Custom Waveforms for UDO Super 6, Super 8 & Super Gemini


The UDO Super 6, Super 8, and Super Gemini synthesizers are beloved for their lush analog filters, hands-on interface, and powerful hybrid engineudo-audio.comperfectcircuit.com. By default, these synths offer a limited set of built-in waveforms (saw, square, etc.), but did you know you can load your own custom waveforms? With user waveforms in UDO’s .ws6 format, you can dramatically expand the sonic palette of your Super series synth – it’s almost like downloading an extra vintage synth into your UDO! In this article, we’ll explore how custom UDO waveforms work across the Super 6, Super 8, and Super Gemini, and how they let you inject classic wavetable and lo-fi sounds into these modern analog-hybrid powerhouses.

The UDO Super Series Synths at a Glance

UDO’s “Super” series are modern analog-digital hybrid polysynths that marry high-resolution FPGA digital oscillators with analog VCF/VCA circuitsudo-audio.comperfectcircuit.com. All three models share the same fundamental engine and user waveform capability:

  • UDO Super 6: The original model – a 12-voice polyphonic binaural synth with a gorgeous hands-on interface. It uses dual FPGA-based oscillators (one is a super-wavetable core) feeding a classic analog 4-pole filter and VCA, plus built-in stereo chorus and delay effectsperfectcircuit.comperfectcircuit.com. The Super 6’s design and quality have been widely praised – “everything is high quality in how it interacts with your hands. …one of the sturdiest synths I own, with knobs and faders that exude quality”reddit.comreddit.com.

  • UDO Super 8: A recently introduced 16-voice, bi-timbral version with a 61-note poly-aftertouch keybedudo-audio.com. Think of it as a “bigger” Super 6 – more voices and layers, while retaining that immediate interface and rich sound. It also supports user waveforms (up to 32 custom waves can be loaded) just like the Super 6udo-audio.comudo-audio.com.

  • UDO Super Gemini: The flagship – a 20-voice polyphonic, bi-timbral analog-hybrid “dream synth”udo-audio.com. It features a dual-layer architecture (two independent synth layers that can be split or stacked) and a premium 61-key FATAR keyboard with polyphonic aftertouchudo-audio.com. Despite its enhanced features, the Super Gemini uses the same oscillator architecture and .ws6 waveform format as its siblings, meaning any custom UDO waveforms you load will work across Super 6, 8, and Geminituesdaysamples.com.

What’s common to all three is the core sound engine: high-resolution wavetable oscillators (with downloadable waveforms) coupled to analog filters and amplifiersperfectcircuit.comsoundonsound.com. This gives the Super series a “best of both worlds” character – precise and alias-free digital sound sources, animated by warm analog filters. And thanks to UDO’s foresight, user waveforms can be loaded via USB on all models, extending those sound sources far beyond the factory waves.

Why Add Custom Waveforms to Your UDO Synth?

Custom waveforms (also called user wavetables or single-cycle waves) unlock a universe of new tones in your UDO synth. Out of the box, the Super 6/8/Gemini oscillators offer a handful of classic shapes and a few alternative waves. By loading your own .ws6 files, you can literally change the oscillators’ character to emulate other synths or instruments. Here’s why that’s exciting:

  • Expand Your Sonic Palette: Instead of being limited to the stock waves, you can inject legendary vintage synth DNA right into your oscillatorstuesdaysamples.com. Imagine having an oscillator that sounds like a Korg DW-8000 or a Moog MG-1 – with custom waveforms, you can! It’s effectively like adding new oscillator hardware to your synth without any modstuesdaysamples.com.

  • From Lo-Fi to Hi-Fi: The Super series can produce beautiful analog pads and leads, but with custom waves you can also achieve gritty lo-fi digital timbres and video game tones that were impossible before. Ever wished your Super 6 could do PPG Wave or chiptune sounds? Now it can, by loading 8-bit and early PCM waveforms and then running them through the UDO’s lush analog filters and stereo effects.

