Waldorf NW1 User manual

WALDORF NW1 REFERENCE MANUAL
Waldorf Music GmbH, rev1.0
September 23, 2015
1

•Introduction
Thank you for purchasing the NW1 wavetable module.
Like any Waldorf product, this NW1 has been developed and produced with
love in Germany, for the most demanding musicians. We sincerly hope it
will bring you fun and musical inspiration.
Reading this user manual, you will discover all the device features, learn
its basic use and benefits from tips & tricks we gathered during product de-
velopment.
Your Waldorf-team http://www.waldorfmusic.de
•Disclaimer
Waldorf Music GmbH is not liable for any erroneous information contained
in this manual. The contents of this manual may be updated at any time
without prior notice. We made every effort to ensure the information herein
is accurate and that the manual contains no contradictory information. Wal-
dorf Music GmbH extends no liabilities in regard to this manual other than
those required by local law. This manual or any portion of it may not be
reproduced in any form without the manufacturer’s written consent.
Waldorf Music GmbH, Lilienthal Strasse 7, D-53424 Remagen,
Germany
For additionnal information / sound demos / software downloads, please
visit our website :
http://www.waldorfmusic.de/nw1-overview.html
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•Product development team
NW1 team :
•Development: Oliver Rockstedt, Fr´ ed´ eric Meslin, Isabelle Kernhof
Stefan Stenzel, Frank Schneider
•Design: Stefan Stenzel, Axel Hartmann
•Testers: Dirk Krause, Juergen Driessen, Rolf Woehrman
Tom Wies
•Manual: Fr´ ed´ eric Meslin, Stefan Stenzel
Revision: 1.0, September 2015
We would like to thank :
Joachim Flor, Willie Eckl, Michael von Garnier, Christian Bacaj, Karsten
Dubsch, Daniel Krawietz, Kurt ”Lu” Wangard, Echo Wu, Miroslaw ”Mirek”
Pindus, Erik Norlander, Stephan Gries
3

CONTENTS CONTENTS
Contents
1 General safety guidelines 8
2 Device maintenance 8
3 Package contents 10
4 Device overview 10
4.1 Frontpanel ............................ 10
4.2 Backpanel ............................ 14
5 Device connection 16
5.1 Power connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.2 Audioconnection......................... 16
6 Playing back wavetables 18
6.1 Wavetables basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
6.2 Choosing a wavetable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
6.3 Scanning wavetables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
6.4 Tuning the oscillator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6.5 Transforming the sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
6.6 Modulating the sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
7 Recording wavetables 32
7.1 Recordingbasics......................... 32
7.2 Recordingsetup ......................... 32
7.3 Recording a wavetable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
7.3.1 Choosing a slot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
7.3.2 Audio source and gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
7.3.3 Prepare recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
7.3.4 Arming the recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
7.3.5 Recording......................... 34
7.4 Advanced options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
7.4.1 Compression level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
7.4.2 Playback quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
8 Transferring wavetables 38
9 Speech wavetables 38
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CONTENTS CONTENTS
10 Updating firmware 40
10.1 With the wavetable Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
10.2 With a System Exclusive File player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
11 Technical specifications 42
A Wavetable list 44
5

1 GENERAL SAFETY GUIDELINES
1 General safety guidelines
Please read the following safety guidelines carefully!
They include precautions you should always observe when dealing with
electronic equipment.
•Use the device indoors only, in a dry atmosphere.
•Never use the device under too damp conditions such as in bathrooms
or near swimming pools.
•Do not use the device in extremely dusty or dirty environments in order
to preserve the device’s surface finish.
•Make sure that adequate ventilation is available for the device to cool
down. Do not place the device near heat sources such as radiators.
•Do not expose the device to extreme vibrations.
•Unplug the device when you are not using it for longer periods.
•Never place objects containing liquids on top or near the device.
•Make sure no foreign objects find their way into the unit. If this occurs,
switch the power off, unplug the device and consult a qualified repair
center.
This device, used with amplifiers, speakers or headphones, can generate
volume levels that may result in irreparable damage to human hearing.
For this reason, volume should be kept at moderate levels at all times.
This device is designed exclusively to generate low frequency audio
signals for sound generation. Any other use is prohibited and voids the
warranty extended by Waldorf Music GmbH. Damages due to incorrect
use are not the responsability of Waldorf Music GmbH.
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2 DEVICE MAINTENANCE
2 Device maintenance
•Do not try to open the device or detach the frontpanel.
•Refer all service and repair tasks to qualified personnel.
•There are no user serviceable parts inside the chassis.
•Use only a soft cloth or brush to clean the device surface.
•Never use cleaning chemicals as they will damage the device sur-
face.
7

