As far as I understand it, AudioPilz makes an episode if he can fill the whole screen with bad reviews, there are a lot of great gear fitting this criterion
On the metrics of Being able to produce “good Sound” but with terrible UI I think makes for “bad gear”. Good gear needs solid UI and deliver in sound. Would Die for the blofeld if we had at least 4 outs? (No I dont count l/r headphone and 2 outs as 4) One thing to mention was (at least when I owned one) you couldn’t sync the lfo. Why has no company RECENTLY made a digital synth with multiple outs (hardware) maybe with an analog filter, (mono machine was such a hit even w/o filter cuz well individual processing could be had.) We all know how cool Microwave was and WHY, so like why NOT?! Loved the blofeld! /cheers
I just got one of these. Day one - Played all the presets, very impressed Day two - Hooked it up to my dawless rig, SP16 + Digitakt Day three - Tried sound design on it, decided life's too short and I don't hate myself that much yet
@@AudioPilz We need to make sure it’s a deep deep instrument but with a super confusing menu system, EEPROM re-soldering for OS updates, and it also better be a commercial flop with a couple recalls. Then perhaps we will make it into “Bad Gear - Highlight Of The Decade” 😜
Although it crashed a lot when i had one years ago and the programming is tedious, i can't say i would classify it as bad gear. I loved the sound and still miss it often.
Really excellent video. Just the intro is nothing short of breathtaking. It takes talent to produce such high value content and humility to make it look so easy. You, sir, are both a musical genius and a gentleman.
I've never heard anyone refer to the Blofeld as "bad." In fact, people still sing its praises. Heck, I have a Blofeld keyboard sitting right next to me. One of the best digital synths out there.
Eh, every synth message board I've been on it's usually the same thing: "IT WOULD BE SO AWESOME IF IT WASNT SO AWFUL. I sold mine 3 times." Most stuff listed on here are cursed one way or another while having a large package to show off. Idris Elba with the face of Steve Buscemi.
I love my Blofeld. For complex sounds nothing beats it. At the same time the bugs are rage-inducing. The fact that the encoders just break and the lfo/ delay won't sync properly is a huge pain on an otherwise fascinating synth.
I want to like mine. I really do. But, sigh, I keep keep getting turned off by some harshness in the pseudo-analog sounds that isn’t controllable - great when you want edginess, bad when you don’t. But, there is a ton of capability here for the money. If you have patience to put on menu diving gear and sink into the murkiness. BTW, I love the weight and solidity of it. Just don’t drop in on a Roland Boutique.
You don't even know how much I have been wanting to hear your opinion on the Blofeld! I myself fell in love with this synth because of the demos made by Jexus :D
I had the Blofeld in my shopping cart for the last 3 days. Your video gave me the push I needed to finally buy one. Thanks for the great videos, your channel has quickly become one of my favorites.
Music kicked ass this week. Really liked the smooth transition into music as you described it's qualities at 2:40. Here's hoping for a Blofeld part 2 in the future!
i consider as a sign from above the fact, that you posted this video on the very day when i was looking a cheap digital synth for complex pads and soundscapes for my setup and chose between Blofeld and D-05. So i'll buy Blofeld tomorrow.
@@AudioPilz I really don’t know how you do this but I received a notification about your comment exactly at the moment when I checked the encoders before buying. It works fine, so... i have a Blofeld now!
Oh, no.... Yet another synth featured here that I also own. I'm starting to think that maybe, I should just send you a list of all my synths, that way, you can go through them one by one.
Got one for 200€ recently and yes, of course, three encoders are jumping around like some kiddos on a gabba-rave but it sounds so freakin good! I'm amazed by how versatile it is. Powerful Bass? Lush Pad? Funny, detuned lead? No problem! Also ordered some replacement encoders.
The Blofeld is an odd choice for Bad Gear. Yes, it has famous problems (bad encoders, polyphony eaten up quickly, MIDI clock failures) but it has been very, very successful, saved Waldorf, and still sells well today, 15 years later. It's very deep and it sounds very good. [BTW, it's yet *another* Edisyn synth that's been given the Bad Gear treatment].
