Waldorf has just released their take on their own hardware synth the Microwave. Released in 1989 this was basically a slimmed down PPG Wave with all the wavetables from the Wave2.3, but in a 2-U rack. The only problem was it was probably too slimmed down. However it had a great sound and was a great little synth for the money. Don’t confuse it with the wholly dsp based Microwave II released later as that has way less character! That synth can be emulated however there isn’t really a decent version yet! If you know where there are Microwave XT emulations though!
As you can see everything is clearly set out, there are a wide range of presets, and it sounds good. CPU useage is low, so great in a live setup. Perfectly digital yet with analogue filters, you can make it sound fat, wide and great easily. Nice to see a digital synth emulated rather than yet another analogue “classic” we already have 27 versions of in my opinion.
Now we have to quickly say the cons – well €149.00 is a crazy price, although it is discounted right now to €119.00. Evn €119 is too much in my opinion, Arturias Pigments for example is often available around that price and can do so much more! Of course that price and the small matter that it is just a wavetable synth with no added fx is a bit of a bitter blow when other VST synths offer decent fx. It does cut through a mix, but reverb and delay are so simple to add it seems a real missed chance here. For me, a more realistic price would be in the €69 sort of price range.
SUMMARY
Greta plugin, too expensive right now, better alternatives available. But it does nail that Waldorf/PPG sound perfectly and the filters are awesome. Listen to the sound demo above and other reviews before taking the plunge!
Waldorf Microwave VST
A faithful VST version of this great little synth. Basically an enhanced Wave2.3 it is much easier to edit than the hardware and sounds great. Price is way too steep though, even at discounted price. 149 Euros is too much, I can’t recommend it at that price especially when there are cheaper options widely available.
Pros
Easy to use
Nails the Waldorf/PPG sound
Never crashed – just works! Great presets included too
Cons
Price – way too high even at discounted €119
It is just a Microwave – no FX, nothing added really
Sounds great just better alternatives are out there for the price
[…] My review is HERE […]