Waldorf Q

As i have had this synth since 2000, it is only with time i have seen features that i might miss on the Q, like individual knob LCDs on the Korg Kontrol49, or lit pot markers like Nord Lead 3, and USB editing/storage.

The signal flow of the knobs is still my favorite on any synth, and the frequency cutoff knob is in the perfect position for me being more or less in the middle so you can tweak it while chording with either hand. Being red too it is easy to find. The multitimbral part selection is sensible and having 16 parts is awesome on such a great sounding synth.

Ive always liked Waldorfs program storage and saving utilities, and of course the random patch function is always fun. A bigger screen would always be desirable, but its got heaps of knobs so I guess i saved myself some money on what was already an expensive new synth.

Running OS 3.02. I did have a couple of crashes back in OS 2 land, but I cant remember any in last few years. Waldorfs manuals are typically good, although i only ever got a preliminary copy of the manual due to the early hardware version i got - but easy enough to reference to a pdf off the web so no big deal and cant really be bothered to print one out. You dont really need a manual with this once you have the basics sorted as the most important stuff has a knob for every function anyway.

16 note polyphony, 16 part multitimbral. Its "lack" of polyphony is probably only noticable due to having so many possible parts, I often use 10 or more parts at a time in connection with logic, running of an AMT-8. So now and then its possible to hear a pad chord shutting off early with full sections or complicated sounds, but I believe some work was done to ensure as subtle as possible note stealing, and this is the case to my ears. All i dream of is finding a 16 voice expansion card for this one day - I do hope the new waldorf would consider a run or at least have a 3rd party make them.

I have one Q card, which is full again... I made myself a master set of 300 sounds choosing from all the 1000 or so available patches on the waldorf site, all within Logic using no librarian software. Its ok but I would much prefer USB management like on the newly proposed Stromberg, and as is common on the new range of Korg synths for example.

The keyboard is action is perfect. It is absolutely a fantastic master keyboard for my midi suite with big solid rubber modulation and pitch wheels that i feel will outlast my lifetime.

Built in FX are certainly usable, and work well in a mix, but not really standing out to impress. Not as flexible as they could be in some cases but having an extra delay and reverb never hurts, especially with so many parts to work with.

I never use the sequencer or even arpeggiator outside of auditioning sounds - but then im a midi freak and have always prefered software sequencing.

I have been synthing for about 10 years now, and am currently working with Nord and Korg keyboards at work. This Q is my favourite synth. The more experimental sounds can truely show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Modulation sources everywhere. Some of the best sounds can be achieved to a level where one press of a key will take you on a musical journey over minutes with endless variation and always with the totally inspiring quality to the sound. Some of the slow sub bass wanderings absolutely blow my mind often providing a surplus of goose pimples.

Nothing else i have played has this absolute charm and ability, with the interface to match and eye pleasing and well executed. It just invites you to play and experiment, and it gives me what i am aiming to achieve.

Using SPDIF out, all detail is captured in perfect quality and is always completely impressive.

It is absolutely reliable. I dont feel the jacks sockets on the back are really "stage" strength, but fine for studio - unless like me you manage to stand on a cable where it meets the floor and do damage.

Its never had a fault, except for one of the jack sockets being broken off the circuit board by me as described above. Waldorf were alread kaput by then so i had it fixed by a good local technitian. No worries.

I would buy another if I could - although i dont think i could settle for anything less the the same blue nextel paintjob - its perfect. The new phoenix version seems to a close contender for looks - especially with the new color LCD as shown in design pictures, but the old waldorf nextel paint just has a look and texture which is pleasing to me. Next to my nextel XT and Q, my gloss Rack Attack looks positively cheap.

Been doing sequenced music for about 10 years. Other synths I own are microwave XT, Rack Attack, Ensoniq ASR-X and Novation Nova. I had the Nova boxed away for some years, but have got it out again to provide some more texture. The Q always sounds so fat and amazing, its nice to have the Nova for a less dense timbre in the mix to provide contrast. The Q stands out and having 16 parts means i can get many sounds in every piece.

I really do love this keyboard. It cost more than i could afford, but it never disappoints. Everytime i sit down at it i manage to get some magic out of this machine, or impress myself more than the previous time. I have the original blue nextel with stained wood ends - It is absolutely beautiful from a visual perspective, and that makes me happy to spend so much time with it. Id love more voices, but its not the end of the world, especially as note stealing isnt something that troubles me often and the smooth and musical way the Q handles this anyway.

A wish list might be USB for librarian/editor, larger screen, Nord 3 style marked pots, and analogue filters without that gross Q+ crimson color... But it is a complete synth as it is with a top quality feel and sound so I never find myself lamenting on anything missing.

Ive only marked it down because of the massive price when it was new but i can never see myself selling my Q it is a musical instrument with a sound arsenal that will never get tired.

Very easy. I'm using OS 3.02 with the PPG filter. It is intuitive, and there are lots of knobs that don't cause nasty jumps in the sound when they're turned. It's a complex synth, but I can't imagine all this complexity getting much easier. There are some menus, but there isn't enough space on a keyboard this size for every contol in the Q's engine. I use Q Manager X for Mac OSX which is a great librarian, and I've never felt the need for a patch editor. The manual is fine, and the presets are great. They show off the enormous range of possibilities with this synth, but it would be a crime to own a Q and not program your own sounds.

