Waldorf Blofeld review, pt. 2

While many synthesizers rely heavily on their oscillator and filter combinations to account for their full range of sonic possibilities, the Blofeld’s sound only begins with those two components.

Modulation:

           The Blofeld sports four envelope generators (one for the amp, one for the filter, and two that are independent), three low frequency oscillators for modulation, and an absolutely mind-boggling 16x2 modulation matrix. You read that right, 16 unique configurable routings for an absolutely monstrous degree of modulation possibility. This degree of flexibility is almost unheard of in a synth at this price range (MSRP around $700 for the table-top unit, and used deals on sites like eBay have been as low as the $400 mark). The LFOs have a frequency range from subsonic to audio range, giving you a full range of periodic modulation. The routing options within the modulation matrix itself are practically limitless; if it exists in the instrument, you can probably either route signal from it or route signal to it.

Pros:

            To sum it up, this synth is flat out awesome (as if you couldn’t tell that I felt this way already.) The sound is sharp, bright, and lush. The virtual analog capacities of the synth afford it the ability to sound very warm and full-bodied, and the built-in wavetables and wide variety of filter options and modulation routings make it as powerful as even the most expensive synths on the market, not to mention as sonically vibrant as anything on the market.

Cons:

            It is fairly difficult to find many areas of fault with this instrument, but the Blofeld is not without negative parts. The first absolutely glaring issue: NO LINEAR ENVELOPES! It is honestly mind-boggling to think that a wavetable synth doesn’t have linear envelopes to do linear wave scanning with. This can be combated slightly with the mod matrix by some fancy routing involving setting the envelope level to control the decay rate, but it takes some precise amounts to get it right and even so it’s still nearly impossible to get a totally linear response. Aside from that major gripe, the operating system still has bugs every here and then. On a somewhat frequent basis, the sustain signal from the sustain pedal gets dropped, so notes will stop holding at strange times. Also, on rare occasions, the OS will hang while trying to change patches. This has only happened with very specific patches though, and not at all on a frequent basis.

Demo Clip:

             So with all this talk about it, you must be wondering: what does the Blofeld actually SOUND like? Well, below is a short clip I made demonstrating some of the sounds that the instrument is capable of.

Waldorf Blofeld Demo by Mr Blu Gruv

From my SoundCloud page:

“Short demonstration of some presets on the Waldorf Blofeld, plus some wavetable scans towards the end, something that no one seems to investigate very thoroughly yet is a major part of what makes this synth what it is. Regular patch preset demos are from the start to roughly 3:05-3:06, then from about 3:06 on are demonstrations of wavetable scanning, played with some pleasant chords to add to the depth. All wavetable scans are using one oscillator, PPG filter, and mild chorus effect. Every melody and chord within this clip is my original work and creation.”

Conclusion:

             I find it to be an inspiring instrument that keeps me hooked exploring all the possibilities that it has within, and for the price, it simply can’t be beat. Despite the one or two little snags, it’s a truly incredible synthesizer, and holds up well with the rest of the prestigious Waldorf lineup. For any synth user, hobbyist to professional and otherwise, I would whole-heartedly recommend it.