View Full Version : Waldorf rising from the ashes?
There are rumours circulating that Waldorf have started using the old schematics to recreate their synths - Q, XT e.t.c 8)
Tomer=Trance
19.02.2006, 03:48 PM
recreat? LOL
your talking about them as if they were vintage synths from the 70s.
schems dont exsist in the digital world,i belive some of the german guys there still has the dsp ensemble code hidden inside their laptop :wink:
its possible that a company has bought waldorf,pay their debts and rebuilding it,manufacturing the old products or maybe working on a new machine.
remember that waldorf were on the top of their game 2 years ago and rather equal access and over stronger then clavia and alesis on the VA market,but that was 2 years ago and their former flagshop Q is alot weaker then the TI,Ion,Korg radiate and so..
At least the MicroQ rack has been available for a while again. I would love to see a Microwave XTk too. What they should also do is a Pulse keyboard with knobs for about every function a la mono evolver keyb. Pulse sounds great but it's too hard to tweak with only 6 knobs.
DIGITAL SCREAMS
19.02.2006, 08:35 PM
I bet Waldorf are kicking themselves they werent around to make a keyboard version of the Pulse...
If they do come back....brilliant - they did make worthwhile products
DS
Check this out: http://www.thomann.de/iw_smb_suche.html?SUBJECT=KOMFORTSUCHE&iwid=2&SUCHBEGRIFF=waldorf&x=0&y=0
I want the Q keyb so badly or the Microwave XTk!
Mmm, so have they started trading again, or something?!
Did anyone noticed the q+? Up to 100 notes poly,ppg wave analog filters,16 multitimbral, wavetables, step sequencer and only 2200e the 61 version!!! Really heavy specs and it's cheaper than the TI !! Is it true or I'm dreaming?
Did anyone noticed the q+? Up to 100 notes poly,ppg wave analog filters,16 multitimbral, wavetables, step sequencer and only 2200e the 61 version!!! Really heavy specs and it's cheaper than the TI !! Is it true or I'm dreaming?
Yep, I'm just trying to figure out how I'm gonna get the money for that beast! :D
In fact the Q+ has 16 analog LP filters and has 16 voices of polyphony if you play a sound which uses the analog filters. Then there are the digital filters and also PPG wave filter emulations (digital however). If you use the digital filters, the synth has about 100 voices and in multimode the analog and digital filters can be mixed that some parts use the analog filters and others use digital. I will definitely try to get money for the Q+ now.
I will buy at least the basic Q keyboard but if I get enough money, I'll go for the Q+. I guess we'll hear more at Musikmesse Frankfurt. Great to see that Waldorf is up again, at least almost. I always liked that company and I have a Pulse and MicroQ in my rack. However the microQ can go when I buy the Q. 16 voices is enough for me. :)
DIGITAL SCREAMS
16.03.2006, 09:49 AM
Looks like they are introducing a more 'sensible' pricing policy this time....
If this marks the begginning of there return....brilliant. Id like to pick up a new XTK to go with my DX7
DS
But I don't understand!!! If this place is selling Waldorfs again where is the support coming from?
That Q+ looks fuckin sweet :P
Tomer=Trance
18.03.2006, 03:53 PM
there is a waldorf mailing list run by ex waldorf emploees.
about this so called store which sell brand new waldorf products,
i havent seen it and google didnt came up with anything -anyone care to shade some light on this?
I'm curious why did waldorf go out of business ?
I'm curious why did waldorf go out of business ?
They went total integration (usb2 filter bank). ;)
Ok, I guess the Q+ and AFB were too expensive and too many people judged synths by how fat supersaw kind of leads they can do which is sad. Not every good sound is fat. Waldorf synths can do some really beautiful sounds.
DIGITAL SCREAMS
18.03.2006, 06:09 PM
The Waldorf range of synths were very nice....but they priced themselves out of the market. I seem to remember their 16 voice Q used to cost around ?1700....thats just a bit too much for a digital synth. Id pay that for analog but not digital....
Access needs to watch out....they are creeping up to the upper financial limit most are prepared to pay for digital....
Either that or im just poor
DS
Tomer=Trance
18.03.2006, 06:10 PM
I'm curious why did waldorf go out of business ?
