Waldorf Q-Rack

I have an original yellow beast running OS 3.02. Getting the last OS is the first thing you should do when you buy this synth so you get all of its features.

Presets here are kinda lameo for the most part but the basses and drums are very useful and its nice to just tweak sounds at first just to get used to the synth.

Patches are work as you just have the one window but hard work is rewarded.

If you buy this used just throw out the manual or store it in case you resell (not likely.) It's pretty horrible and is Q keyboard focused. A much better modernized version is on their website. I keep it on my desktop.

If you have a bunch of synths the first thing you buy this for is the PPG wave in the oscillator bank (six waves in the OSC bank!) and the PPG filters. All of the filters are great but throw an old organ through the PPG and you'll pee your pants. It's external input is top notch. This synth can make brain blowing sounds on its own but will make all of your other synths sound new too.

For a VA, I can't imagine why you'd need more than 16 voices. Otherwise it's technically not going to sounds very A. I have a tech friend who's offered to expand it to 32 if I pay for it (he used to work for Waldorf) but I don't need to.

Arpeggiator is the best I own by far. I put everything through it. Sequencer takes time to get used too but yields massive dividends. Maybe the best of the VA synths.

If you don't need a keyboard just buy the rack, they go for half of the price of the keyboard in used markets and in my opinion sound better than the keyboard because you'll attach almost any keyboard that will sound better than the one that comes with the Q. Excellent MIDI capabilities with all of the keyboards I've teamed up with it.

As others have mentioned the FX here aren't great. They aren't terrible but you probably have better effects with you already. Especially if you collect and enjoy pedals.

Q card is rare, way too expensive and only stores about 100 patches. There are numerous software libraries now for hardcore tweakers. No USB or anything you have to use MIDI for all file transfer.

Nothing else sounds like this synth even if you own a hundred. People whine about VA's not having enough bass but I made a sound the other day that shook my whole house. This thing has mean power. I was thinking of building a modular but after exploring this beast for a few weeks I think I'll hold out til I find a really good deal on one.

People say this synth is too harsh but maybe they don't know how to program or mix. Metallic as hell or as heavenly as a Jupiter. Taking users suggestions I've tested the machine with analog and digital outputs and there is a definite difference. So it's like having two synths!

I bought it two months ago from a guy who used to work for Waldorf and owns all of their synths. He was their NA tech so he made sure everything was absolutely perfect. It's like owning a brand new one. They seem to have very few problems but if anything happens I know who to call.

Waldorf's back and there is amazing support through their website. There is also a great community and capability to share patches.

It's not sexy to look at except to synth geeks. It's not like saying that you own a Minimoog or Jupiter or Synthex. But learn it and rock it out in front of your friends and they'll be awestrcuk. Hovering between 500 and 700 for the time being, forget buying the trendy new Blofeld. It's garbage compared to the Q Rack. In fact, I'd probably rather even have a Micro Q than a Blofeld. You don't want the Q's PRESETS, you want THE source so you can make your own magic.

If something happened I'd buy another one no question. I don't have the money to buy a Q+.

Being the rack version and missing about 30 encoders and an addition 40 buttons one might think the Q-Rack was hampered. The good news is, for the most part, it isn't. EG: on the Q keyboard there are three sets of Oscillator controls instead of the Q-Rack's single set with three buttons. If that kind of thing bothers you, you may find the rack hard to work with.

An area that is difficult is working with the Modular Matrix. Keeping track of where you are is difficult, thought it isn't different on the Q keyboard.
The same goes for the powerful, but feature rich Sequencer.

It isn't that hard to learn - eventually, and paying attention to the keyboard rack, which requires a bit of decoding as the manual is set up for the Q Keyboard.
To the best of my knowledge there isn't a specific Q-Rack manual.

Given the feature intensive nature of the Q-Rack it is a bit difficult, particularlly when first trying to create one's own programs.

3 OSC, 3 LFOs, 2 Filters, all with typical and unique waveforms. The PPG filter is astonishingly good.

2 FX routes with decent chorus and very good delays, flange, et. al.

The Arpeggiator is one of the best I've worked with. The features on the Arp alone would make the Q-Rack a big hit, that is, until the you ran into the Sequencer, also with highly flexible routing and complexities as wanted.