16 voices might seem a little slim by today's standards, but it's fine. Lots of great music has been made on synth with fewer voices. Effects are very good, memory cards are expensive on eBay and not really necessary, MIDI is easy...it's all good. The power cord is weird--it must be popular in Germany because Viruses use them, too. Go to Radio Shack and get a spare. The build quality is fantastic with one exception: the jacks in back are not bolted to the frame, so they feel a little less than rock solid. Just pay attention when plugging or unplugging things and you'll be fine. There are actually little holes there, so maybe other Qs do have their jacks bolted to their frames. I don't know, but it's not a huge deal.

Every good thing in the previous reviews is true. This synth is a monster. It can sound convincingly analog, bitingly digital, modern or retro, fat and tubby or razor thin, or all of this at once. Incredible. It ties with the Prophet VS as my all-time favorite synth, and it's MUCH more flexible than the Prophet. The Q would be my desert island synth.

It's six years old or so and has given me no trouble at all. It's built like a bomb shelter (except for the rear panel jacks, but that's OK).

I hear that Waldorf is back in business, but nothing has come of it yet. I hope they're able to continue making great synths. Until then, there are lots of web resources for the Q because people who own one are so passionate about them.

This is an incredible synth. I have the original Wave-blue model with the yellow panel graphics--it's gorgeous. I actually sold a Virus TI at a loss to get one. The Virus has a slightly more powerful synth engine and a lot more computer-related features, but the Q has a lot more personality. The Virus sounded too generic to me, for lack of a better word. Maybe its just because you hear them all over the place in electronica, played by people who don't bother to edit the presets. The Q, on the other hand, has a unique sound. Not as analog as a Micron, but it shouldn't be considered a virtual analog anyway--it's too powerful and individual to be limited by that label.

I love the sound, the endless knobs, the incredibly powerful synth engine, the wavetables, the number of front-panel controls, and the looks. I don't hate anything about it, but I wish it had more wavetables, user wavetables, a USB port, and 76 heavier keys. I also have a V-synth XT, a Prophet VS rack, a Micron, and an S-90, and the Q easily holds its own in my collection.

Using the latest release (V3.2 I think), and there don't seem to be any hassles with it (but a few cool functions in comparison to older versions, so you might check which version you got). And in case you're wondering, it's the old model (in aggressive yellow).

Well, "ease of use"...this is a rather complicated device, a big mighty synth, so with something like 56 dials on the panel and lots of knobs and LEDs, you wouldn't expect it to be extremely intuitive...

Still, Waldorf have come up with a quite logical design for the front panel, so you will quickly find your way around here, at least if you've ever worked with an analogue synth before. The display is a two-line backlit LCD, which might seem a little bit tiny, but this only comes to carry in very few specific situations. On the other hand, you got lots of LEDs to display e.g. the LFO phase, which is a great plus.

In some case, the menu structure seems unnecessarily cumbersome to me, but that might be just me.

Big variety of preset choices, some very high quality.

OK, I won't write about all the features, because I guess everyone has already listed them, and you can look them up on the website; instead, I'll list the most important ones:

* great keyboard: this is the best synth keyboard I know, period. Great for some expressive playing.

* MIDI clock handling: a great feature is to set it up to sync to MIDI clock if it gets one, use its own when there is no clock on the MIDI in, and in every case export the tempo used on MIDI out. Great.

* audio input: an external audio in can be fed into the engine and run through filters, envelopes, effects and whatnot.

* Lots of dials, knobs and LEDs: everyone playing analogue gear knows what I'm talking about. Plus, you still find place on the panel to put a Nord MicroModular.

* two pedal/CV and one footswitch in

* outstanding tuning features

* surround 5.1 capabilities

* looks cool

The thing is somewhat noisy. The noise appears both on the analogue outs and on the S/PDIF.

That being said: great. With its combination of a powerful analogue subtractive style architecture and basic wavetable capabilities, you get about everything in the analogue or more spacey analogue direction. The very flexible and characteristic (they even got a PPG mode!) filters add their own to it, and the effects are very useable in the context.

What it won't do properly is things like acoustic pianos and the like (but you've already guessed that, haven't you?)

Looks very sturdy to me. I never go anywhere without a backup. Recently, I had some issues with the rotary encoders sometimes not working properly (all of them), perhaps it's a SW issue, perhaps a general uC problem, don't know.

Never dealt with them - they went out of business a few years ago.

Obviously, the company has recently reappeared, so there might even be a chance to get support/repairs...

what you get here is a cool-looking, analogue-sounding synth with a little bit of digital edge if you want it. Outstanding keyboard, powerful yet intuitive synth engine and lots of dials, that is the thing when you want to stand there just letting a note sound, turn dials and see what happens. A set of (only two) effect processor gives you a very finished sound on the outs, with the only drawback of the sound being that its somewhat noisy. And you can feed your own audio sources into the machine.

If you want something like that - get it. There doesn't seem to be a better choice around.

Just installed 3.02, crashed during install once, but tried again and it worked flawlessly...Did a sys ex dump at 15BPM. Loading soundbanks seems best to be done through an actual sequencer, and Cubase SX3 seems to be the one for that, works perfectly, Bank managers can do it, but aren't as reliable for this.
The synth is fantastically easy to use, I only just got one, and still am learning the ins and outs.

16 Voices, monkey spanking multi timbral monster. 'Nuff said.

Amazingly amazing

Yes, precision German engineering at its finer stage.