They went total integration (usb2 filter bank). ;)
Ok, I guess the Q+ and AFB were too expensive and too many people judged synths by how fat supersaw kind of leads they can do which is sad. Not every good sound is fat. Waldorf synths can do some really beautiful sounds.
i would disagree,
i think the development of the analog filter and software were a financial risk which eventualy failed... they were not able to sell enough units to cover this loses so shit happends... :)
So now the waldorf-music site is owned by a new company and they are reselling the line of synths for the same prices that they always were?
Tomer=Trance
18.03.2006, 06:29 PM
ok found something
http://www.thomann.de/iw_smb_suche.html?SUBJECT=KOMFORTSUCHE&iwid=5&SUCHBEGRIFF=waldorf&x=0&y=0&sn=b6e3c5ab58ea178bd2bef098d73bc554
prices are almost 60% cheaper then original price 1-2 years ago.
example: new MQ 419 euro ,original price was around 1050 euro.
waldorf QK 1500 euro,original Q rack was around 2300 euro.
Didn't Terratec buy them out?
Hollowcell
18.03.2006, 11:10 PM
I'm curious why did waldorf go out of business ?
They went total integration (usb2 filter bank). ;)
:D
.
Yay!!!! 8)
http://www.waldorfmusic.de/restore/
Looks like they are introducing a more 'sensible' pricing policy this time....
If this marks the begginning of there return....brilliant. Id like to pick up a new XTK to go with my DX7
DS
I just bought a second hand Waldorf Microwave XTk today. It was in a great condition, like a new. I must say that I was a little surprised how powerful the sound is. My first impressions were that this is even better and more interesting than my microQ. The wavetables have really nice waves and the synth can do about any kind of sounds. I was expecting a little cold, maybe weak and digital sound but this thing can produce some really heavy basses and even analog style fat leads. The presets are already quite good (alot better than Q presets). Many sounds change dramatically when you turn the modulation wheel. Distorted sounds have a nice tone and I will definitely use them for trance tracks. It doesn't take many seconds to turn a sound into a complete madness. Great for psychedelic and ambient projects. The filters are nice too. :D
Finally I know what the Waldorf Microwave synths sound like. :)
anyone have a link to some waldorf synth sounds cause the ones on their site don't work.
better if not in real media format cause I don't feel like installing that :D :D
You can find something here: http://waldorf.electro-music.com/
and http://waldorf.electro-music.com/microwave2/audio-demos/
edit. And here's some scary shit which I just recorded. I played only one preset performance program and edited some parameters. Added some TC reverb and compressor.
clip (http://www.quandace.com/f5d_xtk1.mp3)
F5D, get Soundiver 5 rigged up as an editor for your XT and you can start drawing and uploading your own waves into spare wavetables on the synth - it's a revelation I assure you but be prepared for some weird shit.
I love the XT and have vowed to buy one to go with my Virus Ti. I used to have an XT and it's the one synth that I really miss. The sound is far far better and denser than Z3TA or any other wavetable software I have tried. It has a very bright sound which would compliment the dark muddiness of the Virus well.
Thanks for the tip! I'll check it out. :)
thanks for the sound demos ...sounds really killer
the shortened days demo put me in a trance I must say :D
jasedee
24.03.2006, 07:48 PM
edit. And here's some scary shit which I just recorded. I played only one preset performance program and edited some parameters. Added some TC reverb and compressor.
clip (http://www.quandace.com/f5d_xtk1.mp3)
F5D... That was fucking awesome!!!!!!!
:D
:D Here's a picture of it. Doesn't look so scary. :wink:
http://www.quandace.com/xtk.jpg
Hollowcell
24.03.2006, 11:50 PM
edit. And here's some scary shit which I just recorded. I played only one preset performance program and edited some parameters. Added some TC reverb and compressor.
clip (http://www.quandace.com/f5d_xtk1.mp3)
F5D... That was fucking awesome!!!!!!!
:D
Mate I agree! There were some really harsh soaring sounds in that clip. Really nice stuff F5D. I honeslty didn't think the XT was capable of stuff like without added distortion.
There were some really harsh soaring sounds in that clip. I honeslty didn't think the XT was capable of stuff like without added distortion.
I still have to read the manual but it seems to have some kind of distortions onboard and you can also control the wavetable quality, aliasing and clipping type. There are also some wavetables which include distorted waves so it can do some very harsh sounds. I was also surprised how smooth the filters sound. Like Smag said, the XT sound is very smooth.
