【DEMO】 Waldorf MicroWave XT synthesizer - Ambient Chillout / Arpeggiator Soundscape Music

[@snuppssynthchannel]

More of these please! These are by far the best demos of the XTK on youtube. I always come back to them.

[@synth4ever]

Thanks much. I need to get new plastic knobs for the XT as many have crumbled (common issue).

[@serhiymarchenko8361]

“Digitalness” at its best… 👍

[@synth4ever]

New ambient chillout soundscape on Waldorf MicroWAVE XT that starts out slow, then picks up the pace mid-way. This piece used an arpeggiator in "random" mode to create some interesting sonic textures and patterns over time. Hope you enjoy. 【DEMO】 Waldorf MicroWave XT synthesizer - Ambient Chillout / Arpeggiator Soundscape Music

[@roberti6433]

Very nice! Did you use the XT's on-board Arp? Simply lovely!

[@synth4ever]

Thanks! Yes, only XT's on-board arpeggiator set to random mode! Pretty incredible melodies that came out as a result!

[@stevechavis8569]

synth4ever to me this of the best!

[@MrLagunapete]

Love the filter quality of Waldorf. Best board out there when it comes to shimmering highs. Untouchable in that department! Great post! Microwave XT would be my pick for that 70’s - 80’s Pink Floyd type soundscapes.

[@synth4ever]

Yes, XT can definitely get into the upper registers, almost painfully so at times! That's one thing I definitely noticed about it -- it can be very PIERCING to the ear at times, depending on the frequencies.

[@weatherkop]

yep, I'm getting mine out to jam this weekend. great vid!

[@synth4ever]

Thanks! Hope you have some great jam sessions. :)

[@sumchi3690]

You are one lucky person.

[@edward2359]

I have had many many synthesizers in my life and the ones I truly miss are the XT AND THE Q.... I should have never sold them ever

[@synth4ever]

They are great synths, still avail on the 2nd hand market.

[@drewwhite6865]

This is just amazing. What a beautiful thing to listen to immersively. Thank you so much for posting! It's akin to wind-chimes or church bells in a digital domain, with the way it crosses over, peaks, builds and ebbs. Amazing.

[@synth4ever]

Thanks Drew, happy you enjoyed the music! Waldorf XT can create some very nuanced sounds and textures, it is a great digital wavetable synth.

[@stevechavis8569]

I can see all the colorful waves of this. I want it

[@dxmat]

Masterpiece synth.

[@mb2776]

Thanks to your videos, i became interested into the waldorf xt in the first place! Yesterday, i was fiIiiiinnnnnaly able to buy one of those beasts and what can i say, it is even better than i expected it! It was not that hard to programm some cool arp sequences with onboard delay but the other stuff and the endless possibilitys just blow my mind. Thanks for making the videos about the XT!!

[@synth4ever]

Hey there, thanks so much for the comment! Glad you found the videos inspiring enough to get interested in the XT! It is a very versatile digital wavetable synth... and can get extremely crazy too! Enjoy it. :)

[@dylanreznick8285]

beautiful

[@dylanreznick8285]

good demo

[@grahamhoward3462]

I find all of this stuff inspiring...The ambient that you make with different synth's. I've subscribed to your channel. Just something about ambient music that seems to ‘put me into place'...Or ‘Stills + Grounds' me...if that even makes any sense lol. I just really love the genre of ambient that's all, I always have. I like those Waldorf synth's, they seem to have a certain unique character about them in it's sound. I love it. Peace.

[@synth4ever]

Thanks for subscribing Graeme, appreciate it! Glad you enjoy the music and improvisation. I find ambient is great for creating new soundscapes that can take the listener on sonic journeys to the beyond... at least that's what I try to do when I create my music. Waldorf synths definitely have a unique sound character, XT is unabashedly digital and proud of it... it can really get into wierd territory, and the wavetables have different sonic properties compared to subtractive synths. Perhaps one day you will pick one up! Cheers

[@anorak103]

So well phrased - it absolutely does that. For me the section around 2:30 - 3:00 is particularly powerful in this regard, as it concludes a frenetic time of building up where thoughts are provoked.. and then soothes and calms as it slows.

