Waldorf Blofeld - Anyone own one?

[KungKrille]

I was not talking about transfering data, but Spectre's workflow is slow (for setting up a drumkit to export it as a sample).

I think Spectre is fairly quick actually. Load a sample, CTRL+LMB to set the root key, ALT+LMB to set the high key, load next sample and so on. To bad it doesn't seem to work with one sample/key, at least not for me

[sinkmusic]

That's it.
i wish we could have just a "drum mode", where each sample is assigned to one key.
It woudl avoid having to set low/high key for each sample.

[lionscub68]

Sorry, i wasn't clear.
I was not talking about transfering data, but Spectre's workflow is slow (for setting up a drumkit to export it as a sample).

oh. I got it now.
slow = bad in today's world.

I am going to give my blofeld one more try here this weekend.
If he doesn't make me feel musical joy, it's off to auction for him.

Question: Does Largo import your own waveforms and samples?

I'm beginning to look more at Alchemy for this feature.
But honestly, I was looking more at hardware toys lately than software; I want to rebuild my hardware empire for those days when all my VSTs stop working, you know, the future, when some random OS update for for computer makes it so the VST no longer functions.

[EvilDragon]

Question: Does Largo import your own waveforms and samples?

Nope.

[lionscub68]

Question: Does Largo import your own waveforms and samples?

Nope.

Bummer, and, good to know. Thanks.

[zerocrossing]

Sorry, i wasn't clear.
I was not talking about transfering data, but Spectre's workflow is slow (for setting up a drumkit to export it as a sample).

oh. I got it now.
slow = bad in today's world.

I am going to give my blofeld one more try here this weekend.
If he doesn't make me feel musical joy, it's off to auction for him.

Question: Does Largo import your own waveforms and samples?

I'm beginning to look more at Alchemy for this feature.
But honestly, I was looking more at hardware toys lately than software; I want to rebuild my hardware empire for those days when all my VSTs stop working, you know, the future, when some random OS update for for computer makes it so the VST no longer functions.

This is like moving away from San Francisco because you might die in an earthquake. Sure, it does happen, but the year after the 89 quake more people died in a harsh winter in NY than died in the Loma Prieta earthquake. Also, hardware can die as well. One day in the middle of a gig my KAOSS pad just stopped working and that was that. My Vox Continental organ died of old age.

Don't get me wrong, I love hardware, but I also don't see the point in having it if it doesn't make sense. I wouldn't be put off Largo because it doesn't let you import your own waveforms or samples. As you mentioned, there are excellent products like Alchemy that do. But I think of Alchemy as a totally different beast.

The truth of the matter is that for wavetables, sample playback, resynthesis, additive, software is truly king. There are no hardware equivalents to Alchemy and even the infamous Neuron didn't allow user sample import. (there's a free Mac/Intel version now btw) Also look at Absynth, Poseidon, and Iris. Also hybrid products like Synthmaster, Zebra 2, etc allow for amazing flexibility at a pretty low price and they take up no space, In the end I think I've been using plug in instruments for... well since XP service pack 2 at least and I don't think I have a plug in that no longer works in my Windows 8 system. I Say save your hardware cash for something like the Prophet 12 which at least has analog filters.

[KungKrille]

Here's a set with Kawai K1 samples. I think they are 8-bit samples because they sound very lofi. Not all are that useful but you can always create your own set. My favourites are K1VoiceLoop and K1StringLoop (sounds a bit like mellotron).

Kawai K1 Samples

I made a quick patch here that you can try. You obviously need the samples above and it will replace A012:
Kawai K1 Preset

[lionscub68]

Don't get me wrong, I love hardware, but I also don't see the point in having it if it doesn't make sense. I wouldn't be put off Largo because it doesn't let you import your own waveforms or samples.

zerocrossing, I'm not putting off Largo because it doesn't import samples/wavetables; I was comparing it to the functionality of the blofeld in that regard.

I understand your analogy about the software vs hardware conundrum completely. It comes down to what *I want*. I want a synth that's (gasp) intuitive and easy to use. That and has realisticly responding knobs and buttons. Ask around, you'll hear that you have to twist the sh*t out of the knobs on the blofeld to yield responsiveness; vs any other harder synth, a little turn yields a big response (the Virus has the best response knobby wise I've ever experienced). It's that hardware knob travel that adds another straw to the camel's back.

The other thing I desire is to have at least a semblance of a hardware setup that mirrors or at least has similar functionality to my software setup: amalog, digital, FM, sampler, drum machine, reverb, modulation effects, distortion, compression... the basics. I start getting picky with the synths.

