I've got £400 that I earned in the Edinburgh Festival, and that's all mine for myself, my student loans when they come through will cover everything else.
I have a passion for prog, yes, but I'm also a very keen electronic artist and possibly pop producer in the making, overall I like production, and I lack a hardware synth that's really hands on. I have Reason 4, Logic 8, but they're not as direct as having an actual synth and I think having something like this would help me in inspiration, as well as being a very good sounding synth.
Should I?
On your place I'd rather add a couple hundred more (around £600) and get:
Waldorf Blofeld Keyboard!
(//http://www.waldorfmusic.de/assets/images/products/blofeld/blofeld_keyboard_front_left_600px.jpg)
Beats the living crap out of Microkorg. Does your VA sounds. Does your wavetable sounds. Does weird modulation stuff. Great for punchy, aggressive, cold stuff, and on the other side awesome for atmospheric pads and stuff like that, neverending evolving soundscapes, etc.
It also: looks cooler, is portable enough (4 octaves with aftertouch, I think it could have release velocity as well), is easier to program than Microkorg, has better keybed, has 60 MB non-volatile flash memory for samples to do your mangling (a la Nord Wave, but better :)) and better display and parameter feedback! ;)
Do it, do it doit!!!11 (//http://www.thomann.de/gb/waldorf_blofeld_keyboard.htm?sid=6b9bd8750103813b910bc15115a98f80)
Jem likes white. WHY DOESN'T HE HAVE ONE?!
I've tried the blofeld and I hate to say but I really, really didn't like it. The sounds I got out of it were 'nice' but they didn't inspire me, the sounds felt plasticy, and I'm sure it's very versatile but it just didn't appeal to me. Waldorf rarely do.
I might as well expand on this, I don't need large, atmospheric, unpredictable pads. I have Reason and Logic for that, with the CV control and layering capabilities of Reason paired with it's very volatile softsynths and samplers and whatnot. I'm also going to be taught MaxMSP this year at uni to further expand my creativity.
The microKORG XL seems so warm, very programmable (I'd rather design my own sounds on a computer and have actual control via the hardware, which is my problem with what I have right now, Reason behaves too... predictably).
And as I said, I didn't like the Blofeld at all.
(//http://winrt.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/hero-microkorgxl.jpg)
I also beg to differ. Way cooler ;)
One last note, had a look at pricing, the Blofeld unit on it's own is £349, the average for a MK XL) yet the Blofeld with keyboard can go for up to £700, so thats an extra £350 for what is essentially a MIDI keyboard... :|
:( ;_;
Oh well, can't help different tastes. I'll just add that Blofeld doesn't sound plasticky if you make it to ;)
Quote from: "SerFox"I've got £400 that I earned in the Edinburgh Festival, and that's all mine for myself, my student loans when they come through will cover everything else.
I have a passion for prog, yes, but I'm also a very keen electronic artist and possibly pop producer in the making, overall I like production, and I lack a hardware synth that's really hands on. I have Reason 4, Logic 8, but they're not as direct as having an actual synth and I think having something like this would help me in inspiration, as well as being a very good sounding synth.
Should I?
I say yes. Definitely! :D Well earned and well deserved I say.
Quote from: "EvilDragon"Waldorf Blofeld Keyboard!
Jem likes white. WHY DOESN'T HE HAVE ONE?!
I do have one. :D
Quote from: "Jem"I do have one. :D
Oh you have everything. :lol:
Alas, it merely looks like I do. ;)
I've been quietly selling off loads of stuff. I have a rule that if one thing comes in, another must go out. It makes for a tidy Cube.
