The Waldorf Microwave XT is a 1998 rackmount synthesizer using digital wavetable and FM synthesis, featuring 44 real-time control knobs, 20-bit DSP functions, and 10-voice polyphony expandable to 30; it shares its engine with the Microwave II and Wave synths, excels at emulating PPG sounds and generating acid or Moog-style bass, and includes onboard arpeggiator, digital effects, and MIDI-transmitting knobs.
The Waldorf MicroWave XTk is a 1998 wavetable synthesizer. It has 10-voice polyphony. It uses a 44-key semi-weighted keyboard. It includes a built-in arpeggiator. It is multitimbral.
The Waldorf Microwave is a hybrid wavetable-analogue synthesizer whose distinctiveness comes from forcing digital waveforms through characterful analogue filters — not from flexibility, expansion, or modern workflow features.
The Waldorf Microwave II is a dedicated wavetable instrument that delivers sharp, immediate, and spectrally distinct tones. It trades flexibility for focus — offering no filter resonance control, no effects, no velocity-driven modulation. Its strength is in launching sounds that pierce rather than blend.