Synthoid Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 I've heard these units are shipping. Anyone have one yet? Thumbs up or down? When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdkey Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 It sounds like a bargain if the price I have seen is correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted January 20, 2008 Author Share Posted January 20, 2008 Yeah, it's $699.....of course it's a small tabletop unit with few controls. But it's a nice size for lugging around too. I just thought someone here could shed some light on the build quality....sounds, etc. When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archetype Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 The demos sound very pleasing, and the price and design are excellent; I think these will be a big hit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I played one briefly at NAMM - see my comments in the 2008 NAMM Reports thread. It has very solid build quality and is a cool size/shape. The interface was easy to use. The sounds I heard were good, but there was a lot of background noise and so I did not really get to have a great demo on it. Regards, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluescreen Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I have some Blofeld sounds here: Blofeld sounds My pre-series version however has a nasty high pitched background noise that's very audible in the demos. The serial version had a hardware modification, there's no more background noise. Waldorf seems to have some difficulties at the moment to produce enough Blofelds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 Waldorf seems to have some difficulties at the moment to produce enough Blofelds. Wish they would get their act together. That little thing was introduced a year ago at NAMM and just started shipping like a few weeks ago. When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted January 22, 2008 Author Share Posted January 22, 2008 Maybe we'll see a review in Keyboard mag next month. When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted February 6, 2008 Author Share Posted February 6, 2008 So has anyone bought one yet? When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 My latest understanding of this device is different from when I first heard it announced last year and thought it to be a microQ in a new tabletop form factor. From recent reports, it seems to also combine engines of the full-blown Q (but not the Q+) as well as the MicroWave XT. I owned several of Waldorf's vintage synths for a year or so up until recently. I originally thought they were going to come in useful, as they mostly have analog filters (with some digital filters as well), but found Waldorf's synths in general to be very "up-front" and not appropriate for music where they would be sitting in the background or mixed with vocals. Not necessarily electronica-oriented; simply more aggressive than I like. Ironically, I bought the $79 Waldorf Collection soft synths and effects last year and use them all the time. Although the PPG Wave isn't as full-featured as the microWave XT, I find it works really well in a mix and has helped me on several cover songs including Blondie's "Heart of Glass". And I use Attack as my primary source for vintage drum machine sounds, as it is a Virtual Analog synth vs. sample-based, so does a great CR78/CR8000/TR808 family of emulations (even a TB303!). I could have sworn that I read recently that the Blofeld also includes the wavetables from the PPG Wave? Oh, this isn't meant to be a "don't buy" recommendation -- there should be enough audio demos to judge by. And I think they improved upon the sources from what some reviews said, so maybe the Blofeld isn't as aggressive sounding (I can't listen to audio until I'm home, so haven't yet clicked on the link above). As for price, it's a steal: I paid about that much each for the microQ-Rack, microWave XT-rack, and almostg as much for the Pulse (monosynth for bass and lead). Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted February 7, 2008 Author Share Posted February 7, 2008 I could have sworn that I read recently that the Blofeld also includes the wavetables from the PPG Wave? Yes, that's true. But I'm not able to audition the unit and the MP3's I've heard don't really help much. Mark, I've heard the same thing about Waldorf stuff that you mentioned as well....the sounds are usually very metallic, harsh and grainy. Anyone have any warm and fuzzy Waldorf pad sounds? When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Fortner Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Hey gang, I'm reviewing it for the May issue, in fact. It's indeed pretty correct to say that it's Q-meets-MicroWave, as it does full analog modeling, and in addition, oscillators 1 and 2 (you get three oscs per voice), have a lot of wavetables - 68 by my count, including all those from the once-unattainable Waldorf Wave. (Actually, it's still unattainable, albeit for different reasons.) The one called "UpperWaves" is indeed the original PPG wavetable. I'm still trying to get my head around how much it resembles the full Q vs the Micro-Q, both of which I already know had only two wavetables available to the oscillators in their original operating systems. To my ears, it's the quietest Waldorf synth ever, with the smoothest-sounding behavior when you sweep a wavetable or filter setting or otherwise change the controls. I don't know (yet) what it's using for internal chips and A/D's, but they sound like they're a product of today, not yesterday. The arpeggiator is just mad. As for factory sounds, while a lot of them do lean towards that aggressive, metallic, and sometimes detuned Berlin-school industrial vibe, others are quite "warm and fuzzy," indeed. The modeled waves are smooth and don't sound grainy to me, and with them alongside the wavetables, you can do lilty pads that could have come from a Jupiter-8, proggy leads that could be a Minimoog, or that Thomas Dolby PPG "Windpower" bass, equally well. Hey, I'm writing the review here, aren't I? I'd better get back