What I like about your reviews is that they're very structured, deep and sober, everything is straight to the point. No aaahs and ummms, no attempts at explaining things to people who see a synth for the first time in their life at the expense of depth, no wallowing in marketdroid superlatives. That's an hour well spent.
I have so much respect for this guy. His ability to deep dive into so many complicated synths and explain them so well makes him probably my favorite reviewer these days. By the end you understand more than any other reviewer if this is for you or not. I still want you to review the Essence FM or give your brief impressions. I wish the Iridium had 4 parts, that would make me pull the trigger much easier. I could get rid of several synths to fund one if it had that feature.
this piece of gear is waaay beyond me and my needs, but man, your reviews are the most thorough and comprehensive of all the channels I've watched....the companies must either be thrilled or frightened sending you items :)
I just found your channel a bit ago trying to learn about the TD-3 from Behringer. Your videos are so in depth and show information that most others skip over, including comparisons. They've been a godsend my guy, thank you so much :)
Had this beast of a synth for a few days and it is absolutely amazing.I have scaled down my set up to get this as it can do so much. Anyone complaining about the price should go out and test this, you will not be disappointed.
We are in a pandemic and though it looks amazing it's digital which should mean that it should not be that expensive. My DSI Tempest is a thing of electronic wizadry , I can understand why it's so expensive. This is basically a music computer in a plastic box, ALOT cheaper to make
@@cheekoandtheman It's actually a metal chassis. Since it's digital it should be cheap? So anything digital is overpriced? Your Tempest is an analog drum machine and though an excellent one, it isn't doing anything special, you just like what it does. The truth of the matter is all of these machines we love can be replaced with a laptop or desktop for less cost and much more power and capabilities. You and I all those like us buy these machines for the experience of using them, the tactile feedback and feeling of the machines, that's what we are paying for.
cheekoandtheman what has a pandemic got to do with this synth? I have one and there is no computer available that could give the same tactile feel and ease of use. With your train of thought why bother buying a tempest when there are some amazing free drum vst’s and some definitely cheaper than the tempest that can do more...
A great video. At 44:00 you mention the panning of the dual filters and how the Quantum cannot do this. That feature is in the 3.0 update for the Quantum, which was just released as a beta version.
My only regret about Iridium is that I hesitated for two years before buying it. I thought the learning curve was too steep, but it turned out to be accessible and instantly gratifying.
I have the greateshit respect and admiration for Mr Loopop. I have never and I no doubt will never ever see a better reviewer. He is mind boggelingly good at his job - his attention to detail is wonderous to behold. Many times I have found help from one of his videos at a time when I'm stuck for a workaround whilst using some piece of studio gear or another - and then added to which - whatever instrument I'm using I can rest assured that Mr Loopop will have reviewed it which is awesome!!! Mr Loopop for President.
I like how connectivity is one of the first things you address because often it’s one of the main factors that determines weather or not I’m interested in a synth.
Loopop, your demos and reviews are the most detailed and competent I've ever seen; much appreciation for your exploration of powerful gear that most of us can really only afford once we're sure we're not wrong about knowing it's what we need and want and that it'd work how we want it to. Thank you.
I've come back to this video, over two years later, because I finally have myself an Iridium. Can't even begin to tell you how helpful this video suddenly is. Thank God for Loopop.
Thank you .I can watch this presentation twenty times and I will still learn something each time .It is comprehensive reflecting the depth of the instrument .
I always thought that the Yamaha EX5 would be the most crazy digital synth ever made, but Waldorf totally warps the EX5 (I own one, rack version, it's amazing, will never sell it) this synth is so bonkers, sounds amazing, endless possibilities I really want one. I prolly need a month or so to figure the thing out, but I want it. Great presentation!
I’ve been eagerly waiting for this to show up to my door!! You’ve really went into detail with this which I appreciate. Between this and a novation summit this summer I think this will cover my poly needs.
Eventually I bought my iridium. Now I keep coming back here to find out how to do stuff I can't find in the manual. I don't know how Loopop figured it all out but I'm sure glade he did, and keeps explaining it to me.
How do you like it? I’m thinking on getting one as well very soon. Don’t know if I can get away w something cheaper while still allowing the same type of sound design. Thanks!
@@macthomas8899 I like the iridium a lot, but I'm not worried about the price. If you want to go cheaper, Arturia's soft synth pigments is excellent for sound design. Live's suite also has tons of excellent stuff for sound design. But that's the whole software vs. hardware thing. Be warned about the iridium: there are still some bugs and the manual doesn't really tell you HOW to do stuff. I figure I can spend the rest of my life playing with my iridium, but I'll probably buy something new anyway just 'cause it's fun!
@@chriscopeman8820 Very helpful, thanks! I am going big on the analogue side, looking at a Prophet 10. Thought I'd try out the Hydrasynth if the Iridium isn't meant to be.
@@chriscopeman8820 Pigments 3 is, indeed, wonderful. I really dig it. I also owned a Quantum, which I sold at the top of the COVID-19 pandemic. I've missed it ever since and thought Pigments filled the same need, but I recently jumped back in with the Iridium. Waldorf really nailed something delightful here.
This.................this is godriffic. I might sell my car for this! But aside from that, Loopop, you're the greatest gear reviewer of music of all time. You deserve a full television network.
Waldorf has always been on the cutting edge of creativity. Sounds absolutely stellar!! Would have voted to replace touch pad section with some other synth features/functionality. Couldn't see if there was a plucked string resonator.
