5 of the best Wavetable synths

A favourite of Aphex Twin and synth guru Richard Devine, Germany’s Waldorf are torch-bearers for wavetable synthesis and carried on the legacy of classic 1980s PPG ‘Wave’ series into many game-changers over the years. This, their flagship monster synth, is a deep and capable hybrid.

£3,415, buy here.

Scanned uses a new technique to animate wavetables created in real time. The method was conceived by the father of computer music, Max Mathews, and before now, has never been implemented using hardware.

£291.99, buy here.

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Already lauded by vloggers for having the most bang to buck of a mid-tier synth, the Argon 8 is a great choice for those who want to get serious with wavetable synthesis but can’t stretch to a Quantum. It takes cues from the company’s pricey Modal 002.

£579, buy here.

There are lots of software options – NI’s Massive X and Arturia’s Pigments made headlines this year. But don’t shell out until you’ve tried your DAW’s option. Live’s Wavetable is our favourite gateway wavetable synth, with a striking GUI and fast, intuitive processes.

£519 (with Live Suite)

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Udo’s hybrid ‘Super 6’ was one of the stars of this year’s Superbooth conference. UK founder and designer George Hearn’s first machine under his new UDO brand features a 7-core Super-Wavetable Main Oscillator with Waveform Download, among other innovative features.

£2,300, buy here.

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