Before yesterday I really had no idea how powerful these wavetable synths can be. The XTk is definitely my favourite digital synth now. :)
I will post a demo with more different kind of sounds soon.
Tomer=Trance
25.03.2006, 05:15 AM
8bit wavetable sounds rules! :D
may i ask how much you payed for it?
All I can say, it was a steal. I had been waiting for years to get one and at some point when I was about to buy a new one, they were discontinued. In fact I wasn't even planning to get one right now because I was trying to get money for a new Q or Q+ to buy from Thomann but I'm not sure can they even deliver the synths altought they're listed (they haven't answered my email yet). So I noticed that somebody is selling his XTk at a very good price so I contacted him and bought the synth. :)
I've left 4 nice bass patches for the XT on this site you may be interested in, they're quite usable:
www.soundlabz.com
It's the trumpet trousers collection
sizzlemeister
09.04.2006, 02:51 AM
And here's some scary shit which I just recorded. I played only one preset performance program and edited some parameters. Added some TC reverb and compressor.
clip (http://www.quandace.com/f5d_xtk1.mp3)
Hi. I just joined this board to say that clip was absolutely fantastic. Really brilliant. Thanks, I'm keeping this MP3 on my HD.
Array
29.04.2006, 06:51 PM
anyone have a link to some waldorf synth sounds cause the ones on their site don't work.
better if not in real media format cause I don't feel like installing that :D :D
Here's a demo that I did with my Q+:
http://students.depaul.edu/~dshklyar/Array%20-%20Synderesis.mp3
All sounds are my own. The drums are from a free VST called Drumatic 3. The tracks were left dry on purpose. I'll probably do a remix, with other synths and some external effects, when I get some free time.
Array
29.04.2006, 06:52 PM
And here's some scary shit which I just recorded. I played only one preset performance program and edited some parameters. Added some TC reverb and compressor.
clip (http://www.quandace.com/f5d_xtk1.mp3)
Hi. I just joined this board to say that clip was absolutely fantastic. Really brilliant. Thanks, I'm keeping this MP3 on my HD.
Heya Sizzle! Ditto on the mp3 F5d! I loved your Andromeda demos too.
Here's a demo that I did with my Q+:
http://students.depaul.edu/~dshklyar/Array%20-%20Synderesis.mp3
All sounds are my own. The drums are from a free VST called Drumatic 3. The tracks were left dry on purpose. I'll probably do a remix, with other synths and some external effects, when I get some free time.
Nice to hear the Q+ too! Can you tell us a little bit more about the Q+? I would like to know how the OS is working for you and if you have found any annoying bugs? So does the synth work ok and you can use the analog filters without any problems? How about the os stability, does the synth crash or any boot up problems? I remember reading from somewhere that there was a bug that sometimes when you turn the power on, the effects go to wrong outputs when using analog fiters but a reboot helps. Also the noise generator type cannot be modulated yet? Anything else about the synth, please tell. :)
Array
30.04.2006, 06:38 PM
Here's a demo that I did with my Q+:
http://students.depaul.edu/~dshklyar/Array%20-%20Synderesis.mp3
All sounds are my own. The drums are from a free VST called Drumatic 3. The tracks were left dry on purpose. I'll probably do a remix, with other synths and some external effects, when I get some free time.
Nice to hear the Q+ too! Can you tell us a little bit more about the Q+? I would like to know how the OS is working for you and if you have found any annoying bugs? So does the synth work ok and you can use the analog filters without any problems? How about the os stability, does the synth crash or any boot up problems? I remember reading from somewhere that there was a bug that sometimes when you turn the power on, the effects go to wrong outputs when using analog fiters but a reboot helps. Also the noise generator type cannot be modulated yet? Anything else about the synth, please tell. :)
When I first got the Q+, the OS that it shipped with was a little buggy. It would even crash sometimes, especially when I was experimenting with some of the more unorthodox FM routings. The last OS which was released by Waldorf, I think it was 3.54, is rock solid though. Havent had a crash since.
There is still one nagging bug though, and that is the "reorganizing flash" bug. Bascically, if you ever have to reorganize your flash memory, it deletes about 50 of your patches (from bank C50-C100). It's not a huge issue for me though, as I save all of my custom patches to my Q card.