Within a few hours after watching i decided to sell my Prophet Rev2 and another Eurorack Module and pre-ordered this beast. This is my kind of a modern workstation, wow!
This synth absolutely IS overkill, which is exactly my kind of synthesizer. I'm going to put this on a stand with my Kronos and just overkill the universe.
I thought so too, but after creating a particular sound, I rush to perform and record it, and then essentially have laid down the foundation of my entire new track, which I think enhance, sculpt and chisel at for another few days and boom! A pure source of inspiration!
Sounds great. The only thing making me hesitate a bit is the build quality. Lots of gaps in the casing and being able to see light thru those edges is irking the OCD in me
At 8:02 LoopOp says, ". . . I think that after about a day of getting yourself oriented with what's going on here it's actually faily straightforward . . . " May I interpret this statement ? For most of you out there, after about a year of intense study things will be fairly straightforward.
@@loopop My post was meant as a compliment. This particular skill you possess is without doubt embedded in your DNA - which is not fair to us others when it comes to figuring out the maze of routines and second guessing what the heck the manufacture has developed. It is documented that when it comes to equipment with many options, most of us will only relegate ourselves to a smaller portion of its capacity because the options are not easily accessible (or the layout does not make sense). So you pay a few thousands for an instrument and then at some time discover over the years, you are using a fraction of it. What is that about? Which brings up another point, an instruction course I would gladly pay to enroll. When a video review is a catalyst to purchase an instrument, I gladly give a donation.
Guess I need to get uses to riding the bus because I'll have to sell my car to afford this or the Quantum.. man this is why I fell in love with Waldorf back in 1999..... they just make amazing synths... I 💘 my microwaveXT
for such a machine, the lack of more physical I/O seems rather limiting; e.g. send&return jacks and additional stereo out would be beneficial (otherwise seems like squashing creativity through a thin straw)
Wow, what a fantastic and elaborate review of this complex synth. You should work the trade shows for Waldorf to increase their sales, since they are not able to explain the synth in other than technical specs. You are such a natural presenter and everything is spot on. Great content 👍 what strikes me about the iridium is that it is such a hands-on synth that I really can imagine that the desktop format is easier to work with than bending over the keyboard at the quantum for hours in a row to create amazing sounds. At this point I can’t determine if the analog filters of the quantum weigh up to that. It has been over 30 years ago that I bought a brand new synth., the last I bought was an ESQ1( still have it) but the quantum/ iridium is something that I see myself ordering now after seeing this. It gives you many more palettes to choose from to complement my vintage analog gear , fm and vst’s like Omnisphere
Well, I resisted for about a week after watching this video (the first time). Then once I saw an option to VESA mount it on a swivel arm...I gave in. Thanks for your reviews. Absolutely the best synth reviews I've seen. I think I need to move to a place with another room.
@@BrianHalePhoto I like it a lot. It's one of the more powerful synths I own, for sure. I do have a little issue with some notes sticking on after the last firmware upgrade. And the upper left buttons are a little wiggly as loopop discusses. Waldorf website is pretty disappointing. But overall it's hard not to be pretty praising towards the Iridium.
Does loopop interface directly with all this hardware? I swear he plugs himself in and is like "get the camera rolling, I've developed a full usability interface demo... "bleep bloop bleep...sorry let me convert to English".
Not by file name or pitch to my understanding. There may be some meta data in there, but I tried my own multisamples and it didn't work and verified with Waldorf that file name and pitch aren't currently supported as mechanisms for multisample import. If you've succeeded please share how!
I see the Iridium firmware has been updated a few times since that review, but I can't find a changelog of the various firmware updates online. Does anyone know where the various fixes/new features are listed?
Great in depth review... well chosen skipping on small detail functions. 5 star review! Only small gripe on FX preview... maybe something more open sounding (saw) for modulation fx and more transient sounding for reverb tails. Thanks for your great videos!
There have been several complaints concerning the screen whether loose, not aligned properly, falling out, light bleeding out from underneath like mine etc. Looking closely at your close-up shot yours seems to be petty normal. I suspect they are double-sided taped in place and hot weather causes them to come off like in a hot shipping container or delivery truck. Mine has one corner that doesn't sit below the surrounding frame. In darkness turned on I can see light coming out from the bottom of the screen. So far mine hasn't fallen out. It's happening so regularly it's some sort of design or manufacturing &/or assembly flaw, maybe not enough gap tolerance or poor adhesive etc. I actually have mine mounted vertically and I gently pressed downward on the screen and it appears to be flush now. Somehow it's floating in place on double sided tape or something not hard connected. It should have a surrounding shroud underneath that prevents light from escaping around the edges. No sure if the keyboard versions have this similar issue. I'm just leaving mine alone and if/when it ever falls out I'll fix it then. Once guy pulled the factory film off and the screen came out with it. I left mine on just in case. It still responds to touch normally so no reason to remove it.
Sequential, Novation, Waldorf, and probably many others: Why is it so easy to lose your sound design work on synths from all of these manufacturers by accidentally pressing a button, with no undo? C'mon folks, we've only been doing presets for 40 years, it's not rocket science ! 😃
If you consider the varying UI/UX monstrosities (like the Kronos etc.) it's as if the hardware synth engineers have learned nothing from decades of software design, even when their new product is a pure software solution on some dedicated hardware like e.g. this one. Undo seems to be a million years away when most manufacturers forgot that there once was a quite useful "compare" function on many synths, which doesn't exist anymore on any modern synth and could be considered half the way to "undo".
