Very good video and its booth, informativ and educative. As a young boy i used to go Wolfgangs store dayly. I bought my first set if synths from him. A Korg MS 20, an MS 10 and the SQ50 sequencer and a bunch of kables. I had no idea how to get this togather. Wolfgang helped me whenever i visit his store. Later on, when PPG close his gates, i bought 2 PPG wave 2.3 in mint condition from two if his coworkers. Now i hava Quantum and a Waldorf M. Everytime, when i switch them on, i remember the kindness a deep inowldge of Mr. Palm. I hope he is doing very well.
What a cool story. I’ve been lusting after a ppg wave since 1984 or so, but it never crossed my path at a reasonable price. Some years ago I bought a microwave 1 from a friend, who actually owns a wave 2.2 as well. I also bought an iridium 3 years ago.
@@Johnsormani Thanks. As i said I had two PPGs 2.3 and now I own a Waldorf M. Sound a feature wise would not trade the M for a PPG today. The sound quality is nearly identical, if not better. Also the M has more features. It is a more than fair replacement für the original PPG 2.3. If the M is to expensive there is now a software version of the Microwave one from Waldorf and the sound is awsome
@@WokeFree-sg2dn Yes, I have the new Microwave plugin as well. Sounds great and is easy to program. Also have the 3.v plugin from waldorf and Hermann Seib's. I have now more than enough PPG alternatives at hand, so I don't think I will ever have to get a real PPG. I have too many hardware synths anyway( 65)
This is hands down the best video on explaining wavetable synthesis to the uneducated listener. Thank you so much for sharing. Now it's starting to make sense! 😊
I am the proud owner of Waldorf Q and Waldorf Micro Wave xt, they are as Jean-Michel Jarre once said about synthesizers their quality will be much sort after and equal in time to the beautiful "Stradivarius" string instruments. The engineering of this Waldorf company still fascinates me even beyond 20 years, the sounds constantly evolving and it is always pleasure to perform and listen to these living works of art. Thank you for the presentation Miguel, its quite a gem. Take Care. Keep the Synths Alive!! Jeff Ps I was always looking forward to one day seeing a Green Waldorf, as the Q = Yellow, Micro Wave xt = Orange.
the waldorf microwave xtk is one of the greatest instruments in my opinion - i love this beautiful treasure since over twenty years - thx for your videoupload - very good job . best greetz from austria!
The wave sweeping graphics were great, really demonstrated how to understand what the sound sculpting possibilities can be like. Thank you for this video!
How come you only have 1k subs?! Amazing video, and explanation. I am no expert on wavetable synthesis but I know the subject and that's why I am saying amazing video. Plus: all the historical background, it's invaluable. Bravo Miguel!
Thank you. I am very impressed by the XT and your telling of the Wavetable story. Thank you. I found this video after searching for comparison video with the Iridium and M synthesisers from Waldorf. I am nervous of buying second hand so I ould be interested to know if you have had a chance to explore either of these two devices.
Miguel, I love hearing your take on synth history and I find you inspiring when my own mind is blank. Many thanks for taking the time to make these videos.
I still have an original microwave 1 version A and since a few years also an iridium. The new microwave plugin is a great editor for the first microwave. Btw the early Ensoniq synths ( esq1, I still have it) didn’t use wave tables, only later models used the transwaves , as Ensoniq called them
The company that builds synth that crate „sounds nobody has ever heard before“ namely waldorf is the reason I am making music today. The microwave and later the Q blew me away as a teen. I own a Q+ and it’s the only synth I would never sell for anything. I’d love to pair it with a microwave xt but they are so expensive and hard to track down nowadays.