  • Endless Patches: New waveforms = new inspiration for patches. Musicians have been using these custom UDO waveforms to craft sounds reminiscent of classic synths (for example, warm Kawai K3 strings or metallic DW-8000 bells) as well as wholly unique textures. You can create Super 6 patches that sound like vintage 80s synths, or layer two custom waves on the Gemini for hybrid tones never heard before. The community is already sharing patches that take advantage of these waveform packs, breathing new life into the Super series.

  • No Extra Gear or Firmware Needed: Importantly, loading user waveforms is fully supported by UDO – no special firmware or hacks requiredtuesdaysamples.com. The .ws6 format is recognized by all firmware versions of the Super 6/8/Gemini, so you can do this on any unit out-of-the-box. In other words, you don’t have to wait for a “UDO Super 6 wavetable firmware” update – the capability is built in from the start.

Vintage & Modern Waveform Packs for UDO (The Goodies!)

What kind of custom waves can you load into a UDO? Basically, any single-cycle waveform sampled at 4096 points, 16-bit, and bandlimited (UDO’s required format)udo-audio.zendesk.com. In practice, sound designers (ourselves included) have created waveform packs by sampling or recreating waves from all sorts of classic gear. Here are some highlights of waveform collections that can transform your UDO synth:

  • Korg DW-8000 (1985) – 16 rich digital waveforms from Korg’s hybrid synthtuesdaysamples.com. The DW-8000’s waveforms include glossy bells, vox, waves for strings, etc. Load these into your UDO for glassy pads and synth-pop leads that sound like a DW-8000, but now with analog filters and no aliasingtuesdaysamples.com.

  • Roland JD-800 (1991) – A set of digital PCM waves from Roland’s early ‘90s classictuesdaysamples.com. Great for lush, ambient pads and crystalline digital tones. Your Super 6/8 can essentially mimic those retro-digital timbres (think warm digital pads, hollow vox, etc.) that the JD-800 is known fortuesdaysamples.com.

  • Kawai K3 (1986) – The K3 was a wavetable-like synth with 33 additive single-cycle waves and analog filters. We’ve captured the distinctive K3 waves so you get those evolving, harmonically rich tonestuesdaysamples.com. Under the UDO’s analog 4-pole filter, these K3 waves produce wonderfully warm pads and poly synth soundstuesdaysamples.com. (Fun fact: the Kawai K3 and UDO Super 6 use very similar filter chips – the Super 6’s SSI2144 filter is the modern reissue of the legendary SSM2044 used in the K3soundonsound.com. So when you play K3 waveforms through the Super 6, the core tone and filter response are nearly identical to a real K3!)

  • Realistic Moog MG-1 (1981) – We sampled raw analog oscillator waves from the RadioShack “Concertmate” MG-1 (a variant of the Moog Rogue). These waves are thick and buzzy. Injecting them into your UDO gives you genuine vintage Moog flavor – great for fat basses and leadstuesdaysamples.com. Essentially, you can dial up an MG-1 oscillator on OSC1 of your Super 6, and then use the synth’s polyphony to play it in chords (something the original mono MG-1 could never do!) – it sounds huge.

  • Casio SK-1 (1986) – Yes, the lo-fi 8-bit sampling keyboard! We captured quirky single-cycle waveforms out of Casio SK-1 samplestuesdaysamples.com. They bring crunchy, aliasing charm and character in spades. Using SK-1 waves, your UDO can sound like a retro sampler or a PPG Wave on a budget – especially when you engage the binaural mode and stereo chorus, you get an amazing blend of lo-fi digital wave and hi-fi spatial analog processing.

  • Sequential Take 5 (2021) – Not vintage, but a modern analog poly with really nice oscillators. We included some Take 5 oscillator waveforms to give a more contemporary analog vibetuesdaysamples.com. For instance, the Take 5’s triangle or saw wave has its own flavor – loading it in your UDO can add brassy Prophet-like stabs or modern pad sounds that complement the UDO’s stock wavestuesdaysamples.com.