@@Leo9ine You're right, the Montage/MODX has edit/compare too. But my Fantom doesn't have that, so learning that the Iridium I'm eying a lot doesn't have that either struck a nerve there. :)
Nice! I use an Ableton Push and mapping the macro knobs on it (or whatever controller you use) to midi CC so they function as macros is a fine compromise to not having dedicated macro knobs.
31:45 Top Buttons aren't aligned ; - ) I would rather things like this as "Grooveboxes"! (I guess bi-timbral means you could have a percussion and a tonal patch playing simultaneously.)
About its computational power: 16 voices and 2 part multitimbral?!.I really don't get the granted cpu power. To me the flagship digital synthesizers of a decade ago used to be a bit stronger. I still want the Iridium based on its synth engines, but it is expensive for 2 part digital synth.
So there is no warp mode for samples like in ableton? Anyone know if that has been a feature request or part of an update? You said there were two ways around this problem, the first being multi samples. Was there a second way?
Ziv, forgot to ask: did you ever sort out the matter of the Keystep Pro and the iridium losing contact (6:45 into the review), while the Keystep didn't? Arturia published a firmware for the Keystep Pro exactly a week after your Iridium review was published to YT, do you know if that new fw fixed the problem?
Another brilliant exposition, packed with useful info! Have you considered highlighting the current topic in the timeline/index, e.g. with a different shade, to help location in a long video? It's just a suggestion and I know you already do a ton of work to make these vids as good as they are.
Thanks - I have considered it, but didn't find a way to do it that was quick and easy. Now that youtube is highlighting the topic on the timeline, hopefully that's a happy medium
@@loopop Yes, I imagine it would be fiddly and time consuming to do by hand - and if your ocd is anything like mine I'd be fretting over potential mistakes. I've only just noticed yt's topic highlighting. Thanks for pointing it out. That is really helpful!
Well got the moog and now I’m back here already 🤦🏻 the new thinking is this would make a great companion to the sub 37 Best of analog and best of digital, trying to hold off because I’ve still got a lot to learn on the moog but still feel somewhat drawn to the iridium. There’s so much in such a small box and I feel even if I never understand intellectually what exactly it is doing it seems intuitive enough to get excellent results just exploring and experimenting. After all it’s the sound I’m interested in! Is it as intuitive to use as it seems?
Nice to see. The filter actually sounded a bit better than I expected. Those rubber pads though. Ouch. I wish they made it larger with more controls (skipped those rubber pads to begin with) but I see the point of re-using the Kyra sized box. And I agree with the buttons. Things that make the experience a bit less nice : )
I owned the Quantum, and I absolutely LOVED it. Had to sell (COVID job loss, not anything to do with the synth.) No rough experience there, just awesome experiences.
from what I've heard, the blofeld suffers from having a cpu which has not enough power to handle all the stuff. So depending on the stuff you do, the synth glitches and makes strange things. It's kinda funny and sad at the same time to think that the micro q from waldorf which they made way before the blofeld has basically the same specs regarding cpu wise afaik. But I guess waldorf learned a lesson there, if you look at their synths, there are more or less 3 generations, the early one, microwave 1/2, pulse, q, etc. Then there are what I call the modern day ones like pulse 2, blofeld and streichfett to name a few, and now the current ones, iridium, quantum and kyra. I guess it's kinda hard to compare one generation to another.
@@mb2776 I had a Blofeld, I did like it's sound on it's own, but found it really hard to fit in a mix, just something about it... but others may not have had that problem. Ended up selling it and getting Largo VST (same engine as Blofeld). I do regret it sometimes but I found myself at odds with the raw sound of it most of the time, and hardly use Largo now. Waldorf's sound is a bit of an acquired taste sometimes, but man are their synths great for complex soundscapes.
Ouch, no famous Loopop screens are needed to show this beaut :) esthetically I’ll hate my white Keystep, your black looks much better, but I got Beatstep Pro in black for it! Will be enjoying your detailed review while mine is traveling home, thank you Sir Loopop :) ... I thought there is a way to bulk load samples by special file naming already, maybe for Quantum only yet. Looking forward to drop Hangdrum and guitar in multi velocity with round robin to tweak those further. Sold anything else in my studio, and a kidney to have it all :) cheers!
The Iridium doesn't sound like anything else that I'm aware of. It doesn't have "that sound". It's something entirely different, and I had trouble identifying with it. It has a distinctly "Waldorf" sound. It's digital AF, but it's capable of hitting hard and going deep. I've sampled it to create some pretty interesting drum kits. My advice: Be patient with it. If you decide to purchase an Iridium, don't judge the synth based on its presets. There are well over 2,000 of them, and many of them aren't particularly "musical". In fact, some of them should have been omitted. Had I judged the instrument based on its presets, I would have returned it. Spend time creating your own sounds. Exploit the extensive mod matrix and sampler to their fullest potential. Kernel mode is wild. It's complicated, but fun. Explore the Komplex modulator and different filter modes. Use Live Granular to turn your mono synth into a poly.
WALDORF NEEDS TO FIX THESE PROBLEMS ASAP: •The screen touch response is pretty BAD, first and foremost •Fix Multisampling workflow •Latch to external Keyboards •Visual feedback on the Wavetable scroll •Step Sequencer increase (32 steps is too short for the SEQ) •Undo feature (at least one step)
Tony Scharf // LOL Indeed, I was saving for the Quantum. So I have the savings ready to buy the Iridium but I will hold up until they fix that screen and those issues.