Ummm....Waldorf have been abduscted by aliens

OS 2.16 (rack vers.)Manual not so good :)
This machine is very easy to use , edit and etc. because the lot of knobs ( like an any typical VA synth ). If you have some Clavia synths or Novation or... :) by now you will have no problems with this one.

16 voices - for this one is more than it needs.
Know nothing about keys....and don.t interested in any expansions
(if any expansions present into nature) , for i.m used (fooling with it) it only for a short period of time .

It can sounds sharp and agressive ( after i sodomized some of persets ov course ) and wants to be good for all harsh elektro,but somewhat in this yellow think is very wrong ,
or may be not ? Don.t know... , but i.m always have such feeling when fooling with it.

seems solid.

I have heared about Waldorf that they don.t exist now,
don.t know true it or not because i never dealt with them.

Hmmff.
I think if someone takes it away from me i will loose nothink,
and will not buy another.
At least i love my Korg Ms2000r or NL3 much more stronger against this one.

I'm trying to be honest here, as I have owned my Q for about a year and a half, I bought it new (demo) for #1300 , so it was quite expensive, I initially went in to try out a #2500 Alesis Andromeda,but To be honest, I hate the layout of the A6,maybe its the graphic design of the front panel but to me it just looked too confusing! my eyes drifted to the Q and o.k I knew it was a digital synth, but its layout made total sense and then I played a few presets!! O.K. I'm talking FIRST IMPRESSIONS here, the Waldorf sounded ( dare I say It??) so much better than the andromeda, and frankly everyone w**ks on about analogue being much better than digital etc,I guess this is why people will spend #300 on a sh101 or a juno 106 piece of crap (sold both for big profit myself after 11 years ). Anyway programming of the Q is as easy or as hard as you want, ie its easy to edit some presets to a sound you like , but the mod matrix on this thing is awesome. the single patches you can create are gorgeous, but flip her into multi mode and start layering up some complimentary sounds and this thing blew me away! The sequencer is awsome, but to program, it's not as intuative as I would like it, but that could be just my impatience.

I really like the Keyboard on the Q, its better than the OB12, and I love the action of the OB keys, It is no way as sublime as the keyboard on the Moog Voyager, that is in a different class!! The Fx are good but you really dont need them as much as you do on Novation and Access stuff, as effects seem to be the body of their sounds.

What Can I say, This combined With my Voyager and Microwave1 is all the synthesis I can think I need,the Q has sounds which remind me of when I was a small boy and heard Synths for the first time,making me realize I HAD to find out what this is about!!! I have Sold Roland 101's 303's and juno 106, korg wavestation, Doepfer A100, deep bass nine, all overated synths, championed by the masses and gear mags as 'must have's'

I Have to depend on the Q. So far it has done over 30 gigs with me with no backup. the only thing I can say is that some internal screws (about 4,) came loose and got trapped undeneath the keys and the screen once,and caused the Q to go into a frenzy, as though loads of buttons were being randomly pressed at once!!! during a gig this was not good!! They have now come Out. But god only knows where from!!
She Still works and is built like a tank. Its German!!

Never dealt with Waldorf Directly,but have read numereous postings about the quality of their support, and i am gutted they are now gone.I believe that Waldorf electronics GMBH. were pioneers in their field, and the quality,commitment and vision in what they did as a small company should serve as a lesson to the major synth manufacturers who continue to churn out cheap, plastic, 'in-crowd' groove-machines that are cynically marketed to the young DJ-tastic fraternity!

If I was Stolen, I'd put a 'Jihad on the ass' of the C@@@ that knicked it, as it couldnt be replaced, and you never see one on ebay. Mine is the grey/blue one with wooden side cheeks with orange livery, (never seen another one like it) you usually see the yellow ones or blue with no wood occaisionally.
As I said, I play this live along side a voyager and an Akai Z8 and this beast cuts through live sets with such warmth an clarity. If you see one, dont mess about with a jupiter or andro( yeah, they have the Buzz word 'analogue' but there gonna cost you big time in reliability and Dollars!!) :(

OS v3.02

Presets are fun but there are really so many more options available with this thing than the presets make use of.
Editing patches is a breeze with almost every single feature available with the twist of a knob!
The manual is detailed and straightforward. The Q manual, along with the manual for the Microwave XTk, are the only manuals I have ever read for a synth and actually *enjoyed* reading.

Mine has 32 voices, most come with 16 and since Waldorf threw in the proverbial towel the 32 voice upgrade is no longer available - today I am so incredibly happy that I chose to upgrade the unit when I bought it in 2001. The keyboard feels EXPENSIVE! Sitting down with the Q for a short session is an incredible experience every time. From editing patches to playing with the sequencer and arp to jamming away at the keyboard, the thing is just a work of art. There is an expansion slot in the back of the unit for a small RAM card (I have two), but they're almost impossible to find nowadays, and when they do show up they're often hilariously expensive. Again, I'm happy I bought mine while Waldorf were still around.
The Q has six outputs (three stereo pairs) and one stereo input, which can be split to two mono inputs with a Y-cable (excellent for using dual vocoders with two mics or driving one mic and one guitar through the effects section etc). It also has a digital output, and a CV/trigger input(!). The modwheel and pitchwheel feel incredibly smooth.
There is an onboard step sequencer which can be programmed with pretty much any parameter you want. The synth is of course 16 part multitimbral and setting up a multi or sequencing a song is just as easy as editing patches - simple and intuitive, Waldorf are just the masters at designing interfaces!

