WALDORF BLOFELD: Is Now the Time to Buy this OG Virtual Analog Synthesizer?
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
- It's 2007 and Waldorf, the company behind such incredible products as Quantum, Iridium Keys, M Wavetable, Kyra and Streichfett Strings is about to collapse.
Inheriting the DNA of the PPG Wave, as well as Waldorf's Wave, Q and Microwave, the Virtual Analog Synthesizer powerhouse is a Wavetable demon and pulled Waldorf back from the brink of financial destruction! Competing against synths like the Alesis Ion and Access Virus TI Snow, this desktop synthesizer can churn out all that rich, creamy digital goodness from that era. With two filters, a 16-slot modulation matrix, 3 lfo's and 4 envelopes, you can create anything you can dream up with this synth!
Really excited to try out the coelacanth of synthesizers live!
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I was just about to sell my Keyboard Blofeld on Reverb until I watched this. It's been in storage for over year and I forgotten how wonderful it really is.
A truly glorious machine.
What are you doing over there mate? We're talking about Waldorf my Guy, I haven't sold any of my waldorf gear it stays in temp controlled studio
The fact that this even sounds this good for the time it came out is mind blowing. I personally think this still stands the test of time. But reliability sounds like a whole other thing.
After a couple years of watching everyone and their brother talk up the little wedge I finally broke down and got one. I've just started playing with it and I'm already hooked. This is going to be a pad MONSTER. :D I think it'll make a perfect complement to my also-just-acquired JV-1010. These two gizmos have the last 3 or 4 decades' worth of sounds covered.
They really do!
Just finished a Trance Supersaw bank for this beauty) Not usual sounds, but what a power it have, I even didnt expected it from a VA synth
i would love to see new blofeld with more voices and controls on the front panel
Yeah, they're never really pursued multi-timbrality like the blofeld again, maybe because of how buggy things got.
I have the blofeld since it camed out and the micro Q in yello also, nice synth after all the years
This synthesizer has a very unique character (not sound quality) that it's difficult to replicate with a synthesizer of an another brand imo
Yes! It has that Waldorf *thing*
Blofeld saved Waldorf from bankruptcy. It might be not the best, but definitely good and capable synthesizer. And for the money it is great! I don’t see much point in SL license though, as I see it as a pure wavetable+VA synth.
The presets have very wide variation in volume compared to other synths (demonstrated in this video).
Thank you, Vulture Culture, for another great stream!
It's surprising, because it sounds like mediocre vst.
@@montazownianr1 Blofeld effects (especially reverb) are poor quality, but synth engine itself is not that bad and has that “Waldorf” character. Apparently there are people that like it (including me).
For some styles “mediocre” sounds is exactly what is needed - it’s all about musical context. :) But you have valid point - VSTs progressed for the last 15 years, for sure (Blofeld was released in 2007).
VST or not - that is matter or preference (BTW Waldorf has something similar to Blofeld in VST form - Largo).
Always good to have more choices.
@@montazownianr1 Mediocre means not a novelty 1970s simulator? Because not everyone wants to sound like a Switched On Ringling Brothers or is in a classic rock cover band.
Waldorf sells this synthesizer as virtual analog in the sense that it is digital and with manual controls. The first two are mutioscillators with subtractive synthesis engines, FM/AM, Wave Tables and 16-bit PCM Samples. It is also a modular synthesizer, with 16 modulations + 4 modifiers
Blofeld is actually analog modeled, has Q oscillators and filters like PPG modeled on the same synth and can stack 2 routable filters in series and parallel. They are stereo filters, hence their great stereophonic effect and spatiality.
The third oscillator is only subtractive and can be used as a sub-oscillator.
The 3 LFOs are also audio sounding oscillators, which you could say have 3 oscillators plus a corrector under the hood.
All this for a single preset in monotimbral mode.
Waldorf Blofeld is, with 25 notes of polyphony, the largest Waldorf to date.
It is also the one that accumulates the most multiparts with a total of 16 parts.
It has an arpeggiator that works like a step sequencer and is totally polyphonic, editable with many parameters, you can also create chord sequences and arpeggiate them.
Can be used as a 2-part multitimbral with 2 dedicated outputs. I use this to improvise double sequences in improvisations to record with logic.
The filters can be controlled using the mod matrix, to control with the mod wheels or whatever LFO you want to use for this task.
Blofeld is modular from all its sections, no matter how much you want to search for it, this one has it all.
Each filter can have a different LFO with different functions or modulation speeds, it gets very esoteric. You can even use a wavetable to control the filter with its sweep, it's another profound thing among many others it can do.
If I learn anything with this synthesizer it is that the Blofeld is really deep, it can do impossible things that you can't do on others, it can do everything, it has almost everything you want from a synthesizer and a very good alternative. to an access virus, with the advantage that Blofeld has a graphic screen that helps a lot to locate itself in the system, something that an access virus is more limited in that aspect.