@@MeAlexSenna Having owned many Waldorf boards over the years...I wouldn't count on it ever happening. If you can't live with it as it is, don't live with it. My Blofeld and Xtk knod in agreement.
Amazing tutorial so inspiring. Just one question At around 22 minutes in you need Timor’s their were two ways to prevent samples from speeding up and slowing down. Chip monkey. However you only illustrated one method. What is the other one please.
Hi. Can you tell me more about the sequencer. It is monophonic or polyphonic with the latest Os. I am interested in making rhythms with synthesis, I think it has polyphonic possibilities. The thing I didn't understand is if you can assign to the sequencer for example wavetable + virtual analog, in order to exploit the potential of the machine on its integrated sequencer. Thank you!
Quantum beta 3.0 adds the pads (and lots more) and Rolf's said the Quantum's getting a digital/analogue hybrid mode, that includes up to 16 digital voices (in beta but not yet public)
Im trying to decide between the iridium with the keys and the 3rd wave. I’m looking for impressive sounds I can use right away. And very user intuitive. Which would you recommend? I currently own the udo super 6. I love the sounds but it’s very limiting. Not many presents and No touch screen.
Hi. How is the "state-variable" filter here different from any other filter type? I'm used to "state-variable" meaning that a filter can gradually interpolate between LP-Notch-HP states, like the Sequential OB6, or maybe LP-BP-HP states. Does the Iridium do this? If not, how are its state-variable filters different from any other filters? Thanks!
Your channel is state of the art. And that's an understatement. It's one of the greatest channels I've ever come across.
What I like about your reviews is that they're very structured, deep and sober, everything is straight to the point. No aaahs and ummms, no attempts at explaining things to people who see a synth for the first time in their life at the expense of depth, no wallowing in marketdroid superlatives. That's an hour well spent.
I have so much respect for this guy. His ability to deep dive into so many complicated synths and explain them so well makes him probably my favorite reviewer these days. By the end you understand more than any other reviewer if this is for you or not. I still want you to review the Essence FM or give your brief impressions.
I wish the Iridium had 4 parts, that would make me pull the trigger much easier. I could get rid of several synths to fund one if it had that feature.
Yeah, I have no clue how he does that either. Feel so stupid watching this channel...
this piece of gear is waaay beyond me and my needs, but man, your reviews are the most thorough and comprehensive of all the channels I've watched....the companies must either be thrilled or frightened sending you items :)
You need a few 1000 years to test all these synths thoroughly...
Really appreciated your comparison to the Quantum sir! 🙃
You’re so necessary in my education on new and complex instruments!
🙌🏻🙏🏻
Great video! And thank you Loopop for having introduced some of my FM presets! 41:07
Thanks for sending them over!
Go make a nf-1 only video
Hogman 5000 😊👌🏻
I just found your channel a bit ago trying to learn about the TD-3 from Behringer. Your videos are so in depth and show information that most others skip over, including comparisons. They've been a godsend my guy, thank you so much :)
Had this beast of a synth for a few days and it is absolutely amazing.I have scaled down my set up to get this as it can do so much. Anyone complaining about the price should go out and test this, you will not be disappointed.
Same. I’m about to sell some gear because this is so damn capable.
i gonna buy the behringer system 100 and syatem 55 modulars instead.. i have the vst version of this already.
We are in a pandemic and though it looks amazing it's digital which should mean that it should not be that expensive. My DSI Tempest is a thing of electronic wizadry , I can understand why it's so expensive. This is basically a music computer in a plastic box, ALOT cheaper to make
@@cheekoandtheman It's actually a metal chassis. Since it's digital it should be cheap? So anything digital is overpriced? Your Tempest is an analog drum machine and though an excellent one, it isn't doing anything special, you just like what it does. The truth of the matter is all of these machines we love can be replaced with a laptop or desktop for less cost and much more power and capabilities. You and I all those like us buy these machines for the experience of using them, the tactile feedback and feeling of the machines, that's what we are paying for.
cheekoandtheman what has a pandemic got to do with this synth? I have one and there is no computer available that could give the same tactile feel and ease of use. With your train of thought why bother buying a tempest when there are some amazing free drum vst’s and some definitely cheaper than the tempest that can do more...
A great video. At 44:00 you mention the panning of the dual filters and how the Quantum cannot do this. That feature is in the 3.0 update for the Quantum, which was just released as a beta version.
Can I afford this $2500 synth? Nope.
Am I going to watch all 72 minutes of this and pretend like I can? Yep.
Same here, hehehe
That’s how much?! Sorry but I’m not watching past the 2 min mark!
Spoken like a true master of GAS
maybe i can get it at the library.
And that's the "lower price tag" they were referring to.
My only regret about Iridium is that I hesitated for two years before buying it. I thought the learning curve was too steep, but it turned out to be accessible and instantly gratifying.
I just got the keyboard version and I am amazed how initiative the whole system is to use, between the screen and the physical.
same here, but the core was a lot cheaper so ... i dont like the factory patches - but i really liked the first patch, i did on my own. Top synth.
I have the greateshit respect and admiration for Mr Loopop. I have never and I no doubt will never ever see a better reviewer. He is mind boggelingly good at his job - his attention to detail is wonderous to behold. Many times I have found help from one of his videos at a time when I'm stuck for a workaround whilst using some piece of studio gear or another - and then added to which - whatever instrument I'm using I can rest assured that Mr Loopop will have reviewed it which is awesome!!! Mr Loopop for President.
