Thank you for this. I’ve been searching for something like it for quite a while!

you can download the piston honda wavetables here:

http://www.industrialmusicelectronics.com/products/21 (firmware tab, top link)

https://ime-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/.../phfactory.zip

those look fun - if someone spends the time converting then please share

Just wanted to share a quick guide and a few thoughts on working with wavetables for the Waldorf M.

I downloaded the PISTON HONDA MARK III – FACTORY WAVESET (from the second link). Inside the ZIP file, I found a README that included links to some wavetable editors—one of which happens to be my favorite.

Free Wavetable Editors:
WaveEdit – by Synthesis Technology

Single Cycle Waveform Editor – by Darwin Grosse

While researching, I discovered that Darwin Grosse has sadly passed on. A huge loss for the music and synth community. His editor no longer works, but you can still visit his site here: http://20objects.com

Now, onto the main reason for this post...
Let me show you how easy it is to prepare wavetables for the Waldorf M using the WaveEdit software:

Side note, I believe you can simply rename the Piston Honda wavetables (as outlined in the steps below) and load them directly into the Waldorf M.

No editing required.
Just make sure to follow the correct naming convention...

Step-by-Step Guide:
Download & Install WaveEdit from the link above.

Open the program.

Click the Import tab (located between the Waterfall View and WaveEdit Online tabs).

Click Browse (just below the waveform editor).

Select and import the .wav file you want to prepare/edit.

Hit the Play button to preview your waveform.

Before importing, you can tweak:

Gain, Offset, and Zoom

Left and Right Trim

Use the left morph slider to manually scan your wavetable

Or enable auto-scan with the right morph slider (adjust speed as needed)

Once you’re happy with it, click Import to bring the wave into WaveEdit.

I won’t dive into all the other editing features—exploring those would make this post too long. But they’re fun to play with!

To save for the Waldorf M:

Go to File > Save Bank As…

Name your files as:
wtslot00.wav, wtslot01.wav, wtslot02.wav, etc.

Make sure you include the .wav extension!

And there you have it.



This also applies to all the wavetables downloadable through the links that I had posted.

Thanks! I will try it out, maybe will first just try the Piston wavetables without editing. Is there some specific sample rate or other rules which you need to consider when creating/exporting a wavetable for the M?

You can use 16bit or 8bit wavetables. The trick is to get them down to 256 x 64.

For me skipping tables on the M, or using wavedit to crossfade (taking all the character away) doesn't provide enough quality as it totally changes the wavetable.

To make them sound fantastic takes a bit of time :

I also found a python tool but I never tried:
https://github.com/drzhnn/okwt

I will probably try later if this works. thanks

One of them is the polivoks filter photo, tested with the M initially.

Are you refering to this video, from your kickstarter thread?:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJsJ8rP-P60

I believe the files you get through the Synthesis Technology WaveEdit program already meet the criteria for the Waldorf M: 64 waveforms, 256 samples each, and 16-bit mono .wav format.


What do you mean with this: using wavedit to crossfade (taking all the character away) ?

So, in theory, there shouldn’t be any skipping or weird behavior when loading them into the M.

Or am I missing something?
This has always confused me, and honestly, still does, so I'd really appreciate if someone could elaborate or confirm!

yes, many of the old wavetables are already 256 x 64 & will sound fine if just by transferring over.

But I reckon the Piston Honda's are going to be modern standard 2048. You can get these into the M with waveedit only but the results aren't pretty in my experience.

a lot of times clicks will result & that makes people cross fade the wavetables & to get rid of the click. but then the character is gone & the wavetable is no longer how it was originally designed. these wavetables have to be resampled like the Serum procedure I posted.

Oh, now I understand... You mean the zero crossing thingy...

Slicing a sample into smaller segments right when the signal crosses zero, to avoid clicks and pops.

Zero crossing is the point where the waveform is neither above nor below the center line, it’s not positive or negative, just right on the zero axis.

WaveEdit doesn’t have that feature built-in, but you could manually draw the end and beginning of each wave to zero to help smoothen things out.
Edit*
Wait! In WaveEdit, under the Waveform Edit tab, there's a button called Cycle, it looks like it might be a "snap to zero crossing" feature.
It's down at the bottom, right next to the Normalize button.

Has anyone tried this? Could be exactly what we're looking for to avoid clicks!

