The irony is that the front panel is such a joy to use, it’s mainly when you get into the screens what you’re like, “why did this change not do what I thought.” I’m really enjoying it regardless.
Thanks for that reminder about the LFOs
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Agreed that the screen UI is the M’s biggest shortcoming. Compared to something like, say, the Digitone which has a consistent number of sub-pages for each functional category (Syn1, Syn2, Filter, Amp, etc.) as well as unique iconography within them to boost visual recognition, the M’s categories (Env, Osc, Wave, etc.) all have varying numbers of sub-pages which run on the same text-based appearance to convey information. This has made it difficult to build true muscle memory on the M; after a year and a half with it I still have to pause to think about where a specific mod assignment lives and then take visual survey of which sub-page I’m on when I go to that category, rather than simply getting there automatically.
It’s not the worst programming UI in the world, but feels like a very “functional” implementation not trying to achieve anything better than adequate. A simple mod matrix page in addition to the the current architecture would have alleviated the whole issue; I know the MW didn’t have one, but it didn’t have a Modern mode or other contemporary bells and whistles either.
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The only thing the front panel is missing is a default destination for the lfos. Having an amount knob for lfo1 to filter and lfo2 to pitch (or wave) would mean spending less time in the menus and it feels like there is enough space on the panel.
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i know this has been covered, but every resource i find is a scattered comment referencing a specific method or workaround for something and the notes i have arent working
is it possible for someone to break down how to import user wavetables step by step?
i know the process for exporting 8 bit unsigned wavetables from audacity with the preference settings and project bitrate. the only time that has worked for me was when i used an exported wavetable from a table that came installed in Audio-Term. i loaded that to Audacity, exported as 8-bit and loaded it as 8 bit wavetable from the sd card and that worked
i somehow previously got one of the piston honda wavetables in there as 8-bit, but only 1 worked. then i also somehow got a 16 bit wavetable, again from Audio-Term into the M and that worked, but i cant remember what i did. maybe the wavetables from audioterm just work automatically? but when i try loading my own into audioterm and then exporting from there, it doesnt work. even exporting from audioterm, then loading into and exporting from audacity as 8-bit doesnt work. so i really have no idea whats going on. exporting as 16 bit or 8 bit from serum doesnt seem to work for me either.
it also seems like you can only load either 8-bit tables or 16-bit tables at a time, but i can see the difference in the root directory being that 16bit has the .wav extension and the 8 bit do not. and as long as either of them start from wtslot.00, you can load the tables from either in the root directory of the sd card. i’ve also noticed that exporting as 8 bit from serum gives you the .256 filetype extension, rather than .WAV, but i don’t think i’ve tried loading those as-is yet. lthough i think vlad has mentioned that they should work on gearspace. audacity will not recognize those filetypes though, so i can’t export those from that program
has anyone figured out an easy way to get wavetables imported? where do you export them from? am i maybe messing up by attempting to convert/export 16 bit wavetables as 8 bit? is it easier to load and create or convert one or the other type?
i guess i dont care if they have to be 8-bit. i just want to try to get more than 1 working wavetable in at a time, and i’d like to use the wavetables from serum if possible
i am very confused and i cant find one single method that can be recreated. .5% of the time i get one that works, and im not sure which circumstances exactly led to that result
this is what i have for notes so far, and the steps i use in audacity:
Summary
REMEMBER to delete “.raw” from filename during EXPORT)*
- download wavetable in WAV file format
- Open Wav in Audacity
- Set Edit>Preferences to:
Default Sample Rate = 8000 hz
Deafult Sample Format = 16-bit
Sample Rate Conversion = Medium Quality (?) (seems to work)
Dither = none
(same settings for "High Quality Conversion, below)
4.in lower left of audacity screen, change “Project Rate (HZ)” to 8000
5.File>Export>“Export Audio”
6.name “wtslot00”, “wtslot01”, etc (REMEMBER TO start with “00” or else it wont read them, if it doesn’t see 00 first)**
7.Save As Type = “Other Uncompressed Files”
8.Header = “RAW (header-less)”
9.Encoding = “Unsigned 8-bit PCM”
10.After Export, go to file, “Rename”, & Delete “.raw” from filename manually
11.Copy to micro sd card
12.Press “Sound” encoder on M
13.Press “LFO” button to get to second menu on M
14.Scroll down to “Import User WT (From SD)” with silver encoder 1
15.Press “OK” Button
"
Import User WT (from SD)
M is capable load user wavetables directly from SD Card. The convention of the files, which contain wavetables is simple. The wavetable file can contain waves from 1 up to 256. Each wave is a sequence of 256 (un)signed 8-bit samples. There is no header or anything else at the beginning of the file and this file should be named wtslotXX where XX stands for numbers from 00 to 31 according to the slots in the Waldorf M.