It is not a synthesizer for lazy people, it is a tool for sound designers, it is not ideal for amateurs, if you want easier things with a minilogue or a minifreak you have enough to do more typical and classic things. Blofeld is for those who like big complicated sounds, professional programmers.
If they get into its depths they can end up with their brain collapsing and a major headache.
Best regards, I really liked the video.
Thank you for all the great information 🙏
I think Blofeld sounds better than all the new Waldorf synths, but with just 2 wavetables + Unisono = Dual selected, you have just FIVE voices. Ugh.
@@jeffc1753 Yes friend, that is not a problem for me, it is always good to use that for monophonic sounds, for percussion, bass, solo sounds, it all depends on how you use the resources and it depends a lot on what sounds you want to make. Polyphonic sounds with additive synthesis consume a lot of DSP and Blofeld has a DSP from 2009 in the keyboard version and one from 2007 in the module.
The functions that consume the most are 24db filters in parallel mode to create stereo effects for sweeps and modulation, the keytraking also consumes a lot and the FX are terrible and consume too much, I never use it.
25 voices of polyphony is the maximum that Waldorf offers in its hardware machines Quantum, iridium, kyra, M... all have 16 and 8 voices, while Pulse 2 is Waldorf's minimoog, the only analogue with great sound and with paraphony of up to 8 voices with its voice management trick.
that was fun to read :)
Yeah man, by the way, you were right about the oddities with this synthesizer, there are just a ton of them)) I spent a crazy amount of hours to finish the soundbank for this synth
I bet it was a bitch!
@@VultureCulture ahah😅 that's right, even exporting patches on PC was with a same feeling)
Waldorf synths are amazing. Pure unashamed & unblushing digital madness with alot of character. Not for the shy or faint heart ones! (Although in the right hands they also can sound very delicate and buttery smooth)
Great Blofeld review! Love it. For those interested and do not want to or can't deal with the hardware, Waldorf also have a software twin called Largo, as great and cool as the Blofeld. They're almost sound identical, a very nice software option to get the Waldorf sound in a vst :)
Now I just hope you'll have the chance to get your hands on my all time Waldorf favorite: the mighty Microwave XT!! Man I'd looove to see you review that orange monster :)
Finger crossed!
I'd love to check it out! Actually do you know if an XT and a Q have the same internals or are they different engines?
@@VultureCulture Good question. I'm far from a Waldorf technical pro or connoisseur (I only owned an XT, I say it past sentence cause I still have it but it's in a very, very poor condition unfortunately), but I know the XT has more flexibility than Q for the wavetables and the sweeps/traveling through them. Their filters differ too, the Q has a well known & powerful comb filter that the XT doesn't. I think their Arp/Sequencer differs too. So they have different features for sure, although I guess they sometimes overlap. As for the internal engines deep down the core, not sure! But one thing's sure, they both was sublime digital beasts. Hope you get the chance to review one! :)
I really love my full keyboard version. I'm new to synth having only played standard keyboards. It's had a huge impact on my musical expression. There's so much to manage but in time I feel confident I can gain full control of this beast.
It's a legendary piece of gear!
One of my buddies swears by this unit. Seems pretty cool.
It was nice to meet you at KnobCon friday night after the fire alarms in the hotel went off, HAHA!
The SynthCity booth was incredible, just grabbed a couple things from them the other day - ESQ-1 (with OS 3.5) and a JD-08.
So nice to meet you too! I love the ESQ-1 - such an amazing synth! I wanted that CS-30 but I don't have the funds lol
@@VultureCulture man, that CS30 would be so sick. Would go nice with my MS20/SQ10, haha!
@this_connor_guy MS-20 is the GOAT monosynth but the 30 might give it a run for its money 💰
@@VultureCulture yes, exactly. Had a 15 back in college. Always been curious about the 30.
@this_connor_guy what did you think of the 15?
It is probably best to buy the Blofeld new from the store. If you don't you just won't know the status of the encoders. I bought a used Blofeld in Berlin a few years back and had to send the synth to Waldorf and have them replace the encoders. Mind you this cost 35 Euro I think. It wasn't much. Plus shipping which was also pretty cheap. Maybe 15 Euro or something like that. Buy it new, cover it when not in use to protect from the dust and you'll be fine. Encoders will last a long time. When they finally give up the ghost Waldorf will replace them as per above.
Wise advice!
A lot of synth for the money.
Awesome video/format as always. Blofeld is already a classic and can pretty much go any music direction besides the most authentic throwback stuff.
If you're a CS-80 guy soundwise and like "in your face" "crisp", Nord lead A1 is the one. Just bought a Nord Lead 4 actually and it was my choice of any (reasonable) polysynth that's even slightly available.
