Waldorf MicroWave as a plugin?

[Caine123]

can you import presets from the hardware?
and if yes are there banks/presets to download?

yes, i posted them already in this thread

can you import presets from the hardware?
and if yes are there banks/presets to download?

I already converted all the banks I have (including my won) to the software, using MIDI file import.

thanks a lot guys!

[SouledOut]

Waldorf Nave VSTi for PC graphics are still unstable, not refreshing right, producing glitches and hangups (even on my Radeon 6900XT) and yet they release a new VSTi of basically same nature without ironing out even most obvious bugs on their long existing synth.
Great music company with terrible product support.

Hi
have you contacted support? Best would be if you can PM me the problem and/or the case number such I could follow up.
Thanks

It has been greatly fixed in Nave 1.18 version for Windows, that I was unaware of and that came out after a several years of this bug persistence. It didn't remove the bug completely (it still occurrs from time to time), but made the plugin usable.
That said, how about a GUI upgrade (to resizable ones) for all the previous VSTs, Like Waldorf Edition and esp. all the PPGS?

[IvyBirds]

It has been greatly fixed in Nave 1.18 version for Windows, that I was unaware of and that came out after a several years of this bug persistence. It didn't remove the bug completely (it still occurrs from time to time), but made the plugin usable.
That said, how about a GUI upgrade (to resizable ones) for all the previous VSTs, Like Waldorf Edition and esp. all the PPGS?

I realize this will be unpopular with some but I will say it anyway

Waldorf Edition 2 came out 10 years ago, as did Nave

How much longer should Waldorf continue to spend resources updating for free 10 year old products designed to run on ancient computers and ancient monitors with smaller resolutions than what is common today?

This is an emerging issue with a lot of developers as we reach the point when a lot of plugins reach the 10 year mark and beyond

I own all the old Waldorf plugins, I have for many years, I got my money out of them and moved on from all of them

When it comes to Waldorf Edition 2, I now have Microwave which blows away the PPG Wave software inside of it, in every possible way. The original Microwave hardware was designed to replace and emulate the original PPG Wave hardware and it did a really good job, the software does as well. Simply put it's stunning, so why care about the old PPG software at all? Guess what you got updated PPG Wave software it's called Microwave

As for "Attack" inside of Edition 2, is anyone even using that in 2024/2025? With all of the phenomenal VA emulations we have now why bother? Diva blows it away in every possible way, and if you are looking for emulation of actual analog hardware we have those now as well and they sound incredible

With all of the modern Wavetable instruments available now, why bother with Nave? In Waldorf branding we have Microwave and now Blofeld. Microwave is a 10/10 and Blofeld is a solid 7/10. It has a few bugs but I am sure they will get worked out and we be close to 10/10 or at least 8/10

Plus we have all of the other Wavetable instruments available to us from other vendors. In 2025 the Wavetable landscape is vastly different in plugin land then it was in 2015. For me Pigments, Falcon, HALion in addition to Microwave and Blofeld plugins have my Wavetable needs and wants so amazingly covered why even bother with Nave

I should also say ten years from now in 2035 I hope that the 2024 versions of the Microwave and Blofeld plugins are long since made obsolete by something else. If that's made by Waldorf awesome, if it not equally awesome

[Uncle E]

With all of the modern Wavetable instruments available now, why bother with Nave?

Plus, the eventual Quantum and/or Iridium plugins (fingers crossed!) will have it.

[IvyBirds]

With all of the modern Wavetable instruments available now, why bother with Nave?

Plus, the eventual Quantum and/or Iridium plugins (fingers crossed!) will have it.

My fantasy is the Trinity of Microwave, Blofeld and Quantum/Iridium

[beely]

How much longer should Waldorf continue to spend resources updating for free 10 year old products designed to run on ancient computers and ancient monitors with smaller resolutions than what is common today?

