The 259e Twisted Waveform Generator's memory bank wavetables scan volatile program memory, producing unpredictable and non-repeating timbres

From revision 5 onward, the 259e offers three memory bank wavetables (a, b, c) that are not actual waveform lookup tables but portions of the module’s volatile operating program ROM. The content changes every power cycle, making these timbres unrepeatable across sessions. When a memory bank table is selected, the FM controls are repurposed as mem-skew table scanning controls; FM inputs become table modulators. A morph voltage pans between two selected tables; a warp voltage varies the driving sine wave amplitude. Don Buchla described this as radically weird timbres not recommended for those over 25 years of age.

Examples

Select memory bank table a on one side and table b on the other of the 259e; use a slow LFO on the morph input to crossfade between the two unpredictable timbres for a constantly evolving sound.

Assessment

Explain why two performances using the 259e’s memory bank tables in the same patch will sound different. Describe what happens to the FM controls when a memory bank table is active.