@@AudioPilz BTW, the best thing ever to happen to the Blofeld was Don Solaris's famous Analog Voltage soundset. 30 Euros, now available straight from Waldorf, google for it.
I think the point of bad gear is ironically it's always pretty good. It's all got a bit of an ironic tongue in cheek style.. but also it is justified as the Blofeld is famous for being quite badly executed technically. Bugs and encoder issues .. and more..
I think it is selected because it has haters. But you need to consider also that several great gears will have haters from snobs who have a bias against cheap gear (because they have spent a lot) and against new gears (those who love vintage above everything), no matter how great it sounds. Same here for digital vs analog, etc. So at the end, it doesn’t matter if the synth is here or not, because the reasons behind could vary a lot.
Damn. The Blofeld was my very first synth and I got so frustrated with it that I didn't want to get another synth for quite some years. Even more astonishing what great music you're able to drop with it. Loved all the three jams/pieces you put into the last part of your video.
Waldorf needs to release a Blofeld MK2 with updated display and components and fixed bugs, and I'm buzzing them from time to time to do so and I hope others will follow. This is an amazing piece of synth for so little money.
Apart from being hilarious, you remind me of my mother: she is from Vienna and although she left more than 60 years ago, she still mixes up all v's and w's. Luckily (for both) that is where similarities end. Your videos are very entertaining, thanks for all the hard work that no doubt goes into them.
You can't menu dive in it because the menu is linear like in alpha juno. It's just a long stream of parameter screens. The user interface is very well designed and there's nothing difficult about programming the blofeld.
This is such a great channel. Entertaining, comprehensive, and informative. Thanks for all the work you but into these videos. The Boss JS-5 is just begging to be featured on an episode.
These things are insane. I remember that weird period where every synth player in an indie band had one only to stop using it a year later when the encoders died mid-tour. The Pulse 2, however, is a powerhouse that I love.
The Pulse 2 is simpler in so many ways, but they got it right. I don't believe (?) the encoders self-destruct, and it has never just crapped out mid song and turned off or stopped responding.
@@thefunkydeep446 Not particularly. It is all analog I believe, so none of the crispy wavetable stuff is available. It's a 3 osc synth that does paraphonic stuff (chords). Blofeld has more range, but if you want a tone that instantly sounds pleasing or 'classic' the pulse can do wonders.
Wow that example with the digitakt made my skin crawl. Every video I watch, I love your channel and team more and more. Please keep up the great work! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
I’m so glad you reviewed the blofeld! I’ve seen them for sale off and on and seriously considered buying one, but with all the menu diving, no thanks!! Rock on!
It’s odd,has quirks,you may struggle 2 hours and do nothing and then 2 mins later you may have some of the best sounds you ever made. I simply love it. It has a lot to hate but it justifies itself with its sound. Thank God mine didn’t have encoder issues so far but I prefer managing most of it’s stuff from the Digitakt ;) Excellent video as always 👍🔥
Completely agree with the verdict. Menu diving is tedious and the bugs make it impossible to use live (I played one gig and mine has this bug that it leaves notes on forever and it won't go away without a reboot. That was fun!). I sold my first years ago but bought another because the sound is quite unique and pretty damn sweet.
To be honest, I have a bit of a fondness for my Blofeld. Fortunately, I've had mine for a few years now, and have yet to encounter the encoder issues. It's a menu diver, for sure, so I would probably go for something else if menu diving isn't your thing, but it makes one hell of a crazy percussion machine in my opinion. To save voice count, I find myself being really critical about how many oscillators I *really* need in a given patch. That seems to help quite a bit. I really enjoyed this one, and the jams with it were awesome! Your channel is a real gem. Thanks for taking the time to take on this one. It gets a lot of hate for its issues, but it's my go to multi-tool. Then again, I don't have shit tons of elite gear to choose from.