to doing it in the way that meets our deadline, or Ernie'll chew me a new one! Stephen Fortner Principal, Fortner Media Former Editor in Chief, Keyboard Magazine Digital Piano Consultant, Piano Buyer Magazine Industry affiliations: Antares, Arturia, Giles Communications, MS Media, Polyverse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildbill Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Any chance you could find out what's causing the delays in production/shipping, and when we can expect to see a steady supply of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Fortner Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 My understanding is that the Waldorf guys in Germany had to completely restart from the ground up. In manufacturing, even for a relatively simple box like the Blofeld (simple from a physical standpoint, not in terms of the code that went into it), that's a huge deal. The American distrib, MV Pro Audio, is on their case almost daily about the demand for units. I don't have a concrete answer as to when, but I'll see how close I can get. Stay tuned... Stephen Fortner Principal, Fortner Media Former Editor in Chief, Keyboard Magazine Digital Piano Consultant, Piano Buyer Magazine Industry affiliations: Antares, Arturia, Giles Communications, MS Media, Polyverse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 Does the Blofeld support full-MIDI-range tuning tables like the Microwave did? Is the tuning resolution improved over 1.56 cent/MIDI note? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted March 14, 2008 Author Share Posted March 14, 2008 It is shipping.....several online suppliers have them. When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdman Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 Why is it called the Blofeld? Does it have a cricket commentator sample? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted March 15, 2008 Author Share Posted March 15, 2008 Why is it called the Blofeld? It's named after a character in an old James Bond movie. When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildbill Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 My understanding is that the Waldorf guys in Germany had to completely restart from the ground up. In manufacturing, even for a relatively simple box like the Blofeld (simple from a physical standpoint, not in terms of the code that went into it), that's a huge deal. The American distrib, MV Pro Audio, is on their case almost daily about the demand for units. I don't have a concrete answer as to when, but I'll see how close I can get. Stay tuned... Thanks. The place I usually buy from is sold out and backordered and they've been waiting for a while. I didn't know if it was production problems, or maybe some type of obscure allocation system in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted March 15, 2008 Author Share Posted March 15, 2008 Update: I had been told that a few online retailers had them in stock, but after actually checking--that's not the case. I was lied to. When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zahush76 Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 i've heard all the demos by trippler, and this sounds very good. so, now i have two options of what to do with the money i saved: 1) buy a used PEK. 2) buy a new MEK + blofeld, instead of a PEK. what do you guys think? Vermona Perfourmer mkii, Nord Stage 3 76 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 Hmm, after Steve Fortner's preview, I may need to take a listen at the updated audio samples... I always liked the synth architecture but just found the core sound too harsh (even when doing my own custom presets). Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Does the Blofeld support full-MIDI-range tuning tables like the Microwave did? Is the tuning resolution improved over 1.56 cent/MIDI note? Rumor has it the Blofeld does not have user tuning tables at all. That's a step backwards, and an unnecessary one. It's supposed to still support Hermode Tuning though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.J. Lewis Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Why is it called the Blofeld? It's named after a character in an old James Bond movie. As all the new Waldorfs are... ivorycj Main stuff: Yamaha CP88 | Korg Kronos 2 73 | Kurzweil Forte 7 | 1898 Steinway I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted March 19, 2008 Author Share Posted March 19, 2008 I just hope they don't all "Die Another Day." When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 A relisten to those audio demos (or rather, my first listen as it's pretty time-consuming to go through them all), reinforces my view of Waldorf synths, with the exception of the PPG Wave emulation which is creamy (yet can also be edgy) and sits well in a mix compared to the more "industrial" sounding Q and microWave derived sounds. Nevertheless, for those who don't want to do as I did and go the soft synth route for digital stuff, having the PPG Wave stuff available in the Blofeld could be reason enough to buy it -- and those industrial sounds might come in useful for soundtrack work. Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 No user tuning tables is a turnoff. The only hardware synths that interest me now are the real analogs and the V-Synth line. There are many softsynth offerings that do have the user tunings, wavetable scanning, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthoid Posted March 20, 2008 Author Share Posted March 20, 2008 having the PPG Wave stuff available in the Blofeld could be reason enough to buy it -- and those industrial sounds might come in useful for soundtrack work. +1 I hope they ship soon. When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesWI Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 The Sonic State video from the 2008 Music Messe was interesting. Blofeld Video Page www.cityprayz.com www.thesalvationpoem.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 Blofeld has got some love in a patch editor for iOS, https://coffeeshopped.com/patch-base Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.