Waldorf Q

Rack version OS 2.15 - The preset sound preety good but they can't expain you how this one could sound. Anyway magic is just one knob turn away ...
Yes it has got a whole bunch of smooth knobs in a logically ordered interface that allow you to comfortably feel the contact beetween you and the synth. Sure it needs some knowledge of the synthesizer language but if you hadn't this one you wouldn't have bought a q ;)
Synthetic manual.

I just can't realize what this beast cannot do and I'll try for coffee.
When you have 3 osc with 6 different waveforms (also 2 for wavetable synthesis), 2 sub osc, a noise gen, an audio in, ring mod, waldorf filter paradise featuring comb and flexible filter routing and editing, 3 fast LFOs, sound morphing, 4 flexible envelopes for filters,amp and modulations, everything frequency modulable (including the filters), tons of modulation matrix',2 FX units (with vocoder!),completely programmable polyphonic arpeggiator and sequencer, 16 voices polyphony, 6 analog and one digital output, what more could you want from your life ?

Really charming sound. My personal opinion is that you can achieve really personal sounds with this one. Maybe a Nord Lead or Virus can do better in analog sound emulation, but if you want to create and not to emulate this is the one for you ... Nice bonus fx unit. Few FX but still good ones. Reverber coming soon.
The best thing about this one is how he reacts to your hands, but you'll have to try here ;)

Some bugs and crashing but a smart data and parameters handling.

Think Waldorf is one of the most friendly companies on the net. I mailed them a couple of times and they've been really quick and kind responding me. Then there's a nice and competent user forum. Then there are frequent OS updates adding really useful features to your machine. Online manual.

Definitely whorthwhile. At first prices were quite high but now that they're lowering I think that every synth lover should owe one.
Awesome, flexible and crisp sound quality and smart interactivity give you the sensation that you could make whatever you want whit this toy.

Let me preface by saying this thing is truely amazing...simply AWESOME, even though I have been told it is still far from complete. This doesn't bother me because upgrading will be done online; no mailing it to the distributor (or so I am told). At first this thing was kind of hard to navigate due to its shear monstrous abilites, but after lots of joyous hours of exploring, it becomes intuitive. Besides, it has tons of knobs for easy access. It also has a cool "peek" function, which allows the user to see what a knob value is without actually having to change it. The new Nord 3 is going to have a cool LCD for each knob, but oh well, can't have everything. I am currently using OS 2.03, the latest update. I updated it myself from 2.01 (at first I was terrified I would ruin the whole thing, but it was very easy). The manual can be a bit nebulous, but I have definiteley seen worse. The manual is always being upgraded on-line, which is theoretically helpful.

I have the 32 voice upgrade, which is really cool. It has tons of features, basically routable everything. I could ramble forever about the features, but I won't, since they are listed. It also has built in effects which are nice-sounding. One can have 2 effects going simultaneously. The arp is very cool.....versatile and fairly easy to use. I haven't messed with the sequencer yet, so I can't say a whole lot about it. Also, it has a slot for "Q cards". These are not available yet. When available, they will expand the memory. I also have heard that eventually it will employ wavetable synthesis which will then enable it to create microwave-like sounds.

The sounds are undescribably awesome......very complex. Most of the preset sounds are really good, and can serve as a basic template for creating sounds. I will say the "acoustic" preset sounds are really bad and painful to listen to....but a virtual anaolg synth is not suppose to make acoustic sounds....that is what sample playback synths are for. I have a korg trinity v3 pro x (which also extremely cool). It works well for any heavy keyboard-laden music, especially industrial, techno etc.

It is reliable thus far. It is solid steel and wood......no plastic (except for knobs).....thank god, I hate plastic synths.....appears to be very high quality.

I had to call them about some minor thing, and they were very friendly and accessible.

If it were stolen, I would deeply mourn its loss. I would buy another in a second (that is if I could afford its hefty price again). Overall, I love it......and yes, I must admit, that bright yellow color is a guilty pleasure! At this point I don't know of anything I would change about it as of yet....I have a JP8000 (boring), which is not even in the same league, an MS 2000, which is VERY cool, but still does not compare, and a Trinity (incredibly awesome).....which is like comparing apples and oranges. I am getting an Access Virus kb (whenever the stupid thing arrives from germany) and look forward to comparing it with the Q. So in a nutshell, this is probably THE baddest of the bad virtual analogs, and if you are willing to shell out lots of $$$$$$, get one!!!!

It's time someone who actually owns one of these things gave a REAL review of the unit. Waldorf have come a long way with the software updates, and feature implementation, so it's time to let folks know what's truly under the hood. The unit is COVERED with knobs and buttons. Anything that isn't directly accessible on the panel is one 'edit' button push away. Finding your way around this thing is a cinch. Preset sounds are not my cup of tea...they are simply meant to give the user an idea of what kind of sounds are possible, but some of the presets in here are pretty good! The REAL downfall is the manual. Not much here folks...they DO have a manual download for the step-sequencer, which is finally up and running; but even so the manual isn't the strong point here.

