Is Waldorf Blofeld discontinued?

[EnGee]

My most hated loved synth. I hate menu diving and knob-lacking matrices. Great sound and pretty in-depth manipulation, but bring back a Q version. I guess the Sledge 2 is that keyboard version, but should make a sledge 2 module.

It's not that bad really, but I agree if there are more knobs, it would be better.
Anyway, after you get used to the places of env/lfo...etc, it begins to be easier.

As I solved the noise problems, I want to spend more time with it making my own presets and actually use it in my songs!

[chk071]

And another video.

[EnGee]

That's very nice video
Indeed it's very inviting to play with the keys and tweaking with the knobs. It also makes me feel that I don't need another hardware. It can fill 80% of my needs for sounds easily but it needs a long time to master and to use all its capabilities.

[chk071]

Yep. Regarding the video, i like sound example 3 the most. Wished i had that guy's sound design skills. I guess i just don't spend enough time with synths.

[masterhiggins]

Yep. Regarding the video, i like sound example 3 the most. Wished i had that guy's sound design skills. I guess i just don't spend enough time with synths.

Or the same amount of money. His synth collection is insane. He has dozens of videos all with different bitchin' synths. I'm jealous of his skills and possessions.

[chk071]

True hehe.

[EnGee]

Yep. Regarding the video, i like sound example 3 the most. Wished i had that guy's sound design skills. I guess i just don't spend enough time with synths.

You do have Largo, right? It's very similar. It also has 4 zones that you can make them splits or/and layers. The only difference I can remember now is the additional PPG Wave filter in Blofeld.

The secret IMO in his nice sounds and playing is modulation both in the matrix and by his fingers. He also very good at taking what Blofeld is capable of and show it (for example it's a waste of energy imo to try making Blofeld to sound like analog synth like with Monark or Diva, although it can make wonderful thick pads). Anyway, it's a very flexible synth (from the very few that has fade in/out for the LFOs for example). But from my experience, the sound design in Blofeld is easier than Largo! Maybe because not all the parameters in your face! So, try to use limited parameters and concentrate on them (by modulation also). There is no magic, practice makes perfect

[chk071]

Yeah, but i always think it also takes a lot of experience, and time to experiment, and time with the synth, to know what it is capable of, and to know what you're doing, and in which direction you'd want to go. I feel like it's very beneficial if you have fiddled with more simply synths before too, a lot of the talented guys seemed to have messed with synthesizers for ages really.

[recursive one]

I don't have a Blofeld but from what I know about it, it seems that it badly needs something like a Virus Control plugin.

[EnGee]

Yeah, but i always think it also takes a lot of experience, and time to experiment, and time with the synth, to know what it is capable of, and to know what you're doing, and in which direction you'd want to go. I feel like it's very beneficial if you have fiddled with more simply synths before too, a lot of the talented guys seemed to have messed with synthesizers for ages really.

Do you mean that you have difficulties understanding the signal flow in Largo for example? Or do you mean that you don't have time to play with it?

I agree, you need to begin with simple synths if you are starting to learn sound design. But if you already done that, then just take it easy with Largo. First identify the things that similar to what you know, then use them to build your sounds (whatever simple they are), then after time you begin to learn/understand more features and techniques and add them. Yes, it is very time consuming, but it is getting shorter next time as most of the synths now are Subtractive design based even if they use other syntheses. So, your knowledge would transfer more or less to other synths.

Also, knowing to play keys/piano is very helpful in designing sounds, because some sounds need to be played in certain way to be able to have the most of them.

I don't have a Blofeld but from what I know about it, it seems that it badly needs something like a Virus Control plugin.

It needs, yes I have no idea why they don't make it!! I mean they have already done Largo, so why they don't make a front GUI and VSTi version of Blofeld (like the one with Virus)? Yes, Blofeld is much cheaper than Virus but why they don't make a commercial one and sell it for Blofeld owners?!

I have purchased one from third party and I must disable the Midi Keyboard input/output so I can use the VSTi. It is also just gives feedback to what I modify in Blofeld, but not if I change the parameters in the VSTi !! It won't change the sound! So, it is one way interaction.

There is a free editor (mentioned in previous posts, and only works as standalone in windows) which is great really. Not nice looking, but very functional and it works the opposite way! Anything you modify in the editor, it is reflected in blofeld, but not the opposite! But still I prefer the free one when trying to make my own sounds. It has all the modulations easy to follow.

[Wormhelmet]

Patch Morpher on ipad has a blofeld version. Easy to make new sounds with it. Has a randomise feature. I paid for it, but don't remember how much.

[EnGee]

Patch Morpher is $10. It is cheap, but I couldn't demo all the functions because many of them are disabled in the demo. Anyway, I think I find it easier to just use the knobs and parameters in Blofeld, or just load the free blofeld editor in windows. It has an ugly interface, but it is really a very good one (better than the commercial ones available IMO):

[Wormhelmet]

Well, after contemplating selling off my blofeld and just buying a Virus, I have decided to give it another chance and bought a BCR2000 controller to use with it. Going to use some of the Blofeld presets and templates. I got into the matrix editor and the blofeld really has a nice contrast to some of the sounds I'm getting on my analog monosyntgs and the minilogue. The bcr2000 shoukd make editing a lot more fun and its quite cheaper than buying a Virus.

I really like the blofeld sounds and engine. Just needs more knobs.

[Wormhelmet]

Got my BCR2000. Found the website with 4 templates and all the sysex files, plus two sample sets.

Didn't load any sample sets yet as I like the one that is in there now., but after downloading drivers and installing and installing bc manager, it was really easy to load up the presets. Files also have the pdf templates to print out. You have to cut them to fit right, but they work. Now I have full knob and button control of the blofeld. Really easy to edit stuff. Took about 30 min to completely setup as a blofeld controller from out of the box with no previous files on the PC.

Not bad.

[EnGee]

That's nice really. I think you can label the knobs as well.

I'm going to see what I can do with the BeatStep connecting it to the Blofeld.

Thanks for writing back your experience with the BCR2000