[@clusterchord1]

never heard XT demo sound this organic.. and plucky sounds with ping pong delay are simply sublime.. think you really mastered realtime mangling of XT ;)

[@synth4ever]

+clusterchord1 Thanks! :) XT can get pretty crazy and piercing at times, I sometimes find it difficult to tame... pure digital bliss.

[@VYD239]

Great stuff

[@s.t.6627]

WOW, JUST WOW. I just ordered one from Reverb, and can't wait to play this beautiful machine. Can you share these sounds?

[@synth4ever]

Congrats. I don't have this patch anymore unfortunately. But you can get similar with the delays!

[@breslin44]

This is awesome. I need to get my xt out of storage

[@synth4ever]

Thanks very much! I agree... your XT deserves more than to be kept locked up in storage :) Bring her out, polish her up, and let'r rip!

[@MrBoxxed]

As new as the first owner, from a store, not second hand (I'm in Australia the secondhand market for synths can be limited). Happy for any suggestion, as long as it could suit as I described. Perhaps even suggest two if your into the question... Above 1000 and below 1000. I'm really digging what the XT is doing.

[@synth4ever]

Well I'm not up on every synth that's out there, for that type of info check www.vintagesynth.com, but if you want to create ambient soundscapes: - Get a polyphonic (not monophonic) synth. Monohponic is great for leads and layering sounds in a DAW, but polyphonic lets you play more than one note at a time (ie, full chords) in real-time. - Number of voices. The more voices the better, to prevent note stealing and abrupt cutoffs on long release times (ie, for pads). - Absolute minimum # of voices would be 10 voices in my opinion (ie, Yamaha AN1x, Waldorf XT) but others have more voices (ie Virus B=24, Virus C=32, Novation Supernova II=24-48 etc) so this may be a factor for you. - Do you want true analog or digital sound (ie virtual analog, PCM, wavetable)? This will also determine which type of synth. A lot of vintage analog do not have a large number of voices, usually 8 or less. Newer analogs (Alesis Andromeda=16, DSI Prophet 12=12) have more. In general analog sounds more warm and phat but can be more costly. - Are you using the synths for live playing, or layering sounds in a DAW? In this case # of voices can become a moot point since you can theoretically have unlimited tracks in a DAW per sound. - Interface: do you want lots of knobs for hands on control for live playing? If you don't need to tweak things live and are recording to a DAW after programming sounds, you will have more options to choose from if you are comfortable programming less knob-laden synths. I can only comment on the synths I've owned and played. Under $1K I'd consider Virus B, C, TI if you can find one cheap enough. Also Yamaha AN1x, Waldorf XT and Waldorf Q rack. Over 1K, the sky's the limit really. Alesis Andromeda is analog and pretty huge sounding but expensive but can be difficult to program for some people. Waldorf Q or Q+ may be of interest, or DSI prophet 08 (analog) or DSI Prophet 12 (digital/analog hybrid). Anyway there are many synths out there and many factors to consider. I'd do some research on VintageSynth, listen to samples and demos on KZbin and SoundCloud, and narrow down what sound you like and the specs/interface you're after. Also visit retail music stores and try some of what's out there. All of the above synths can create some amazing sounds, it's just a matter of budget and personal preference. I should also add that most of these are on the 2nd hand market since many of them are no longer manufactured. The DSI Prophet 12 is available for purchase new from retail stores.

[@youngmelon8298]

Thanks to your videos I just bought one of these! Here's to hoping I can make music as beautiful as yours.

[@synth4ever]

Congratulation on your purchase, its a great machine. Happy music making!

