar amps, VOX wah, multi-head tape echo and a collection of classic guitar pedals.

Choose your filter.

Add vintage character to your sounds with the MS-20's aggressive low-pass or high-pass filters, or the Polysix's powerful yet smooth low-pass. Shape and refine with a full collection of resonant 2- and 4-pole low-pass, high-pass, band-pass and band-rejection filters. You can also think outside the box with KORG's Multi Filter, which creates scalable mixes of multiple modes simultaneously.

Gigabytes of samples. 120 stereo voices.

At several gigabytes in total, the wavestate SE's sample library is more than a thousand times larger than that of the original WAVESTATION. That's a lot of raw material for wave sequences. There's a sample bank from Plugin Guru, brand new samples from KORG and a selection from the NAUTILUS, KRONOS and KROME libraries. Of course, KORG also provides all the WAVESTATION samples (including all the options), plus a huge library of WAVESTATION wave sequences. Play up to 120 stereo voices with pristine clarity, thanks to KORG's exclusive anti-aliasing sample playback technology.

4GB User Samples

Express yourself with your own voice. Import up to 4GB of your own multisamples into wavestate SE via the free Sample Builder application for Mac and Windows. Many third-party libraries are also available! Use your new samples in wave sequences or as individual multisamples, just like the original multisamples.

Multiplied by four.

With all this synthesis power, you might think that the wavestate SE only plays one sound at a time. But it doesn't. For even richer and more complex results, superimpose up to four programmes in a Performance, each with its own effects and arpeggiator. The vector envelope and joystick blend the individual voices of the four layers and can also modulate other parameters.

Set Lists and linked sound transitions.

Set lists make it effortless to organise performances on the wavestate SE and offer instant access during gigs or rehearsals. Smooth sound transitions allow previously played voices and effects to continue to resonate naturally, even when a new sound has been selected.

Editor/Librarian.

The Editor/Librarian acts as a second front panel for the wavestate SE. Real-time display of modulated parameter values and wave sequences gives you instant feedback on your creations. Copy and paste sounds, envelopes, LFOs, filter parameters and more. Dive into effects with access to all the internal parameters and create your own effects presets.

Created byKORG R&D in California.

KORG R&D created the original WAVESTATION, co-created the OASYS and KRONOS, and developed the core technologies for many other KORG instruments. The wavestate reflects their unique aesthetic, offering stunning sound and great flexibility thanks to cutting-edge technologies. Three of the key sound designers from the original WAVESTATION, John Bowen, John "Skippy" Lehmkuhl (Plugin Guru), and Peter "Ski" Schwartz, joined Belgian artist Airwave and KORG's renowned voicing team to create the wavestate SE's incredible library of sounds.

Free music software bundle.

Free music software package. The wavestate SE comes with a diverse variety of music software from Izotope, including "Ozone Elements" which lets you not only create songs, but also master them using AI, "Skoove" which will help you improve your keyboard playing skills, as well as software synths from KORG and other brands. In other words, once you get your hands on this synthesizer, you'll have a host of tools to help you take your music to the next level.

Special upgrade to the native software version.

Owners of any version of the hardware wavestate can take advantage of a special upgrade licence to the native wavestate for US$49.99, thanks to a coupon code linked to the unique identifier of the hardware wavestate. By using the hardware and software versions together, you can have the best of both worlds: a physical instrument that responds to your touch, and full DAW integration. To generate the coupon: 1. wavestate mkII and wavestate SE owners: download and install the latest version of wavestate Editor/Librarian. For owners of the original wavestate, ensure that you are using wavestate system version 2.1.0 or higher and wavestate Editor/Librarian 1.1 or higher. If necessary, update your hardware wavestate and install the new Editor/Librarian. 2. In the Editor/Librarian, open the File menu and select "Get Plug-in Coupon...". 3. A dialog box appears with the coupon code; follow the on-screen instructions to use the coupon in the KORG shop.

wavestate native

wavestate native is the fully compatible software counterpart to the wavestate hardware synthesizer. wavestate native is available in VST3, AAX and standalone formats on macOS and Windows, and in AU format on macOS. You can exchange sounds seamlessly between hardware and software. Produce in your DAW with native wavestate, then play the same sounds on stage using wavestate hardware. Create sounds with the convenient hardware interface, then share them with a computer collaborator. Plus, you can use any of the many third-party sound and sample libraries available for hardware wavestate.