monstrumWaveXL
REV 2.19
Standalone/VST editor for Waldorf Microwave XT (and XTK, II)
August 28, 2011
You can use monstrumWaveXL either in stand-alone mode or as a plugin in a MIDI capable VST channel in your DAW.
In stand-alone mode, You can use monstrumwaveXL as an on screen editor that gives you full control of nearly every single parameter of the microwaveXT, XTk and Microwave II.
Using monstrumWaveXL as a VST within your DAW will allow you to save your patch settings with your DAW project files just as you can save any other VST instrument's settings and automation with a song project file. When you use monstrumWaveXT as a VST within your host to command your MicrwoaveXT, every time you open your song's project file, the parameters for your MicrowaveXT patches will be retained and sent to the synth!
The MonstrumWaveXL panel has been developed and tested on microwave XT and XT PC. It should also work with the XTk and the microwave II, please send me a message if you have any issues with the XTk or microwave II and I'll see what I can do. For sake of simplicity I refer to the hardware synth hereafter as the "MicrowaveXT", but any of the above could be used.
RELEASE NOTES:
-------------------------------------
I'm releasing the bpanelz file with resources, which was exported out of CTRL 709 on Windows XP sp3. This file requires CTRLR be installed, you open the bpanelz within CTRLR either in standalone mode or as a VST loaded in a track within your DAW.
INSTALLATION:
-------------------------------------
Download ctrlr for your OS (linux, win or Intel Mac) from www.ctrlr.org and place the ctrlr plugin file in your system's plugin folder. Rescan your DAW's plugin folder then you can open the CTRLR plugin into a VST channel, then load monstrumWaveXL's bpanelz file. Be sure to set the midi device settings within ctrlr to correspond with the MIDI ports communicating with your microwave.
-------------------------------------
ATTENTION:
Do not attempt to use this panel with any synth other than the Waldorf Microwave XT, XT PC, XTk or II. This panel sends sysex messages which may completely fubar any other synthesizer or MIDI device. The author of monstrumWaveXL is not responsible for any damage to any hardware or software claimed caused by usage of monstrumWaveXL. This software has been extensively tested and quality checked for reliable usage, but you must use this software as it is intended.
-------------------------------------
UPDATE PANEL ON PROGRAM CHANGE
-------------------------------------
NEW in this version of monstrumWaveXL is the Lua scripted update panel command. After changing programs on the panel, you should see the LCD display of the microwave update, however the ctrlr panel's knobs, sliders and dropdown selection boxes will not automatically update based on the new program's settings until you hit the "update" button on the panel. This will initiate a sysex dump from the XT to your panel.
SHIFT/UTILITY COMMANDS
-------------------------------------
Compare, Recall and Store commands must be performed on the actual MicrowaveXT, and can not be performed remotely due to bugs in the type of sysex that deal with the shift/Utility commands. It's probably better this way, which is why I assume Waldorf never fully implemented remote control of these functions, which is fine as these operations are most safely done from the MicrowaveXT itself anyway.
PROGRAM CHANGE KNOB
-------------------------------------
The big black nose (program change knob) is programmed do send two messages, a program change, and an all notes off, this is to aid in sound editing. I put in an "all notes off" as a follow up command to just kill the last played notes after you change programs.
KNOWN ISSUES
-------------------------------------
-Combo boxes for OSC Pitch Bend Scale, Startwave, LFO Delay do not update when corresponding knob is rotated. These parameters are special as they include a range of values and a few selections either at beginning or end of the range. Simply ignore the combobox's reading after rotating the knob. This is rather minor but I plan on addressing this in the future.
-Arp Tempo knob works in conjunction with the "MIDI In" button. Similarly to the comboboxes above, the tempo parameter's first parameter is a value outside of the range the remaining 127 values transmit, in this case the first value sets the tempo to the external clock source (if any) coming into the XT's MIDI in port.
A value of 50 equates to MIDI IN. any value larger than 50 is the tempo's BPM. Pressing the "MIDI In" button next to the ARP TEMPO knob will set the tempo to match the external clock source. Rotate the tempo knob to set a specific Tempo. Again rather minor, I may make this more intuitive in the future, but it works, you just need to understand the messages sent by the different settings.
PLANNED FOR FUTURE RELEASES:
(for all platforms)
-GDATA on panel (velocity curve, bend range, input gain, etc.)
-Lua programable user arpeggiator
-Multi-Mode
-Save/Open programs sysex dump to file
