KVR Audio

fliffo · Post by **fliffo** » Wed Sep 26, 2012 7:59 pm

Ok, I was looking for a compact but still powerful and handy to edit synth, oh...and not too pricey too!
The synth should have a large sound palette and possibly be multitimbral...
Well, Waldorf Blofeld Desktop seems to have all I'm looking for, and I was going to buy it...but all seems too easy,
I mean, where's the catch?
So, guys, are you aware of issues about this synth? Am I missing something? Is there something I should know
Before buying it?

JimmiG · Post by **JimmiG** » Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:45 am

The only "catch" is MIDI sync - tempo sync'ed LFOs, delays etc. sound a little glitchy. Almost everyone experiences this issue. Also just one stereo out even though it's 16 parts, so you're limited to what separate external effects (EQ most likely) you can apply to individual parts unless you multi-track.

I prefer the TI Snow for those reasons. It's more stable (though some have issues with the TI, too) and it has up to 3 or 4 stereo outs (depending on how you set it up) for its 4 parts. It costs a lot more though. Sound-wise, it's a matter of preference. The Blofeld is a *very* capable synth. It's also easier to edit from the front panel thanks to the superb parameter matrix.

V0RT3X · Post by **V0RT3X** » Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:46 am

Maybe consider trying out Waldorf Largo instead

mkdr · Post by **mkdr** » Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:59 am

V0RT3X wrote:Maybe consider trying out Waldorf Largo instead

+1

I have no idea how close it is to the Blofeld, but atleast it nails the sound of the older brother, Q (without effects and sequencer..)

EvilDragon · Post by **EvilDragon** » Thu Sep 27, 2012 10:23 am

Largo doesn't have:

* PPG filter
* sample loading
* custom wavetable import

Ingonator · Post by **Ingonator** » Thu Sep 27, 2012 11:00 am

As i have done a commercial soundset for the Blofeld (see my signature) you could guess i really like the synth. I also prefer it over Largo (also due to missing features listed above) even if i like both synths.

There is a public beta for OS1.16 online which for most people seems to fix existing problems:
http://www.waldorf-music.info/en/downlo ... ystem.html

Anyway i did not have big issues with OS v1.15 myself.

Ingo

fliffo · Post by **fliffo** » Thu Sep 27, 2012 12:09 pm

Thanks for your replies. What are the midi sync glitches JimmyG is talking about? It drifts?
Oh, and BTW, what is the Licence thing? How it works, practically?

fliffo · Post by **fliffo** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 8:30 pm

BTW I just bought it with Licence sl, second hand but really mint condition...350€ shipping included, seems a bargain to me.
The glitches / limitations described above are just minor annoyances for someone like me, who has always benn dealing with old hardware synths.

JimmiG · Post by **JimmiG** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 7:38 pm

fliffo wrote:Thanks for your replies. What are the midi sync glitches JimmyG is talking about? It drifts?
Oh, and BTW, what is the Licence thing? How it works, practically?

Tempo-synced LFO's have some audible stepping, they sound scratchy and glitchy. Tempo-synced Delay has some weird clicks and glitches, like someone is constantly making tiny adjustments to the delay time. This happens when syncing to external MIDI. With Internal MIDI clock, delay seems to work fine but LFOs still sound a little strange.

Example of LFO problem:
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/7337302-post1.html

It's probably a lack of processing power. Blofeld only has a 180 MIPS DSP and a simple 16-bit CPU for control (much less powerful than your smartphone, more like a 80386 CPU), which is tiny compared to many other hardware synths and microscopic compared with general-purpose CPUs like an Intel i7 or similar.

EvilDragon · Post by **EvilDragon** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 8:39 pm

It's not a lack of processing power - since unsynced LFOs can go up to 5000 Hz, there's no reason why tempo-synced LFOs wouldn't work nice and smooth. It's clearly a bug in programming.

That 180 MIPS DSP can be plenty powerful in the right hands, the example of it is the Blofeld itself. It's an extremely capable synth.

TwoToneshuzz · Post by **TwoToneshuzz** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 8:46 pm

I've been using the Blofeld keyboard version for a couple of years now. Pleased with it's sound, interface. Have not been using in ways where the qlitching reported here has been noticed.

Recommended for the keyboard the sound.

Could use more outputs.

deastman · Post by **deastman** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 9:18 pm

I have a Blofeld desktop as well as a full Q keyboard. I love the Blofeld, especially for its expanded selection of wavetables. I find it easy to program, and the bugs don't bother me. Mind you, I don't use it tempo synced, so I wouldn't care about that anyway.

JimmiG · Post by **JimmiG** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 8:30 am

EvilDragon wrote:It's not a lack of processing power - since unsynced LFOs can go up to 5000 Hz, there's no reason why tempo-synced LFOs wouldn't work nice and smooth. It's clearly a bug in programming.

That 180 MIPS DSP can be plenty powerful in the right hands, the example of it is the Blofeld itself. It's an extremely capable synth.

Possibly keeping it synced to an external signal loads the CPU and DSP in different ways. Or maybe it's simply not able to poll for the data frequently/quickly enough. With some simple/narrow buses and CPUs, polling for data might lock up the entire system for a few milliseconds...

I really don't know, but either way, I think if it was a bug in the programming rather than the hardware, it would have been fixed in the 4 years the OS has been in "development"...probably longer than the Blofeld itself was in development before release...

EvilDragon · Post by **EvilDragon** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 8:41 am

Nah, syncing is not that big a deal to cause much more significant loads on the CPU. Also, syncing doesn't have to be to external clock at all.

fliffo · Post by **fliffo** » Thu Oct 18, 2012 6:25 pm

Speaking about the delay clicks issue when syncing, I experienced it, but disappeared with the latest os upgrade (1.16 beta).

Tell me something about Waldorf Blofeld (desktop version).