Waldorf Microwave 1 - Version 2 (Digital product)

A Legend Returns

After 35 years, we proudly reintroduce our first instrument, the Microwave. Its vibrant and distinctive sound transported the early wavetable sounds of the 80s into the burgeoning electronic dance music scene of the following decade. Massive bass lines, enigmatic wavetable modulations, and smooth pads have inspired generations of musicians. The Microwave defined hybrid synthesis at its finest, uniquely blending wavetable synthesis with analogue filters.

Now, this iconic instrument is back in your digital workstation as the Microwave 1 Plug-in. Painstakingly recreated from the original hardware, this multi-year project was a labor of love. Waldorf meticulously analyzed and modeled every sonic detail of the original instrument, ensuring that its unique sound—rooted in proprietary digital and analogue designs—was preserved.

The first generation of the Microwave, along with the Waldorf Wave, utilized a custom-developed integrated circuit known as the Waldorf ASIC. This, combined with legendary Curtis filter chips and a unique 68k CPU-based controller software, created a wavetable sound that remains unparalleled. Wolfgang Palm, the inventor of Wavetable Synthesis, played a crucial role in designing this unique chip, and Waldorf dedicated significant effort to analyze and recreate it within the plug-in.

Key Features

Digital Section (ASIC)

• Operates at a 250 kHz sampling rate, matching the original ASIC
• Modeling of digital-to-analog converters for each voice
• Two oscillators per multi instrument, based on the same wavetable
• Unique digital noise generator utilizing ASIC technology
• Digital mixer of oscillators and noise, including overflow bug
• Authentic recreation of non-interpolated pitch generation

Wavetables

• All original wavetables from Microwave 1, bit-identical to the original
• Includes algorithmic and speech wavetables
• Faithful recreation of 8-bit quantization and aliasing
• User-friendly wavetable editor based on internal control tables
• Access to the full waveform catalogue of the original instrument
• User waveform editor available

Filter

• Accurate modeling of revision A and B analogue filters
• Individual calibration of cutoff and resonance for each voice
• Modulations for cutoff and resonance
• Animated frequency response graphic reflecting live modulations

Amplifier

• Modeling of voltage-controlled analogue amplifiers and panning section
• Faithful recreation of control voltage DACs, including stepping effects

Modulators

• Recreation of unique envelope and LFO timings based on original 68k code
• Modeling of micro variations in timings due to original hardware limitations
• Filter envelope with ADSR and additional delay parameter
• Volume envelope with ADSR
• All filter and volume envelope timings and levels are modifiable
• Unique 8-stage wave envelope with variable key-off point and looping
• Modulatable wave envelope levels and timings
• Attack-Decay envelope for LFO1 with additional delay
• Two LFOs with various waveforms, symmetry, and humanize parameters
• LFOs can be phase-shifted relative to each other
• LFO1 features global options, rate, and level modulation

Non-Standard Tunings

• Four user tunings that can be individually edited
• Stored within user presets

Multi-Mode

• Supports up to 8 instruments, allowing layering and splitting
• Split by key zone and velocity range
• Multi-instrument mixer with volume, panning, detuning, transpose, and more
• Individual tuning per instrument is possible
• Extensive catalogue of original multi sounds

Polyphony

• 8-voice polyphony, mirroring the original hardware
• Dynamic assignment of voices to multi instruments

Presets

• Includes all factory single and multi presets
• Five additional original sound sets
• Two new sound sets from contemporary sound designers
• Import original .mid and .syx files with preset dumps
• User presets store all additional data, including user wavetables

Hardware Control

• Plug-in can control the original hardware in single mode via MIDI
• Optional live mode for automatic control transfer

Extras

• Configurable spectrum analyzer
• Resizable graphical user interface

What's New in Version 2.0

• Additional voice cards, increasing original polyphony from 8 to 32
• New multi modes like Round Robin and Random Robin
• Polyphonic Arpeggiator for each instrument part
• Global Arpeggiator with round robin modes
• Creative delay effect with diffusion and pitch shifting
• Redesigned preset browser with favorites and direct loading
• Multi-level Undo/Redo for parameter editing
• Simultaneous editing of multiple instrument parts
• New presets from renowned mixer, engineer, and producer Chuck Zwicky

Additional Features

• Rebuilt digital noise with all its unique artifacts
• Creation of user waveforms alongside user wavetables
• Access to all original wavetables with control structures
• Modeling of old-school digital-to-analogue converters with non-linearities
• Randomization modes for fun and surprising wavetable editing
• Quick layering of sounds for complex sonic structures
• Graphical representations of wavetables, envelopes, and filter response curves
• Artificial detuning and recalibration of analogue components
• Enhanced GUI revealing aspects of the synthesis engine previously hidden
• Easy editing of existing wavetables and creation of new ones
• Sophisticated tuning and velocity tables implemented within the UI
• Ultra high sampling rate of 250 kHz, independent of DAW sampling rate
• Recreated digital waveforms compared bit-by-bit with the original for 100% accuracy