The Blofeld Site Is Up

sequence · Post by **sequence** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 5:41 am

For those who need B-feld fix I noticed the site has been updated again (I dont know how recently, I havent looked in a month). Some of those demos are pretty sweet, plus our faat villian has a new greeting:

http://www.waldorfmusic.de/en/products/ ... d_overview

Recursive modulation??

Gutten Himmel!!

HrBak · Post by **HrBak** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 4:55 pm

sequence wrote:For those who need B-feld fix I noticed the site has been updated again (I dont know how recently, I havent looked in a month). Some of those demos are pretty sweet, plus our faat villian has a new greeting:

http://www.waldorfmusic.de/en/products/ ... d_overview

Recursive modulation?? WTF??

Ehhh..????

this is "the Blofeld site is up" thread

sequence · Post by **sequence** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 5:18 pm

HrBak wrote:Ehhh..???? this is "the Blofeld site is up" thread

Well DUH dude, thats why I posted, the site's been updated with new information like the .pdf manual (where the synth's physical dimensions are listed) and new demo clips, among other things.

I sure as h**l am not going to start a *new* thread "Blofeld Site is Updated."

kaffekick · Post by **kaffekick** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 12:11 am

Tried it today. Great interface, great sound, great looks. It will be mine - oh yes, it will be mine!

Now I only have to find me a white midi keyboard! 8)

sequence · Post by **sequence** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 12:18 am

I'm jealous... and I dont even have one on order (gonna wait until the initial hype has died)

crufty · Post by **crufty** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:18 am

Damn...sweet sweet sweet.

DisasterArea · Post by **DisasterArea** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 9:39 am

It's funny, when I first saw some information on Blofeld, I was immediatley reminded of the micron... especially the display. Having not used the Blofeld, I'm not in the know, but the screenshots of it don't seem to convey more information than the micron's, though it is larger. The envelope shaping and number of panel controls are also close. Blofeld is in fact missing some of my favorite features of the micron: the pattern sequencer and tracking generator.

Now before I get lambasted for such a comparison, let me assure that this was simply a first impression. The way I see it now, this is like Waldorf's way of smashing into that market by showing how its done, and I don't like saying that as I am not acquiring new sound sources any time soon. By including the wavetables and individual effects per part, they seem to have dsp'd their way around the bottleneck of something like a micron (for this reason, I don't quite understand the "Bottleneck" two output gripe in a previous post). Outside of a unit that resamples, 16 part assignable effects are unheard of at this price point, as far as I know. It occurs to me that individual outs on a unit at or below this price probably necessitates going with something second hand. Also, I think its interface really kills the micron's (obvious, I know) but I think for only two reasons: no primary knob to pamper and the front button/knob matrix. Makes me sad alesis didn't use a similar approach with their panel, as it would have been easy.

I don't know, I like having transposable paterns in which each note can be a custom mangled continuously variable waveshape modulated with 4-measure-long cycle LFOs. Then again, Blofeld has 16 part mod matrix... I wonder how the algorithmic modulation compares to using a tracking generator.

Again, I'm sorry to make a comparison that someone might think is ridiculous, but what else is there out there that even comes close to competing with Blofeld, feature/price ratio wise as VA's go? I don't think anything available new does.

Am I just stating the obvious? sorry 8-[

kaffekick · Post by **kaffekick** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:47 pm

All I can say is that the Blofeld sounds way more expensive than it is and the overall feel is quality. No flimsy knobs that feels like they could break any minute or something like that. The editing is dead easy. I didn't tried the effects but the delay sounded pretty good in the presets that used it.

I don't think that the Micron can compete with the Blofeld in any area. But then there are some years between those two.

Entropy Farmer · Post by **Entropy Farmer** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 5:44 pm

DisasterArea wrote:I don't quite understand the "Bottleneck" two output gripe in a previous post

I can't stick different timbres in different mixer channels. This is SHITTY.

DocT · Post by **DocT** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 5:55 pm

Entropy Farmer wrote:
DisasterArea wrote:I don't quite understand the "Bottleneck" two output gripe in a previous post
I can't stick different timbres in different mixer channels. This is SHITTY.

Buy 2 or more units then

Entropy Farmer · Post by **Entropy Farmer** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 6:06 pm

I'll just sell a kidney and pick up a Stromberg. What are kidneys going for on ebay these days?

felis · Post by **felis** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 6:19 pm

sequence wrote:
HrBak wrote: ... the site's been updated with new information like the .pdf manual ....

I'm probably looking right at it and don't see it, but I don't see the manual on any of the 4 Blofeld pages?

http://www.waldorfmusic.de/en/products/ ... d_overview

Never mind - I found it in the 'Archive' area.

Seems a strange place to put it.

DocT · Post by **DocT** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 6:45 pm

Entropy Farmer wrote: What are kidneys going for on ebay these days?

Depends on which species they are from.

But I agree, it would be better if the Blofeld had more audio outs and were cheaper

DisasterArea · Post by **DisasterArea** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 5:41 am

DisasterArea wrote:
I don't quite understand the "Bottleneck" two output gripe in a previous post

I can't stick different timbres in different mixer channels. This is SHITTY.

Clearly, Waldorf should have made better use of their source of free D/A converters and programming slaves on this one.

Sorry, I can see how what I said did not come out right. Obviously there are advantages to having several outputs, I was simply suggesting that having this feature standard on a synth of this ilk tends to push it past the $1000 mark e. g. monomachine. I was attempting to express some admiration for Waldorf's use of assignable effects to make up for some of what is lost in not having them, assuming they were looking at having stereo outs as a variable of the design they had to work within. And no, it's not shitty, it just means that this is not a machine built for you because you place that aspect higher in priority than those who think the thing is cool enough as is and will work withn it's limitations.

Entropy Farmer · Post by **Entropy Farmer** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 9:21 am

DisasterArea wrote:And no, it's not shitty,

Multiple timbres coming out of the same outs is shitty in an absolute sense. You can't run them through separate external EQ or FX. You have to track each timbre separately to achieve this, which renders the source effectively monotimbral if you have any sort of production standards.

it just means that this is not a machine built for you because you place that aspect higher in priority than those who think the thing is cool enough as is and will work withn it's limitations.

Don't give me that unthinking zombie fanboy bullshit. I explain why a single stereo out sucks in response to you asking why it's a problem and then get people tsk tsking at me for it. You asked why it's a bottleneck and I TOLD YOU. It is not necessary to respond to any negative criticism by painting a LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT false dichotomy, especially when you're the one who asked for the damn criticism in the first place! We're big men here wearing the big men pants - we should be able to tolerate differing viewpoints without engaging in j**k cliquey stone-the-non-believer behavior.

I like the Blofeld fine, and want one. Never said I didn't. Never complained about the feature/price ratio. I did not ask for the addition of a second stereo pair, nor did I ask for such an upgrade for free. I know that additional features raise the price. I know this because I am not retarded.

I was simply suggesting that having this feature standard on a synth of this ilk tends to push it past the $1000 mark e. g. monomachine.

Do you honestly think a second stereo out would raise the price $300?