3 PACKAGE CONTENTS
3 Package contents
NW1 package comes complete with the following material:
•NW1 wavetable module
•1 x 16-way 20cm ribbon cable
•4 x M2.5 x 6 screws
•4 x M3 washers
•2 x jumpers (already attached on board)
•A quick start poster
•German protective atmosphere
Only a Phillips head screwdriver #0 is needed to mount the module into the
rack frame. No additional tools are needed.
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4 DEVICE OVERVIEW
4 Device overview
4.1 Front panel
Figure 1: Frontpanel of module
Id Description
1 Gate Input
Used for gated wavetable travel and start wavetable recording.
2 Pitch CV input
Set the pitch.
Signal should be 1V / octave, from 0V to 5V (5 octaves).
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4.1 Front panel 4 DEVICE OVERVIEW
Id Description
3, 4, 5 Modulation CV inputs
Modulate selected destination.
The modulated destination is chosen using the Destination
switches (11, 12, 13).
The amplitude of modulation is set using the Gain poten-
tiometers (8, 9, 10).
6 Oscillator output
Audio output.
Signal can be up to 16V peak-to-peak.
7 USB interface
Load and save wavetable data with computer or update
firmware.
8, 9, 10 Modulation gains
Controls depth of each modulation.
11, 12, 13 Modulation destinations
Select the destination for each modulation input.
14 Pitch CV trimmer
Fine-tune the scaling for the pitch CV input.
15 Spectrum control
Transpose spectral envelope of the tone.
Transposition range is from -64 to +64 semitones.
16 Brilliance control
Sharpen or flatten the spectral envelope peaks of the tone.
17 Keytrack
Set wave playback pitch relative to pitch.
18 Noisiness ”Noisy” control
Adjust wavetable rendering from periodic to noisy.
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4.1 Front panel 4 DEVICE OVERVIEW
Id Description
19 Travel mode
Controls the wavetable scanning:
Gated:
Travel the wavetable from start position when gate is asserted,
stop at current position when gate is deasserted.
Step:
Advance the wavetable position on each gate pulse.
Free:
Cycle through the wavetable according to Travel.
20 Travel speed
In playback mode:
Set the wavetable playback speed.
Speed ranges from -120 RPM to +120 RPM (rotation per minute).
In recording mode:
Set the recorded wavetable playback quality.
21 Wavetable position
In playback mode:
Set the wavetable playback start position.
Position ranges from 0◦to 360◦.
In recording mode:
Set the recording compression ratio.
22 Tune range
Select the octave.
Octave can be set from -4 (C-4, 16.35Hz) to -2 (C-2, 65.41Hz).
23 Tune pitch
Adjust pitch.
Adjustment range covers 12 semitones.
24 Wavetable dial
In playback mode:
Select wavetable.
In recording mode:
Set the recording threshold level or gate triggering.
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4.1 Front panel 4 DEVICE OVERVIEW
Id Description
25 Display
In playback mode:
Shows the wavetable in use.
In recording mode:
Show the input signal level and the recording state.
26 Operating mode
Select the operating mode:
Record:
Record user wavetable using Modulation CV input 1 (3) as audio
source.
User:
Play wavetables recorded or transferred using the Editor (U0 to
U9).
ROM / TTS:
Play factory ROM wavetables (00 to 80) or Text-To-Speech (A0 to
E9) wavetables.
27 Recording / gate LED
In playback mode:
Shows the gate signal level.
In recording mode:
Shows trigger state for recording.
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4.2 Back panel 4 DEVICE OVERVIEW
4.2 Back panel
Figure 2: Backpanel of module
Id Description
28 Eurorack bus connector
Bus connector providing power and bus CV / Gate signals to the
oscillator module. Regulated +12v and -12v power rails must be
supplied for the module to work.
29 Bus CV jumper
Use CV signal from the Eurorack bus when no jack is inserted
in Pitch CV input. To disable bus CV usage, the jumper must be
detached.
30 Bus Gate jumper
Use Gate signal from the Eurorack bus when no jack is inserted
in Gate input. To disable bus Gate usage, the jumper must be
detached.
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5 DEVICE CONNECTION
5 Device connection
You now own a fantastic wavetable / speech oscillator. It is time to integrate
it in your modular system.
5.1 Power connection
The first step is to provide your module with power. The module only re-
quires stabilized +12v & -12v voltages. These voltage should already be
provided by your modular system power supply.
Before connecting any module to the Eurorack bus, it is mandatory to
switch the modular system power off. Otherwise you may severely dam-
age your module or put yourself at risk.
