Thinking about going from Blofeld > Iridium

[cryophonik]

I've had my Blofeld for over a year now and it's a synth that I really love, but I've been offered a pretty good deal on an Iridium. I'm inclined to just stick with my Blofeld, but wanted to get some input, preferably from people who have owned both.

A little context - I already have a lot of hardware and software synths and definitely do not *need* anything else. My general preference is to use hardware for analog and hybrid synths and software for digital synths, with two exceptions: my Virus and Blofeld. I've been a Virus owner for decades and have owned almost every model ever made, so I'm a rabid fanboy who will never be without one. The Blofeld I love because it's so compact, has a very intuitive UI, and sounds amazing. FWIW, I also have Largo v1, but I really don't enjoy using it for...reasons. As for the Iridium, it's clearly a super-powered synth, but I've never touched one and whenever I watch reviews and demos, it seems like a synth that has so much going on, that it would be much easier to use in a software format. Also, I have this fear that it just won't sound as good as my Blofeld.

Oh, and I should add that I'm out of space and inputs in my studio, so owning both is not an option - it's one or the other. Yes, I could buy the Iridium and hang on to the Blofeld in case I don't like the Iridium, but I really would like to minimize my hassle and not shell out a chunk of cash unless I'm pretty sure I'm making the right move.

So, any thoughts? Anybody here ever bought an Iridium and decided they preferred the Blofeld?

[CoolColJ]

If you want a Poly AT keyboard the Iridium feels very good.
If it's the desktop version, I'd find it more hassle than it's worth.
Unless you need the hands on interaction

[chk071]

Wished Pigments would sound a bit more inspiring to me. It's a super synth, but, always leaves me a bit "meh" when I make sounds in it. Especially the filters could be more characterful, and musical.

[cryophonik]

If it's the desktop version, I'd find it more hassle than it's worth.

Oh, yeah, duh. I should've mentioned that I'm looking at the desktop, not the keyboard. And, yes, the more I look into it, the more I'm thinking I'll pass on the Iridium and stick with my Blofeld. I also have Pigments, but really haven't spent enough time exploring it. I'll check out that vid tonight and maybe that will be the final nail in the Iridium's coffin. Thanks!

[CoolColJ]

I was thinking of getting an Iridium/Quantum a while back.
Then I thought about it, and wasn't keen on the copy samples and stuff onto flash drive to then transfer onto the synth.
Whereas I could just drag and drop stuff directly in software.

If the USB interface actually worked like a mass storage device, then it would be different.

[lfm]

Comparison Iridium and Quantum


Listen to when comparing filters, which are digital in Iridium, there is no life.
- Tim says "they are almost identical", but I did not agree at all
There is a reason they make Quantum, a true analog filter version that is way more expensive, it's hard to emulate analog filters it seems.

[egbert101]

I don't mind digital filters but wouldn't pay $2000 for them.

There are two desktop versions, btw (you probably already know) which is the original and now the newer Core version. Even the Core version is far too expensive imo. But yes, it sounds absolutely gorgeous.

[CoolColJ]

Comparison Iridium and Quantum


Listen to when comparing filters, which are digital in Iridium, there is no life.
- Tim says "they are almost identical", but I did not agree at all
There is a reason they make Quantum, a true analog filter version that is way more expensive, it's hard to emulate analog filters it seems.

Not hard to emulate on a basic level just processor heavy to make it sound as good.
The good emulations in VST come close but would be too much for the DSP/CPUs used in hardware units, which are not as powerful as current gen multicore CPUs.

Granular is heavy in Pigments, so I thought an Iridium/Quantum would make sense, but then I looked closer and your limited to 8 grains to keep it processor friendly.
Whereas Pigments and others like it can go much higher if you have the juice to run it.
Phase Plant sounds better in Granular than Pigments as well

[chk071]

Comparison Iridium and Quantum


Listen to when comparing filters, which are digital in Iridium, there is no life.
- Tim says "they are almost identical", but I did not agree at all

As usual, the significant differences come with higher resonance levels.

That said, the Waldorf digital filters are among the best for me. They don't sound particularly analog, but, they're smooth and pleasant sounding. Dunno how the ones in Iridium are, but, the microQ, Q, Blofeld, Largo and Nave have very nice filters.

[egbert101]

Granular is heavy in Pigments, so I thought an Iridium/Quantum would make sense, but then I looked closer and your limited to 8 grains to keep it processor friendly.
Whereas Pigments and others like it can go much higher if you have the juice to run it.
Phase Plant sounds better in Granular than Pigments as well

One of the things I like about hardware is the limitations, ironically. It forces you to come up with alternatives, etc., and so there's this kind of creative workflow payoff dynamic. In purely software, you just get frustrated when the CPU runs out, and dream of a better PC.

Having said that, I would choose Iridium over Pigments any day for sound. Pigments is of course far easier to use and thus defeating the creative workflow payoff dynamic I stated above.

[cryophonik]

I don't mind digital filters but wouldn't pay $2000 for them.

I agree, with the exception of the Virus TI2, but for me that has more to do with the entire package than the filters.

There are two desktop versions, btw (you probably already know) which is the original and now the newer Core version. Even the Core version is far too expensive imo. But yes, it sounds absolutely gorgeous.

Yeah, it was the original full-sized version. Anyway, I made my decision and passed on it. The Iridium would do away with some of my favorite things about the Blofeld (simplicity, immediacy, small form factor, etc.) and the more demos I listened to, the more I realized I'd prefer software for many of those sounds and synthesis types.

[chk071]

Having said that, I would choose Iridium over Pigments any day for sound. Pigments is of course far easier to use and thus defeating the creative workflow payoff dynamic I stated above.

I wrote that elsewhere recently: It's unfortunate that Pigments doesn't sound more inspiring. Could be my stranded on an island synth easily, if it sounded more pleasant to me. The architecture and operation is fantastic, it's just the sound that doesn't inspire me. No character, and pretty bland and sterile.

[CoolColJ]

When I played the Iridium in person, I went straight to Matt Johnson's bank, as you can filter by author.
They sounded good with the Poly AT, keyboard feels great.
That's the advantage of the keyboard version, tight integration

A lot of the sounds used samples for the oscillators.