I like how connectivity is one of the first things you address because often it’s one of the main factors that determines weather or not I’m interested in a synth.
Loopop, your demos and reviews are the most detailed and competent I've ever seen; much appreciation for your exploration of powerful gear that most of us can really only afford once we're sure we're not wrong about knowing it's what we need and want and that it'd work how we want it to. Thank you.
My pleasure - thanks for taking the time to write!
A movie length review. I am trying to imagine the effort needed to make a video like this! Impressive.
I've come back to this video, over two years later, because I finally have myself an Iridium.
Can't even begin to tell you how helpful this video suddenly is.
Thank God for Loopop.
Same :)!
Thank you .I can watch this presentation twenty times and I will still learn something each time .It is comprehensive reflecting the depth of the instrument .
I can't begin to fathom how long it must have taken to plan and make this video, with so many features to cover. yeesh! great review
thinside AWESOME REVIEW! It is amazing how touch’s on literally everything the synth does and how to edit it, in every video he does!
I always thought that the Yamaha EX5 would be the most crazy digital synth ever made, but Waldorf totally warps the EX5 (I own one, rack version, it's amazing, will never sell it) this synth is so bonkers, sounds amazing, endless possibilities I really want one. I prolly need a month or so to figure the thing out, but I want it. Great presentation!
The amount of detail and in depth knowledge you convey with each piece of hardware you review just keeps blowing my mind.
Netsuko he does such an awesome job!
I’ve been eagerly waiting for this to show up to my door!! You’ve really went into detail with this which I appreciate. Between this and a novation summit this summer I think this will cover my poly needs.
How is it going since you received the synth?
Eventually I bought my iridium. Now I keep coming back here to find out how to do stuff I can't find in the manual. I don't know how Loopop figured it all out but I'm sure glade he did, and keeps explaining it to me.
How do you like it? I’m thinking on getting one as well very soon. Don’t know if I can get away w something cheaper while still allowing the same type of sound design. Thanks!
@@macthomas8899 I like the iridium a lot, but I'm not worried about the price. If you want to go cheaper, Arturia's soft synth pigments is excellent for sound design. Live's suite also has tons of excellent stuff for sound design. But that's the whole software vs. hardware thing. Be warned about the iridium: there are still some bugs and the manual doesn't really tell you HOW to do stuff. I figure I can spend the rest of my life playing with my iridium, but I'll probably buy something new anyway just 'cause it's fun!
@@chriscopeman8820 Very helpful, thanks! I am going big on the analogue side, looking at a Prophet 10. Thought I'd try out the Hydrasynth if the Iridium isn't meant to be.
@@chriscopeman8820 Pigments 3 is, indeed, wonderful. I really dig it. I also owned a Quantum, which I sold at the top of the COVID-19 pandemic. I've missed it ever since and thought Pigments filled the same need, but I recently jumped back in with the Iridium. Waldorf really nailed something delightful here.
Thank you Loop Op for your video(s). Enjoy looking, learning with the manuals as a visual. The way you explain it...makes it more easy to understand.
This review helped me. Thank you for explaining Everything so well, thoroughly and clearly 😊
This.................this is godriffic. I might sell my car for this! But aside from that, Loopop, you're the greatest gear reviewer of music of all time. You deserve a full television network.
Thanks, and go LoopFlix!
Waldorf has always been on the cutting edge of creativity. Sounds absolutely stellar!! Would have voted to replace touch pad section with some other synth features/functionality. Couldn't see if there was a plucked string resonator.
1:12:13 That's what I was waiting for. Beautiful demonstration of this complex synth.
Within a few hours after watching i decided to sell my Prophet Rev2 and another Eurorack Module and pre-ordered this beast. This is my kind of a modern workstation, wow!
How'd that work out?
@@SomeOne-pd6vm exactly like planned. loving the Iridium, not missing my Prophet
Good that you got a chance to make this review, extremely valuable for an Iridium newbie!
Brilliant thanks! Just about to dive into one of these and this is a big help!
I was waiting for this!
Oh I need 1 of these in my life
@@agreen9903 Absolutely
My wallet was dreading this
me 2!
Best video about that instrument. This subharmonicon section is mind blowing
This synth is incredible!
This synth absolutely IS overkill, which is exactly my kind of synthesizer. I'm going to put this on a stand with my Kronos and just overkill the universe.
makes sense. i'll prob do the same thing. we have a problem.
Destroy only the bad things in the universe. I'll help!
Is the hydrasynth the best controller if you have the desktop version?
A Kronos and an Iridium is everything you'll ever need. I haven't scratched the surface on my Kronos II.
I’m going add this to my YamahaMODX setup
With this machine i would leave the realm of making music really quick.
I thought so too, but after creating a particular sound, I rush to perform and record it, and then essentially have laid down the foundation of my entire new track, which I think enhance, sculpt and chisel at for another few days and boom! A pure source of inspiration!
Yup way too many menus...pass....
My feeling too. It would be a great sound design tool for going deep with, though. For those so inclined.
Yup. Sofa noodling
Same. You gotta take that and resample
subharmonic kernels is the name of my new band
Yo can I join? Not to brag, but I am a great triangle player.
I’d go for, The Subharmonic Colonels.
@@watercolourmark badum tsh :D :D
What type of popcorn is that then? Lolol.
I just got my mine today Wow a lot to learn. Great Viddy Thank you.