Please connect the supplied 16-way ribbon cable to the module Eurorack
bus connector (28) and your modular system bus board (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Eurorack bus connector
Eurorack connectors are usually orientated so the Gate signal is on top and
the -12v supply at the bottom. Refer to Figure 3. The NW1 module follows
the same convention.
Please make sure the ribbon cable does not swap the lines.
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5.2 Audio connection 5 DEVICE CONNECTION
The module can now be installed in the rack using the provided screws,
washers and a Phillips head screwdriver #0. With the module installed,
switch the system power supply on. The module Display (25) will show a
short animation followed by the selected wavetable number.
If the Display (25) stays dark when powered on, please switch it off
immediately. The cable has probably been attached incorrectly, it is
possible nothing has been damaged.
5.2 Audio connection
The second step is connecting the audio output of the module so you can
hear the sound. A mixing desk or an audio amplifier system should be at-
tached to the Audio output (6) of the module. It is essential to use some
volume attenuation before power amplification. The NW1 output level is
rather high (up to 16v peak-peak) compared to line audio standard.
Connections are made using mini patch cables. These cables are standard
mono male-male mini-jacks (3.5mm) and can be bought from any audio
store.
Figure 4: Mini patch cables
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5.2 Audio connection 5 DEVICE CONNECTION
In modular systems, it is common practice to attach an oscillator Audio out-
put (6) to a VCA module, a mixer module or a filter module. The NW1 has
a broad spectrum range and can generate low frequencies as low as 16Hz.
Therefore its output can be used as a modulation source for another mod-
ule.
Do not be afraid to experiment crazy patch configurations using other
modules with NW1. The inputs and output are buffered, nothing serious
can happen.
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6 PLAYING BACK WAVETABLES
6 Playing back wavetables
This section contains information about the nature of wavetables and the
way they are played by the NW1.
6.1 Wavetables basics
As naive as it may sound, a wavetable is a table of waves. Waves are tiny
audio snippets representing a cyclic waveform. A wavetable contains many
waveforms in succession to store complex and evolving tones.
Figure 5: A wavetable of 4 waves
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6.1 Wavetables basics 6 PLAYING BACK WAVETABLES
Wavetables have the following properties:
Number of waves:
The more waves a wavetable consists of, the more complex and inter-
esting can the sound tonal evolution be.
In NW1, a wavetable can have from from 8 to 4096 waves.
Number of samples per single wave:
The longer a single cycle wave is, the more harmonics can be repre-
sented.
In NW1, wave lengths of 32, 64, 128, 256, 512 or 1024 samples are
possible.
Samples bit resolution:
Waves resolution defines the accuracy of the ratios between tone har-
monics.
The greater is the resolution, the more subtle an harmonic can sound
compared to the others.
In NW1, resolution is 16 bits.
The principal difference between digital wavetable oscillators and classic
analog-style oscillators (like sine, triangle, saw ...) is the extensive flexibility
of waveform shapes. The waveform shape, and thus the tonal spectrum,
can be freely programmed and can evolve in time in a controllable manner.
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6.2 Choosing a wavetable 6 PLAYING BACK WAVETABLES
6.2 Choosing a wavetable
To play a wavetable, select one of the three available banks using the Mode
(26) switch.
Figure 6: Wavetable dial and display
The banks contain:
•User: 10 x user wavetables.
These wavetables can be recorded wavetables or wavetables trans-
fered using the computer Editor.
•ROM: 80 x factory installed wavetables.
These are classic wavetables from Microwave and Nave synthesizers.
The wavetable list can be found in Appendix A.
•TTS: 50 x user text-to-speech wavetables.
These wavetables are created and transferred via the computer Edi-
tor.
Select wavetable using the Wavetable dial (24) and Display (25).
If the wavetable does not play as expected, try disabling modulations by
turning down the Modulation input gains (8,9,10).
The best way to preview a wavetable is to:
•adjust the Travel speed (20) for slow wavetable scanning
•set Spectrum (15),Brilliance (16) and Noisy control (18) to 0
•set Keytrack (17) to 100%
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