Waldorf Blofeld - Anyone own one?

[lionscub68]

Just bumping this thread to mention to the evening crowd that I've got a desktop blofeld with SL Sampling License installed; see my note earlier in the thread.

[deastman]

How do you like the sampling option? I haven't been able to convince myself that it's worth the money. I have plenty of other places to load and process samples. Still, once in a while I hear it calling to me...

[lionscub68]

How do you like the sampling option? I haven't been able to convince myself that it's worth the money. I have plenty of other places to load and process samples. Still, once in a while I hear it calling to me...

Like the previous poster, I was gung-ho to not only put in my own samples (lengthy obvious samples), as well as snippets or custom waveforms, like the Virus TI can. I only got so far. I work full time, and am a single parent. I have discovered I don't have time for it.

EDIT: "Don't have time for it" is probably code for "I don't like the operating system." Like I wrote in an earlier post, I come from the world of ROland anaogs and Korgs up to the M1 (and also the microkorg/MS2000). I understand the system of those machines. This one is different enough to get me frustrated. I'd rather be happy and simple than learn another operating system at this point. I don't hate the machine; it sounds great. I just have so many other things going on// other things I'd rather pursue.

From what little I've played around solely with the factory waveforms/sample set? It's an awesome implementation.

[KungKrille]

How do you like the sampling option? I haven't been able to convince myself that it's worth the money. I have plenty of other places to load and process samples. Still, once in a while I hear it calling to me...

You probably know it already but to be clear - the License SL won't let you record audio on the Blofeld, just load samples. Is it worth it? Not the money I think. It's not like you are installing an expansion board, you are just unlocking a feature that is already there to a high price. Then it depends on what you wan't to use the option for. Personally I wouldn't spend that money for another sample player. But if you intend to integrate samples into your presets and mangle them through the filters, FM and ring modulator then it might interest you. Or use short snippets with sharp attacks and create the 80's sounds like the D50 and M1.

[stikygum]

But if you intend to integrate samples into your presets and mangle them through the filters, FM and ring modulator then it might interest you. Or use short snippets with sharp attacks and create the 80's sounds like the D50 and M1.

That is part of the charm of being able to use samples in a synth in the first place. The Blofeld has one of the nicest most extensive synth engines out there. Many synths out there start to carve their own character because of the samples used. I think the Blofeld SL is a vast untapped world of sonic exploration that is waiting out there for someone to search for and find the magic dwelling within. All the mod options and the extensive Arp it has is quite amazing. Not to mention it has all of the Q and XT waveforms and then some. Dang if that doesn't make you drool, then you just don't like digital. If you are going to use the Blo to play samples, that seems like a lost cause to me. The Blofeld is so deep that it would be a shame not to twist user samples. The SL option is like a dream come true. No limits with your sound sources and end results!

I just bought a Blofeld SL so I'll see how I get along with the sampling option, but to me that's awesome in itself being able to twist samples the way the Blofeld can. It's very intriguing to use your own samples with wavetables. The Blofeld sounds great as is, but I've had interesting ideas the Blofeld being taken to another level with user samples and an outboard analog filter (even though I like the Blo filter), somewhat ala Q Plus. For $650 new, you get a lot and it really doesn't have a limit to it's potential.

[EvilDragon]

Some already did find the magic dwelling within

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXvQs4Nq06c

[stikygum]

Some already did find the magic dwelling within

Yep, his videos and there are one or two other people on youtube that show glimpses of what the Blofeld can achieve. Surprised there aren't more because the Blofeld is so capable. I guess most people don't like to edit But I think Jexus' display the variety of the Blofeld the best. Can't wait to get my hands on it. The Blofeld gives me GAS for the Pulse 2, especially with the discovery that Waldorf might be making an FX board to plug inside the Pulse 2. That could take the Pulse 2 to another dimension.

[KungKrille]

Some already did find the magic dwelling within

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXvQs4Nq06c

That was one of the videos that made buy the Blofeld and this guys videos too, though the sounds are not exactly experimental:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1g9ZqJ5GMs

I think I will spend some time today on transferring the samples from my Kawai K1 and see what they can end up like going through the Blofeld engine

[elwood]

Oh yes, Jexus... I also enjoyed his "Buying & Transporting & Playing Blofeld" video, it hilarious!

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic of my first synth Ensoniq SQ1+, I wish I had the raw samples from that thing to transfer to the Blo. While googling for the samples, I found some Ensoniq SQ-80 raw waves, maybe I'll take my first try attempt at figuring out how to send them via the Spectre app.

[lionscub68]

Oh yes, Jexus... I also enjoyed his "Buying & Transporting & Playing Blofeld" video, it hilarious!

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic of my first synth Ensoniq SQ1+, I wish I had the raw samples from that thing to transfer to the Blo. While googling for the samples, I found some Ensoniq SQ-80 raw waves, maybe I'll take my first try attempt at figuring out how to send them via the Spectre app.

Let me know how long that freakin' process takes you to get something... palatable. There's always the possibility the warden will make a last-minute reprieve and stop the execution (and I'd keep my blofeld).

[KungKrille]

Oh yes, Jexus... I also enjoyed his "Buying & Transporting & Playing Blofeld" video, it hilarious!

I saw that one too while I was researching Blofeld on Youtube and I didn't see the warning. Making fun of poor, old and sick or fat people is not my humour . His other musicial videos are good though.

[DocT]

Blofeld is a tweaker's synth for sure!

For sure. But if you tweak too much, it can suddenly Sound somewhat strange:

http://www.trippler.net/files/blo/blovessel.mp3

All sounds from the Blo except Trent Reznor's vocals of course

[sinkmusic]

It sounds great !
Did you process the sounds much, or is it "just" very well done ?

[VitaminD]

Oh yes, Jexus... I also enjoyed his "Buying & Transporting & Playing Blofeld" video, it hilarious!

I saw that one too while I was researching Blofeld on Youtube and I didn't see the warning. Making fun of poor, old and sick or fat people is not my humour . His other musicial videos are good though.

I agree. I found it on youtube after seeing elwood's comment and closed the browser window after about half way though. poor taste.

[elwood]

Let me know how long that freakin' process takes you to get something... palatable. There's always the possibility the warden will make a last-minute reprieve and stop the execution (and I'd keep my blofeld).

Had a look at the Spectre manual and the app itself of course. Loading up the samples looks perfectly doable. The SQ-80 samples that I found are mostly single cycle waveforms. There are some short percussive or sort of sharp attack samples too, only a handful of longer, say 1-2 second samples. Plus they are in AIFF format and Spectre only accepts WAVs so they'd need to be converted first. I think I'll try some of the samples from Amiga sample disk pack I downloaded a while ago. I'm not sure if one needs to always transfer the whole pack or if one can just append to existing samples.