Multi-Mode offers 16 channel multitimbrality, great for creating drum or rhythmic beats over several channels and being able to create it's own sonic space.

The Vocoder and input for aux sound make for some exciting sounds. Vocals, of course, sound wonderful, but other synths, bass and especially guitars work well.

Most important, you get true 16 (32 with expander board) note polyphony. Anything you program, no matter how complex counts as one voice...and there are so many incredible types of sounds that it defies simple words.
I can say that the FM implementation is quite more complex, and at the same time, quite more powerful. The analoge-type sounds are rich and creamy sounding. When mixing the two you get some of the most time-defying styled sounds.

Waldorf has always built synths that were feature rich, yet had a "Waldorf" type sound. Friends call it digilog. And there is a sense of digital sound, even with many analog sounds. The nice thing is this is not a bad thing, and in fact, makes the Waldorf synths, particularly the Q, sound other-worldly, unique, real but different, as in a Moog sounding real just as an Arp or Sequential Circuits synth sounded similar yet different.
I play my Q-Rack and find I am content just playing, whereas I used to feel I had to write songs immediately. But with the Q, I get sucked into the sound, the editing and near-modular flexibility.

I can do sounds I'd put against a Mellotron with studio production, and I'd fool the artists I work with. You can get fantastic synth voice sounds out of the Q-Rack, along with wonderfully expressive pads, leads of all types, as well as basses. It is like a circus working with this synth!

By far, the most expressive and uniqe sounding synth I've used.

If you love realistic sounds, forget the Q-Rack. If you love the way a Wurlitzer EP was different from a Rhodes, you'll find wonderfully close emulations.

Quality is often in the details, and this is something Waldorf understood in the design of the Q series synths. You can get noisy, something I used for some of my Mellotron sounds, while cutting back and adding some FM created sounds of many popular VST instruments such as Native Instruments incredible FM8 and a favorite of mine, Rhino 2 by Big Tick, well worth taking a look although it is PC only.

But back to the Q. It is in the Virus TI range in terms of sound quality and overall flexiblity in what a synthesizer can do.

There is a digital quality to the Q-Rack, but this is a wonderful thing, and raises the capability of the synth. When you can train your synth to work as you do, and create sounds that not only fall within your style of sound creation, but actually challenges you at times, you are looking at a rare piece of gear.

The Q-Rack will make useful sounds 20 years from now.
I follow a lot of new synth designs, and even with the more powerful DACs and less expensive cost on electronics and memory, which were astonishingly expensive in the day the original Q's were made, still bring forth new and challenging timbres, while many new synths attempt to faithfully model, at moderate to great degrees, sounds of the past.

I love many of those sounds, but I live today, and while the Q can do these same favorite analog (and digital) timbres, it still has it's own identity; one that is seven years old and still fully worth spending your money on, providing you don't want 200mb or ROM in your synth - and in that situation, I'd go to Computer-based instruments that often excede complete sample sets on one complexly designed sound.

And as much as I like many of the virtual synths, I like the physical connection of controllers that I touch, that have real design choices that feel good to my hands as I edit or use for performance.

Great build quality. Works well enough to use live. I'd consider another Q-Rack if I gigged, but it is very sturdy.

Mine is the Yellow version. I prefer the bold look.

Haven't used it.
I've heard the users have a great support system among themselves, along with ex-Waldorf workers.

It should get better now that Waldorf is back as a company.

For me, this is THE synth. I would get another if it were stolen.

I'd buy it at a premium if I had to replace it. I am that impressed with the Q sound and synthesis sensibility. I use the Q with a Korg Radius system and hundreds of Computer based synths from Native Instruments, VirSyn (my overall favorite developer and their TERA 3, only VSTi synth I'd even put in the same league as the Q.

The Radius / Q combination is nothing short of wonderful.

I may look for a software editor for the Q, only because I work very fast and the only down-side to the Q-Rack is the need to sometimes slow down and figure out where everything is.

I'm involved in multiple types of music including Post-Rock/Experimental, Progressive, Jazz, Rock, Krautrock, Electronica and Classical.

I found the Q-Rack very fun to use. There are plenty of knob (which are in fact endless rotary encoders), so you have direct access for most function. However, the main weakness of the UI is that when you look a the Q you dont have any information about the structure of the current sound: There is no LED to indicates what is being modulated by the LFO, or the type of filter used like on the Nordlead or on the Virus. As the modulation can either be setup within the modulation matrix or the OSC/Filter/Mixer menu, this can be a little confusing.
But dont worry this synth is fun to programm !

