8.7Great
Hive 2 is a u-he subtractive/wavetable software synthesizer with two stereo oscillator pairs, dual multimode filters, and onboard effects.
Plugin comparison
u-he Hive 2 vs Waldorf Microwave 1 Plugin
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which synth to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
Contenders
The side-by-side
8.3Great
Waldorf Microwave 1 Plugin is a software recreation of the classic Microwave hybrid wavetable synth, with V2 expanding polyphony to 32 voices.
Score verdict
Which should you buy?
On the Dubspot Score, u-he Hive 2 comes out ahead (8.7). That said, the right pick depends on your workflow and budget — read both reviews before deciding.
Technical matrix
Specs compared
| Signal | u-he Hive 2 | Waldorf Microwave 1 Plugin |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €149 | €99 |
| Dubspot Score | 8.7 | 8.3 |
| Formats | CLAP, VST3, AUv2 (macOS), AAX (64-bit) | VST3, AU, AAX |
| Oscillators | 2 pairs of stereo oscillators, 9 waveforms each, plus wavetable option (140 wavetables included), up to 16x unison per oscillator, tunable sub-oscillators | — |
| Filters | 2 multimode filters (lowpass, highpass, bandpass, bandreject, peaking, comb, reverb, dissonant, sideband) | — |
| Polyphony | Up to 16 voices; mono, legato and duophonic modes | Up to 32 voices (V2; original plugin was 8) |
| Modulation | 2 LFOs, 2 pairs of ADSR envelopes, 12x2 modulation matrix slots with modifiers, shape sequencer, function generators | — |
| Effects | 7 onboard effects (distortion, chorus, delay, phaser, EQ, reverb, compressor) | — |
| Presets | 2400+ NKS-ready factory presets | — |
| Instrument type | — | Hybrid wavetable synthesizer recreation |
| Version | — | Microwave 1 Plugin V2 |
| Price | — | €99 promotional / €149 regular (confirm on Waldorf store) |
| Formats | — | VST3, AU, AAX (per Waldorf distribution) |
| Heritage | — | Based on the 1989 Waldorf Microwave hardware |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.