Lovely hearing you love the Xt . I personally never found my connection with XtK I had . The Q( I owned the same as your yellow rack unit but it was blue ) was more my thing .
wavetable synthesis has come so far since even the microwave blofeld was my introduction, which added many new features the waldorf M seems to be a revisit of the ppg wave, with a VERY pretty front panel my favorite in terms of hardware has been the korg modwave, which I really think youd enjoy in terms of software things have gone to unimaginable lengths, ofcourse serum really changed the game, but now vital and phaseplant have taken wavetables to another level some new software innovations are wavetable lfos, where the lfo shape is described by a table position, and now wavetable distortions, where a wavefolder shape is described by table position wolfgang palms legacy lives on in some of the most cutting edge synthesizers to this day with zebra 3 on the horizon, taking the frame by frame approach and bringing it into the future with full vectorized tables, to remove all stepping edit: I should note that when I say fully vectorized tables, I do not mean "vector synthesis" which I personally believe is a poor name by fully vectorized tables I do mean wavetables, but with infinite resolution between frames, as values are calculated not approximated think bitmap vs svg image files
I have an entire bank on my Blofeld dedicated to randomized sounds. You're are right that the vast majority are not useful, but every once in a while you get something that's either so beautiful or so frighteningly alien sounding that you have to save it. It looks like this feature is much better implemented on the XT, though, as it takes numerous button presses to do on the Blofeld.
Brilliant video Miguel. Might be picking up a shadow XT tomorrow, fingers crossed. I have an iridium that is just so incredible, I think the XT will be a great addition 😊
Good lord... you know that machine inside out. I have a gazillion questions for you. 😅 I'm lucky that still have machine but I get lost many times in it. I used a software that you can lock or unlock some parameters for the random sounds generator. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. You're too funny with you organs on the racks 😂
Ah the old Waldorfs back before the 08 crisis I had a big multi color rack with the Xt, Q, Pulse + , Rack Attack , and a cute but powerful little 37key Micro Q kB to control them . The Xt was the last and hardest to let go . Truly a special beast that industrial, dystopian, ethereal worlds portaled out of Great vid . Cheers !
The randomized gnarly stuff is mad tempting but also worrying cos I have a korg prophecy and a waldorf pulse which have tantalizing fairly unfathomable depths I would worry I was in the same position!
Great overview thanks! Don’t have any of the “classic” waldorfs...not sure I really make the sort of music for Waldorf wavetable ( the new M is interesting!) but certainly a company with a great history & unique approach.
A really great video Miguel :D Such a great synth! I was surprised to find the Blofeld was a lot closer to the XT than the Quantum.. BTW if you are bored one day check out my Fairtlight build clip #5 where I use the Fairlight CMI to create wavetables (which is what it was originally designed to do)
Lmao you are a funny dude. I also much prefer the lack of background music. That can get a bit irritating when I’m listening to vids like this in the background
LOL. I've been a Waldorf user for 10 years, and the second I heard the soundtrack on that awful doc, I was like "This is Max Waldorf". Thank you for verifying my suspicions.
How well does Largo vst stack up to these I wonder....can the Q be recreated in vsts.....I like some of the sounds you got here....sometimes I get tempted by the micro q keyboard
I find myself searching for this depth in my synths. I'm currently working with a Super JV-1080 and some outboard effects. Is there a new Waldorf model that you might recommend? Great video good sir. Thank you for sharing.
Had an XT.. sold it ,had Blofeld...sold it ...loved them... tryed Largo,Nave, but now for abstract stuff i prefer doing sound design in the computer with granular & spectral softwares.. so many possibilities for futuristic sounds..the best solution would be Kyma.But of course,not as fun as hardware :)
My understanding is PPG instruments change the clock frequency in order to read off the wavetable at the pitch being played. PPG DACs are not the same as the kind of DAC chips used now. Today's instruments have a fixed clock frequency like all digital audio, and create the required pitch mathmatically, through sample dumping, sample doubling and interpolation. I want to try a Waldorf M before I buy!
me too, can not sell mine, bought it the day it came out- so i have the same encoders like yours, they are great.did yours get a free repaint too back then?
Oh. Wasn't aware that was thing. Sadly when this beauty came out I ws in medical school and had no knowledge of Waldof - so bought mine a bit inflated in ££ 10 years ago.