The feature are outstanding ! 3 OSC with wavetable and FM, 3 LFO (which can reach audible frequency!!), 4 ADSR with loop points, 2 Filters, FX,ringmod... All of this is very flexible, with an outstanding matrix mod with up to 16 sources and destination. Here the LFO can FM modulate the OSC, the OSC can modulate the Cutoff of the filters...everything is possible, there is literraly no limits !

I have just one complain: You can only ringmodulate OSC1 with OSC2, and sync OSC2 to OSC3. So there is no way to ringmodulate and sync the two same OSC. Sad !

The Q has a strong personality, with a very very bright sound. Dont get it if you are looking for classical analogue sounds !! This is one is really on the digital side, and it is really nice !
It can make some very deep and gorgeous pad slowling envolving, or agreesive bass. But i have found that because of its brightness it tends to always sounds a bit 'gentle'.
Dont buy this synth for the FX ! There are really weak and not good sounding at all. The phaser is lame. The delay is useable, but the one of the virus is much better.

I bought mine second hand, and had no problem with it !

Well Waldorf is out of buisness so dont expect any support for this product. But fortunately there are a lot of Waldorf enthousiast in the world that can help to solve most of problems

This synth is really great ! But because of its personnality it wont please to everyone. Personnaly i decided to sell mine, im currently looking for darker sound. But still i recognize that this one of the very best VA on the todays marked. With its matrix mod, its a real sound-programmer dreams !

I bare use presets no matter what the gear. They are nice. Most of them are generated by the Random feature. Its fun to use.

It is very easy to program. Very intuitive. Manual is really optional except for a few of the really deep things.

Manual is good for me. Helps if you understand how germans think. Very specific and Detail orientated. Nicely done

My only complaint is the Effects are a little light.

Other than that it is GREAT!

It not an expandable kind of thing.

So easy to use.

Pads have great movement

Arps are fantastic

Layers really well.

Great Texture

Very distintive sound.

Can be gentle or Heavy and ugly

Never I back up out of habbit but I never have reloaded anything.

Zero Problems.

small tour, gig local, studio

wouldn't know never needed it

I would replace it as soon as possible.

I am updating an earlier review I did on the Q Rack. I have now had it for quite a while and can speak with some experience on this synth.

I am using the latest OS (3.02).

The presets vary from unbelievable to mundane.

Editing that patches is no easy game. I know subtractive synthesis fairly well, and I really have to work to get a patch I like. The problem isn't so much that the Q can't produce great sounds. Instead it is that the machine is deep. You really have to work to get great sounds. If you have the time and patience, then this machine is for you.

The manual is pretty good. That's good because you will need it.

Polyphony is 16, which is plenty.

The FX are pretty darn good. The reverb is a bit flakey, but the other FX are nice.

The Q can be expanded for greater polyphony (I believe to 32 notes)

Great MIDI capabilities and the sequencer is really nice. It is well implemented. It is fairly easy to use and quite flexible. It is one of the nicer sequencers I have used.

This machine is a virtual analog synth. It isn't designed to produce realistic sounds. But, I can't imagine anyone would buy a VA for that anyway.

This synth is great for a lot of different genres such as rock, pop, dance, electronica, etc.

This synth can really produce some unbelievably incredible sounds. It has the architecture to do some amazing amazing things. But it isn't easy to get the sounds the way you want them. You really have to spend a lot of time working with a patch. In fact, I often overlook the Q in favor of my other synths because of it's ease of programming. Again, I am not a rookie at subtractive synthesis. It is just that the depth of the Q demands that you keep mental track of all that is going on in a patch. One wrong knob turn and POOF! there goes your patch.

If you drop this on your foot, you will lose your foot. It is heavy and durable. I swear it was designed by the Pentagon. It will last forever.

Waldorf is out of business, but when they were in business they responded very well to my needs, although I didn't have many.

You can still find some of the developers and engineers from Waldorf on various internet user groups. They chime in and help people now and then. Plus, there are a fair number of Q users out there. If you need something, the advice is available.

