New Waldorf Protein - 8 Voice Wavetable Poly

After releasing a few teaser images, Waldorf Music today announced  Protein, a compact 8-voice polyphonic wavetable synthesizer that combines recreated Microwave 1 ASIC oscillators with features inherited from the Iridium line, including an arpeggiator, step sequencer, chord mode and multiple effects.

Waldorf pitches Protein as a return to the origins of its early wavetable instruments but in a more contemporary format.

The front panel has been designed for what Waldorf describes as immediate, hands-on control with the aim of building complex sounds quickly from simple building blocks, while a deeper sound design architecture sits behind the main controls for more detailed editing.

Layered engine and modulation
Protein has 8 voices that can be arranged as up to 4 independent layers. These layers can be used for stacked patches, round robin setups or split by MIDI channels for multitimbral use. A Load Layer function lets you recombine layers from the preset library, making it possible to create new sounds by mixing elements of existing patches.

The instrument ships with more than 150 factory presets and space for up to 250 user presets. Using the 4-layer structure, you can combine different preset layers to build new composite sounds without starting from scratch.

Each layer has its own eight-slot modulation matrix, providing multiple modulation routings for shaping the sound. Protein also supports polyphonic aftertouch as a modulation source, allowing expressive control when paired with a suitable controller. A dedicated Flavour knob adds what Waldorf describes as organic behaviour, from subtle micro-fluctuations to more noticeable disturbances to keep the sound from feeling static.

Classic Microwave character
At the core of Protein are recreated Microwave 1 ASIC oscillators. Waldorf leant into the original gritty, 8-bit quantised and aliased character, running at the same 250 kHz sample rate as the original hardware. The intention is to deliver the vintage digital tone, including its characteristic artifacts in the lower and higher octaves, inside the new compact chassis.

Key features

• 8-voice polyphonic wavetable synthesizer

• Sound engine based on recreated Microwave 1 ASIC oscillators at 250 kHz

• 4-layer architecture for stacking, round robin setups or multitimbral operation via MIDI channels

• Load Layer function for recombining layers from existing presets

• More than 150 factory presets, up to 250 user presets

• Per-layer 8-slot modulation matrix

• Support for polyphonic aftertouch modulation

• Flavour knob for adding controlled instability and organic movement

• Arpeggiator, step sequencer and chord mode

• Multiple onboard effects

• Desktop format, 252 x 170 x 48 mm, 0.9 kg

Protein will be available through Waldorf Music's global distributor network at an introductory price of 329 EUR including German VAT until 31 December 2025, rising to 379 EUR including VAT after that date. Distribution information can be found via Waldorf's distributor list:
https://waldorfmusic.com/distributors/

Waldorf Social

• Waldorf Updates Microwave 1 For iPad 13-Jul-26
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• Superbooth 2026: Waldorf Iridium MK-II 08-May-26
• Waldorf Iridium Desktop MK2 More Power, Layers 05-Mar-26
• Waldorf Music Launches Attack 3 13-Feb-26