Sounds great. The only thing making me hesitate a bit is the build quality. Lots of gaps in the casing and being able to see light thru those edges is irking the OCD in me
What a great watch this was, thanks for another awesome video Loopop.
superb video Loopop, I have been eyeing up the keyboard version of this, I feel its time to max out my credit card again!!!!
My pleasure - keyboard review coming out real soon!
Oh I forgot to ask - how does the granular compare the the GR-1? Does it have the fixed / absolute grain length you were looking for?
Man a monster review for a monster synth! I may need to pop out for beer and snacks!
At 8:02 LoopOp says, ". . . I think that after about a day of getting yourself oriented with what's going on here it's actually faily straightforward . . . " May I interpret this statement ? For most of you out there, after about a year of intense study things will be fairly straightforward.
ouch
@@loopop My post was meant as a compliment. This particular skill you possess is without doubt embedded in your DNA - which is not fair to us others when it comes to figuring out the maze of routines and second guessing what the heck the manufacture has developed.
It is documented that when it comes to equipment with many options, most of us will only relegate ourselves to a smaller portion of its capacity because the options are not easily accessible (or the layout does not make sense). So you pay a few thousands for an instrument and then at some time discover over the years, you are using a fraction of it. What is that about? Which brings up another point, an instruction course I would gladly pay to enroll. When a video review is a catalyst to purchase an instrument, I gladly give a donation.
Guess I need to get uses to riding the bus because I'll have to sell my car to afford this or the Quantum.. man this is why I fell in love with Waldorf back in 1999..... they just make amazing synths... I 💘 my microwaveXT
for such a machine, the lack of more physical I/O seems rather limiting; e.g. send&return jacks and additional stereo out would be beneficial (otherwise seems like squashing creativity through a thin straw)
Wow, what a fantastic and elaborate review of this complex synth. You should work the trade shows for Waldorf to increase their sales, since they are not able to explain the synth in other than technical specs. You are such a natural presenter and everything is spot on. Great content 👍 what strikes me about the iridium is that it is such a hands-on synth that I really can imagine that the desktop format is easier to work with than bending over the keyboard at the quantum for hours in a row to create amazing sounds. At this point I can’t determine if the analog filters of the quantum weigh up to that. It has been over 30 years ago that I bought a brand new synth., the last I bought was an ESQ1( still have it) but the quantum/ iridium is something that I see myself ordering now after seeing this. It gives you many more palettes to choose from to complement my vintage analog gear , fm and vst’s like Omnisphere
Well, I resisted for about a week after watching this video (the first time). Then once I saw an option to VESA mount it on a swivel arm...I gave in. Thanks for your reviews. Absolutely the best synth reviews I've seen. I think I need to move to a place with another room.
So how do you like it?
@@BrianHalePhoto I like it a lot. It's one of the more powerful synths I own, for sure. I do have a little issue with some notes sticking on after the last firmware upgrade. And the upper left buttons are a little wiggly as loopop discusses. Waldorf website is pretty disappointing. But overall it's hard not to be pretty praising towards the Iridium.
WHOA. This is almost overwhelming! It's amaaaazing, this is from the year 2098!! It's like having Serum in your hands on steroids
Realy love what you do, that's help a lot to understand what is about synth we can get hands on, on sometime manual are not realy clear... 👌💯
Yet another fantastic, balanced review - as always! Cheers!
Just wow. What a synth!
I don't have the budget for it - so I'd love to have a software/VST version of it! Unbelievable.
I certainly don‘t mind the pun 😄 Thanks for this comprehensive and fun overview!
Really like this piece of hardware, it is incredible what they have squeezed in that little box.
Can I afford it? Yes. Do I want it? Yes. Do I need it? Nope...
Can you give me some green bro? I'm a poor musician ;)
Iridium killed the computer star? As always, your outro was amazing.
indeed. i want more from that outro!
Great. It helps me a lot to understand Waldorf and Synth. Many thanks.
I hope to see Jexus get his hands on one of these...or better yet, a Quantum.
he did already and found a time warp back to the future. where he was from.
En el menu actions, no me aparece la opcion import. Alguna Idea? No puedo importar samples ni grabarlos a la unidad flash....
Could someone explain what is the "All Amounts" parameter in LFO is for please? (right upper knob, see at: 55:31)
Does loopop interface directly with all this hardware? I swear he plugs himself in and is like "get the camera rolling, I've developed a full usability interface demo... "bleep bloop bleep...sorry let me convert to English".
Hehe his reviews are like video manuals...must have a v good memory...
I wonder how these new synths will last compared to old classics.
my Waldorf MicroQ still goes.
old classics being forced to live past their intended life by cannibalizing parts from other synths of the same kind?
You can auto map samples when importing a folder, at least on the quantum.
Not by file name or pitch to my understanding. There may be some meta data in there, but I tried my own multisamples and it didn't work and verified with Waldorf that file name and pitch aren't currently supported as mechanisms for multisample import. If you've succeeded please share how!
This Synth looks amazing !! I wish I could afford it. Thanks for the awesome review!!!
You could, but only buy it, if you really invest 10 years nonstop into it..
I see the Iridium firmware has been updated a few times since that review, but I can't find a changelog of the various firmware updates online. Does anyone know where the various fixes/new features are listed?
I have no interest in buying this mostly do to cost , but I watched most of this video ! Your video quality and information is unmatched
Can you load custom samples for Resonator engine? And can you use long samples for it?