You DO have it? :) Then it confirms my thesis that you're dying to have white stuff ;)
How do you like it, is it a keeper? I'm anxious to get one, and possibly to have it as my only VA for a long time. There's a decent amount of non-volatile sample memory inside (no waiting for minutes for the synth to power on! Blimey!) and I see those samples destroyed in many ways imaginable, I would think not even Nord Wave could do such things :P I mean, using samples to FM a filter is one wacky idea I have in mind. Ring-modulating electric piano with didgeridoo also sounds nice :P I'm not saying that Nord Wave can't do that, I'm just saying that Blofeld will kick more ass, because it has the DRIVE section before the filters. And that Drive section is very, very detailed. Allows for a lot play :)
So Jem, your kind opinions on the board? :)
Quote from: "SerFox"...yet the Blofeld with keyboard can go for up to £700, so thats an extra £350 for what is essentially a MIDI keyboard... :|
Not quite. You get sample option enabled by default on the Blokey (as I call it endearly). You need to pay additionally on the Blofeld module (I think the price is 100€), and you must know that the keybed of the Blokey is vastly superior to the one on Microkorg. I think it even has release velocity, which is kind of rarity (I say I think, I know I spoke to Waldorf about this, they said that they'll transfer the suggestion to the design team... dunno what they decided. But I know that release velocity can be USED as a modulation source. You don't get that on Microkorg).
So I'd say the price is justified.
Quote from: "EvilDragon"You DO have it? :) Then it confirms my thesis that you're dying to have white stuff ;)
This conjures up lots of HORRIBLE images. YOU ARE VERY BAD I HATE YOU :lol: :lol: :lol:
Quote from: "EvilDragon"Quote from: "SerFox"...yet the Blofeld with keyboard can go for up to £700, so thats an extra £350 for what is essentially a MIDI keyboard... :|
Not quite. You get sample option enabled by default on the Blokey (as I call it endearly). You need to pay additionally on the Blofeld module (I think the price is 100€), and you must know that the keybed of the Blokey is vastly superior to the one on Microkorg. I think it even has release velocity, which is kind of rarity (I say I think, I know I spoke to Waldorf about this, they said that they'll transfer the suggestion to the design team... dunno what they decided. But I know that release velocity can be USED as a modulation source. You don't get that on Microkorg).
So I'd say the price is justified.
RE the previous post: I shouldn't have to 'make' it sound good. If the presets and init sounds are plasticy and a bit weak sounding, I shouldn't have to work to make it sound fuller. I want to start with a warm, huge sound and have the power to make it sound even bigger.
Despite those little extas I still do believe the price isn't really worth it. If I was going for a Blofeld I'd get the standalone module and hook it up via MIDI to my Fantom X8 or my pretty rubbish but usable Behringer MIDI keyboard.
Actually here is a comprimise for you. Since I don't have the money for a BloKey as you call it, how about I get myself, if I do decide to, the MicroKorg XL, and when I get my birthday money from Mummy and Daddy I can get myself the Blofeld module and whap it on top of the MKXL, as it has a keybed and MIDI and I believe a line in (Vocoded Blofeld anyone?)
Sweet prince of justice :D
Quote from: "EvilDragon"Ring-modulating electric piano with didgeridoo also sounds nice :P
:shock: :shock: I'm sure there are local bye-laws that prohibit that sort of carry-on.
@catherine - not here in Croatia ;)
@SerFox - well, decent idea too! You got me at "vocoded Blofeld" ;)
And, about presets - Waldorf's synths are NOT for preset bunnies. They are all DYING TO BE TWEAKED. If you want a preset bunny synth, get a Virus and be like everyone else out there. But Waldorf stuff... that's pretty individual. Anyone uses them differently and that's why they rock.
I know a person who bought an awful lot of synths in his lifetime. For each board, no matter how simple or complex, the first thing he did was ERASING THE FACTORY PRESETS, and doing his work from scratch. Each and every board he used that way sounded bloody AWESOME!
So yeah, you SHOULD tweak and make it sound better!
Quote from: "EvilDragon"@catherine - not here in Croatia ;)
@SerFox - well, decent idea too! You got me at "vocoded Blofeld" ;)
And, about presets - Waldorf's synths are NOT for preset bunnies. They are all DYING TO BE TWEAKED. If you want a preset bunny synth, get a Virus and be like everyone else out there. But Waldorf stuff... that's pretty individual. Anyone uses them differently and that's why they rock.
I know a person who bought an awful lot of synths in his lifetime. For each board, no matter how simple or complex, the first thing he did was ERASING THE FACTORY PRESETS, and doing his work from scratch. Each and every board he used that way sounded bloody AWESOME!