Oh God, where do I begin?
The Q is good for... well... everything. You can make just about any kind of sound with this one, from sweeping pads to booming basses to quirky wavetable effects. The three separate LFO's, three OSC's (saw, sine, pulse, tri and 2 wavetables), two filters, subOSC, four envelopes, eight effects processors and an amazing mod matrix makes the possibilities with the Q pretty much endless. Oh yeah, and pretty much everything from oscillators to filter cutoff mods and drive can be FM modulated from everything else, OSCs or LFOs. It's just crazy how much you can get out of the Q! I've used it for everything from emulating plucked instrument sounds to sweeping modulated pads, analogue-style basses and percussion effects, and it excels in every area! There's just no limit to what the Q can do! The LFO's and envelopes together with the mod matrix gives you enormous power to modulate your sounds while you're playing, opening up for all kinds of surprising effects. Still, the Q always does what you tell it to, giving you complete control over your sound.

I've used it live numerous times and it's worked flawlessly every time. I've managed to hang it a few times by sending weird SysEx data from my PC or from other synth gear, and by pulling or inserting MIDI cables while the synth was turned on, but other than that, it's stable as a rock. It's built rock solid, the casing is all metal, no plastic crap, and it'll stand for a hell of a beating. I've handled my Q with a good deal of care, and I definately recommend people take care of their gear, but I wouldn't have a problem bringing my Q to my next gig. Actually, it's the backbone of my live setup.

I exchanged a few mails with the Waldorf team in 2001 when I had my Q upgraded to 32 voices, and a few more in 2003 when I considered selling it and buying a Q+, which never happened due to obvious financial reasons (me + Q+ = personal bankruptcy). They were very friendly and helpful, emailed me OS patches directly and seemed to take a great deal of pride into their work. Ever since I first laid my eyes on the Q, I've had a great deal of respect for Waldorf as a company, and it really hurts that they're gone. They brought the world so much joy with the Wave, Microwave, Pulse and the Q, and they will be sorely missed.

Plain and simple: This is the best synth in the world, ever. Nothing can compare with it. It's got everything you could ever want in a VA synthesizer and then some. Actually, it's not even VA, it's a lot more. It's a virtual analogue, FM, wavetable, additive and subtractive synthesizer AND filterbank and arpeggiator (the most versatile and powerful in the world) and step sequencer all rolled into one. If you're only going to use one synthesizer, make it a Q. You won't regret it. I love my Q to death and if I was allowed to keep only ONE thing in my life, it would be my Q, without hesitation.

3.02 latest

Each synth has it's own philosophy of user interface. Some greater, some poorer. This is my first "virtual analog" I get in it without manual in 20 minutes. Of course, now i sit by this yellow one with one hand on pots an knobs, and other hand on mouse, scrolling .pdf manual :)

You can tweak everything! Its easy, when you are familiar with Waldorf filosophy. Yes, you must know something about Analog synthesis, LFO's, OSC's, filters, e.t.c. I am learning for t now. Listen few demo songs of Q, check out timbres and You should will to learn!!!

My is 16 polypony. I don't know, it's possible somewhere get this expansion slot? I have a Rack version, in role of MIDI controller is my Roland RS - 5. Only minus - it had no aftertouch.

This machine isn't buildt on Earth. There's only 16 bit/44.1 kHz DAC's, but sound is outstanding! Very, very good!

What types of music? Fantastic movie soundtracks! :) I think for all non-acoustic!

Onboard effects - great! fine tweakable!

I bought it on the morning and gig whit it in evening the same day. I spend only few hours to check sounds on it and find some presets, what i need. Sound engeener look at me awhile whith two jack's in hand from DI, - This Yellow had 3 stereo outs! + i digital, similar to main. Perfect in studio!

I don't need a backup on stage. This machine seems good in stability. Of couse, i had MIDI SysEx file in PC.

:( Waldorf exist yet? I don't know.... German site is not working...

But i don't need them. Thanks, Waldorf's guys for good work!

I play this only few weeks, i still learning it and analog sound globaly. I have Roland RS-5 (now - most in MIDI controller role :) But this one has good sounds too!) and Clavia Nord Elecro 2 73.

OS 3.02
This keyboard is a breeze to program with individual knobs for 90% of
the functions. It has a decent manual a lot better than some I've come
across lately.

There are 300 presets, 400 with a Q card that's plenty for most situations. The keyboard has a solid feel to it. Once again with all of those individual knobs you can't ask for any more control over your sound. The built-in Fx are good. I haven't used the sequencer on it so I won't comment. With a little synth knowledge this keyboard is very easy to navigate around.

The Q has a very wide range of sonic capabilites with a
richness that is not matched by my Virus or my Supernova.
I'm amazed everytime I sit down and play this wonderful instrument.
If I thought there was anything out there that was better sounding
I'd have one .... I'm still waiting.

The keyboard is rock solid (German built).
It has not failed me yet.
It has never left my Studio so I won't comment
on whether it's roadworthy or not.

Even with the company in financial difficulty the former employees
still managed to give me a lot of useful information and were quick
to reply to my emails. I rated this an 8 because I would have liked
to get the 32 voice upgrade but there not manufacturing any parts
anymore.