If it were lost or stolen, I would NOT replace it. I would get a Nord Lead 2X (or 3). I really appreciate all of the programming depth of the Q, but I just don't have the time to kill to get a patch just right. I can get 5 patches on a Nord Lead 2 faster than I can 1 on Waldorf (although the Q has more raw potential of any VA on the market).

Great, deep, synth. You will turn grey getting the patch the way you want. If it weren't for the difficulty of programming, I'd give this damn thing a 10. But, I need faster results. Again, it isn't impossible to program, but there is so much going on in a patch that you need to spend a LOT of time to get a patch just right.

3.2

the presets are awfull for the music iA'm maing, i deleted all of them.

Editing the Q is very easy, almost all important functions have their own knobs, since the Q has unbelievable sound sculpting features u have to go throug men??s for doing modulation and so on but itA's all very very straight forward.

The manual is pretty good.

The onboard Sequencer is quite nice, u get way different results then sequencing with your computer. it can also be used for Cutoff and severall other params

Some Organs and E Pianos can sound pretty good though its definintive more on the electronic edge. iA'm sure it rocks for dance trance techno but also for experimental music itA's the bomb.

i find it hard to sit in the mix, i almost ever build a track around one or more sounds of the Q, then it works quite nice for me.

i would gig with it. i can depend on it.

never dealt with them

If it were lost or stolen i would def. buy another one, though iA'd prefer the version with keys now.

i got mine in 2002

I have 3.02 OS on my Q rack. The presets are very nice for the most part, I can easily overwrite a few because they are not exactly what I want. Patches are very easy to create and you will want a patch librarian more then likely because you will have a lot of ideas once you begin to program. If you seek a preset style synth, please don't count on this sleek machine.The knobs are a major event to grab and turn, endless rotary style. The knobs are many and the solid feel of them add to the gut instinct that this machine is rock solid, no phoney baloney plastic box , but solid metal. The manual comes in two flavors- one in english (well written also) and one in german. I give it a 10 for ease of use PROVIDED you can program a substractive style synth. Even if you cannot, any adventurous person should be able to get something out of the machine if you keep tweaking the knobs!

There is plenty of polyphony if you have other synths to layer with this unit and the effects are well programmed. I personally don't depend on effects to cover a weak synth sound but like some delay and so forth to bounce on a bit. The module responds nicely to MIDI with no tangible glitches of any type. There are slots for RPS style sequence phrases in the memory which add to the good value and usefulness of this german built machine.It takes a single card in a top slot but I find plenty of room inside the RAM for my patches. After I use them I usually re-write a new one sooner or later.

I hate to compare synths but the only one that comes very close to the Q rack is the Virus C. One of each should quell any insecurity about which is best, get both and have twice the sythh tones. I would love to double blind test these two units and see which i prefer more. The programs can be written to take advantage of playing style via pressure and mod routings. I give this a 10 for VA sound quality since there is no 11.

german quality all the way, this machine would dent a tank if dropped on it. To make sure you do not lose your work they have a cool way of powering off, it counts down before shutting off.

Waldorf is in the middle of a major change of some sort, their fellow company that makes the Virus may have some joint plans. I predict one of two things: Waldorf grows stronger and continues to provide synths or joins forces and continues to provide synths. These people live for E-musik and put their hearts into synth and sound design. and thats why the entire line of waldorf has been so popular with the original music crowd.

I dream of the Q...I need it. I think the Q stands for quality although my english friend says it is an old way of saying resonance! ^___^
It reflects well on my set-up which includes new stuff and old,computer generated sounds, analog, digital, va and rom samples The knobs are the best, the lights bright and the words are easy to read next to them. The thing looks like part of a twighlight zone set and sounds like everything from a string machine to a gnarly grinding meat grinder, you control the sound with this tool. There is one thing that bothers me and that is the level of proffesionalisim the Q has, it demands I do MY best and get out of it the very best sounds. Any weakness in the sounds I make are due to my lack of finesse or imagination. Buttery silky or rough and raspy this machine will kick out the sounds I need. After I bought this synth I soon realised I have heard it in several productions, this is a good synthesizer and not some cheesy wanna-be. I would NOT trade mine for a Triton, Motif or whatever unless i thought I could sell them and get more Waldorf. For making most dance music almost any VA will do or rompler but for the original touch and a distinctive tone, I go for the heart of creativity- Waldorf , thank you for giving us the chance to experience quality. FANTASTIC!