So yeah, you SHOULD tweak and make it sound better!
I don't rely on presets, ever. But I use presets in a music shop when buying new gear to give me an impression of how it sounds, hence I have a bad impression of the blofeld. But hey, some stuff on it sounds good, especially the atmospheric stuff on youtube with videos of the sea and mountains, very... JMJ. :P
And if I could afford a virus, I would.. then delete all the presets. THATS a synth I want to twak. Come on, it's white and gourgeous and huge sounding. Though in that price range, it's a fight between an Access Virus, the white one, a KORG Radias, and a Nord Lead.
REALLY hard choice.
I'd pick a Nord Lead (2x) over Virus any time of the day or night.
Then again, I'd pick up a Waldorf Q+ over THOSE anytime ;)
Asking Jem if a keyboard is a keeper....genius! :D ;) :D
Quote from: "Pedro"Asking Jem if a keyboard is a keeper....genius! :D ;) :D
:lol: :lol: :lol:
They're all doomed ultimately. :D
Quote from: "EvilDragon"You DO have it? :) Then it confirms my thesis that you're dying to have white stuff ;)
That was me in another life, a
very very long time ago...
Quote from: "EvilDragon"So Jem, your kind opinions on the board? :)
Well, it's all rather spooky really as I only bought it yesterday. It was delivered at luncheon and as I was rather busy today, I only got about 20 minutes with it.
I love the keybed, it's lovely to play. The volumes seem to vary wildly between patches. It's the first Waldorf I've been in contact with that doesn't sound like an iron toilet being thrown down a giant metal tube patch after patch. It's almost virus-y in places, especially with the arpeggiator. The sample data it comes with is rather charming, it's almost Fairlight-y in it's delivery. It does a good Moog impersonation as well as a few PPG turns, plus it does those lovely bleak 1980's Japan-esque tones that I love. I wouldn't say it was as warm as toast, but I like that, it makes it distinctive. It does have some delicious distortion fx built in. I like how when you save a patch, the entire screen sort of falls off in the LCD. And when you boot it up, it says "FromGermanyWithLove". :lol:
The Spectre software looks like it's a doddle to use and they chucked in the PPG softsynth to boot on a separate CD. And all for £600.
In short, I like this machine a lot. It can stay. I shall bring it with me for the J/A gigs. :D
Quote from: "Jem"Quote from: "EvilDragon"You DO have it? :) Then it confirms my thesis that you're dying to have white stuff ;)
That was me in another life, a very very long time ago...
Oh shit, I didn't intend it to be a pun of sorts...
Sorry to hear you went through that :( Glad you're clean nowadays, though! Just get rid of that alcohol thingie and you're gonna rock even more!
It was a great thing you left cigs and started some physical workout, now get that last offensive thing out of your sight and you'll be as cool as me :P :P :P (yeah I'm very clean persona, but I do like occasional bottle of beer!)
Do you fear for your inspiration without all those... "helpers"? (sorry for OT)
Better not get you any more of these then....
(//http://www.bestofbritish.com.au/Uploads/Images/dip-dab.jpg)
:D
Quote from: "EvilDragon"Sorry to hear you went through that :( (sorry for OT)
No no, don't be sorry, I had an absolutely brilliant time. Loved every minute of it. It was never a downer, it was a total laugh. It's just that I knew I'd probably die if I didn't pack it in.
But no regrets. I'm a better person for the experience.
I won't patronize anyone with a disclaimer at this point obviously. You lot know what you're doing. 8-)
And so did I! :lol:
Quote from: "Jem"Quote from: "EvilDragon"Sorry to hear you went through that :( (sorry for OT)
No no, don't be sorry, I had an absolutely brilliant time.
Best thread derail of September. It will not be topped. :D
Unless I continue posting? :)
Quote from: "Pedro"Better not get you any more of these then....
(//http://www.bestofbritish.com.au/Uploads/Images/dip-dab.jpg)
:D
Crikey, my boys had some of those recently - should I be worried ?
