Waldorf Blofeld Keyboard Synthesizer

Colin Brown
October 18, 2009

Rating: 10/10

A few bits of info for starters:
If you are looking for a keyboard to play piano, strings, brass, etc, Blofeld is NOT for you. But for everything synthetic / electronic, this IS the answer!
Second bit of info: This synth is incredibly deep... How deep? Deep! There are numerous layers of sound crafting capability which requires a basic understanding of sound synthesis. However, don\'t let this put you off - the matrix system of controls means you can spend ages just going through the 1000+ presets, then slowly begin knob-twiddling as you become more confident. Don\'t be afraid to twiddle those knobs and press those buttons because the worst you can do is wipe the memory banks, in which case you just go to the Waldorf website and download and install everything again - completely free.

This is my first hardware synth, and the decision to choose Blofeld was based on a lot of research, including one review which said; \"if you are going to buy just one hardware synth, buy the Blofeld\"! Having used a few other hardware synths I must say I agree completely!

I have a home studio setup with MIDI controllers, big monitors, etc, which is definitely not portable, so I needed something I can take with me when I spend more than a day or 2 away from home! What I do is play it through headphones from the dedicated headphone jack, with my Edirol R09 stereo recorder plugged in to the 2 1/4inch output jack sockets (Left socket doubles as a stereo out). Then if I find a new riff I like or new melody / project ideas, I can record them immediately and when I get home simply import them to my studio computer. This works very well as long as I keep notes about which sounds were used in each recording.

The range of sounds Blofeld can produce is simply staggering, and the quality of those sounds is orgasmic! The depth with which sounds can be shaped and mangled is absolutely mind-boggling too. I\'m no expert but I\'ve been making electronic music long enough to know this; I will probably never use every feature this keyboard possesses - even if I continue to work with it for 3 or 4 hours every day. Blofeld has set off a rush of creativity in me and I want to thank Waldorf and Dolphin Music for making and supplying this awesome keyboard synthesizer quickly, efficiently, and at such an astonishingly low price considering its spec and build quality.

Many thanks from a very happy customer!

Joeri Peeters
August 20, 2009

Rating: 10/10

Absolutely a lovely synth. Well build. Sound fabulous. Wavetables are very nice to play with. can sound very soft, agressive and industrial, sweet, weeping...everything is possible!

There is also a superb Vox Humana sound (remember \'Cars\' Gary Numan)
available for free for the blofeld) at www.vstream.be/Samples.html

Check it out!

james
July 27, 2009

Rating: 10/10

The Waldorf Blofeld keyboard synthesiser was the second hardware synth I purchased, previously I had bought the wonderful Microkorg. Although I found limitations with the Microkorg and wanted something that had more.

Once discovering the Blofeld keyboard synth and drooling over the vast paramaters that can be altered I knew this synth, for the price, would be perfect.

Having finished a music tech course at uni and sruggling with money I knew I would not be able to afford a Virus, Moog or a Nord. (Maybe in the future!)
For 699£ the Blofeld offers a lot compared to other synths in this price range. I had struggled for weeks over which synth to get between the price range of £500 to £800. The things that drew me in were:
three oscillators, in depth arpeggiator, on board effects, aftertouch keys, 49 keys, being encased in steel.

I worried about navigation through the menus would be complicated due to the vast amount of parameters this synth can do but the menu is very straightforward.

The sounds are thick and warm and in my opinion beat any soft synth I have used. The filters are very good and I could see myself easily using such an effect in a live performance.

Also, the Blofeld feels like a beast when you pick it up, which I find comforting.

A great synthesiser to buy and the manual is a good read :D love those germans!

Simon Scott
May 21, 2009

Rating: 9/10

Having seen the Blofeld desktop module, gain a wealth of popularity over the past year or so, I have always regarded it as \'one to look out for\'. I saw that the keyboard version had been released and having heard about the quality construction of the desktop module, I decided to take the plunge!

Encased in the gorgeous white metal, adorned with brushed Aluminium knobs and a dot matrix LCD display, there lies a powerful digital synthesis engine that at times could easily be mistaken to be analogue. The analogue effect patches can be supplemented with all sorts of pops, clicks and reverb to give them more depth and realism. The easy to use graphical interface, makes it a breeze to create even the most complex sound-scapes, to which dozens of layers and effects can be added.

I\'m still trying to get to grips with the arpeggiator, simply because there are so many options; combining the arpeggiator patterns, with the three LFO\'s can produce some interesting results to say the least.

The semi-weighted keys are a welcome addition to synths in this price range. You can feel the sturdy construction with every key-press, which only serves to reinforce sense of power you get.

All in all, a worthy purchase. If you are looking for a synth in this price range, for me there\'s no competition.

NB. If you are looking to spend a little less, or don\'t need the keyboard, I strongly recommend the desktop version as it\'s essentially the same minus the keyboard, mod wheel and pitch-bend.