Regarding the filters, they are as stable as discrete analog filters can be. They DO go out of tune from time to time (you can tell when the keytracking on your resonant filter patches sounds weird), and there is a utility to tune them in the "global" menu. Sometimes when you leave the Q+ on, it'll just tune them automatically (a "tuning filters....." text comes on). There are also utilities to control other aspects of the analog filter bank, and I've only had to use them once in the 2.5 years that I've had my Q+ (the analog drive on my filters was sounding weird, so I used one of the utilities and it cleared right up).
As far as the "noise" parameter...that was the beginning of the implementation of Q+ exclusive features. The Q has a white noise generator, but on the Q+ you can adjust between white and pink noise. The problem is, the company folded before they could implement a modulation destination to the "noise color" parameter. Hopefully this will be adressed in a future Q+ OS update, as Stefan Stenzel has indicated that there WILL be OS updates for legacy Waldorf products. He stated that these updates will have to be paid for, but hopefully bug fixes will be free.
All in all, the Q+ is a very solid synth though. I never find myself getting frustrated due to some shortcoming in the OS, unlike the XTk which has a couple of very serious bugs to be resolved (mono click bug, improper aftertouch messages, etc).
Thanks for the info about Q+ Array! Currently I don't have much more space for another keyboard but the Q+ sure is on my shopping list. :)
edit:
I just noticed that Waldorf website has changed. Check this link about the products: http://www.waldorfmusic.de/en/products
It seems that these are the products which they will continue to sell. At least thomann is listing the Q+, Q keyboard and microQ. So maybe you cannot buy pulse, rack attack and microwave XT(k) anymore. :?
I hope they will introduce something like Pulse keyboard and maybe a new synth with lots of wavetables, improved analog modeling and analog filters. Something like Q+. A rack version would be nice too.
The price of the Q+ is not very high and I was just wondering if they sell it and the Q keyboard at these new prices to get things running fast that they can run the company before NAMM 2007 when the first new product(s) from new Waldorf will be introduced. Let's hope that the new pricing isn't too high.
On the other hand, the price of the A6 Andromeda isn't too high either and we all saw what happened to Hartmann so the price of a high end keyboard synthesizer cannot be much higher than 2000 euros. About the price of the Virus TI too.
btw, has anybody compared microQ and Q? Is the sound identical if you use the same filter types? And how about the polyphony of the Q keyboard... It seems to have 16 voices and I remember somebody saying that the polyphony won't get reduced what ever modulations you use. Is this right? Some say that the polyphony of the microQ can get reduced from 25 to 15 or even 10 if you use heavy modulations and fm.
Merlot
01.05.2006, 02:53 AM
I have had my eye on a Q+ for awhile. None ever seem to show up on ebay though.
Anyone know where to get one in the states? Used or new.
Hollowcell
01.05.2006, 05:19 AM
Thanks for the MP3 link there Array! Nice stuff mate.
Array
01.05.2006, 06:02 AM
Thanks for the info about Q+ Array! Currently I don't have much more space for another keyboard but the Q+ sure is on my shopping list. :)
edit:
I just noticed that Waldorf website has changed. Check this link about the products: http://www.waldorfmusic.de/en/products
It seems that these are the products which they will continue to sell. At least thomann is listing the Q+, Q keyboard and microQ. So maybe you cannot buy pulse, rack attack and microwave XT(k) anymore. :?
I hope they will introduce something like Pulse keyboard and maybe a new synth with lots of wavetables, improved analog modeling and analog filters. Something like Q+. A rack version would be nice too.
The price of the Q+ is not very high and I was just wondering if they sell it and the Q keyboard at these new prices to get things running fast that they can run the company before NAMM 2007 when the first new product(s) from new Waldorf will be introduced. Let's hope that the new pricing isn't too high.
On the other hand, the price of the A6 Andromeda isn't too high either and we all saw what happened to Hartmann so the price of a high end keyboard synthesizer cannot be much higher than 2000 euros. About the price of the Virus TI too.
Actually the XT/XTk was discontinued a little while before Waldorf folded. At the time they said that there would be a new wavetable synthesizer from Waldorf in the "near future". Hopefully development of that project has kick started again.