If they want to keep selling them at anything more than blow-out prices, then they should update them to modern standards imo, albeit it's less of a priority compared to making new products. The plugins may be old, but other than being designed for typical screen sizes back in the day, and a, erm, "quirky" UI, there is nothing much wrong with them and they are still plenty useful today, as long as they continue to run on modern OS's etc.

I'd happily pay an upgrade fee to have the PPG Wave 3.v updated with a more modern UI, personally.

When it comes to Waldorf Edition 2, I now have Microwave which blows away the PPG Wave software inside of it, in every possible way. The original Microwave hardware was designed to replace and emulate the original PPG Wave hardware and it did a really good job, the software does as well. Simply put it's stunning, so why care about the old PPG software at all? Guess what you got updated PPG Wave software it's called Microwave

Well, the Microwave is a different product than the PPG Wave. It doesn't load all the old PPG patches or presets, but it of course shares many technologies, wavetables and so on and so they are related, and there's overlap in how they sound. But I still like to have access to the original PPG Wave data, not to mention the Waveterm sample library which was also a big part of the PPG system, and which the Microwave can't do at all as it doesn't load samples or the multisample setups of the PPG system. I *love* those old sample libraries, and while you *can* load the individual samples into any old sampler, you can't load the multi-part setups, or combine them with the synth bits inside the synth that way.

So while the Microwave is a great product and does a close enough thing for your needs (great!), it doesn't replace the PPG Wave plugin. I get that for your needs, if you don't care about those features of the PPG plugin, then the Microwave is a perfectly acceptable substitute for your needs - but not everybody has the same use cases.

[mothra]

The folks that made some of those plugins are no longer at the company as well. I don't think Stefan Stenzel who created the Blofeld is either. Some of it just can't be updated the way everyone wants without the dev, so it's time for them to die and become good memories.

I wouldn't even worry about the PPG anymore, that will never happen. Waldorf would need to get permission from its new owners who've apparently decided to let it just rot.

[IvyBirds]

But I still like to have access to the original PPG Wave data, not to mention the Waveterm sample library which was also a big part of the PPG system, and which the Microwave can't do at all as it doesn't load samples or the multisample setups of the PPG system. I *love* those old sample libraries, and while you *can* load the individual samples into any old sampler, you can't load the multi-part setups, or combine them with the synth bits inside the synth that way.

I had forgotten about the Waveterm sampler. I have the entire library as WAV files and can use it inside of the Arturia CMI. It has really nice models of the same SSM 2044 VCF that is in PPG Wave and the Fairlight, for me that's a better option

I always used the PPG Wave plugin as a Wavetable synth, I can see if you want to emulate the sampling aspect with Waveterm while you might want it

[JamminFool]

How much longer should Waldorf continue to spend resources updating for free 10 year old products designed to run on ancient computers and ancient monitors with smaller resolutions than what is common today?

If they want to keep selling them at anything more than blow-out prices, then they should update them to modern standards imo, albeit it's less of a priority compared to making new products.

exactly.

[IvyBirds]

How much longer should Waldorf continue to spend resources updating for free 10 year old products designed to run on ancient computers and ancient monitors with smaller resolutions than what is common today?

If they want to keep selling them at anything more than blow-out prices, then they should update them to modern standards imo, albeit it's less of a priority compared to making new products.

exactly.

They have already been selling it at blowout prices for a long time however

What I foresee and can't believe we haven't seen already is for Arturia to make a PPG Wave clone and even give it Waveterm/sampling abilities

They already model the filter rather well with the CMI emulation. It seems like there is a resurgence in Wavetable Synthesis, and PPG inspired hardware like we have seen with the 3rd Wave and the new Behringer Clone only makes this even more of a no brainer

Based on the Prophet VS, Synclavier, SQ80 and CMI, Arturia would probably do a really good job with it. I don't see anyone else really investing in making a modern PPG Wave Plugin

[temporubato]

I hear you all about the PPG. That's certainly an interesting topic and who knows what we are doing.
But for 2024 we had two priorities in the software filed: Microwave 1 and Blofeld. They are certainly a nod to our own 35 year history and to the many long term but also new users we have and who love, use or heard about those instruments.