Du und Gabe Miller Music: die besten Synthi-Hawara in meiner Abobox und beiden fehlt noch der verdiente Erfolg. Unbedingt dran bleiben! Mit deiner hohen Uploadfrequenz bekommst du hoffentlich bald die Aufmerksamkeit die du verdienst! Mochs güet, Servus!
@@AudioPilz, yes. I wouldn't really want to send it, I heard some horror stories about carriers mishandling instruments, but my kid goes to ski training camps in A several times a year, so I can easily drop it to you (as long as they won't tighten the travel restrictions). The Fizmo is such a wonderful mixture of unique cinematic soundscapes, crystal crear fx and a half-completed software crowned with a 3 digit display, so it's a perfect match for this series. Haha, I've just checked it and only found one on ebay for 2400 :P I knew the prices went completely bananas in the past few years, this was still a surprise. Drop me a msg on the contact page of endre-enerd punkt com and we can arrange it.
@@EndreeNerd Prices on EVERYTHING have gone bananas. Tried to buy a used Juno lately? I've bought *cars* for less cash! And you could buy a decent beach condo on the Gulf for what a Jupiter runs.
The Blofeld is actually a really slick little box, and you nailed it. Sounds great. Needs a bit more physical quality control and some tender loving care with fixing bugs. But Waldorf is all about bugs. I can’t get my old software working on an old machine with an old OS, but whatever. I sold the MicroQ Phoenix and the Blofeld, but I love my Rocket and I also love the Nave app for iOS. I at least still have that.
Bought a Blofeld a couple of months ago and I'm liking it more and more. I found it to be very versatile even with its very Waldofy and digital sound. I had a lot of fun sampling with the randomize patch function, which gave some very interesting results. There is a half-decent patch editor for the Patch Base app on iOS which helped me a lot in my first couple of days with it. great video! Hope to see more of you and the Blofeld!
I've been using the Studiologic Sledge for like 6 years or so at this point. It's supposedly built around the same sound engine, but has the full standard layout for a VA synth. It's pretty good all around, though it has some issues (like too much plastic in the construction of the output jack, it shorts sometimes).
Many years ago, I tried... I got the sleek black edition, I payed for SL, I sequenced it with hardware, with software, sent it CC, everything, and all what you are listing as bad was enough for me to let it go amid an ocean of frustration... I continued my search of a small, tweakeable multi synth for my live setup, and had to wait years until Digitone...
@@AudioPilz I was watching this while driving and almost lost it when I just happened to look at the screen when it said " it's not flat we checked" lol
If there's anything the world could use more of, it's Waldorf Blofeld Sound Demos on TH-cam. They serve as a pleasant respite from the polished, bloated and humanized nature of all other music. Alas, the compositions themselves are often vary sparse, only often showcasing two sounds at once. And perhaps they could feature more elaborate and compelling progressions, but I'd often sometimes settle for a couple note sustain or drone. Alas, I might be somewhat carried asunder, overstating this synths prominence or singular nature. Surely most, if not all it's sounds can be reproduced elsewhere such as with even rather primitive software synths of yesteryear such as Sylenth, FM8 or massive. Serum, Gladiator or Hive would likely not even break a sweat, though I do often wonder what it is exactly that distinguishes it from others.
Ive had one for years and whilst many pieces of hardware came and went in the studio ,the Blofeld never came close to leaving .Its depth in unfathnable and it always sounds class .
@@AudioPilz I'm neither a musician nor a synthesizer expert. I'm just a hobbyist/noise wrangler. I love the Blofeld. (I also own MiniBrute2, MicroFreak, Hydrasynth, and Reface CS.) I am astonished at the great sounds you can get from affordable synths these days. Perhaps I will actually read my manuals and REALLY make some fantastic noises. By the way, the only major technical issues I've had were with TWO Prophet Rev 2 synths I owned. The first one would simply shut down. I got a replacement. It did the same. Luckily, zZounds was amazing and the returns did not cost me a dime, not even shipping. I thought it fascinating the only synth I had major glitches with was the $1600 Rev2.