I have owned my Q-rack since Jan. I have v3.02. The presets are extremely good, and there are plenty more available for free on their website. The presets are great starting points for tweaking. Editing patches is easy if you know your way around a subtractive synth. The manual is helpful. I have not used a patch editor.

My Q-rack has a polyphony of 16. It can be expended to 32. It has built-in FX, and I find them to be pretty good. There's Reverb, Chorus, Delay, Phase shift, Distortion, Flanger and a Vocoder. There is also an on-board step sequencer and great arpeggiator. It has three oscillators and three LFOs. There are two filters with an array of types, as well as 4 envelopes, a ring modulator, noise generator FM, and wave tables. There is an incredible Modulation Matrix allowing you to modulate any module with any other module on the Q.

Don't look for realistic sounds on this synth. It can do a passable organ, but there are much better out there. What this synth does is create wonderful pads and leads. The pads are effervescent and frothty. The leads are rich, and the basses are pounding. This would be a great synth for ambient music as well as dance and techno.

I have had no trouble with it. It is built like a tank. You can depend on it.

Support comes via Email. It takes quite a while to get a response. There is an active forum which is better.

I have a bunch of software synths I use for ambient music. The Q fits well in the mix. I would replace it with another Q if lost. I wish the manual was better. What I like best is the sounds and the vast modulation matrix. What I don't like is the buttons sometimes require a few pushes to engage.

OS 3.02 The presets are pretty darn good. I usually start with a
preset and tweak it a bit before settling on a sound for recording.
Editing is not difficult; however, the synth is deep, so it often
takes quite a bit of tweaking to get the sound you want. It usually
isn't a matter of turning one knob and you're finished. You have to
work at it because it is such a deep machine. I have a patch editor
(Sounddiver), but I rarely use it. It really isn't necessary. The
display on the Q rack is more than sufficient. In fact, I have grown
to like editing the Q. The manual is decent, which is good, because
I usually keep it close by when I need to do some serious editing.
However, the more I work on the Q the less I need the manual (but
I suppose I will always keep it handy).

I think I have 16 note polyphony which is plenty for my needs
(electronic music). The effects on the Q are EXCELLENT!!! And the
programmability on the effects is really easy. Probably the best
on-board FX I have ever heard. Great job Waldorf! And, what about
the KILLER ARPEGIATOR! (if you like arpeggiators, it is worth it to
save a little more and get the Q rather than the Micro Q). The Q's
arpeggiator is probably the best and most creative one I have ever
used...and I have used plenty of them.

arpeggiator). T

This synth is not for acoustic emulations. It is for creating some
incredible electronic sounds (pads, sound effects, killer bass, big
analog sounds, etc). I use this for electronic music (mainly in a
studio), but it can be used for rock, especially 80s and early 90s
rock.

This gem is built like Fort Knox! It is heavy, solid, rugged, and
seemingly indestructable. Very dependable. No problems.

Never really used Waldorf customer support (except for one question
I sent to their staff via email)....The company did respond about a
week later...not really rapid response, but not too shabby either.

If this were lost or stolen, I would DEFINITELY buy another. Did I
how good the on-board effects and arpeggiator are! It is worth every
single penny I paid. In addition to the Q rack, I also own a Korg
Triton (great piece), Korg MS2000R (another great piece), E-mu Audity
2000 (another great one) and a Korg 01/WFD (great again). However,
the Q is an essential part of my studio rig. LOVE IT.

os 3.0, 2001 soundset. editing is a knob's twist away. manual is superb.

16 polyphony, expandable to 32. effects keep getting better and better with each new OS. on-board step sequencer is great...hopefully with a new OS, there will be pattern-chain function. but i just sequence it with software currently.


tons of synth features, filters, LFO's, complex routing possibilities, etc.

this is where it's at. best VA i have ever used. i like it better than the nord, jp-8000, supernova, an1x, etc. only thing i like as much is the virus B, but that machine isn't as powerful as the Q. but it's GOOD..mmmm.......

pure electronica buttery goodness with the Q. sweet, airy, clean synth sounds. it can get grungy too, but the sonic quality of this synth is unsurpassed.

built like a tank.

i get an email response from one of the programmers within 24 hours, every time. try that with Emu, or yamaha, or roland.

say goodbye to the wife, this will be your new date for awhile.....