  • Nintendo 64 Soundfont (1996) – For the retro gaming enthusiasts, there’s even a pack of N64 sound font wavestuesdaysamples.com. These are single-cycle waves derived from Nintendo 64 game samples (like lo-fi pianos, strings, etc.). When loaded into the UDO, you can play chiptune chords, video game pads and other nostalgic sounds – all with the twist of analog filtering and effects on toptuesdaysamples.com. It’s like having a Super Mario 64 or Zelda instrument inside your synth! Truly a creative twist for sound designers.

Examples of custom waveform sources for UDO: iconic vintage synths (Korg DW-8000, Kawai K3, Roland JD-800, Moog MG-1), a Casio SK-1 toy sampler, and even the Nintendo 64’s sound library. These .ws6 waveform files let your Super 6/8/Gemini sound like all of the above, vastly expanding its tonal range.

As you can see, UDO waveforms packs cover everything from gritty 1980s digital waves to pure analog waves. Each .ws6 file is a 16-bit, 4096-sample single cycle waveformudo-audio.zendesk.com extracted or crafted from the original instrument. And because the UDO oscillators are high-resolution, these waves maintain their character but play nicely across the keyboard without nasty aliasing or artifacts. In effect, you’re plugging the sonic fingerprint of these classic synths and consoles into your modern synth’s engine.

Installation is Easy (No Firmware Upgrades Needed)

Wondering how to actually load these custom UDO waveforms? Thankfully, it’s very straightforward – UDO designed the Super series with user content in mind:

  1. Connect via USB: Power on your Super 6/8/Gemini in “drive” mode. (For the Super 6, this means holding down the PATCH button while turning the power on – it will then appear as a USB drive on your computer.)tuesdaysamples.com The synth’s internal storage mounts just like a flash drive.

  2. Copy .ws6 Files: Inside the drive, you’ll find a folder (usually named Waveforms). Simply drag-and-drop the .ws6 waveform files into this foldertuesdaysamples.com. You can add up to 32 custom waveforms on the Super 6 (and similarly on the 8/Gemini, which also support multiple banks of waves)udo-audio.comudo-audio.com. The files have a .ws6 extension but otherwise contain raw 16-bit audio data – no conversion is needed as long as you have the proper format.

  3. Eject and Reboot: Safely eject the drive and power-cycle your synth. On reboot, the new waves are recognized automatically. The alternative waveforms will now be selectable for Oscillator 1 (DDS1) on the front panel, typically by turning the waveform knob past the stock waves until you reach the user slot positions.

That’s it – no special firmware required and no hackstuesdaysamples.com. Even if your synth is running older firmware, as long as it supports user waveforms (which all shipped versions do), the above process works. (If you’re on a very early Super 6 firmware, it’s always a good idea to update to the latest OS for stabilityudo-audio.zendesk.com, but user waves have been supported for quite some time.) The .ws6 format is universal across all UDO Super models, and it’s here to staytuesdaysamples.com. So you can load the same waveform pack on a Super 6 and later use it on a Super Gemini, for example.

Pro Tip: We provide a PDF manual with our waveform packs that lists all the waves and step-by-step installation, so you’ll know exactly which new sound corresponds to which waveform slottuesdaysamples.com. Managing them is simple, and you can swap waves in and out by just replacing files via USB anytime.

Transformed by New Waveforms: It’s Like a Brand-New Synth

One of the most rewarding things about using custom waveforms on the UDO synths is how it transforms the instrument while keeping everything you already love about it. The Super 6 was already praised as “an instrument that feels familiar at first glance, but offers inspiring opportunities when delving deeper”udo-audio.com – and loading it with new waves truly delivers on that promise. Here’s what you can expect from the experience:

  • Modern Hardware, Vintage Soul: Many classic 80s and 90s synths have amazing sound character but clunky interfaces, limited polyphony, or reliability issues. With the UDO + custom waves, you effectively get those tones inside a modern, sturdy package. For instance, after we loaded the Kawai K3’s waveforms into the Super 6 (recall, the Super 6 has the same type of analog filter as the K3’ssoundonsound.com), we realized the Super 6 could 100% nail the K3’s sound – but now with easier editing, more voices, and glorious stereo chorus. We literally had no reason to keep the old K3 hardware at that point, because the Super 6 covered all its sonic ground and then some!