The Blofeld is one of the few synths I purchased a second time after selling. I got my black version new (not B-sock) from Juno in the UK, and it was so cheap that even with shipping to the US it cost me $351. Every once and a while they blow out their stock or something. For anyone in the US, always ask for a lower price. Also, Waldorf gear ships with a universal wall wart. Korg gear (ahem) does not.
I actually love its sound, the ice cold pads and leads it can make are fantastic for electro. I kind of want it for the sound, but I just can't be bothered with learning it.
You made that little box sing ! Your visual production is fun , stunning , and gives me envy . Love the show , the sounds and the humor . I am not gassing for a blofeld, but wouldn't kick it out of bed for eating cheetos . Clean sounds , and deep multivoice structure are enticing , but I get enough menu diving from my MicroKorg XL . Limit reached , in that department for me as a consumer of bad gear. Bad gear might be worthy of a feature length film . I would pay to see it on the big screen thanks to your clip production . I LOVE THE BEES 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
Sounds far fetched but I’m in the camp of paying viewers, like I would totally ditch my Star-bunks Crappa Zappa Lotae - lot a lotta eh? Errrr however you call it crap coffee with 66 grams of sugar in favor of watching Bad Gear the Movie.
In terms of UI design, I think the blofeld (and pulse 2) are some of the most well thought out compact synths there are (and they also sound fantastic). The display screen and endless encoders actually solve a big issue that even knob-per-function synths have, which is that when you load a preset what you're hearing doesn't match up to the knob/slider positions. There's always accurate visual feedback on screen (even if you can only view one parameter at a time). Of course not everything on the blofeld is intuitively laid out, but this basic design choice is really good, inspired even. I can't think of many synths that actually bother to address the issue of visual feedback on recalled sounds (the light up encoder rings on the Moog Phatty come to mind). btw any chance the OP-1 will make an appearance on the show in the future? :)
I have one of these! I walked into my local synth shop years ago, and they had a used one on commission. I asked the shop owner to demo it for me, and about 5 minutes later told him i'd take it. Very powerful engine, and a lot of fun. Takes up very little space too!
@@AudioPilz Yeah, that's unfortunate. I didn't even know this was an issue until this video, but i'm glad it's possible to still get replacement parts.
Noooooooooooh, I love my Blofeld even with a slight encoder issue. There is nothing like it with 16 part multitimbral and multi mode plus 25 voices for the price. Plus it sounds great. It’s a pity Waldorf doesn’t release a mark 2 with its quirks ironed out. I guess the people who wrote the original software have been fed to the sharks by now.
Great vid! This is in my long list of "almost bought one" gear. I probably bought some other piece of crap instead back when it was new. On a side note, I would give a kidney to find an ultra-rare Waldorf Microwave PC ISA soundcard. That's my holy grail of retro PC peripherals!
The Blofeld sound engine is better than a lot of the recently released wavetable synths and even better than some soon to be released like the Korg Modwave. At least the Blofeld is multitimbral and can import user Wavetables.
Blofeld! It's a 'tricky' & quirky little guy. I love it, it's very deep. As in deeply frustrating (the encoders issue, ugh. Down is up and up is down...maybe); and yes, do be careful and pause for a moment before reaching for a knob as you may twist the wrong one and lose 15 min worth of edits, so save often! It's also deeply versatile, satisfying and fun. I did purchase the License SL option and that opens up a whole new world of being able to import your own samples and use them as oscillators. I actually went even a step further and got the "Attack Soundset", which essentially turns Blofeld into a really interesting drum synth, using samples, wavetables and multis. Great review!
tbh I am surprised to see this one here. It seems to be a better idea than shelling out for it's predecessors or even some of its more expensive siblings
@@Gainn I love and hate mine... though not passionately in either case. It's good for the price, but I look forward to eventually upgrading to a Hydrasynth or Peak.