I would not hesitate a minute to buy another one if it got stolen.
It's worth ever penny I paid for it and then some. I wish I could have found the 32 voice version because I can't get enough of the Waldorf sound in my music.

OS 3.02. The unit is somewhere between intuitive, and mildly complex to use. But jumping in and learning is very easy due to the plethora of knobs. If you know synthesis, you'll be off in no time at all.

A patch editor is not needed, as there are tons of nobs and buttons.

The manual is sometimes above average (routing, layout), and at other times uselss as tits on a mule (MIDI).

16 voices. Having 32 would be a big help if you are going to stack it multi.

The FX are between good, and quite good. They take some getting used to, to tweak, that's for sure.

If anyone can find a Q-Card, let me know.

MIDI is probably the most confusing part on this machine. It's under a few sub menus, and the manual is not specific in this area.

The on board sequencer is mostly for fun. Nothing that would replace a computer, nor anything as elaborate as what's on a Kurzweil. But if you're going to go out and have fun, the on board Arpeggiator is fantastic! Hours of fun to be had here!

Here is where the Q shines. The sound on this machine is amazing, grand, gorgeous. It bothers me that it's referred to as "virtual analog". This is hardly a virtual analog machine. Some of the patches on the Q do sound very analog. Others sound very digital. The sound depth, shaping, and dynamics of the Q once you get into it are astounding. It does operate subtractive synthesis, much like an analog synth, but don't stop there. If you want an analog synth, go find a Jupiter-8 or Prophet-5. They sound great, and sound analog all the time. But if you want a fantastic sounding synth, period. The Q is it.

I would define it as a synthesizer, playing music as such. Trance, space, rock, techno, etc. Not really classical (unless you're into Philip Glass type classical, or Vangelis). It's not a sampler. It has drum mapping, but I never use it for that.

The velocity responds very well. The aftertouch is sensitive, and takes some getting use to.

It's built by Waldorf, and buillt extremely well. The power cord is a strange one. If you're gigging, go to Radio Shack and buy a back up. System 3.02 is quite stable. If you buy a Q with an older OS, immediately upgrade it. The bad news is (see next section)...

...Waldor is currently out of business as of 6/2004. If there is good news out of this, it's that almost everyone involved feels that the quality of the company and their staff were so good, they really need to be revived in some way. Expect them to come back.

There is a small army of die hard, proud Waldorf users out there. Even with Waldorf not around to answer questions, look about, you're likely to get some help simply by mentioning that you are a Q owner.

I think what makes more sense would be for me to compare it to it's peers:

Q vs. Access Virus/Indigo - The Virus sounds more analog, more like a Memorymoog, with some awesome fat modulation. The Q sounds like this some of the time. But most of the time it has more depth and variety in it's sounds. If you want VA, buy the Virus, it's a beautiful machine. If you want a mix of all synthesis, check out the Q.

Q vs. Alesis Andromeda/Ion - The Andromeda is analog and sounds it. If you want analog, real analog, don't buy the Q, don't buy the Virus, buy the Andromeda (or an old Jupiter or Prophet). But it is more expensive. The Andromeda will not easily match some of the digital/analog hybrid sounds that the Q outputs. The Ion is a digital, scaled down version of the Andro, and it's price is slightly lower than the Q, but it won't have the depth of the Q. Alesis is also in bankruptcy.

Q vs Oberheim OB12 - Not even close. The Q buries it. The OB will produce a few fat, synthy brasstring sounds that are very Oberheim. Other than that, the Q has more to offer by far.

Q vs Korg MS2000 - Same problem as the OB12. I actually like the OB12 better than the Korg.

Q vs Roland JD-800 or JP8000. The Rolands are older, but were very nice VA synths, one of the first with a lot of nobs. You might be able to pick up a used JD-800 AND a JP8000 (or 8080) for the cost of a Q, and that would be a worthy buy if you like the Roland sound.

Don't buy the Q expecting a Kurzweil, a Triton, or a V-Synth. It doesn't work like that. It's not a PPG either (buy a Mircrowave XTk if you want that), though it does have wave tables of sorts. The Q is a unique beast. To say it's VA, or even analog/digital hybrid sells it short, because it's so very programmable, and it's sound is so diverse. If you're looking for a great synthesizer, give the Q a serious look.

Dont remember - I sold it
Editing is very difficult- many hidden modes,even with all of those knobs and buttons. Many features not working. Manual better than most.
External processing sucks!

24 voice
Effects are limited but are useful enough.
Voice expansion possible and linkage to the rack makes it formidable.

On its own the Q sounds great, but easily gets lost in the track. It has terrible presence in sustaining sounds but it really shines on weird short quirky percussive sounds. The unsion modes are fantastic!

This is not realy a live synth.And it seems a bit fragile

This is strictly a professional synth. Its expensive and is very useful in a very limted way. If you can afford a "specialty" synth like this- you will be happy you made the purchase.

16 voice metallic blue version, OS 3.00. Much sleeker and prettier in person than the boxy-looking thing you see in internet photos. Presets are mind-blowing. A little too dance oriented for me personally, but it's programmable. Editing patches is very easy if you know subtractive synthesis. This is a complex synth, with lots of editing options, so programming could end up being time-consuming. If you find that it is, that's a very good sign! It means you're getting a lot more out of this synth than those who just play the presets. The manual is good, haven't used a patch editor (totally unnecessary on a synth like this). I'd give it a 10 if it had a couple of sliders instead of just knobs.

