Waldorf Microwave 1 Plugin V2 adds virtual voice cards and 32 voices

Waldorf’s Microwave 1 Plugin V2 went live with virtual voice cards that lift the instrument from 8 voices to 32. The June 26 release keeps the sound model tied to the company’s 1989 Microwave hardware, but adds enough new performance tools to make the software version feel far less like a straight emulation.

The core idea still points back to the original machine: digital wavetable synthesis paired with analog filters, and Waldorf’s revival of the PPG wavetable legacy. Waldorf has described the plugin as a multi-year effort that modeled the hardware in detail, including the Waldorf ASIC, the 68k-era controller software and the analog filter character. V2 builds on that by abstracting the old expansion-board concept into software. Instead of an 8-voice hardware add-on, users can now activate up to four voice cards, and Waldorf says the larger polyphony keeps the original micro timing and variations intact.

That detail matters for players who care about Microwave behavior, not just Microwave tone. The company says the new cards are not meant to be a generic modern boost, but an attempt to preserve the way extra hardware voices would have changed the instrument’s feel. For vintage synth fans, that puts V2 in a narrow lane: it is trying to sound like a bigger Microwave, not a cleaner one.

The update also pushes the plugin further into production territory. V2 adds Round Robin and Random Robin multi-modes, a polyphonic arpeggiator for each instrument part, a global arpeggiator and a Creative Delay with filtering, tremolo, diffusion and pitch shifting. Waldorf’s free 1.3.0 update for V1 users goes after workflow instead, with a redesigned preset browser, favorites, search, multi-level undo and redo, and the ability to edit multiple parts at once.

Pricing keeps the package within reach of serious users. Waldorf listed V2 at 99 euros at launch, with an introductory 29-euro upgrade for existing owners. Some retailer listings put the price jump after July 5, 2026, at 149 euros for V2 and 49 euros for the upgrade.

Waldorf has also been treating the Microwave as a living platform, not a frozen museum piece. The company released an iPad version in 2024, and the 99-unit Mean Green Machine edition from 1994 still gives the name collector-grade cachet. V2 follows the same path: it stretches the old eight-voice ceiling, but keeps the 1989 identity front and center.