My Blofeld is one of my favorite keyboard I own, It is my goto more often and not. Yeah yeah maybe a little picky at times but that's personality. I can't wait to see more on the Blofeld from you!
Yay! I think I asked for a Blofeld video once. (: I pondered buying one 2019/20 A bit long in the tooth, but still one of the few affordable multitimbral polysynths with a fairly complex engine under the hood.
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
Huge appreciation for the shout out, can't wait to poke fun again. I consider the blofeld to be GOOD GEAR, maybe I should queue up a rebuttal? 😂🤣
As far as I understand it, AudioPilz makes an episode if he can fill the whole screen with bad reviews, there are a lot of great gear fitting this criterion
@@glebpalamarchuk9087 that is hilarious! :D
Of course it’s good gear.
@@javiceres is it
On the metrics of Being able to produce “good Sound” but with terrible UI I think makes for “bad gear”. Good gear needs solid UI and deliver in sound. Would Die for the blofeld if we had at least 4 outs? (No I dont count l/r headphone and 2 outs as 4) One thing to mention was (at least when I owned one) you couldn’t sync the lfo. Why has no company RECENTLY made a digital synth with multiple outs (hardware) maybe with an analog filter, (mono machine was such a hit even w/o filter cuz well individual processing could be had.) We all know how cool Microwave was and WHY, so like why NOT?! Loved the blofeld! /cheers
I just realized this guy’s a genius: start a TH-cam channel to justify Gear Acquisition Syndrome!
He could start a sub-channel titled Bad GAS...
I'm not ready for the truth ;)
....combined with masochism. Otherwise nobody would bother with half of these machines. 😁
Modern problems require modern solutions
SUPER genius... like a Bond villain!!
I just got one of these.
Day one - Played all the presets, very impressed
Day two - Hooked it up to my dawless rig, SP16 + Digitakt
Day three - Tried sound design on it, decided life's too short and I don't hate myself that much yet
Self-hate is an important factor in mastering the Blofeld ;)
😂
Word! Hahahaha
I've just got one. Your comment worries me. That said, I've owned a Roland D10, and still own a DX7.... And it was €180, so can't complain
Damn after 45 years of self loathing I started to like if not truly love myself; well what the hell happened 2 years after that?
Blofeld happened 🤣
My main takeaway from this is that I would buy an AudioPilz spacewave album in a HEARTBEAT.
Thanks!
Me too.
Me three
I'm all in. A title sugg:
_Beware of Nutlash Whilst De-Accelerating to Sub-Light Velocities._
No joke. I have been watching these all slowly and literally every song he's done so far is fire.
"Blofeld! Do you expect me to talk?"
"No, Mr. Bond! I expect you to *DANCE*."
You a lil' confused but you got the spirit
License to GROOVE!!!
@@AudioPilz Just so long as Timothy Dalton is not involved. ;)
@@agentvx8320 Hey... Dalton was cool :(
@@maelo477 License to Kill was actually pretty decent. The Living Daylights was... uh... special.
The smiling termite was terrifying.
That one is kinda mesmerizing
a bit like the "steinlaus"
Right now we are spending weeks together with Dreadbox trying to design a synth that we hope will be featured on Bad Gear in 10-15 years.
Lol
Is this a joke or is it really happening? Typhon is amazing, let’s hope for a sequel!
Wow, keep me posted!!!
@@AudioPilz We need to make sure it’s a deep deep instrument but with a super confusing menu system, EEPROM re-soldering for OS updates, and it also better be a commercial flop with a couple recalls. Then perhaps we will make it into “Bad Gear - Highlight Of The Decade” 😜
Make a Bad gear episode on the Typhon!
Everyone desires the piece of gear after it has been on Bad gear, it works great as demo
Always a great day when a new "Bad Gear" pops up on my feed
Always a great day when nice comments pop up
same
Not the only thing that pops up 😆
Although it crashed a lot when i had one years ago and the programming is tedious, i can't say i would classify it as bad gear. I loved the sound and still miss it often.
