3rd Wave Sound Design with Sam Gutman

Sam Gutman is a keyboardist, producer, and sound designer whose touring credits include Ms. Lauryn Hill, The Fugees, and YG Marley. Here he is demoing the gorgeous 3rd Wave from Groove Synthesis at NAMM 2026, demonstrating his approach to making sounds on the machine which are rooted in creating elements that work on real stages and in real productions. Timestamps and details below...

What does deep sound design look like when it's shaped by years on stages with Ms. Lauryn Hill, The Fugees, and YG Marley? SamGutman brought that perspective to our booth at NAMM 2026, and the result is a masterclass in what the 3rd Wave can really do. In this session, Sam digs into the full range of the 3rd Wave's synthesis engine: PPG wavetables, modern wavetables, virtual-analog, linear FM, and sampling. Through the eyes and ears of a working musician, Sam shows how these tools come together in real musical contexts, from lush layered pads to complex arpeggiated sounds that stand out in a mix. Along the way, Sam showcases custom patches he built for the 3rd Wave 24K keyboard, demonstrates complex multi-part layering, and shares the creative thinking behind his sound design choices. Whether you're a seasoned synth programmer or just getting curious about what wavetable synthesis can do, there's something here for you.

03:04 What is Wavetable Synthesis?
04:27 Classic PPG Wavetables
05:57 Modern Wavetables
08:15 Analog Subtractive Synthesis
10:35 Subtractive Filters
10:55 Additive Synthesis
11:40 FM Synthesis
13:15 Sampling
14:54 Layering
18:10 Bob Coover on Binaural Sound
20:12 Bob Coover's Summary

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