[@MrBoxxed]

Hey thanks for the chat, I really appreciate it. I might have to look 2nd hand as I don't think there are many poly analogues on at the moment. It seams I love the XT... So I'm guessing I'd be looking for something similar.

[@roberti6433]

The Microwave XT is great for ambient! Do not let the 10 voices make you think that's limiting as it is not. Often, just one or two voices on the XT carries more sonic complexity than most other synths. I have the XT and highly recommend Waldorf Nave iOS App as it's a proper synth and my only software synth...so good that yes, I bought an iPad 2 just so I could have Nave. Good luck on your search for an XT and you will love it and all the knobs a well as endless complexity...a very very cool synth to own. Will never sell it!

[@MrBoxxed]

I love this synth. Could you help suggest a current synth better suited to making ambient?

[@synth4ever]

Hi there. When you say "current synth", what do you mean? After a certain year of manufacture? What are your goals and what kind of specs are you looking for?

[@trevor4835]

ever feel limited by the 10 voice count? thinking of getting one

[@synth4ever]

Not really. XT seems to manage the 10 voices very well and I don't recall getting note stealing.

[@TakaiAkita]

This is awesome.

[@MrBoxxed]

Thanks for the reply, I'm really digging your vids. By current I just mean available to purchase currently from the market as new. I'm looking for long evolving textures, odd blips/bells. I'm guessing multiple modulation possibilities, ocs and lfos ect... Looking to make soundscapes and ambient, full rich sounds. I have a last in stock microQ available to me, but as its older I'm not sure it's the best option from the current market... I just thought I'd ask is all.

[@synth4ever]

When you say purchase as new, do you mean buying a synth that is currently for sale brand new in retail stores, or are you referring to 2nd hand market like Craiglist? Also, what is your budget? Not trying to avoid your question but there are various factors at play which would obviously narrow things down. :)

[@unalienate]

Sounds great! Did you use any external effect processing? Sounds like there's reverb!

[@synth4ever]

Thanks! No external processing or reverb used, just XT's internal ping pong delay.

[@PureAmbientDrone]

Darn it man! You caused me to buy one of these HA HA! I have not yet received it as of this posting but its on the way!!!! Thanks for the demo! Oh you also caused me to buy another synths, I shall leave a comment on that video as well ;) Cheers!

[@synth4ever]

Haha... glad you found the demo inspiring enough to purchase an XT :) You won't be disappointed with it, its very cool!

[@giancarlo3070]

I recently picked up a MWXT! Do you have any suggestions on getting started?

[@synth4ever]

Happy to hear that. Honestly it sometimes has a mind of its own and small tweaks can make big changes. I'd suggest reviewing the manual and then experimenting with it, a lot. :)

[@farmerfreakeasy]

What's peoples' opinions on the "full rotary knobs" ? I'd expect they're an utter pain in the ass. When i look at a knob i like to know where it is, not tweak first, then look at "thin" screen. I'd assume it "narrows" your options, and your mind's eye too.

[@sssncodesstuff3364]

Its pain in the ass indeed, not just they are endless but they also change values by different amount depending on how quickly youll move the knob, so if you grab a knob, turn it back and forth for some time and then leave it in same position as you started, the edited value is different. For editing its fine, for live tweaking its shit:/

[@farmerfreakeasy]

As i assumed. Though i didn't think it would vary by speed of movement. Thanks for the info.... doesn't make any sense to have 25 performance knobs in front of you and not know where a single one is currently set. Even if you're just creating a new sound you still need to keep tabs on every single parameter...... unless you fancy using internal image projection to memorize every single knob..... at all times. That gives me an idea......

[@lindsaylowhan8975]

Guess I'll be trading my MKS-80.

[@synth4ever]

MKS-80 is a beast... 8 voice polyphonic velocity sensitive VCO... why trade? ;) XT is certainly a cool digital wavetable synth but MKS-80 is an amazing analog machine. Just pipe in an external arpeggiator or sequencer and you should be good to go. :)