Ever wonder what happens when Waldorf digs up the original Microwave 1's ASIC chip—the same one that defined wavetable synthesis in the late '80s—and squeezes its raw, gritty soul into a pint-sized modern powerhouse? That's Protein: an 8-voice polyphonic desktop synth that revives those classic PPG and Microwave wavetables with a 250 kHz sampling rate and even models the old-school DAC converters for authentic bite, complete with a unique ASIC-based noise generator.
At its core, two wavetable oscillators per voice deliver that signature Waldorf morphing character, shaped by a resonant low/high-pass filter with Dirt and Envelope Amount controls, plus a Flavour knob for subtle micro-variations across voices. Modulation shines with three ADSR envelopes, two tempo-sync LFOs (including sample & hold), and an 8-slot mod matrix that handles poly aftertouch and MPE sources. Hands-on editing feels immediate via 21 pots—mostly fixed, with some push/rotary encoders—and a shift button that doubles functions, all guided by a crisp display; layer up to four timbral parts in stacked, round-robin, or split modes, then fire off the Iridium-inspired arpeggiator, 32-step sequencer, chord/scale modes, or global effects like reverb, delay, chorus, phaser, drive, and more. It's USB-C bus-powered, super compact at 9.9 x 6.7 x 1.9 inches and just 1.98 lbs, with stereo TRS outs, headphone jack, MIDI I/O, and 150+ factory presets across 250 slots.
Players love how it nails vintage wavetable aggression in a portable package that punches way above its weight, though some wish for deeper front-panel mod access without diving into the matrix. Perfect for sketching ideas on the go or layering into bigger rigs—it's Waldorf's clever bridge from retro digital dreams to today's workflow.
