Overview
The Deluge from Synthstrom Audible is a grid-based sequencer with its own synth and sample engines, built around an SD card. Firmware 4.0 added wavetable synthesis: WAVEtable became an oscillator type, and the position within the table became a synth parameter that envelopes and LFOs can modulate, or that you can learn to a gold knob or an external MIDI controller.
Each synth has two oscillators, and both can hold a wavetable, from different files, with independent positions and modulation. A table on oscillator 1 puts its position on the CUSTOM 2 gold knob by default, with CUSTOM 3 setting how much LFO2 moves it; a table on oscillator 2 takes CUSTOM 3 instead. Wavetables work with oscillator sync and ring modulation, and Synthstrom suggests a table on oscillator 2 with sync on as a place to start.
The same update changed how short single-cycle files play. Files under 20 ms load as SINGle-cycle waveforms through the wavetable engine, which Synthstrom describes as more CPU-efficient and cleaner on high notes than the sample engine, and those don’t need a power-of-two length, so a 600-sample single cycle loads fine.
Wavetables on the Deluge
The Deluge reads wavetables from mono WAV files. A table’s frame size must be a power of two and at least 8 samples, with 2048 by far the most common, and the number of frames is limited only by RAM. Stereo files are refused as wavetables. The firmware source also shows AIFF is only used as a wavetable when you force it.
How a file is recognized matters more than its length. A WAV with a Serum clm chunk is recognized as a wavetable on its own, and the chunk’s number sets the frame size, so the oscillator switches to WAVEtable as soon as you load it. An untagged file only loads as a table if the oscillator is already set to WAVEtable and the length is a multiple of 2048, and the frame size is then assumed to be 2048. You can force anything mono to load with the WAVE option in the browser’s context menu, but a table with 256 or 1024-sample frames loaded that way is still cut at 2048.
WaveStack’s Deluge target writes a mono WAV with a clm chunk every time, so each file is recognized as a table and carries its real frame size. It keeps your frame size if it’s a power of two up to 8192 and resamples anything else to 2048. The firmware reads exactly four digits from the chunk, so 8192 is the largest size a tag can state. Samples are 24-bit: Synthstrom’s community manual notes that float files cost a little more processing. With the card linked, files go into SAMPLES/WAVETABLES; the Deluge’s file browser shows everything under SAMPLES, so they’re one folder in from where browsing starts.
In a linked folder, stereo files and untagged files whose length isn’t a multiple of 2048 show as needing conversion, and Convert all rewrites them as tagged mono WAVs.
Specifications
| File type | Mono WAV (AIFF only when forced) |
|---|---|
| Samples per frame | Powers of two from 8 to 8192 (the clm tag holds four digits); 2048 most common |
| Frame size detection | Serum clm chunk; untagged files assumed 2048 |
| Frames | Limited by RAM |
| Channels | Mono only |
| Card folder | Anywhere under SAMPLES (WaveStack uses SAMPLES/WAVETABLES) |
From WaveStack to the Deluge
- Take the SD card out of the Deluge and put it in your computer.
- In WaveStack, open Export (⌘E), choose Deluge, and under Save to click Link a folder and pick the card. Tables go into
SAMPLES/WAVETABLES. - Click Save to Deluge, then eject the card and put it back.
- On the Deluge, press shift + synth to make a new synth, then use the browse shortcut under SAMPLE 1 (or SAMPLE 2).
- Choose the BOT-TOP option so the file covers the whole keyboard, then browse to
WAVETABLESand load your table. The oscillator switches to WAVEtable on its own. - Turn CUSTOM 2 to sweep the position, or patch an envelope or LFO to it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I load custom wavetables onto the Deluge?
Copy mono WAV tables anywhere under the SAMPLES folder on the SD card. On the Deluge, press shift + synth for a new synth, use the browse shortcut under SAMPLE 1, pick the BOT-TOP range option, and browse to the file. If the file has a Serum clm chunk, the Deluge recognizes it as a wavetable and sets the oscillator type to WAVEtable for you. WaveStack’s Deluge target writes that chunk into every file and saves to SAMPLES/WAVETABLES.
Why won’t the Deluge load my file as a wavetable?
Usually it’s stereo or untagged. Stereo files can never be wavetables on the Deluge. An untagged mono file only loads as a table when the oscillator is already set to WAVEtable and the length is a multiple of 2048 samples. You can force it with the WAVE option in the browser’s context menu (hold the select knob), but the frame size is then assumed to be 2048, so a table built at another size will sound wrong. A mono file with a clm chunk avoids all of this.
What frame size does the Deluge need?
Any power of two from 8 to 8192 samples, with 2048 the most common. The firmware reads four digits from the tag, which is where 8192 comes from. The size comes from the file’s clm chunk; without one the Deluge assumes 2048. Tables at 256 or 1024 samples work fine as long as they’re tagged. Single-cycle files under 20 ms are a separate case: they load as SINGle-cycle waveforms and can be any length, such as 600 samples. WaveStack keeps power-of-two frame sizes and resamples anything else to 2048.
How many frames can a Deluge wavetable have?
Synthstrom says the number of cycles is limited only by the Deluge’s RAM, so there’s no fixed maximum like Serum’s 256. Large tables still take memory away from samples in the same song. Most tables work well at 64 to 256 frames because the Deluge interpolates between neighboring frames. WaveStack exports the frame count you have, so trim a long table before exporting if you’re short on memory.