16 bit user wave table loader (with selectable wavesize & interpolation). Just use
wtslotxx.wav file (instead of wtslotxx) with signed 16 bit mono samples inside, 256 samples
Serum .256 files (8-bit exports) fits ideally. Just export from Serum, rename to wtslotXX where XX is between 00-31, i.e. number of the slot in the M. Then copy the file to the SD Card in the root directory, choose in the Option slot, and skip settings. Then go to the Operations and select Load user wavetable.
and these are the ones that i got to work:
8-bit:
wtslot00 (12.0 KB) wtslot00 (piston honda) (12.8 KB)
16-bit:
i’m just not even sure how to view the properties of each file to maybe analyze what i did where and recreate it
Also, to clarify, are 16 bit user wavetables still limited to 64 waves?
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I just created my first table, but haven’t tried importing it yet. I’ll make a couple more tables, so that I have more than one to work with when I go to try this.
I created the table in Synthesis Technology WaveEdit. As far as I’ve been able to tell from piecing together some of the scattered clues you mentioned, it’s in the correct format, so it should be fairly straight-forward, but I’m not sure on the multiple table thing at this point.
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I asked this question relating to Multi Mode on Gearspace but didn’t get a clear response. Would be great if someone here could.
- Is there a silence when switching ensembles? If so, do parameters (lfos, multi envelopes) synced to external midi clock resync accurately after the new ensemble has loaded?
Sorry, I can’t help on multi mode stuff as I’ve never dabbled but hope you find out!
The apparent existence of a pre-installed 16 voice version of the M makes me wonder if maybe the keyboard version won’t be imminent after all… I figured that would be next up a little while after the new Quantum, the Kyra doesn’t seem too popular judging by the relatively low amount of discourse it receives so I’d be surprised if they upgraded that one.
That sticker or whatever it is looks terribly tacked on IMO.
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lol its like an intel sticker
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Hahaha, yeah. Nailed it.
Powered by Waldorf!
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16 inside
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By ensembles, do you mean switching to a different multi arrangement?
There is silence when switching Multis and any patch actually. This is the case both in multi mode and normal mode.
About your question I think it’s difficult to answer as there is currently so many issues with multi mode that it’s just not very useful in its current state.
Kinda sucks for those who bought it with this feature in mind
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Thanks @VibKo. From the manual I understand that Ensembles are collections of up to 4 patches with assignments to the 8 outs and other parameters etc. I understand that there’s a silence when switching individual patches, or ensembles, but what I would like to know: when you switch to a new ensemble, or single preset via external midi program change do the lfos and multi envelopes catch up and sync with external midi clock? This can be a “make or break” as to whether a synth can be used in live setups.
Sure I get the question. It’s 4 stereo outs btw plus 2 mono main outs. It’s done a bit differently than any other company would have done it. Waldorf… they just seem stubborn about doing it the least flexible way.
I can not give you a good answer regarding the clock receive and lfos as I have not tested it but lfo sync does also not always mean sync to clock when it comes to Waldorf.
However, there are very many things that break Multis ability to be used in a live situation so I would not buy the synth at this time if that is your purpose for it. Example, hanging notes, patches change tuning, patches are silent and more
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Thanks for this info! I seriously hope Waldorf resolve these problems with an update.
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Yeah I hope so too. I’ve never been so immediately wowed by the sound of any synth as with the M. It really is an amazing instrument but would be so good if the Multi mode worked as well
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Waldorf M or Quantum on my wish list along with a Prophet 10 and Perkons.
I did consider the Iridium but I’ve been enjoying using Virsyn’s Terra-Pro to get into wavetable synthesis - and like the Iridium it has a number of other synthesis methods. It’s the best-sounding iOS synth I’ve tried along with the (iD700). It syncs very well to the Ocata, loads new presets instantly on program change and the tails of the previous preset carry over. The M is far less feature rich, but sonically it’s undoubtedly very special.
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Yeah I think the latest version of the OS really put the M in a interesting place, XT filters and wavefolders going into an analog filter, along with the how cool the transient samples can sound. A bit of a shame that the multi mode still doesn’t feel 100% given they put multiple stereo outs on it, it should be a priority to having the multimode solid.
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The situation with Kyma is disconcerting: as I understand it, a freelancer or temporary employee did the software development then moved on leaving that synth with bugs which made it seriously flawed for some applications. And I understand from Gearspace threads that the DSP developer for the M, Vladis has, or had, a temporary work engagement with Waldorf and now seems to be focusing on new projects not with Waldorf. The M would be quite a financial outlay, then there’s time required to really get to grips with quite a complex synth, so I’ll wait and see. The feedback and insights in this thread have been really helpful, so thanks again.
@bwo I don’t recall seeing anything about wavefolding in the manual. we got into a small debate about wavefolding v waveshaping in the Taiga thread. In the context of wavetable synths, I don’t see that wavefolding is doable, given that with wavetable synths your essentially dealing with sequences of static waves and interpolation between them, but maybe I’m missing something.
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