@@migueldoliveiracomposer yes, i think it was only the first batch. the surface was very rubber like, totally different to the other waldorfs i have which have a more carlike surface paint or plastic like on the streichfett. i think i have a video i made at messe in 1998 when they showed the xt, should upload it one day ;-)
The xt is just such an awesome synth theres just something about those old converters I love, and I also really love the digital filters, and the ones on the Q as well. Even though I got the limited black version which looks pretty cool the Nextel version with the fat knobs is just awesome and how an XT should look in my book. They really didnt do it any favours ditching the nextel and the display bubble. But an XT is an XT. Even if its the ugly paint and the "better" converters.
What do you think of Waldorf M? Really hard to appreciate this synth without these context. Also the Waldorf M has the ability to "replay the transition" in osc 2. It sounds very weird and purcussive. Don't know what is good of it and why it has been wavetable fans "dream" according to the manual. Thanks for the vid!
How do you feel about the waldorf M compared to the XT... After 20 years, I'm finally going to buy XT or an M. But no matter how many videos I see, the XT just sounds more alive and just has more presence. Specially for industrial which is what I make.
I returned the XT to the shop due to very slow envelopes for techno in the late 90´s at clearance price ( I wanted fast as SH101) . But the power of the machine are slow sounds, damn. I regret it
@@maxine2798 I got an XT for 1000 euros 3 weeks ago, sadly the one who I sold my sh 101 modified with 7 in-outs more asked me 1700 for it, I sold it for 450, so no way! I yet got my MC 202 since 1994.
Great video I had the XT I do miss it as it looked fantastic ❤ but it does sound very thin and scratchy or at least My One did And that is the reason I would never buy another one
You say @11'00" that you can have a single wave per note (61) and that we should not try that... UhmUhm. There's wavetable made for that purpose. If you want to make the infamous PPG choir that's the way to do, as each wave is a formant.
So why are Waldorf sounds so generally noisy and distorted, whereas PPG sounds were conceptual and otherworldly? That's ever been a disappointment to me.
That's simply because the XT has a lot more synthesis resources than the PPG... On the XT you can do FM, hard sync, ring modulation, filter FM, waveshaping, distortion, etc. But you can perfectly make PPG sounds by ignoring all those functions.
Waldorf: the only synth company that to this day produces Synths that can create sounds that nobody has ever heard before.
Very good video and its booth, informativ and educative. As a young boy i used to go Wolfgangs store dayly. I bought my first set if synths from him.
A Korg MS 20, an MS 10 and the SQ50 sequencer and a bunch of kables. I had no idea how to get this togather. Wolfgang helped me whenever i visit his store. Later on, when PPG close his gates, i bought 2 PPG wave 2.3 in mint condition from two if his coworkers. Now i hava Quantum and a Waldorf M.
Everytime, when i switch them on, i remember the kindness a deep inowldge of Mr. Palm.
I hope he is doing very well.
What a cool story. I’ve been lusting after a ppg wave since 1984 or so, but it never crossed my path at a reasonable price. Some years ago I bought a microwave 1 from a friend, who actually owns a wave 2.2 as well. I also bought an iridium 3 years ago.
@@Johnsormani
Thanks. As i said I had two PPGs 2.3 and now I own a Waldorf M. Sound a feature wise would not trade the M for a PPG today. The sound quality is nearly identical, if not better. Also the M has more features. It is a more than fair replacement für the original PPG 2.3. If the M is to expensive there is now a software version of the Microwave one from Waldorf and the sound is awsome
@@WokeFree-sg2dn Yes, I have the new Microwave plugin as well. Sounds great and is easy to program. Also have the 3.v plugin from waldorf and Hermann Seib's. I have now more than enough PPG alternatives at hand, so I don't think I will ever have to get a real PPG. I have too many hardware synths anyway( 65)
This is hands down the best video on explaining wavetable synthesis to the uneducated listener. Thank you so much for sharing. Now it's starting to make sense! 😊
Great video, thank you. Modern wavetable synth sounds remind me of so many modern soundtracks/foley, perhaps starting with The Matrix.