I miss my Blofeld a lot! Even now when i have Novation Peak
you're taking the name of the channel a bit too literally. There's usually something bad about it but it's mainly about having a laugh.
Dig your tunes!
It has external editors, which take a lot of the pain out of it...
Oh, the Timecop! What an honor. Stick around!!!
Really excellent video. Just the intro is nothing short of breathtaking. It takes talent to produce such high value content and humility to make it look so easy. You, sir, are both a musical genius and a gentleman.
Thank you so much!
this is just the start, this channel's going to be HUGE, and i can't wait to see it
Thanks, let's hope for the best!!!
I've never heard anyone refer to the Blofeld as "bad." In fact, people still sing its praises. Heck, I have a Blofeld keyboard sitting right next to me. One of the best digital synths out there.
Eh, every synth message board I've been on it's usually the same thing: "IT WOULD BE SO AWESOME IF IT WASNT SO AWFUL. I sold mine 3 times." Most stuff listed on here are cursed one way or another while having a large package to show off. Idris Elba with the face of Steve Buscemi.
Preach!
Great synth but the level of animosity against it is almost reaching Roland SH-201 territory
I love my Blofeld. For complex sounds nothing beats it. At the same time the bugs are rage-inducing. The fact that the encoders just break and the lfo/ delay won't sync properly is a huge pain on an otherwise fascinating synth.
I want to like mine. I really do. But, sigh, I keep keep getting turned off by some harshness in the pseudo-analog sounds that isn’t controllable - great when you want edginess, bad when you don’t. But, there is a ton of capability here for the money. If you have patience to put on menu diving gear and sink into the murkiness. BTW, I love the weight and solidity of it. Just don’t drop in on a Roland Boutique.
Anyone else have to stop the video every 10 seconds to read the Memes? That Delusional Synth Owner magazine hits a little too close to home. Haha
I'm not gonna sleep well because of that one ;)
@@AudioPilz I hear you can buy a new synthesizer to fix this problem.
I'm hitting the back/forward arrow keys often to have a giggle about the memes... The meme game is strong here!
The only channel where you're tempted to watch the videos at 0.5x speed, rather than 1.75x...
@@IllogicGate haha 100%
You don't even know how much I have been wanting to hear your opinion on the Blofeld! I myself fell in love with this synth because of the demos made by Jexus :D
Great synth, tricky interface!
Same, I bought one and then waited years for the prized Jexus presets...
@@TheSnowLeopard They are free in his website tho?
@@EppuJoloZ Yes, they appeared on the website after Jexus' resurrection.
Heard the Analog patches? Cant remember who made them, Don Solaris perhaps
"Welcome to Bad Gear"
From Austria with Love
There are a few James Bond movies with scenes taking place in Austria (but were shot in Budapest;)
Moograker? Quantum of synthesis? Octotracky?
@@EverettVinzant yes pls
@@AudioPilz once upon a time, that kind of was Austria.
@@AudioPilz quantum of solace was shot in Bregenz and Feldkirch!
I had the Blofeld in my shopping cart for the last 3 days. Your video gave me the push I needed to finally buy one. Thanks for the great videos, your channel has quickly become one of my favorites.
Thank you!!!
Music kicked ass this week. Really liked the smooth transition into music as you described it's qualities at 2:40. Here's hoping for a Blofeld part 2 in the future!
Thank you! Already contemplating a Better Gear episode
@@AudioPilz How was this Bass made?
i consider as a sign from above the fact, that you posted this video on the very day when i was looking a cheap digital synth for complex pads and soundscapes for my setup and chose between Blofeld and D-05. So i'll buy Blofeld tomorrow.
Make sure the encoders work;)
@@AudioPilz I really don’t know how you do this but I received a notification about your comment exactly at the moment when I checked the encoders before buying. It works fine, so... i have a Blofeld now!
That's such a hard choice! I love both.
Oh, no.... Yet another synth featured here that I also own. I'm starting to think that maybe, I should just send you a list of all my synths, that way, you can go through them one by one.