My experience has not been positive using waveedit to create custom tables with smooth wave-to-wave transitions when scanning, even using modern mode with smoothing on. That is, when there are unwanted clicks.
Yes, using cycle does snap each wave at both ends, but it did not remove unwanted clicks for me. There is more to it. I have found a very useful article several months ago … let me see if I can unearth it …

https://www.musicradar.com/news/ulti...able-synthesis

I also can't get anything from Waveedit to be even close to as smooth as the factory waves. I have a Piston Honda and it scans well on the module. Nothing I can do on the M to get that to be close.

agreed, i tried many different things until I found the Serum hack to resample - its the only way i've found that produces quality so i've been skeptical of the python.

my custom wavetables truly sound incredible, click free & amazing - just as good as the factory M tables.

it's just going to be a while before i'm bored enough to convert the piston honda wavetables. somebody else should give it a go & share - then everybody can hear for themselves.

Hey do you still need the waveEdit or is the serum part of your guide enough? I will try with serum demo.

oh you can't export wavetable with the demo version..

Can't you just render the wavetable scan rampup? and trim to whatever is the correct lenght.

Anyone has even just one user wavetable which works flawlessly?

On the other hand looping transitions work well, and probably more unique

Hey Vladis, maybe the list of updates is set in stone since long

But I just thought of a modulator that I find very useful on synths were it’s available,

A fixed value per voice, randomly distributed around zero.

This is super useful to emulate divergence between voices on an analogue device. And with the VA algorithms and analogue filter, it seems to me it would “make sense”

Random s&h is similar, but every now and then that gives let’s say a negative random value in all voices playing, which just sounds more out of tune. With voice divergence, it’s more reliable.

Most flexible implementations are like in the Hydrasynth I guess where you can set the values yourself

The Peak/summit has the divergence parameter, which introduces these biases in several parameters at once.

But even just having a fixed voice specific value, which is like normally distributed around zero, available as a modulator would be really useful

I have no idea how taxing it is for the synth though

EDIT: maybe the values are drawn on the installation of new OS, so each unit has its own, just like real vintage units :P

I was looking at the Waldorf M, but after trying out the Microwave 1 plugin on my iPad, I have changed my mind. The plugin sounds so good. I have been loading original microwave sysex patches on there and wow it's amazing.

If anyone still wants an M, the 16 voice version is on sale here for $1900: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...dorf_m_16.html

This all sounds like what Korg has done with multi/poly, the CMT ID thing. It is really well thought out.

@ arstaberg have you seen the VCF tuning section on the settings menu? you can already do what you are asking for with the VCF freqs. For proper analogue voice modeling, you would have to have such screen multiplied several times, two for osc freqs, four for VCA ENV times, four for VCF ENV times.....

I felt the same way with the sound of my he plugin but never having had the M. But now I want the M. Might swing one before the end of the year. It’s one of those things I just need to go through maybe, keep or sell later.

Ya, I watched a lot of videos about the M and really liked the workflow but mainly was after the sound. Microwave M plugin was enough to satisfy me for now for price difference. I also like how M keeps getting developed. The new oscillators sound great. I also really liked the Kyra but we all know what happened with that... happy to see M keep on going. ������

I never thought to mess with things like that ... probably a fear that I'll make a hash of it or get the machine stuck in some unusable mode

The settings menu is pretty extensive yet now I think about it I tend to stay out of that zone.

The VCF tuning is the same thing as auto-tuning, but done manually. You will need external tuner to see, how much from C is each VCF diverging as you tweak offsets.

I don't understand how to use / hear the VCA "tuning" screen though, can anyone help? I believe I bet tried to search the thread and didn't find the answer.

Is there any chance to use several transitions (samples) in a single multi mode patch for the next update? Or is it prevented by hardware limitations?

Thanks!

woah, thanks for bringing up Random Init screen in settings. I hadn't realized the center point can be changed for Randomization - LFO, ENC, OSC, WAV, MIX, VCF, VCA - each have their own settings. This seems like something I want saved per patch but its nice to have.

Center point? Isn't it a random spread from the init patch?

While it's s cool feature to have, I believe I would use it much more if it was also possible to apply the randomization on the current patch (with different key combo) rather than only on the init patch.

oh its the random patch generator thing that I never use - ok, i was confused. sorry.