pedals/fx suggestions

[Tony Scharf]

On Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 10:08 AM, M-.-n <nostromo at arkaos.net> wrote:
>
> Nice review of the blofeld. Are the sample only traditional yawney type or
> can it also use single waveforms ? *If* they allow to get sample in, I'm
> going to be soooooooo horny about it... Unless it's sysex based.
>

The blofeld oscillators are actually pretty comprehensive.  Its got
the standard Saw/Pulse/Triangle waves with audio rate FM and pulse
width modulation available on each (you can set another oscillator as
a modulation source, or even itself!).  In addition, you have the ALT1
and ALT2 wavetables from the old Micro Q, the Resonant 1 and Resonant
2 from, i think , The Q Pheonix, then you have all the wave tables
from the Microwave II.  You use Pulse Width Modulation in this case to
sweep the table.  on top of that, you have the basic sampled wave
forms (which are the vanilla kinds of sounds you would expect -
pianos, strings, guitars, zither..etc).  The first two oscillators can
select any one of these options independently (meaning, for the first
time, you can have a different wave table for OSC1 and OSC2...in the
past, you only had one that was shared).  Oscillator 3 can only do the
basic Saw/pulse/triangle waves (though it can still to audio rate FM
and PWM).

Next you have two filters in series or parallel, and you can 'pan' the
output of any of the oscillators, noise source or ring mod between
them however you want.    You have a good selection of filter types:
LP, HP, BP (all available in 24 or 12 db versions) Comb + and Comb -
(I *LOVE* this filter) and a PPG emulation filter.  I never had a PPG,
so I cant tell you if its accurate or not.  After each filter you have
a drive circuit which can do a number of clipping, distortion or wave
shaping FX.  My one gripe is that these cant be switched pre-filter.

Package all that with 3 LFO's, 4 loopable envelopes, and Waldorf's
extremely powerful 16 slot mod matrix, and its really easy to get
'alien world' type sounds.  waldorf takes pride in their instruments
being digital and are not so concerned with being good analog
emulators, so they include things like 'brilliance' control on the
oscillators, that lets you loosen the effects of the anti aliasing
filters (aliasing = good).

All in all, I am very happy with it.  I have been highly critical of
waldorf in the past, but this time I think they got it right.


Tony