WaveSynth is a 16-voice polyphonic wavetable synthesizer, but it isn't packaged with any wavetables, hardcoded or otherwise. Where does it get its source material? You! Simply route input audio into WaveSynth using your DAW and the plugin will constantly analyze what it's given, pulling a stream of waveforms that you can play back in real-time with a MIDI keyboard like a typical synthesizer.
So WaveSynth needs input audio, but what kind of audio will work? It can handle a sine wave, a bass line, a drum loop, Beethoven's Fifth, white noise, your dad's snoring—literally any sound that you can hear will work with WaveSynth.
WaveSynth is a synthesizer at heart so it comes with what you'd expect: MIDI device support (note velocity, volume fader, panning, pitch bend), ADSR envelope controls, and a low-pass filter.
Watch the video below for a brief introduction to WaveSynth's capabilities:
So what does it sound like?
What WaveSynth sounds like depends on the source material it's given—if you feed it a simple sine wave, you won't get much else back.
The results are more noteworthy with the introduction of more varied material. In the following demo, note that the source audio—a simple drum loop—has moments of low frequencies (the kick drum) and high (the snare hits), so the original frequencies of the stored waveforms will vary. A square wave is introduced intermittently to keep things interesting.
WaveSynth will scan for waveforms at a rate of your choosing. In this example, that rate is set to a little less than one beat of music—it isn't exactly on the beat to ensure that the stored waveforms will have greater variation. Crossfading between waveforms is another important aspect of the synthesizer—here, that is set to a full 100%.
Before WaveSynth
After WaveSynth
Best music ever! Where's my record contract?!
A slow scan rate coupled with full crossfading leads to evolving timbres.
What if the noise is white?
The ultimate test: will WaveSynth really work with white noise? Of course it will! The frequencies in white noise are in rapid flux, so in this case the control that adjusts minimum waveform size is necessary for a steady pitch.
Before WaveSynth
After WaveSynth
Pure white noise (I'm a noise artist).
With white noise, the control that adjusts minimum waveform size is crucial for getting a steady pitch.
Speaking loudly and softly about dynamics
You may be wondering what happens in WaveSynth with audio that is very quiet or that contains a wide dynamic range. In the synthesizer's interface, there is a control for adjusting dynamics. When that is set to 0%, the level of every waveform is adjusted to hit peak volume, so both the loud and quiet portions of the source will output at the same level. The original dynamics will remain unchanged by setting the Dynamics control to 100%—note that the control can also be set at any point between 0% and 100%.
With the original dynamics and a fast scan rate, WaveSynth's output more closely resembles its source audio, as demonstrated by the following.
Before WaveSynth
After WaveSynth
Drum beat pissed up in thirty seconds. Note that the sound has a lot of variation in dynamics.
With a fast scan rate and the original dynamics, the resulting sound is somewhat akin to a vocoder's output.
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