Great in depth review... well chosen skipping on small detail functions. 5 star review! Only small gripe on FX preview... maybe something more open sounding (saw) for modulation fx and more transient sounding for reverb tails. Thanks for your great videos!
27:24 makes a nice Star Trek transporter sound
And thus began the age of mini computers to get away from mini computers.
Right!
yeah going back to self contained mini laptop synths!
Super nice tuto.Thanks !!! i will was impacient for this review.
There have been several complaints concerning the screen whether loose, not aligned properly, falling out, light bleeding out from underneath like mine etc. Looking closely at your close-up shot yours seems to be petty normal. I suspect they are double-sided taped in place and hot weather causes them to come off like in a hot shipping container or delivery truck. Mine has one corner that doesn't sit below the surrounding frame. In darkness turned on I can see light coming out from the bottom of the screen. So far mine hasn't fallen out. It's happening so regularly it's some sort of design or manufacturing &/or assembly flaw, maybe not enough gap tolerance or poor adhesive etc. I actually have mine mounted vertically and I gently pressed downward on the screen and it appears to be flush now. Somehow it's floating in place on double sided tape or something not hard connected. It should have a surrounding shroud underneath that prevents light from escaping around the edges. No sure if the keyboard versions have this similar issue. I'm just leaving mine alone and if/when it ever falls out I'll fix it then. Once guy pulled the factory film off and the screen came out with it. I left mine on just in case. It still responds to touch normally so no reason to remove it.
Got one. No more time to spend on TH-cam now. WHAT A SYNTH !!!
Sequential, Novation, Waldorf, and probably many others: Why is it so easy to lose your sound design work on synths from all of these manufacturers by accidentally pressing a button, with no undo?
C'mon folks, we've only been doing presets for 40 years, it's not rocket science ! 😃
If you consider the varying UI/UX monstrosities (like the Kronos etc.) it's as if the hardware synth engineers have learned nothing from decades of software design, even when their new product is a pure software solution on some dedicated hardware like e.g. this one. Undo seems to be a million years away when most manufacturers forgot that there once was a quite useful "compare" function on many synths, which doesn't exist anymore on any modern synth and could be considered half the way to "undo".
@@gerdpfeil Polybrute still has compare, and a "set all to panel settings" button!
@@Leo9ine You're right, the Montage/MODX has edit/compare too. But my Fantom doesn't have that, so learning that the Iridium I'm eying a lot doesn't have that either struck a nerve there. :)
Programmers everywhere wander into total nightmares because they look at a problem and say "this should be easy to fix."
Nice! I use an Ableton Push and mapping the macro knobs on it (or whatever controller you use) to midi CC so they function as macros is a fine compromise to not having dedicated macro knobs.
So if I understood, can I use other midi or Ableton Push to midi map parameters of Iridium? I was wondering if that is possible.
It looks like you can type in what ever you want to say and it generate a format wavetable ?
indeed!
Thanks . I watch a lot of your videos and even bought a few synths do to your reviews .
Hi, have there been any upgrades on the Iridium?
Thanks @@qetiNET I was wondering as this looks like such a good system, but hadn't noticed any updates.
31:45 Top Buttons aren't aligned ; - ) I would rather things like this as "Grooveboxes"! (I guess bi-timbral means you could have a percussion and a tonal patch playing simultaneously.)
About its computational power: 16 voices and 2 part multitimbral?!.I really don't get the granted cpu power. To me the flagship digital synthesizers of a decade ago used to be a bit stronger. I still want the Iridium based on its synth engines, but it is expensive for 2 part digital synth.
Imagine this + the Hydrasynth desktop together...game over and how cool would they look side by side?
So there is no warp mode for samples like in ableton? Anyone know if that has been a feature request or part of an update?
You said there were two ways around this problem, the first being multi samples. Was there a second way?
been waiting on this.
Hey! How about to get rid of the pads and put a double sized or dual screen isntead waldorf :)
Ziv, forgot to ask: did you ever sort out the matter of the Keystep Pro and the iridium losing contact (6:45 into the review), while the Keystep didn't? Arturia published a firmware for the Keystep Pro exactly a week after your Iridium review was published to YT, do you know if that new fw fixed the problem?
As sad as it might sound, I’ve not had a chance to play my Iridium (bought and paid for mind you!) since my review...
@@loopop Truly sad, i hope you get a chance soon!
Another brilliant exposition, packed with useful info! Have you considered highlighting the current topic in the timeline/index, e.g. with a different shade, to help location in a long video? It's just a suggestion and I know you already do a ton of work to make these vids as good as they are.
Thanks - I have considered it, but didn't find a way to do it that was quick and easy. Now that youtube is highlighting the topic on the timeline, hopefully that's a happy medium
@@loopop Yes, I imagine it would be fiddly and time consuming to do by hand - and if your ocd is anything like mine I'd be fretting over potential mistakes. I've only just noticed yt's topic highlighting. Thanks for pointing it out. That is really helpful!
Well got the moog and now I’m back here already 🤦🏻 the new thinking is this would make a great companion to the sub 37
Best of analog and best of digital, trying to hold off because I’ve still got a lot to learn on the moog but still feel somewhat drawn to the iridium. There’s so much in such a small box and I feel even if I never understand intellectually what exactly it is doing it seems intuitive enough to get excellent results just exploring and experimenting. After all it’s the sound I’m interested in!
Is it as intuitive to use as it seems?
For what music styles the iridium is made? Ambient, Film, Berlin School, ...for sure but also for harder things like Techno?
