Wade

Name: Wade
Price: 20 USD
Author: Puremagnetik

by Puremagnetik · Synth · West coast tape synth

Not rated yet

Wade is a west-coast-inspired synth with two complex oscillators that morph from saw to triangle, a Carve control that crossfades from parallel voices to ring modulation, and a low-pass gate.

Spread, Space, Crackle and Bake add chorus or vibrato, lo-fi plate reverb, tape dust and cassette character, for $20.

Best for: Keys & Synths, Sound Design, Bass. Genres: Ambient & Cinematic, Lo-Fi, Electronic & EDM.

Keywords: lo-fi, analog, hardware emulation, minimal controls, sound design, 80s, pads, plucks, simple, subtractive, vintage.

What it does

Wade is a small west coast-inspired synth with "tape-aged character": its voice runs through a cassette tape effect and filter bank that add wow, flutter and drop-outs. Puremagnetik says it doesn't try to compete with Buchla, and compares its sound to anything from a Casiotone to a Mellotron.

Oscillators: two complex oscillators whose Timbre controls morph the waveform from saw to triangle.
Carve: crossfades between running both oscillators together and using oscillator 1 to modulate oscillator 2.
Mod: sets the frequency of the first (Timbre 1) oscillator, which matters most when it acts as the modulator.
Gate: a low-pass gate instead of a filter; counter-clockwise gives a fast, staccato attack, clockwise a slow, sustained one.
Spread and Space: Spread adds chorus and vibrato, and Space is a lo-fi reverb with a plate sound that sits before the tape stage.
Crackle and Bake: Crackle adds tape dust and debris, and Bake sets how strong the tape effect is.

It is also part of the Tape Devices bundle. The product page does not mention a demo.

Source: Puremagnetik product page

When to use it

Wade is a pick for quick, characterful west coast tones that already sound worn in. Compared with Arturia Buchla Easel V, it has a handful of knobs instead of a full patchable panel, costs a fraction of the price and adds tape aging that the Easel doesn't build in. Next to all-round synths such as Vital or Diva it is very narrow: its controls stop at the oscillators, the gate and the effects. That makes it fast for lo-fi colour, but it won't stretch to big leads or detailed sound design.

Best for: plucky west coast tones, lo-fi keys and dusty, wobbly pads.
Genres: lo-fi, ambient, chillhop and experimental electronic music.
Look elsewhere if: you want a full modular-style patching environment (Buchla Easel V) or a general-purpose synth (Vital, Diva).

What producers say

The one write-up we read liked Wade for doing a lot with very few controls.

Synth Anatomy praised its simplicity, saying it offers "less with which you can do a lot".
Synth Anatomy also felt it has its own character, making it "a very own instrument".