Overview
Hive 2 is a software synth from u-he. Either of its oscillators can be set to Wavetable, and the Wavetable 1 and Wavetable 2 pages in its central hexagon hold the controls for each table. A table holds up to 256 single-cycle waves, and the Position knob scans through them.
Hive adds several ways to move through a table without an LFO. WT Auto Mode scans once (One Shot) or repeatedly in one or both directions, at a speed set by Tempo. Reverse flips the frame order, and Cyclic adds a copy of the first frame at the end so loops don’t jump. An Interpolator setting decides how Position blends frames: switch (no blending), crossfade, spectral, or zero phase. u-he notes that spectral is the highest quality and the most CPU-hungry, and suggests crossfade for most uses.
Hive also has a second axis. Its Tables parameter sets how many rows the table is split into, and a Multi Position knob crossfades between rows. With 16 frames and Tables set to 4, Position moves along a row of four frames and Multi Position moves between the four rows, which makes Hive one of the few plugins with a built-in way to play a 2D table.
Wavetables on the Hive 2
Hive loads two kinds of table: WAV files and .uhm scripts, which build a table from text commands and formulas. u-he’s wavetable document says Hive reads mono or stereo WAVs as 2048 samples per frame by default, and works out the number of frames from the file size, up to 256. For other frame sizes the file name has to end in -WT plus the size, for example MyWavetable-WT512.wav, with 64, 128, 256, 512 or 1024 allowed. There’s no tag inside the file for frame size, so renaming a file can break it.
WaveStack’s Hive 2 target writes 2048-sample frames by default, with no suffix needed. If your table already uses 64, 128, 256, 512 or 1024 samples per frame, WaveStack keeps that size and adds the matching -WT suffix to the file name. Other sizes are resampled to 2048, and tables with more than 256 frames have frames picked evenly down to 256.
A 2D grid or 3D volume is flattened to one row, with a warning in Export. WaveStack writes a grid’s frames row after row, and Hive’s Tables parameter splits a table into rows in that same order, so setting Tables to the number of rows in your grid should give you its layout back, with Multi Position moving between rows.
Hive only lists tables in its Wavetables folder: /Library/Application Support/u-he/Hive/Wavetables/ on macOS and Documents\u-he\Hive.data\Wavetables\ on Windows. Subfolders are scanned too. After adding files from outside Hive, use Refresh Wavetables in the file selector menu so they show up. Presets store a table by its path, so don’t move or rename a table once a preset uses it.
Specifications
| Samples per frame | 2048 by default; 64, 128, 256, 512 or 1024 with a -WT suffix |
|---|---|
| Maximum frames | 256 |
| File types | WAV, .uhm (script) |
| Frame size detection | File name ending in -WT plus the size, e.g. Name-WT512.wav |
| Channels | Mono or stereo |
| 2D playback | Tables parameter splits frames into rows; Multi Position crossfades between them |
| User wavetable folder | Mac: /Library/Application Support/u-he/Hive/Wavetables/; Windows: Documents\u-he\Hive.data\Wavetables\ |
From WaveStack to the Hive 2
- Build or open a table in WaveStack.
- Press ⌘E and choose Hive 2 as what the table is for.
- Under Save to, link Hive’s Wavetables folder, or a subfolder inside it. Export lists the files already there as ready, needs converting or unreadable.
- Export. WaveStack writes a WAV at 2048 samples per frame, or keeps a smaller supported size and adds the -WT suffix.
- In Hive, set an oscillator to Wavetable, open the file selector menu and choose Refresh Wavetables, then pick the new table.
- Turn Position to scan. For a grid, set Tables to its number of rows and use Multi Position to move between them.
Frequently asked questions
How do I import custom wavetables into Hive 2?
Copy the WAV into Hive’s Wavetables folder, or a subfolder of it: /Library/Application Support/u-he/Hive/Wavetables/ on macOS or Documents\u-he\Hive.data\Wavetables\ on Windows. Then use Refresh Wavetables in the oscillator’s file selector menu, which u-he says is needed after adding files outside Hive, on the Mac too. If you link that folder in WaveStack’s Export, tables are written straight into it with the right file name.
What frame size does Hive 2 use?
2048 samples per frame unless the file name says otherwise. u-he’s documentation says Hive reads WAVs at 2048 by default, and a name ending in -WT plus a number (64, 128, 256, 512 or 1024), like MyWavetable-WT512.wav, sets a smaller size. Tables can have up to 256 frames. Hive’s .uhm scripts always work at 2048. WaveStack’s Hive target keeps those smaller sizes and adds the suffix for you.
Why does my wavetable sound wrong in Hive?
Usually the file name. Hive takes the frame size from a -WT suffix at the end of the name, so a 512-sample table without one is read as 2048-sample frames holding four cycles each, which sounds two octaves up and changes the tone. Renaming a file can also drop the suffix by accident. If the problem is a table that won’t load at all, the preset may point to a path that has moved. Re-export from WaveStack with the Hive 2 target to get the right name.
Can Hive 2 play 2D wavetables?
Yes, in its own way. The Tables parameter divides a table’s frames into rows, and Multi Position crossfades between rows while Position moves along each one. A 64-frame file with Tables set to 8 plays as an 8 × 8 grid. WaveStack exports grids for Hive as one row, frames written row after row, which is the order Hive splits them in. Set Tables to your grid’s row count to get the layout back.