Waldorf Keys

Reviews | Waldorf Blofeld Keys
92
counterpart (for further info see my
Blofeld review FM197).
In its most basic form, the Blofeld
uses a digital 25-voice sound creation
engine to provide a wealth of oscillator
types and a staggering array of
sound-shaping possibilities, (which
can be overwhelming at fi rst for even
the most seasoned of programmers).
However, the parameter matrix system
of editing works well and with a little
practice, you soon fi nd yourself fl ying
around. The endless rotary metal dials
feel great in use and the display gives
lots of detailed and easily readable
visual feedback, with zoomed pop-ups
for more detailed functions.
The overall sonic character could
best be described as warm and
analogue-like meets industrial, but as
it covers so many staples and bases of
sound design, it’s hard to pin down.
I can reassure you it’s very high
quality throughout and has super deep
and punchy lows, piercing highs,
versatile fi lters and is great for bass,
leads, pads, sound FX, atmospheres
and much more.
Synth heaven
Pretty much every parameter a synth
programmer could want is somewhere
under the hood including osc sync,
unision modes with variable
polyphony, four envelopes per voice
(with seven different trigger modes),
three oscillators per voice, a noise
generator (with variable colour) several
LFO’s, a very powerful fi lter including
LP, Notch, BP, Comb and PPG LP
modes, several modifi ers that affect
and twist up modulation sources and
15 or so pages of modulators where
you can route anything to anything.
If this isn’t enough, there are two
drive stages per voice, for really
mashing up and distorting or just to
give a subtle edge to sounds. The
> Having the Blofeld sound engine
in keyboard form means setting up
at gigs or in the studio couldn’t be
easier. No more MIDI leads to deal
with and no more wall-wart power
supplies now that the power supply is built in.
> If you’re stuck for inspiration, the arpeggiator is
great for sparking off ideas for tunes, with its
comprehensive modes, detailed graphical display
and patterns. You’ll be shouting ‘Check out my new
track!’ within seconds.
> User sample upload means you
can truly personalise your soundset.
Upload your favourite drum sounds,
vocal grabs, effects or samples from
your studio kit to take to your live
gigs. You could even put some loops in there and
trigger them from an external sequencer or the
onboard arpeggiator.
The Good and Great
Here’s the top three things we loved
about the Waldorf Blofeld Keys
the back panel which means you often
fi nd the wire trailing over the
front-panel and keyboard. I wish all
keyboard manufacturers would take
note and make front-panel headphone
sockets standard. Even the fi rst DX7
got that one right. Also an audio input
would have been nice.
In terms of the basic operating
system, the Blofeld KB shares all of
its features, with its module
tell. What else is new then, in terms
of hardware? Well, there’s now a MIDI
Out thankfully (which is woefully
missing from the Blofeld module), so
at last, you can control other MIDI
gear easily.
Heart of the Blofeld
The only real hardware-related gripe I
have is that the headphone socket is
mounted slap bang in the centre of
Load your own
samples onto the
Blofeld via USB
USB Port
The rear-panel
headphone socket
can be frustrating
Headphone
FMU211.rev_blofeld 92 3/2/09 6:46:52 pm