Waldorf Microwave "Wavetable Synthesizer"

vintage synth demo by RetroSound

Waldorf Microwave Mk1 Revision A with curtis filter CEM3389 (Revision B CEM3387) from the year 1989, the direct successor of the PPG Wave

demo: analog and digital pads, wavetable sounds, bells, sweeps, fx sounds...
up to 8.12 bass and sequencer sounds, sequenced by the MFB Step64

no external fx used!

The sound of the Microwave Mk1 (real hybrid synth) and Microwave Mk2 (DSP based synth) is absolute different.

more info: http://www.retrosound.de and
http://www.myspace.com/retrosound72

For better video and sound quality in stereo use the URL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0bbsuO-MxY&fmt=18

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• waldorf
• microwave
• II
• PPG
• WAVE
• wavetable
• analog
• digital
• synth
• synthesizer
• synthesizers
• sequential
• circuits
• Prophet
• VS
• music
• vintage
• retrosound
• korg
• wavestation
• elektronisch

[davidvector]

I recently picked one of these up. While Waldorf's more recent offerings such as Blofeld & Largo have more elaborate architectures, they sound more surgically precise (and IMO, a tad "clinical") with their digital filters and higher resolution wavetables. The MWI sound is more to my taste on the whole - just the right combination of grit and fuzzy warmth. Like the PPG Wave, it's a classic. :-)

[retrosound72]

yes

the mw sound is more raw and the real analogue filter is great. I no like the clean va sound of the newer waldorf synths.

[0MarciaAlexandria0]

So Cool!

Its like This aniboom animation I saw, with the peas that get stabbed to death!

[retrosound72]

thx a lot

[303shaunl]

Pfff, lovin it mate, quality demo.

[retrosound72]

thx :)

[0MarciaAlexandria0]

Hella eighties! I love it

[TheFesta01]

mate........this is phatt!!

[Vincefromsin]

@1'06": Perfect PPG formant voice sound!

Love this machine

[AlienatedStud]

It's the best synth ever. I'm convinced. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what can be done with this thing. It's a great demonstration of showing a small piece of this vast world living inside this small box. You can create frequency geometry with this thing.

[rodolphesimon]

9:44 sounded cool, like a little sine sequence.

[fleskebille]

@0e0 OK, thanks :) The main complaint i have with the oscillators is what sounds like a cutoff (LP) kicking in below a certain frequency (i'd much rather just have the raw low res / unfiltered sound going into the 2044). So i'm not thinking about the actual waveforms, although replacing those could be interesting (you can edit one, but it's a fourier series with only 32 frequencies).

[0e0]

@fleskebille well a lot of the waveform data is usually stored as raw-pcm data on an eprom..so if you were to read that data and get it on the computer and open it as raw data in a wave editor..replacing the waves of the "samples" at the exact points with whatever waves you want..and then burning that on an eprom..voila...custom waveforms for your 80's kit.

[0e0]

@fleskebille well a lot of the waveform data is usually stored as raw-pcm data on an eprom..so if you were to read that data and get it on the computer and open it as raw data in a wave editor..replacing the waves of the "samples" at the exact points with whatever waves you want..and then burning that on an eprom..voila...custom waveforms for your 80's kit.

[fleskebille]

@0e0 Have anymore info?

[0e0]

@fleskebille you can replace the oscillators in the k3

[monomachine]

great demo. needs to be noted theses machines did not have arp. function

[4everColReb]

One of my favorite synths! Being a "working musician" and getting fed-up with $600 repair bills on my 2.2, I got one of these. What a gem!!! Has never given me a minutes worth of trouble. Always spot on! And, the sound?! Cuts through in a mix just like the 2.2. I want another (maybe two.)