  • Lo-Fi Meets Hi-Fi: Another example: using the Casio SK-1 waves in the Super 6. The SK-1 is an 8-bit lo-fi sampler that sounds raw and aliased on its own. But when we import those dirty waveforms into the Super 6’s high-end engine, something magical happens – you can play those lo-fi waves with full 12-voice polyphony, run them through a rich analog stereo chorus and a true analog filter, and detune them in binaural mode for a huge stereo image. The result is gorgeous: the grit of 1980s consumer keyboards swimming in a lush stereo field. Sound designers have noted it’s almost like a poor man’s PPG Wave or Prophet VS vibe, because you get digital wave timbres plus analog warmth and movement. In short, crappy digital waves + amazing analog processing = instant vibe!

  • Enhanced Creative Workflow: Because the Super series synths are so immediate to program (one-knob-per-function, no LCD menu diving), adding new waveforms doesn’t complicate anything – it just gives you more choices on the same friendly interface. Users often say the Super 6 “feels good to play and patch … a very playful and organic patching experience”reddit.com. That remains true even after loading dozens of new waves. In fact, it’s inspiring: you might stumble on a wave (say, a hollow N64 choir sample) and suddenly you’re making a brand new patch around it with the filter and envelopes. It invites experimentation. And unlike a static vintage synth, the Super’s powerful modulation (LFOs, cross-mod, looping envelopes, etc.)reddit.com can be brought to bear on these new waveforms, yielding sounds the original source gear could never do.

  • Binaural Stereo Goodness: The Super 6 and its siblings have that unique binaural mode where each voice is actually two voices – one panned left, one right, which can be slightly detuned or modulated separatelyudo-audio.com. This creates an immense stereo width. When you combine binaural mode with custom waves, the textures get even more expansive. A single held note using a vintage waveform can sound like a swirling stereo ensemble. For example, a humble JD-800 string wave can be turned into a huge evolving pad by leveraging binaural detune and the built-in Juno-style chorus. The stereo analog effect (inspired by the Roland Juno chorus) is built-in on these synthsperfectcircuit.comperfectcircuit.com, so you get that “wide vintage” chorus without any external gear – perfect for those retro waves.

In essence, loading custom UDO waveforms is like getting a major synth upgrade for free. The Super 6 already was described as “a love-letter to the classic analogue synthesizer, brought into the present with cutting-edge tech … and a no-compromise approach to build quality and interface”udo-audio.com. By bringing in the “classic digital” side (via vintage waveforms), you complete that picture – old-school digital meets modern analog. It’s the best of the ’80s and ’90s wave synths combined with the reliability and playability of a 2020s instrument. No more tiny LCDs, no more limited one-note polyphony or frustrating patch storage – the Super series fixes all those issues while keeping the heart of those vintage sounds.

Final Thoughts

If you own a UDO Super 6, Super 8, or Super Gemini, exploring custom waveforms is a must. It’s a simple way to supercharge your synth and keep you inspired for years. Whether you crave the glassy tones of a DW-8000, the crunchy charm of an SK-1, or the fat buzz of a Moog, there’s likely a waveform pack (or your own sampling skills) that can bring that flavor into your UDO. And since these UDO waveforms work across all models and firmwaretuesdaysamples.com, you’re future-proofed – your custom sounds move with you even if you upgrade to the latest Super Gemini.

At the end of the day, the UDO Super series already delivers an incredible experience right out of the box. But with user waveforms, you unlock truly unparalleled flexibility. Your Super 6/8/Gemini can become a chameleon synth, effortlessly hopping from creamy analog poly pads to retro-digital game tones at the flick of a waveform knob. It’s like having a studio full of vintage synths encapsulated in one beautiful, robust instrument. Happy patching – and enjoy the limitless waveforms now at your fingertips!

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