I am the proud owner of Waldorf Q and Waldorf Micro Wave xt, they are as Jean-Michel Jarre once said about synthesizers their quality will be much sort after and equal in time to the beautiful "Stradivarius" string instruments. The engineering of this Waldorf company still fascinates me even beyond 20 years, the sounds constantly evolving and it is always pleasure to perform and listen to these living works of art. Thank you for the presentation Miguel, its quite a gem. Take Care. Keep the Synths Alive!! Jeff
Ps I was always looking forward to one day seeing a Green Waldorf, as the Q = Yellow, Micro Wave xt = Orange.
the waldorf microwave xtk is one of the greatest instruments in my opinion - i love this beautiful treasure since over twenty years - thx for your videoupload - very good job . best greetz from austria!
The wave sweeping graphics were great, really demonstrated how to understand what the sound sculpting possibilities can be like. Thank you for this video!
What an entertaining, insightful and overall entertaining video! Very well done!
How come you only have 1k subs?! Amazing video, and explanation. I am no expert on wavetable synthesis but I know the subject and that's why I am saying amazing video. Plus: all the historical background, it's invaluable. Bravo Miguel!
I do love Waldorf gear. Even on the old synths you still know you can dial in a sound with a really striking character.
"like a sweet ripe orange filled with hate" A+ sir
Thank you. I am very impressed by the XT and your telling of the Wavetable story. Thank you. I found this video after searching for comparison video with the Iridium and M synthesisers from Waldorf. I am nervous of buying second hand so I ould be interested to know if you have had a chance to explore either of these two devices.
Miguel, I love hearing your take on synth history and I find you inspiring when my own mind is blank. Many thanks for taking the time to make these videos.
Thank you. Really lovely to read that.
This is incredibly well put together.
I still have an original microwave 1 version A and since a few years also an iridium. The new microwave plugin is a great editor for the first microwave. Btw the early Ensoniq synths ( esq1, I still have it) didn’t use wave tables, only later models used the transwaves , as Ensoniq called them
I just ordered an M desktop. I can’t wait to play it
wavetable synthesis is really beautiful for ambient music. Thanks for this superb video - just subscribed 👍
The company that builds synth that crate „sounds nobody has ever heard before“ namely waldorf is the reason I am making music today. The microwave and later the Q blew me away as a teen. I own a Q+ and it’s the only synth I would never sell for anything. I’d love to pair it with a microwave xt but they are so expensive and hard to track down nowadays.
Very nice. It's worth it digging through all the small YT channels and drop all the PR sites. Here, get my Non-Gulf Monaco upvote!
really well explained and put together. Thanks!
Lovely hearing you love the Xt . I personally never found my connection with XtK I had . The Q( I owned the same as your yellow rack unit but it was blue ) was more my thing .
amzing video man
Amazing video! Just bought a Q and now i have a dangerous urge to buy an XT... Cheers!!
Just my dream synth so glad I bought it years ago, still enjoy it!!
wavetable synthesis has come so far since even the microwave
blofeld was my introduction, which added many new features
the waldorf M seems to be a revisit of the ppg wave, with a VERY pretty front panel
my favorite in terms of hardware has been the korg modwave, which I really think youd enjoy
in terms of software things have gone to unimaginable lengths, ofcourse serum really changed the game, but now vital and phaseplant have taken wavetables to another level
some new software innovations are wavetable lfos, where the lfo shape is described by a table position, and now wavetable distortions, where a wavefolder shape is described by table position
wolfgang palms legacy lives on in some of the most cutting edge synthesizers to this day
with zebra 3 on the horizon, taking the frame by frame approach and bringing it into the future with full vectorized tables, to remove all stepping
edit: I should note that when I say fully vectorized tables, I do not mean "vector synthesis" which I personally believe is a poor name
by fully vectorized tables I do mean wavetables, but with infinite resolution between frames, as values are calculated not approximated
think bitmap vs svg image files
Btw. His Store was in Hamburg Wandsbek. I will never forget the name of it: Keyboard Fachgeschäft.
I have an entire bank on my Blofeld dedicated to randomized sounds. You're are right that the vast majority are not useful, but every once in a while you get something that's either so beautiful or so frighteningly alien sounding that you have to save it. It looks like this feature is much better implemented on the XT, though, as it takes numerous button presses to do on the Blofeld.