Went to Red Dog Music today to test out the Microkorg.
Damn was I dissapointed.
Most of the sounds were nice, but inCREDIBLY textbook, moreso than I had previously been led to believe.
So I saundered over to the waldorf blofeld, to give it a second chance, and I had someone demonstrate the interface, dodging the presets.
I felt like I was in tangerine dream, I held C1 for about five whole minutes, tweaking two knobs and ended up with such a long, evolving soundscape that I felt in full control of, I was starting to take interest.
But I've been led by one kind of sound before and found I couldn't make anything else, so I asked how I could contstruct a good, solid bass sound with a cutoff and fine tune control to detune it slightly.
I got one.
I asked how to go about making a screaming resonance frenzy of a lead, and I made one, jammed the BLM solo on it.
I hate the keyboard version though. The keys don't feel good, the action isn't great, and I despise the pitch and mod wheels. I'm not against wheels, I much prefer joysticks or the nord pitch lever, but these with that huge nubbin on it make it awkward to use, I do vibrato on wheels by laying my thumb across the wheel and moving the wheel up and releasing my grip slightly to let it slide down, and repeat, and the thing on the wheel prevented this because I had to stick my thumb against it or underneath it which was awkward and or uncomfortable.
Plus I checked out the specs. Yes, you're playing £350 for a MIDI keyboard, an extra bit of sample space, and an extra MIDI connector round the back.
Module unit for me, plz ;)
Didn't I tell you? :)
I actually love the keybed, feels just right. Well, I guess it's a matter of personal taste.
And didn't Jem said you can get it for around 600 quid? Don't forget that you're also paying for a lot bigger synth casing, which is sturdy aluminium, too ;)
And about the wheels - I much prefer them to have inward dents, than outward dents (like on my Korg X5D). Also, I do ALL my vibratos with pitchwheel! Screw automated LFO vibratos!
Well, have fun with your Blofeld module - if you decide to add Licence SL option, there are quite a number of people that had a lot of trouble installing it, samples take way too long to load (over USB!), but I hope Waldorf is gonna solve that.
Quote from: "EvilDragon"Didn't I tell you? :)
I actually love the keybed, feels just right. Well, I guess it's a matter of personal taste.
And didn't Jem said you can get it for around 600 quid? Don't forget that you're also paying for a lot bigger synth casing, which is sturdy aluminium, too ;)
And about the wheels - I much prefer them to have inward dents, than outward dents (like on my Korg X5D). Also, I do ALL my vibratos with pitchwheel! Screw automated LFO vibratos!
Well, have fun with your Blofeld module - if you decide to add Licence SL option, there are quite a number of people that had a lot of trouble installing it, samples take way too long to load (over USB!), but I hope Waldorf is gonna solve that.
Automated LFO vibbo is brilliant for those classic moogy leads, having a triplet tempo synced LFO for that is perfect, but for you scorching widdly widdly prog-mungo fried rice specials, you need control over it. I find wheels so difficult to do vibbo on but I'm getting better.
I've also got basic schematics for a keyboard MIDI whammy bar, which would have a mega spring in it so it pushes back like guitar ones do, not a loose wibbly boring thing, so I can do those Rudess-esque dive bombs without needing a ribbon controler, yet have my pitch wheel still set to +2 -2 instead of +2 -12 which then removes the ability to bend up to notes (See also the third note in the BLM solo :P)
In short, Blofeld: do want.
Oh - and you're paying additionally for integrated PSU, which the module does not have.
I hate wallwarts.
Damn, after reading this thread I wanna blofeld too :evil:
But after a new Mac, Logic 9 and Adam monitors Mrs One will encase me in concrete and bury me under the patio if I spend any more money this side of next year :shock: :shock:
SerFox, how do you like your new white eeeeeeeevil thing? :)
Post some mind-blowing demos, by all means!
Haven't been able to afford it as of yet. My savings ended up paying a large portion of my rent for my uni flat which the student loan company have not completely covered costs for.
I will get it soon though as soon as my finances are stable and I feel confident I need it. Currently looking into Max MSP at the moment as part of my course...