Array
01.05.2006, 06:05 AM
btw, has anybody compared microQ and Q? Is the sound identical if you use the same filter types? And how about the polyphony of the Q keyboard... It seems to have 16 voices and I remember somebody saying that the polyphony won't get reduced what ever modulations you use. Is this right? Some say that the polyphony of the microQ can get reduced from 25 to 15 or even 10 if you use heavy modulations and fm.
There's quite a few differances between the two. This is a pretty comprehensive explenation:
http://faq.waldorfian.info/faq-browse.php?product=q#21
Array
01.05.2006, 06:07 AM
I have had my eye on a Q+ for awhile. None ever seem to show up on ebay though.
Anyone know where to get one in the states? Used or new.
Your best bet would be to ask on the Waldorf mailing list:
http://waldorf.synth.net/userforum.html
You might be able to import one as well, and then replace the internal power supply so it will work with American outlets. It's actually a very simple procedure. The power supply inside of the Q and XTk is like that of a laptop...basically a black brick bolted inside the upper right corner of the chassis.
Edit:
some pics of the Q's internals:
http://faq.waldorfian.info/q-inside.html
Array
01.05.2006, 06:09 AM
Thanks for the MP3 link there Array! Nice stuff mate.
Glad you liked it! I quite enjoyed your V-Synth demo as well!
Hey Array!
Thanks for the link to the waldorf user faq! Really interesting stuff to read there.
Btw, do the Q+ and XTk keyboards have the same touch/feel so are they the same keyboard? Of course the lengths are different ( 4 vs. 5 octaves). I found the XTk keyboard to be quite light but I got used to it. The keys of the A6 are heavier to push and feel a little smoother to play with. Virus KC had even heavier keys and I liked that alot. It seems that Fatar makes very many kinds of keyboards.
Array
02.05.2006, 06:31 PM
Hey Array!
Thanks for the link to the waldorf user faq! Really interesting stuff to read there.
Btw, do the Q+ and XTk keyboards have the same touch/feel so are they the same keyboard? Of course the lengths are different ( 4 vs. 5 octaves). I found the XTk keyboard to be quite light but I got used to it. The keys of the A6 are heavier to push and feel a little smoother to play with. Virus KC had even heavier keys and I liked that alot. It seems that Fatar makes very many kinds of keyboards.
Hey no problem :)
Regarding the kyeboards, I'm not much of a keyboardist myself (I grew up playing trumpet), but I actually like the feel of the XTk better than of the Q+. The Q+'s keyboard feels very light, where as the XTk's feel like they have some weight to them.
It is entirely possible that differant keybeds were used during different production runs of these synths though. For instance, my XTk is a 30 voice version with the black rubber knobs (a later production model). I played a 10 voice XTk, with gray knobs, prior to buying this one and the keybed had a similar feel to it. Maybe the older Q's, the ones with the yellow and dark blue nextel finishes, have similar keybeds to the XTk.
Regarding the kyeboards, I'm not much of a keyboardist myself (I grew up playing trumpet), but I actually like the feel of the XTk better than of the Q+. The Q+'s keyboard feels very light, where as the XTk's feel like they have some weight to them.
It is entirely possible that differant keybeds were used during different production runs of these synths though. For instance, my XTk is a 30 voice version with the black rubber knobs (a later production model). I played a 10 voice XTk, with gray knobs, prior to buying this one and the keybed had a similar feel to it. Maybe the older Q's, the ones with the yellow and dark blue nextel finishes, have similar keybeds to the XTk.
Ok, thanks for the info again! Nice to finally see a person who knows more about waldorf synths, especially the keyboards. My XTk is my first Waldorf with a keyboard. In fact I have had 3 different microQ's (had to sell 2 to get money for something else), 1 Pulse (bought as new, never sold) and now a 10 voice XTk. Altough the XTk keyboard feels a little light, it's easy to play some bell sounds etc.
I really would like to buy either the Q 16 keyboard or the Q+ and sell my microQ. I have never really programmed many sounds with my microQ('s) because I don't like the matrix system so much. If I had a Q keyb, I would definitely program tons of sounds with it like I'm doing with A6 right now. The Q+ is about 800 euros more compared to the basic digital Q but the + version sure has more features. I'm just trying to figure out where do I get the money for the synth. Maybe I will have to sell something but I wouldn't like to sell anything.
btw, this Budejovicky Budvar beer is great! Helps to make decisions. :D
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