DKE H-Wave I don’t think it’s made for any particular style
Nice to see. The filter actually sounded a bit better than I expected.
Those rubber pads though. Ouch.
I wish they made it larger with more controls (skipped those rubber pads to begin with) but I see the point of re-using the Kyra sized box.
And I agree with the buttons. Things that make the experience a bit less nice : )
You really do the work for your reviews well done.
My starship needs one of these in auxiliary control right next to the warp drive to handle shield harmonics.
Love all the specs on this, but man if my experiences with Blofeld weren't ROUGH. Gives me pause.
Thanks for a great video.
I owned the Quantum, and I absolutely LOVED it. Had to sell (COVID job loss, not anything to do with the synth.) No rough experience there, just awesome experiences.
@@browe that's good to know, thanks. The sounds and features are very deep
from what I've heard, the blofeld suffers from having a cpu which has not enough power to handle all the stuff. So depending on the stuff you do, the synth glitches and makes strange things. It's kinda funny and sad at the same time to think that the micro q from waldorf which they made way before the blofeld has basically the same specs regarding cpu wise afaik.
But I guess waldorf learned a lesson there, if you look at their synths, there are more or less 3 generations, the early one, microwave 1/2, pulse, q, etc. Then there are what I call the modern day ones like pulse 2, blofeld and streichfett to name a few, and now the current ones, iridium, quantum and kyra. I guess it's kinda hard to compare one generation to another.
@@mb2776 I had a Blofeld, I did like it's sound on it's own, but found it really hard to fit in a mix, just something about it... but others may not have had that problem. Ended up selling it and getting Largo VST (same engine as Blofeld). I do regret it sometimes but I found myself at odds with the raw sound of it most of the time, and hardly use Largo now. Waldorf's sound is a bit of an acquired taste sometimes, but man are their synths great for complex soundscapes.
At 27:25 you make the Star Trek transporter sound. Cool. :-)
almost, yeah
Ouch, no famous Loopop screens are needed to show this beaut :) esthetically I’ll hate my white Keystep, your black looks much better, but I got Beatstep Pro in black for it! Will be enjoying your detailed review while mine is traveling home, thank you Sir Loopop :)
... I thought there is a way to bulk load samples by special file naming already, maybe for Quantum only yet. Looking forward to drop Hangdrum and guitar in multi velocity with round robin to tweak those further. Sold anything else in my studio, and a kidney to have it all :) cheers!
The Iridium doesn't sound like anything else that I'm aware of. It doesn't have "that sound". It's something entirely different, and I had trouble identifying with it.
It has a distinctly "Waldorf" sound. It's digital AF, but it's capable of hitting hard and going deep. I've sampled it to create some pretty interesting drum kits.
My advice: Be patient with it. If you decide to purchase an Iridium, don't judge the synth based on its presets. There are well over 2,000 of them, and many of them aren't particularly "musical". In fact, some of them should have been omitted. Had I judged the instrument based on its presets, I would have returned it.
Spend time creating your own sounds. Exploit the extensive mod matrix and sampler to their fullest potential. Kernel mode is wild. It's complicated, but fun. Explore the Komplex modulator and different filter modes. Use Live Granular to turn your mono synth into a poly.
Digital Airy... Analog broad.
WALDORF NEEDS TO FIX THESE PROBLEMS ASAP:
•The screen touch response is pretty BAD, first and foremost
•Fix Multisampling workflow
•Latch to external Keyboards
•Visual feedback on the Wavetable scroll
•Step Sequencer increase (32 steps is too short for the SEQ)
•Undo feature (at least one step)
It wouldn't be a Waldorf if it were perfect.
Tony Scharf // LOL Indeed, I was saving for the Quantum. So I have the savings ready to buy the Iridium but I will hold up until they fix that screen and those issues.
@@MeAlexSenna Having owned many Waldorf boards over the years...I wouldn't count on it ever happening. If you can't live with it as it is, don't live with it. My Blofeld and Xtk knod in agreement.
Amazing tutorial so inspiring. Just one question At around 22 minutes in you need Timor’s their were two ways to prevent samples from speeding up and slowing down. Chip monkey. However you only illustrated one method. What is the other one please.
Chip monkey?
Hi. Can you tell me more about the sequencer. It is monophonic or polyphonic with the latest Os. I am interested in making rhythms with synthesis, I think it has polyphonic possibilities. The thing I didn't understand is if you can assign to the sequencer for example wavetable + virtual analog, in order to exploit the potential of the machine on its integrated sequencer. Thank you!
Quantum beta 3.0 adds the pads (and lots more) and Rolf's said the Quantum's getting a digital/analogue hybrid mode, that includes up to 16 digital voices (in beta but not yet public)
Neither velocity or pressure... struggling to get past that at this price point (the buttons are pretty though)
You can hook up a midi keyboard with after touch and program the after touch same with velocity. Just make sure the board is capable of those things.
Im trying to decide between the iridium with the keys and the 3rd wave. I’m looking for impressive sounds I can use right away. And very user intuitive. Which would you recommend? I currently own the udo super 6. I love the sounds but it’s very limiting. Not many presents and No touch screen.
Hi. How is the "state-variable" filter here different from any other filter type? I'm used to "state-variable" meaning that a filter can gradually interpolate between LP-Notch-HP states, like the Sequential OB6, or maybe LP-BP-HP states. Does the Iridium do this? If not, how are its state-variable filters different from any other filters? Thanks!