Brilliant video Miguel. Might be picking up a shadow XT tomorrow, fingers crossed. I have an iridium that is just so incredible, I think the XT will be a great addition 😊
Very interesting, thank you! Can Waldorm M replace that Microwave nowadays?
One of the best video of the XT
I'm fascinated by Waldorf synths. I wish I had them all! Just discovered the Rack Attack. didn't even know it existed.
I love my xTk...totally unique. It is a nice juxtaposition to the Andromeda A6
Only synth I regret selling is my XT! Great vid. Thanks.
It can make lovely sweet sounds as well as sharp nasty ones. Very versatile
Nice video. Good sounds.
I have an Iridium Keyboard and Waldorf M but don't know what I am doing.
The history of PPG and Waldorf was very interesting.
Amazing vid bro. I learned a lot. I never really understood wavetable until now. So now I have to get one!
Brilliant video. Thank you
Good lord... you know that machine inside out. I have a gazillion questions for you. 😅
I'm lucky that still have machine but I get lost many times in it.
I used a software that you can lock or unlock some parameters for the random sounds generator.
Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. You're too funny with you organs on the racks 😂
Ah the old Waldorfs back before the 08 crisis I had a big multi color rack with the Xt, Q, Pulse + , Rack Attack , and a cute but powerful little 37key Micro Q kB to control them . The Xt was the last and hardest to let go . Truly a special beast that industrial, dystopian, ethereal worlds portaled out of Great vid . Cheers !
Brilliant! 👍
Subscribed.
really entertaining, informative too..subscribing
Love my XT, brought it new in the late 90's or very early 2000's. Bit of a vague memory now.
Just got to keep that Nextel from melting....
The randomized gnarly stuff is mad tempting but also worrying cos I have a korg prophecy and a waldorf pulse which have tantalizing fairly unfathomable depths I would worry I was in the same position!
WHOA 15:03 is a mind blowing sound
Great overview thanks! Don’t have any of the “classic” waldorfs...not sure I really make the sort of music for Waldorf wavetable ( the new M is interesting!) but certainly a company with a great history & unique approach.
A really great video Miguel :D Such a great synth! I was surprised to find the Blofeld was a lot closer to the XT than the Quantum.. BTW if you are bored one day check out my Fairtlight build clip #5 where I use the Fairlight CMI to create wavetables (which is what it was originally designed to do)
Thank you. I love your videos.
"The second sound you hear will be their heads exploding" pfffhaha great. Very nice I learned a few things.
great video!
Lmao you are a funny dude. I also much prefer the lack of background music. That can get a bit irritating when I’m listening to vids like this in the background
Great video. What are you running the XT into when recording? I can see some 500 series modules. Do you use those?
Thank you. Just stereo out of xT going into NEVE pre amps, and they pass through compressors below threshold = no compression.
LOL. I've been a Waldorf user for 10 years, and the second I heard the soundtrack on that awful doc, I was like "This is Max Waldorf". Thank you for verifying my suspicions.
Great video.
How well does Largo vst stack up to these I wonder....can the Q be recreated in vsts.....I like some of the sounds you got here....sometimes I get tempted by the micro q keyboard
I find myself searching for this depth in my synths. I'm currently working with a Super JV-1080 and some outboard effects. Is there a new Waldorf model that you might recommend? Great video good sir. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Mike.
I'm afraid I have never tried a Waldorf from this century.
Had an XT.. sold it ,had Blofeld...sold it ...loved them... tryed Largo,Nave, but now for abstract stuff i prefer doing sound design in the computer with granular & spectral softwares.. so many possibilities for futuristic sounds..the best solution would be Kyma.But of course,not as fun as hardware :)
My understanding is PPG instruments change the clock frequency in order to read off the wavetable at the pitch being played. PPG DACs are not the same as the kind of DAC chips used now. Today's instruments have a fixed clock frequency like all digital audio, and create the required pitch mathmatically, through sample dumping, sample doubling and interpolation. I want to try a Waldorf M before I buy!
