Klavis - Twin Waves MKII Review
An extra powerful dual oscillator!
Klavis Twin Waves MkII is in my opinion a very underrated oscillator module. So I’m really glad I had the chance to test it out and do a review on it!
So, Twin Waves MkII is a dual oscillator Eurorack module that’s only 8HP and has 20 algorithm-based synthesis types in it! On top of that, both oscillators can be used as LFOs, and those LFOs are really powerful. Despite its small size, Twin Waves MkII is such a fully featured module. On its screen, you can see all the necessary things to navigate through its function and once you get used to its navigation system, you’ll quickly find out it’s very easy to program. Let’s go through all its features and controls!
Features & Controls
The ins and outs of Twin Waves are very straightforward. Starting from the bottom, there are two outputs (Out 1 & 2) for each oscillator and an additional output for a square sub-octave output tied to oscillator 1. Above them, you’ll see the two V/Oct inputs for each oscillator and a Sync/Clock input. With that, you can Soft or Hard-sync your oscillators or feed a clock signal to control the LFO’s speed. Lastly, there are two Parameter inputs for modulating the oscillators and an FM/AM input that adds through-zero and liner FM all with their corresponding knobs.
On the top, there is a button to switch between Oscillators 1 and 2, the screen, a big knob that’s also a button to change parameters and algorithms, and a Fine/Level knob with a Coarse knob. On the left, there are three buttons that are for turning an oscillator into an LFO, a button for quantization, and one for sync (we’ll get to those later).
As you understand, the main controls of the two oscillators are shared, but it’s not a big deal. In Oscillator mode, you just tune them and then you won’t really have to change anything from the shared knobs. In LFO mode, you may have to use the knobs more but again, you won’t find yourself confused by shared functions.
Algorithms!
The most exciting thing about this module is the plethora of algorithms to choose from! There are 20 different ones that have all your standard waveforms, unison modes, additive synthesis, self-sync waveforms, a ring modulator, bit-crushed saw & sine, and 3 noise algorithms with filters that can be used for more percussive sounds.
Each algorithm has its own corresponding parameter that you can control and modulate using the Parameter knobs and Inputs. Each oscillator is completely independent so you can combine any algorithms you want. The palette of sounds is so vast and when you stack those two oscillators together it gives you even more options!
As we mentioned above, the oscillators can be internally quantized with a lot of scale options and you can of course set the base note of the scale. That is so handy when you deal with sequencers and you don’t have a quantizer module. Also, by pressing the Sync button you can set you Sync options (Soft or Hard) and use the sync input to feed a signal to the oscillator. Bewarre that the sync input is shared for both oscillators so if you want just one of them to be synced you’ll have to turn this off for the other one.
LFOs
If 20 oscillators weren’t enough, Twin Waves MkII also has 7 different LFO shapes that you can use instead of using it as an oscillator. And as an LFO, this module is also quite advanced and powerful! Once you change in LFO mode for one of the oscillators, the parameter knobs have a different effect for each LFO shape. And you can still modulate that resulting in all sorts of crazy and interesting LFO shapes. Oscillator 1 has a few extras since you can control the amplitude of the LFO with the FM/AM knob and it also outputs another pulse LFO from the sub-octave output.
The ability to synchronize the LFO to a clock is a must-have for me and since there is a Sync/Clock input you can do that in Twin Waves MkII! But even if you don’t want to clock it, there is also an internal clock mode where you control the rate of the LFO with the Coarse knob and if you use an external clock the Coarse becomes a clock divider/multiplier for the incoming clock.
The Sync button in the LFO mode also plays its part as it allows you to enable it and retrigger the LFO cycle every time you receive a trigger/ gate signal in the Sync/Clock input. Very well-thought-out and useful feature!
Overall Experience
I’ve been loving this oscillator module since I got it. It’s so versatile and fun that it has become my main oscillator alongside another dual oscillator - the Castor & Pollux II by Winterbloom. Twin Waves MkII has so many great sounds and algorithms that let you experiment and try out different sounds for your melodies and sequences. My favorite algorithm is the Ring Modulator that’s round and mellow and the Unison Saw that’s very pad-friendly and nice.
At first, you’ll probably have to refer to the charts in the manual to check the parameter’s function on each algorithm or LFO or you’ll be like me and just tweak the hell out of it and listen to what it’s producing! The module is very well-designed and invites experimentation and the screen is very helpful and easy to grasp. There are a ton of features in it, some of them we didn’t even mention! For example, the LFO/AM button opens up a whole new menu for the FM/AM input like FM modes (Bipolar, Through-Zero, Symmetrical), Linear FM, VCA where it essentially gives you the option of using its internal VCA to control the Oscillator’s 1 amplitude, and even an Algorithm control where you can switch through algorithms.
While it’s pretty common to have a switch to turn an oscillator to an LFO, the LFOs in Twin Waves MkII are not your standard LFOs. They certainly have way more features than your typical LFO module. They have waveform shapes that can modulated, Sample and Hold algorithms, and Radom algorithms where you can modulate the randomness. As an LFO module alone, it is worth the investment and when you add the amazing oscillators it has, it becomes one of the best options for its price.
Conclusion
I truly think that Twin Waves MkII deserves more attention. And that applies to Klavis as a company in general. They recently released the first Granular filter ever created called Grainity and we of course added it to our Best of Year Awards for 2023! They keep pushing the limits of what’s possible while having very affordable prices and that’s something you’ll have to take into consideration.
The Twin Waves MkII is so full of features and all the little things and details have been taken care of. As an oscillator, it’s so versatile and different and as an LFO, it has everything you’d ever need on an LFO module. And since it’s a dual oscillator module, you can use both worlds at the same time!
I have lots of oscillators and Twin Wave MkII has stayed in my modular case since the day I first used it and I’m sure the same will happen to you if you get one. At 269€, it’s also a great deal and an incredible value-for-money module that has way more features than you’d expect.
I hope I’ve helped you demystify this module and see its potential, and if you have any questions, feel free to write them in the comments. A big thank you to Klavis for sending this over and make sure to check it out yourself and find out if it’s your next oscillator module!
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