Polyphony is fine. Could always use more, but you know what? Most instruments are monophonic! At some point I remind myself to stop wishing for things and start adapting to a fantastic instrument. (That ultimate synth with all the dream features will never materialize anyway.) Effects are great, sound quality is great, MIDI is great, keys feel very nice for unweighted keys. (Not like the insulting, cheap keys on a Korg, for instance.) I prefer weighted keys and I still like these, so I guess that says something. No multitrack sequencer, but there is a very useful step sequencer. The arpeggiators rock. I hear that there are expansion cards for these, but they've got to be rare and expensive. I get along fine without one. The non-standard power cord is not ideal if you like to keep spares around, but THANK GOD THERE'S NO WALL WART! The big feature I wish it had was user wavetables. I would have paid double price for that feature. I have a Microwave XT that accepts user wavetables, but it would be nice not to have to lug it around. This one, however, has fantastic filters that can be run in series, parallel, or anywhere in between! And you can modulate the change in real time! Speaking of modulation, there's a real live modulation matrix here. Plus 3 oscillators, 3 LFOs, ring mod, FM, comb filters, overdrive, patch morphing (not simply cross-fading), etc., etc. Very likely the most comprehensive synth engines out there (short of the arcane and complicated VAST stuff, or perhaps the physical modelling that never went anywhere). The endless encoders make this synth a true musical instrument. It should be illegal to make knobs or sliders that cause an unmusical jump in sound when you turn them. Waldorf obeys the law.

The best synth I've every heard, and I've heard a lot. You don't have time to read all I have to say about it. Like everyone else says, realistic instrument emulations are scarce. If that's what you want, you'd better be an EXPERT programmer, or you should be reading about romplers instead. Some patches sound totally analog, some sound totally digital, some (my favorites) sound somewhere in between. If you had this synth next to a Jupiter 8 in a silent studio with excellent monitors and did a thorough analysis, I SUPPOSE you could tell this was not genuine analog. Probably. If you've had A LOT of experience with synths. But who cares? Play this for an audience or record it with other instruments, and even die-hard experts wouldn't be able to tell. And besides, the "it's gotta be analog" fashion will fade someday and, gasp! digital will even come back into vogue. The Q will serve you well no matter what happens.

Ya gotta love the Germans. This thing is a battering ram. Grond. The software got off to a bumpy start when the Q was first released, but it all seems pretty reliable now. I've noticed a couple of tiny quirks in the way the software behaves, but I have yet to figure out if it's OS weirdness or just me. If it's that subtle, I'm not complaining.

Waldorf use to rock, but they just went under. They were friendly, prompt, and actually helpful. Roland customers won't know what that's like, but it's great when you actually experience it. The people at Waldorf seemed to actually take pride in their instruments, and seemed to actually care that you were satisfied with your purchase. E-mu used to be that way, before the Creative Megacorporation bought them and drove them into the ground. I hope this doesn't happen to Waldorf. There are a lot of web resources for Waldorf synths, mostly because Waldorf customers are so passionate about them. That may make up for the uncertain future of Waldorf.

I compared this with a Novation Supernova II. I would have compared with a Virus too, but I couldn't find a store in my area that sells the Virus. I liked the Supernova a lot (and it looks even better than the Q and has sliders for its envelopes). The Q is more sonically versatile, though. Wavetable scanning, especially combined with ring mod, FM, etc., is really powerful. Plus, you don't have to scan the wavetables--you can simply use any of the 250 or so waveforms in the wavetables as static waveforms. Much more powerful than no digital waveforms on the Supernova, or the smaller number of them on the KS5 or the Virus. I've owned a ton of synths. I currently use a Kurzweil PC2x controller (evil wall wart), a Waldorf Microwave XT, and a Proteus 2500 with cool Z-plane filters. In the past, I've owned Roland synths (Jupiter 6, JX10, D50, JP8000), Ensoniq synths (ESQ1, TS12), a Kurzweil K2000R, and a few others. I used to love the ESQ1, but the Q easily outshines it. I sometimes miss the JX10, for its 76 keys as much as for its warm sound. But the Q is warmer than my fuzziest slippers.

What's happening to the keyboard industry? Novation is abandoning harware synths, Creative killed Ensoniq for us and is just about done destroying E-mu, Waldorf just went under... I know software synths are getting more powerfull, but they're still not as reliable or straightforward as hardware synths. Can the market for real synths be that dried up? I hope we continue to see real synths from Waldorf, but it looks like we may not. I fear the day when the only real keyboards one can buy are flimsy MIDI controllers or Big Name Romplers with sounds designed for commerce instead of art.

Do yourself a favor and get one of these while you still can. They'll be collectors' items one day, and they're going to get harder and harder to find. I love almost everything about this synth. Short of keyboardists who ONLY need acoustic emulations or samples, I can't imagine any synthesist not being ecstatically happy with a Q.

Version 3.02, Der L?test. Manual is decent, and even contains elements of humour (or the German equivalent thereof). Presets are nice, but who cares about presets.

Love the keyboard action & smooth aftertouch. A Q card is available, but expensive & rare. Polyphony is sufficient for what I need it for. Magnificent arpeggiator & step sequencer.

