Microwave 1 Rev A Rackmount Wavetable Synthesizer

Back in the early '90s, this rackmount legend kicked off Waldorf's wavetable revolution with its custom ASIC chip, delivering that raw, 8-bit digital grit at a blazing 250 kHz sampling rate—pure vintage character that's still turning heads today.

At its core, dual wavetable oscillators scan through hundreds of classic waveforms, including algorithmic and vocal forms, feeding into crisp analog filters via Curtis CEM3389 chips unique to Rev A for a more open, detailed response compared to later versions. You've got 8-voice polyphony, a modulation matrix for flexible routing, wave/filter/volume envelopes, dual LFOs, and velocity sensitivity, all controlled via the iconic front panel of red knobs, a high-quality encoder, and a bright LCD screen on a sturdy Nextel gray-blue faceplate. It's a 1U rack unit built for studios, with MIDI in/out, balanced audio outs, and internal memory for your patches—no effects or audio ins, keeping the focus on that pure hybrid synthesis.

Owners cherish its aggressive, lo-fi edge that cuts through mixes, often calling Rev A the superior-sounding variant for its filter bite, though some note the dated interface demands a MIDI controller for live tweaks. If you dig unpolished digital tones with analog warmth, this one's a time machine worth rack space.