And yeah, man. That's part of the charm of VA. Not exactly generic warmth but cutting, gusty, and go way more extreme than real analog. They have that dramatic flavor digital polys have over the funky, cheerful flavor of classic subtractive poly sounds.
I gotta check out a Nord at some point. It's a serious hole in my livestream catalog
@@VultureCulture Wrote out some ramblings and it got deleted or something, about to do it again, but all the Leads are sick provided you have something warmer as well if you need vintage poly sounds.
A1 is the most analog sounding and is just gorgeous (even the preset demos on the Nord site). The removal of impulse morph buttons is the main reason I got the 4 over it, these don't have aftertouch.. It factors in the knife like sound and drastic modulations that lend themselves to quicker, pluckier sounds with a lot character and finesse, not sure but AT is always neglected.
The complete package of a Lead is just stunning. Super lightweight, indestructible quality, and makes you play differently.. It's a legit finesse synth. You might end up keeping an A1 if you can live without AT, saw one a week ago for $1k when I bought my NL4. Velocity/wheel morph more than makes up for AT and the pitch stick is superior to a wheel.
Nice sounds 🎉
Such a great instrument!
I believe the Waldorf Blofled Keyboard used Fatar TP/9S unweighted keybed. So some of Fatar's Studiologic keyboards have the same keybed if you're looking for a controller with a similar feel.
Seriously why there is so much hate (and love too I know) about this fantastic synth? What other synth in this price range offer soo many preset as Blofeld? And these deep sound design option? I really don't understand if someone don't like it why is that? Could someone tell me?
People love to hate on excellence. Without Blofeld saving the company there would be no quantum mk ii
Dammn missed that one , it's actually on my to buy list..... not surprised you had to do a review on that classic :!!!
Give me one synth didgital or analog dat is 16 part multimbrale and have to total recall via vst (3rd party) , has a beautyfull filter (as good as an analog imho) , portable , near 500 euros ...
Always great videos !!!
Seriously! It might be the goat 🐐
Yep keep in mind that since you get a vst control , having another synth to control the vst that controls it , might solve the only issue i hvae with this : it's a little to cerebral in operation and less primitive like let'sv say a prologue or some , so i'm curious to try controlling this with another hw ... might be a fun video to do for you ;) controlling it for exemple with a system 8 @@VultureCulture
@ZozillaThaGreat that's a really cool idea!
Missed the stream, obviously, and am just now getting to watch it. The Blofeld is pretty impressive, especially considering how long it's been around. In some ways, it kind of sets some standards that no one else is stepping up to.
You must've walked into the tent just after I did to catch the guy with the violin. You're right -- the performances were really amazing.
The only booth sadder than Roland was Hammond. Roland was at least trying to be relevant. It's a shame they couldn't have had the GAIA 2 at Knobcon. Yeah, it's still a sample-based/wavetable synth, but you're right -- they're booth was abysmal.
Say hi next year! Knobcon was such an amazing time!
@@VultureCulture It sure was, and I sure will, if I'm able to make it. I have another, unrelated convention I have to be at in Pittsburgh the 9th-15th of September next year. So, it'll depend on which weekend Knobcon is going to be.
Gaia 2 was such a letdown. Not really much of an improvement over the original Gaia execpt maybe in the looks department, and too much money. I think it was telling how I started seeing used examples on Reverb for cheap within a couple of weeks of the intro. And Florian's *already* hit it on Bad Gear :D
@@mrz80 Agreed! It's not that it's a bad synth, really. But it's not the special synth that the original was, and it's way too much money. If it were in the $500-600 range, that might be a different story. And now, Korg has released the similarly overpriced and underwhelming King Korg NEO in the same format (and with the same keyboard) as the opsix/modwave/wavestate. At least GAIA2 has a much better keyboard than the Korgs.
I changed my JP-08 on Blofeld and I'm happy with tons of possibility and high qiality of sound from this machine. And yeah, oh Lecker :D
Yeah, it's an astonishing instrument - highly underated!
@@VultureCulture I found that people interesting in Trance sounds for this synth, and I started with creating it and usingultitimbtal for this. And it's doing a really impressive supersaw with some metallic sounds. Not typical but very powerful.
@NatLifeSounds it has a character all its own so it doesn't just sound like every other VA synth
@@VultureCulture yeah, it can sounds like a⚡
Darn shame Roland couldn't have managed a decent voice count on the early Boutiques. The JD-08, for example, has a lot of capability but the software support is not forthcoming, and it suffers from the much-decried tiny fader syndrome that affliced the JP-08. But I think Blofeld has as much if not more capability than the latter, and definitely more than the former.