Some call the Q a virtual analog...no way. It excels at flagrant strangeness with its massive 3 LFO's. Effects are very well implemented & not anemic as on its orange little sister, the XTK. Best for techno, trance & experimental music. Not recommended for bluegrass.

It's German.

N/A

Worth its weight in marzipan. Essential gear. Mixers well with my other synths: Korg MS2000, Alesis ION, Korg Triton, Roland V-Synth & Doepfer A-100 Modular.

If you know synthesizers, it's all there. If you don't, the manual is very helpful.

MIDI is great, there is a sequencer but I hardly use it... it is easy enough though. Alot of effects, including a great vocoder.

GREAT sounds. I love the sounds this keyboard produces.

I have had this product for three years. It has survived a fire. This unit is rock solid. It is very dependable.

I've had an uprade mailed to me on request. I have exchanged emails with the waldorf people. From what I know... 10.

Ver 3.02 software. The upgrade was different, but easy enough. I think these new presets are excellent. Spent a few hours on one or two of them! Editing is easy, the lcd changes as you turn the knobs.
I did not get a manual, but the online one is great.

I have the 32-voice, yellow Q. The keyboard is a bit heavier than my Korg Karma, feels solid. FX are great, especially the new reverb.
The sequencer sounds good, but I haven't used it much yet.

There are some realistic instrument sounds, but this is not a sample-playback machine at all. It reacts to key-pressure very well. Definitely NOT a static synth! I've heard of people letting it play for days on its own, to hear how a sound changes. Overall sound quality is EXCELLENT.

No trouble yet, had it only a week. This is a solid metal box. I would use it with no hesitation live. Heard of a lot of lockups and crashes with these, but mine has behaved so far.

No experience with this yet

Yes, I would buy it again for sure (especially at the price I got it for!). I bought this as a partner for my Karma, they work great together. Also wanted an analog-sounding machine, and this is IT!!
I can't tell any difference between this and all the synths I've owned(micromoog, Jupiter 8, polysix), as far as analog sound goes, except that the Q sounds better, with a lot more features. The variety of paramaters is amazing.
I tried a Supernova, Nord lead 2, Roland JP-8080; this beats 'em all, IMHO. Plug and play!!!!

Software update from 1st qtr 2002 (3.02?). The Q has more knobs than most, and as such it is a very intuitive, easy to use instrument. Before I bought mine, I spent about an hour with one in a music store and was off and running around on the front panel, shift (2d functions for the knobs), and making a variety of sounds. It's not quite as easy as a nord lead 2, but for something this powerful and versatile, it's remarkably straightforward.

Mine is a 32-voice synth from the factory. The keyboard action is solid; a little heavier than the nord lead 2 (my other keyboard synth) but overall very fast. The wheels are nice, too; fat and rubbery, they feel good under the fingers. The effects in the new software are outrageously good-sounding. The reverb is first-rate and the programmability of the tempo delay is really great. Other effects are equally satisfying. The only drawback is that one can only use effects in 4 of the sounds in a multi. This is the most modifiable synthesizer in its class; more so even than a virus "c", and it allows for near-limitless programmability. I call this thing the "Matrix 12" of virtual analogs. The feature-rich environment is commensurate with the Q's price tag. This is a Cadillac, not a Chevy.

The sounds on the Q have been widely praised, so I'll just say I echo the others' praise. An interesting characteristic of this instrument is that, like a classic synth, everything is accessible via knobs, but like a digital FM synth, the sound shaping capabilities rival the "synthesis" (as opposed to sample-based sounds) of very realistic timbres. It's pretty incredible when you synthesize 'real acoustic' instruments, and can then morph them around with the knobs in real time!

The Q is a very well-built instrument. The only qualm I have is with the shipping materials. The guy I bought it from shipped it to me in its original container with all the original packing materials, and 2 knobs got broken in the shipping. This is because the box is barely larger than the Q, and the knobs are hanging out in space unprotected. Inexcusable for a synth that costs $4000 fully loaded, as mine was. I give it a 9 because I have crashed the system while programming it a few times.

No experience with them, although the previous owner ordered yellow sides and a spare set of wood sides (this is a strange Q: it's yellow but has the new black knobs and wood sides (like the XTk) - I installed the yellow sides, though) and the folks at Waldorf were very accommodating. And the authorized service had the knobs I needed in stock for cheap, so I was able to fix my Q quickly after receipt.

When I started building a rig in '99, I held out buying a keyboard until the Q came out, b/c it's such a great looker so I thought the sound would probably be awesome as well. The early versions of the OS were so piss-poor and frustrating that I bought a nord lead 2 instead. Now that the new OS has made all the features functional and they've added functionality and features beyond the original spec (ie. the PPG filter emulator option in the 'vcf' section), I was very excited to get my hands on it. This thing soooo smokes the virus and nord offerings that it's difficult to even compare them. As another gentleman said, this is not emulative, it is "proposing". With the Q, Waldorf's marketing hype rings true: "analog was yesterday" and the company slogan/motto, "Waldorf - enthusiasts synthesizing machines". Definitely an instrument for the true synthesizer enthusiast.

Waldorf Q, keyboard model with OS 3.00. If this would be your first (virtual) analog synth then it will take a while to learn (it was for me). The presets sounds are ok, but honestly I don't buy a synth this expensive just for the presets, this beauty makes you want to program hundreds of sounds of your own.

The manual is different from e.g. roland manuals, very good and somethimes humoristic.