The standard polyphony is 16 voices.(expandable to 32) Unfortunately, the keyboard action isn't worth writing home about. It feels much like a cheesy, flat, plastic Roland XP-something keyboard. Non-weighted, and not really playable. The pitchbend wheel is lame, too. The mod wheel is the same, but it is naturally more loose, so it's easier to control. They don't give your finger much of a dip to play in, so pitchbenders beware! Most people don't agree with me here, but I think the effects available are just great! Really cool delay, nice chorus, and LUSH flange are a few of the best. Each effect has a fair amount of editing, so you can customize a sound. No reverb yet, but I don't buy a synth expecting a $2000 reverb to come inside! The knob now transmit midi CC#'s, which help it become a more friendly controller board. The step-sequencer is now working, and it has some really cool applications. Easy to grasp, and fun to play with. I'd give this section a 10 if it had all of the features not yet implemented. They say they'll be adding more filter-types, but there are plenty here to work with in the meanwhile. There are also places for Alternate Oscillator types, but again, there are plenty here to work with in the meanwhile.

The main reason that I don't mind putting up with some of the BS involved here is that this synth is a CRAZY, AWESOME, MAGIC, VOODOO MACHINE! You can literally let your mind wander as you twist through the front panel. The sound capabilities here are ENORMOUS! Great for dance, trance, hip-hop, and ambient(which is my primary goal in life!)
I get lost for hours on this toy, the arpeggiator alone is almost worth the HUGE price-tag! I didn't buy this thing as a controller board, so my disappointment level will be different from most. The fact that it isn't in rack form means that I can only have the keyboard, so I use it for the WILD, UNEARTHLY sound base that I've been looking to find for so long. Velocity and aftertouch seem to work great for me...though I don't rely heavily on them.

Made by Waldorf, from solid metal...yes, I'd say very well built, though I'm not going to drop it on the floor for fun just to see if it can take a beating! Yes, I would gig without a backup. The main reliability factor here is that the software isn't all the way perfect on ALL machines yet. As a whole, my unit has only one shortcoming...I can't use chords on the step-sequencer...if I do, the unit goes apesh*t, and crashes on me. However, when this occurs, I simply turn the unit off, leave it alone for a while, and then go back to it. eeping in mind the next time that using chords is a "no-no". Yes, there are some hardware issues also on CERTAIN machines; but Waldorf will take them in for repair, and have addressed all problems in a timely manner.

They keep updating the software, and making a good effort to help all user with their respective problems. There are a few things that still need to be addressed, but I feel that Waldorf are trying their best to fulfill the support demands. Downloads for software are easy as pie to obtain, are always free on their website, and keep coming frequently enough. Some folks on the user list have given up on the machine, because of the headaches it has caused. I have yet to throw in the towel...simply because this is one of the coolest synths I have played on.

Overall, I am very happy to own one of these units. If it were lost or stolen, I would probably replace it with another. My only hope is that Waldorf can get it all the way together, and put an end to the toils that have plagued some users. The sounds in here, though, are like nothing I can reasonably describe, so that alone should shed some better light on the situation!

Today I walked into Dr. Sound and became one of the first in NYC to play the Q (a blue one).
Before I sat down I knew it was going to suck, especially after reading the drab preview in Sound on Sound Magazine which let us know that it doesn't sound very analog and only about 60% of the advertised features are implemented at this time.
The floor person just getting up said, it just sounds like the XT to me. He pressed four different buttons and "not available yet" showed up on the puny dispay. We traded comments about the audacity of the company for bringing it out so early, yada yada, blah blah. And then I sat down and gave it a whirl. And then another one. And then I realized that:
1. It does not sound exactly analog at all. 2. It does sound like the XT. 3. The box is not very swanky and the color is blah. 4. The display is too small 5. The cutoff freq. and res. knobs are more the right than the left of the whole board thus making your left hand cross over your right if you are simultaneously tweaking while playing any lower than the upper-most octave and a half. 6. A bunch of buttons, including some pretty important main menu type buttons are "not available yet". 7. The keyboard action is blah. Not as cheesy as the cs1x but like a roland. Not the superfine keys on the K5000 and the EK4 (same by the way). 8. On OSC 1 and 2, there are two "alternate" waveforms which are not working. The OS says boot 0.87 (or so) and the software says 1.08 (or so).
But:
A. It sounds smoother than the XT. B. The two filters are really cool and easy to tweak individually or together using just one set of controls and a button (kind of like the button switches on the 505). C. There are couple of filter types which make really wacky (good and new) sounds. D. The central knob which lets you fade between fully separate parallel filters (panned wherever) and fully serial filters and anywhere in between is really NICE. E. It sounds really good. F. I want one.
Here's my plan:
I will wait a year until:
i. The price drops to near or below 2K (I hope). ii. They bring out a rack mount or table top version. iii. They are into the tenth or so OS update and everything works and the bugs are gone.
Then unless another company has stepped in a matched it or beat it (you never know), I will get it.
I hope I can wait that long.
On June 9,1999, Wolfram Franke from Waldorf is appearing at the store for a workshop and I still plan to give him more hell about the wallworts.