Are these the presets? Or did the person you borrowed it from customize the patches? Asking because i got one second hand and not sure if want to reset to the presets... great vid by the way! Thank you very much for making this
I believe they're the presets it came with but I can't confirm that 100%
The first patch you tried was very similar to the opening sound to MJ Thriller done on the synclavaire I know I fucked up the spelling lol
Awesome vid! ❤ Question: Blofeld vs Minifreak, which one? Gettin my first hardware synth
Minifreak all day. I think the Blofeld is cool but not as powerful / analog as the Minifreak.
@@VultureCulture thx! Now, how abt minifreak vs hydrasynth?
I think that comes down to whether or not you care about the analog filters of the freak.
@@VultureCulture yea that's what keeping me from moving ahead - filters. Hydra can sound a bit "cold" imho.
@talktalk4503 don't buy a synth you don't like the sound of. I think you've made your decision on the minifreak
First time checking out your channel. Didn't notice how long the video was at first but stoked to see it's almost 2 hours long!! I bought a Blofeld 6 years ago but had to sell it during the pandemic to make some extra cash. Made me sad but now I'm considering repurchasing one. Torn between getting this again or a Roland Gaia 2. What would you suggest?
No doubt the Gaia would be more interactive but I really love the sound of the Blofeld!
@@VultureCultureThanks for the reply. And yeah same. I feel like I didn't get to have enough time with mine so I will buy another one. Love the channel btw!
@derrickadams520 thank you 🙏🙏🙏
Chalk and cheese to a large degree. New Blo can be got for ~£350 (see Scan Computers) while new Gaia 2 is ~£700. Gaia 2 is pure VA, Blo primarily wavetable with VA/FM second strings. Gaia 2 much more immediate and knob-per-function (though still some classic Roland menu diving). Gaia 2 is also a lot bigger as a unit (assuming the module version of the Blo, not keys.)
@@duketranslucent3rd I think the better comparison would be used Blo @ around 350 global media of exchange vs a used Gaia1 for about the same money. I don't think Gaia2 really nets you enough new stuff to warrant the price jump does it?
Can that Deep Space 9 patch be achieved on the Studio Logic Sledge? Awesome synth!
It doesn't look like they're directly compatible sadly. 2 filters and a mod matrix on the blofeld.
I learned synthesis on the waldorf blofeld. Probably the worst interface to learn on. Everything became muscle memory. As for a stereo width trick, set unison voice to three or four, then in the mod matrix; unison voice to filter pan and turn it all the way up......Instant stereo spread.
Nice trick!
I guess once you've learned on a tough interface like this every other synth must seem much easier!
@@VultureCulture Every synth since then has been cake. I still use the blofeld. nothing I have gets that early 2000's vibe like the blofeld.
Hi guys. Considering one of these to drive from my Digitone to expand it to 8 voices. I've heard it doesn't have a lot of horsepower. Can anyone tell me if it has the ability to run all 16 timbres in parallel - was considering using it for (say) 4 x 4-layer pads (not using samples)?
Check out this reddit post: www.reddit.com/r/synthesizers/comments/brinm4/is_it_a_mistake_to_buy_a_blofeld_for_its/
Perfect. Thanks a lot@@VultureCulture !
Any way to do a factory reset? ...I have a used one that was overwritten with patches that are not my kind of thing
You can download the factory sounds here: waldorfmusic.com/blofeld-en/#faqs
I love this machine. The presets are mediocre. This one begs you to program it.
I thought the presets were pretty good!
@@VultureCulture Of course a matter of taste. I find they are boring and trenched into far too much effects. For me best preset on the BLOFELD is the init-preset. 😁
@nichttuntun3364 I love that you make all your own sounds with it! Any problems with the menu diving?
@@VultureCulture it took me a while to get used to it and understand firmly. I say it's okay by now but I am thinking about trying out a VST controller plugin to make life easier.
@@nichttuntun3364 I guess one of the most useful habits is to save your temporary work more often as a press on the "Play"-button will kill your sound design work done so far.
Are these all factory presets?
Yes and they're incredible!
@@VultureCulture That is one thing that I always run into with Roland's synths - awesome engines hidden behind a Vaseline-smear-on-the-lens of horrifyingly bad factory presets. The only ones that don't really suffer from that problem are the JVs, but that's just because they have HUNDREDS of presets to choose from 😀
Hard to listen to a guy that can’t play keys, I’m outa here
THE quote if the night: "...but I'm a key presser right? That's I"ve been doing for so long. So I need BIG keyboards like this and there's got to be a lot of them and the've got to be BIG & SEXUAL right? 🔩💉📡🧲♂️
I can't believe some of the shit that I say sometimes 🤣
I won't stop you.
@@VultureCulture Jokes aside, just one thing: PLEASE don't thank satan (like in the vid) if something's gone right. One cant exclude to harm oneself with those words.