Editing patches is a breeze, editor would slow you down! :)

16 voices in my, expandable to 32. The keyboard action is soooo sweet, those keys feels expensive. Aftertouch, velocity, rel velocity modwheel and pitchwheel. WARNING: The pitch bend wheel is really good, but you simply can't make any vibrato or wathever with it because it "get stuck" at the centre somehow (dunno how to explain). Anyway, that's what modulation matrixes is for right? :)

Soundshaping heaven, everything is just a knob away! Step seq and arpeggio is great. Currently there are no ablility to chain patterns :(

sounds great, one of the best synthesizers out there.

Rock solid, I've already used a Q-rack without backup and I will do the same with this rock solid beast.

The best!

Maby this one and a soft sequencer is all you need to create electronic music?

I think this beast to be one of the most intuitive synth on the market.If you know something concerning analogue subtractive synthesis,it is a pleasure to program it.Despite its ease of use, the "Mod. Matrix" can generate very complex and oringinal sounds.Only the step sequencer seems to be a little hard to use.But this is a personal opinion.

Mine is a 32 note polyphony keyboard.It is very well built.Its action is excellent either in velocity response or in aftertouch,which is one of the most precise in modulation.The built in effects processor is very powerful and now you can count on brand-new effects (like the reverb that is simply great).

It is a superb sounding machine.With 3 Osc ,3 Lfo and a lot of powerful filters,there is no sound you cannot create.The only limit could be your creativity.As I have already said,the filters are awesome and the routing possibilities are various.As a consequence of this ,the frequencies ballet is assured.There are screaming leads,great basses,fat pads and the emulation of some electric pianos is excellent.But I think it sounds less analog than other synths (i.e. Roland JP 8000/8080 ,Acces Virus ,Supernova ,Nord Lead).

Almost perfect

Excellent.

I think this is powerful synth.It may seems a little bit expensive,but it has power to spare.I love its sounds and I think it should be seen not as an emulative gear but as a proposing one.

I started out with V2.16 and have now moved onto V3.0, Personally I think the Q's sounds are unique and are so good that Ive recently sold my Proteus 2000 because all the pads , strings , bass , synth were no match for the Q. The KB version has all of the knobs and if like me you are new to CV Analouge synths it takes a while to learn how it all works.

16 note ( can be upgraded to 32) I will be upgrading to 32 Note, the FX are cool and the new Reverb is fantastic ( again putting my other modules to shame )

And because of the 56 knobs you can change any sound in any way buy playing with those knobs

And the Mental vocorder !!!!

As mentioned I find the Q is Ausome for its sounds , even the Elec Pianos , choirs ect are amaizing as their are no samples, Bass , Lead , Pads ( ausome ) , Strings, bizzare sounds that you just cannot get from a sound module

No problmes

Ive Emailed Waldorf many times , they allways come back with an answer.They also have a Email user group run by the Engineers so that you can talk to other Q users ....Very nice :o)

The Q is ausome and I would replace it tomorrow if it were stolen.

Rack version, OS 2.16. Editing on the Q is fairly intuitive. I had something of a steep learning curve, but only because I'm new to analog synthesis and the Q has a lot of different sound modulation possibilities. Having things like panning stored as part of a patch and not a multi setup are somewhat odd, IMO, but not that big of a deal. There are plenty of knobs and buttons which make navigating the interface nice and easy. Manual is decent. I had to email Waldorf tech support though for a couple things, but they were very helpful.

Built in effects, though they seem pretty skimpy even though they are of high quality. The phaser is really cool. I wish you could have effects going on all 16 parts in a multi setup (like the Virus) instead of only 4. I also wish there was a ping-pong setting for the delay. The appregiator on this thing is really nice, and there's a step sequencer as well. Q cards have just been released that you can use to store extra patches and multi setups. The best part of the Q though is all the modulation possibilities. More than any of the other virtual analogs, I think.

The sounds are incredible on this thing. It's the best-sounding synth I've ever heard, hands down. When I was shopping for a synth, I listened to the OB-12, Virus, Nord Lead 2, JP8000, AN1x, and the Nova. The Waldorf was definitely the most analog-sounding of the bunch. I just threw in the new 2000 factory soundset, too, and all I can saw is "wow!". The pads are really lush and dreamy, it does great thick basses, fx, you name it. The drums are a joke, except for some of the bassdrums, but I didn't buy this thing for drums. A very inspiring synth.

People have mentioned bugs, but I haven't run into any. My Q has never crashed. I wouldn't worry about using it in a gig at all. Construction is top-notch. Very solid, great feel on the knobs. The best-built synth I've seen next to the Nord Lead.

Amazing, best customer support I've ever dealt with. Waldorf is a small company, so you actually get to talk to people who know something about the synth. When I emailed them with a problem, they were always quick to respond.

If it were lost or stolen, I would probably buy it again. The only reason I say probably is because at $1450 I think it's still a little pricey, when you consider that the Virus and Nova have more effects processing power and cost $250 less. If the Q Rack cost $1200, there wouldn't be a question as to whether or not I would buy it again. I also played around with a Korg MS2000 after I bought the Q, and was very impressed by that synth as well, however 4 voice polyphony stinks. So really it all comes down to personal preference. All these virtual analogs have their own "personality". The Q is very lush, smooth, and rich, which is great for the style of trance I make, so I've been very happy with it.

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.