I'd rather be playing than programming or figuring out midi assignments per parameter any day.

[chk071]

Using only software, hardware only would make sense to me, if ALL the controls would be accessible on the synth itself. If i have to download an editor, to be able to access all parameters, then i can as well use software. Analogue synths as an exception of course. But, for example, i took a look at the Novation Mininova, as it seems to have a good value for money with all its functions, and sound pleased me too. But the imagination of using it with only a couple of knobs makes me shiver. Nothing worse than having to dial through gazillions of menus to access one parameter... not to talk about computer integration, and the ability to only use one instance at a time.

Each to its like of course... if the hardware would have a lot of knobs, it would pretty quickly become expensive of course, so i can understand the lack of controls on most entry level synths.

[lionscub68]

Using only software, hardware only would make sense to me, if ALL the controls would be accessible on the synth itself. If i have to download an editor, to be able to access all parameters, then i can as well use software. Analogue synths as an exception of course.

BINGO, chk701. You get a cigar.
I have honestly considered just swapping the blofeld for a Studiologic Sledge, just on this principle.

[Aural Chaos]

Using only software, hardware only would make sense to me, if ALL the controls would be accessible on the synth itself. If i have to download an editor, to be able to access all parameters, then i can as well use software. Analogue synths as an exception of course.

BINGO, chk701. You get a cigar.
I have honestly considered just swapping the blofeld for a Studiologic Sledge, just on this principle.

Then you'd be trading more knobs for less synth....

[zerocrossing]

The other thing I desire is to have at least a semblance of a hardware setup that mirrors or at least has similar functionality to my software setup: amalog, digital, FM, sampler, drum machine, reverb, modulation effects, distortion, compression... the basics. I start getting picky with the synths.

I'd rather be playing than programming or figuring out midi assignments per parameter any day.

Fair enough. Then I'd suggest totally forgetting the Blofeld (though from what I gather it's matrix style of UI isn't all that bad) and look into one of it's knobby ancestors or a Prophet 12. What about the Nord Wave? Every demo I ever heard of that synth sounded great to me. The Blofeld, good as it it, was trying to come down in a certain price point and that means corners were cut. Of course no instrument is "no compromise" but the Blofeld seemed to have a fair amount of compromise built into it's design. That's why I like Largo, but I'm also the guy who rarely touches his Prophet 08 because I have the software editor. To me, the Prophet... and actually all my hardware synths, could be black boxes with power and USB in and out and if they had a decent software editor I'd be fine. To me I buy hardware because it has a unique or high quality sound that software doesn't quite reach, though that's getting hard to find in digital synth world.

[zerocrossing]

Using only software, hardware only would make sense to me, if ALL the controls would be accessible on the synth itself. If i have to download an editor, to be able to access all parameters, then i can as well use software. Analogue synths as an exception of course.

BINGO, chk701. You get a cigar.
I have honestly considered just swapping the blofeld for a Studiologic Sledge, just on this principle.

Then you'd be trading more knobs for less synth....

That's not always a bad thing. Some of my favorite instruments are damn simple. Like my Sub Phatty. Basic as far as subtractive synths go, but great sound and if I feel the need to tart it up a bit, there are always outboard and software effects I can pass it though.

[elwood]

Here's a set with Kawai K1 samples. I think they are 8-bit samples because they sound very lofi. Not all are that useful but you can always create your own set. My favourites are K1VoiceLoop and K1StringLoop (sounds a bit like mellotron).

Kawai K1 Samples

I made a quick patch here that you can try. You obviously need the samples above and it will replace A012:
Kawai K1 Preset

Thank you for these! I'll definitely include some of them in my lo-fi collection. Also, the K1 test patch is nice, the comb filter sounds lovely on the samples you selected. I like your piano samples too, they are just perfect for some moody stuff.

Actually, you can select the save location locally on the Blofeld when storing the patch, after sending the sysex to Blofeld. So there is no worry about accidentally overwriting something as the patch is temporarily placed in the edit buffer until you decide to store it.

[KungKrille]

Actually, you can select the save location locally on the Blofeld when storing the patch, after sending the sysex to Blofeld. So there is no worry about accidentally overwriting something as the patch is temporarily placed in the edit buffer until you decide to store it.

Aha, I still have a lot to learn I see so thank you I learned something else today. I mentioned I had trouble with a sample program in which I had assigned one sample/key but the pitch was wrong. I found out that Blofeld only reads the root key once. If you have a sample in several programs with different root keys only the first root key will be used.