You get such smooth sounds out of the Xt... are you running it through preamps or the like?
I’ve got a Q rack and I know it’s smooth but even then.
Thank you.
It goes straight into a pair of Neves (in a lunchbox) + I use the Microwave's onboard Chorus a fair bit.
me too, can not sell mine, bought it the day it came out- so i have the same encoders like yours, they are great.did yours get a free repaint too back then?
Oh. Wasn't aware that was thing.
Sadly when this beauty came out I ws in medical school and had no knowledge of Waldof - so bought mine a bit inflated in ££ 10 years ago.
@@migueldoliveiracomposer yes, i think it was only the first batch. the surface was very rubber like, totally different to the other waldorfs i have which have a more carlike surface paint or plastic like on the streichfett. i think i have a video i made at messe in 1998 when they showed the xt, should upload it one day ;-)
awesome video - subdcribed! I got all the uncool waldorfs - pulse 2 and uQ rack. Love them both.
great info..thank you.
The xt is just such an awesome synth theres just something about those old converters I love, and I also really love the digital filters, and the ones on the Q as well. Even though I got the limited black version which looks pretty cool the Nextel version with the fat knobs is just awesome and how an XT should look in my book. They really didnt do it any favours ditching the nextel and the display bubble. But an XT is an XT. Even if its the ugly paint and the "better" converters.
cirrus logic DAC
Why not the new M from Waldorf?
I want to give you an award for your dad jokes 🤠
What do you think of Waldorf M? Really hard to appreciate this synth without these context. Also the Waldorf M has the ability to "replay the transition" in osc 2. It sounds very weird and purcussive. Don't know what is good of it and why it has been wavetable fans "dream" according to the manual. Thanks for the vid!
Waldorf M. 8 voices, one monster sound. Don't need much more.
Great!
nice! Thanks
How do you feel about the waldorf M compared to the XT...
After 20 years, I'm finally going to buy XT or an M. But no matter how many videos I see, the XT just sounds more alive and just has more presence. Specially for industrial which is what I make.
Never tried the M.
Can’t imagine any Waldorf is better than the XT (well, the Wave. But I enjoy having 2 kidneys)
are you using the kemper for guitar or keys?
Guitar and hurdy gurdy
I returned the XT to the shop due to very slow envelopes for techno in the late 90´s at clearance price ( I wanted fast as SH101) . But the power of the machine are slow sounds, damn. I regret it
Luckily I got an SH101 and MWII when they came out. Both are still in my studio. I don’t have many synths but these are definitely 2 of my favourites.
@@maxine2798 I got an XT for 1000 euros 3 weeks ago, sadly the one who I sold my sh 101 modified with 7 in-outs more asked me 1700 for it, I sold it for 450, so no way! I yet got my MC 202 since 1994.
I'll have your juno 6 'organ' if you dont want it! 😜
nice
Great video
I had the XT
I do miss it as it looked fantastic ❤
but it does sound very thin and scratchy or at least My One did
And that is the reason I would never buy another one
WOW!
Waldorf was to synths ,what omnisphere is to softsynths ....
You say @11'00" that you can have a single wave per note (61) and that we should not try that... UhmUhm. There's wavetable made for that purpose. If you want to make the infamous PPG choir that's the way to do, as each wave is a formant.
Nice voice yours
What about the Q compared to the XT my friend is it good?
I received a Q today, so will know soon, sadly is not yellow.
So why are Waldorf sounds so generally noisy and distorted, whereas PPG sounds were conceptual and otherworldly?
That's ever been a disappointment to me.
That's simply because the XT has a lot more synthesis resources than the PPG... On the XT you can do FM, hard sync, ring modulation, filter FM, waveshaping, distortion, etc. But you can perfectly make PPG sounds by ignoring all those functions.
😎
you are calling classic synths a glorified doorbells? im in
You never mentioned the brilliant 😂 cheetah ms800 a 🥴to program.
Haha. That’s some seriously obscure gear 😎
Nothing worse than organ sounds on a synth, yuck!
I have those two. They go beyond.