Although it is always wrong to put things into boxes, Waldorf had mainly 3 phases of defining wavetable instruments:
The Microwave, the Blofeld and the Quantum/Iridium. As talked about in the deep dive video we felt, that the Microwave 1 and its idiosyncratic sound was really missing and since it is so special we really wanted to do it. It's Waldorfs defining instrument. With the Blofeld plug-in we wanted to safeguard its legacy for the future. The hardware is still produced and sold and will be for the foreseeable future, but having a plug-in aside we believe is a great asset for everybody loving the sound and legacy of the Blofeld.

But we also all love the PPG Wave which was before Waldorf history and certainly the end of PPG was one of the motivators for the founders of Waldorf 35 years ago to build new Wavetable hardware synths. It would be an interesting exercise to re-visit the PPG modeling with the additional knowledge and methods we gained when investigating the Microwave 1.

Waldorf is a relatively small company, we have 10 times more ideas than we are able to do. Ideas about new products but also ideas about enhancing existing products like Quantum, Iridium, M, and so on. And we take decisions seriously and with big hearts.

2024 was not an easy year for the musical instrument industries, but we made it. And we have some quite interesting things in our bag for 2025. If you're happen to be at NAMM in January, come by and say hello!

Happy holidays!

PS: If somebody has PPG Wave in good condition to lend us for a while, please PM.

[trusampler]

I like many others are grateful Waldorf are taking this approach to offer some of their best ideas and instruments in the software format now. Both the Blofeld and Microwave1 are incredible examples of their work coming to life in the Vst format.
I remember writing to Waldorf about this awhile back , and was truly impressed to see what they’d done. The Microwave1 has set a new standard in sound. The Blofeld Vst is growing on me. I also own the HW, so the transition is happening slowly.
I owned an M and Iridium, but had to sell them last year to make space( hardwares becoming more and more harder to justify for me, with rapid ever changing software development) .
The idea these may eventually come back as a Vst is my dream.
Waldorf is one of the best companies to ride the waves of uncertainty in this business, but time and time again their ideas prove to be well thought out moves.
I wish them all the success, and I will support these innovative steps they take and it’s great to know their supporting our hopes and dreams for future products as well.

As mentioned earlier in this thread, their new mw1 can pull off the PPG sounds very well. If you haven’t given it a go yet, do yourself a favor and check it out. You won’t regret it. It’s all gold !

[Digivolt]

Until 22 July, the legendary Microwave 1 Plug-in is available at a special reduced price! It now comes with a new patch randomizer feature called Mutator, and () with a new optional green skin,

Curious how people are finding the new Mutator function, I've been enjoying the randomise function on the Gforce Halogen synth so I know I like randomisers but they need to make musical patches and not just random noise (some noise is okay) which Halogen nails quite well

[Ah_Dziz]

I'd love to see a new attack plugin. One with a nicer GUI and such. It tends to crash pretty randomly , but regularly. I do love it though. Is this even the same company?
I've only used this newer MW plugin at a friend's studio. It's fine but not my cup of tea ( like most of the microwaves have been ).

[mothra]

I'd love to see a new attack plugin. One with a nicer GUI and such. It tends to crash pretty randomly , but regularly. I do love it though. Is this even the same company?
I've only used this newer MW plugin at a friend's studio. It's fine but not my cup of tea ( like most of the microwaves have been ).

Attack is ancient x86 code and I believe Waldorf has said in the past it's done, any updates to it would basically require an entire rewrite. Wolfram has been gone from Waldorf for quite some time now and Attack was his baby. I actually saw a Rack Attack on Craiglist recently for really cheap but had to do my best to NOT buy it (no more room in the rack for anything)..