There's a matrix of Bad Gear connecting all synth nerds on this planet
@@AudioPilz That explains a lot. So, am I doomed to make the same mistake over and over again?
@@AudioPilz The Six Degrees of Bad Gear? Maybe we should see if Kevin Bacon plays keyboards? :D
seeing a bad gear on blofeld made me DROP what I was doing to watch. your best yet!
Thank you so much!
I love my Blofeld! So many different possibilities, especially with combining samples, wavetables and VA!
Agreed!
Thanks for going in depth into this one I was curious about it. I can now forgive your Beethoven having slaves comment from one of your recent vids
Thanks for your kindness. I can assure you that I am aware of LvB NOT being a slave owner ;)
Got one for 200€ recently and yes, of course, three encoders are jumping around like some kiddos on a gabba-rave but it sounds so freakin good! I'm amazed by how versatile it is. Powerful Bass? Lush Pad? Funny, detuned lead? No problem! Also ordered some replacement encoders.
Yeah, looking forward to the fix. Better Gear???
The Blofeld is an odd choice for Bad Gear. Yes, it has famous problems (bad encoders, polyphony eaten up quickly, MIDI clock failures) but it has been very, very successful, saved Waldorf, and still sells well today, 15 years later. It's very deep and it sounds very good. [BTW, it's yet *another* Edisyn synth that's been given the Bad Gear treatment].
It sounds great indeed. Still lots of issues. It's a keeper for me nonetheless
@@AudioPilz BTW, the best thing ever to happen to the Blofeld was Don Solaris's famous Analog Voltage soundset. 30 Euros, now available straight from Waldorf, google for it.
I think the point of bad gear is ironically it's always pretty good. It's all got a bit of an ironic tongue in cheek style.. but also it is justified as the Blofeld is famous for being quite badly executed technically. Bugs and encoder issues .. and more..
I think it is selected because it has haters. But you need to consider also that several great gears will have haters from snobs who have a bias against cheap gear (because they have spent a lot) and against new gears (those who love vintage above everything), no matter how great it sounds. Same here for digital vs analog, etc. So at the end, it doesn’t matter if the synth is here or not, because the reasons behind could vary a lot.
As a Blofeld owner I was horrified to see this video show up on my feed haha. Great job on this
Thanks! Bad Gear - the horror movie of gear channels ;)
I had the same feeling when I saw his review of the Quasimidi Sirius appear a few months ago. :D
refreshing the channel before I go to bed on a Friday, as usual...
Nice!!! Thanks for watching!
Damn. The Blofeld was my very first synth and I got so frustrated with it that I didn't want to get another synth for quite some years. Even more astonishing what great music you're able to drop with it. Loved all the three jams/pieces you put into the last part of your video.
Thank you!!!
Bad choice for a first synth.
Your audio examples never fail to amaze. Such great vibes!
Thanks!
Waldorf needs to release a Blofeld MK2 with updated display and components and fixed bugs, and I'm buzzing them from time to time to do so and I hope others will follow.
This is an amazing piece of synth for so little money.
I agree with both!
No, Waldorf has to patch those bugs. I don't care about Blofeld MKwhatever, I just want to synchronize the arp of my Blofeld MK1 to my MIDI clock.
this channel def belongs to my top 5....no doubt!
Thank you!!! Highly appreciated!
Apart from being hilarious, you remind me of my mother: she is from Vienna and although she left more than 60 years ago, she still mixes up all v's and w's. Luckily (for both) that is where similarities end. Your videos are very entertaining, thanks for all the hard work that no doubt goes into them.
Thanks! English can be a tricky language
Have to say I love your channel Florian. Keep them going. Much love from Holland!
Bedankt!
You can't menu dive in it because the menu is linear like in alpha juno. It's just a long stream of parameter screens. The user interface is very well designed and there's nothing difficult about programming the blofeld.
OK, it's more like a very long swim then ;)
@@AudioPilz Great. I can't swim, and I can't afford to put in a pool to learn :D
This is such a great channel. Entertaining, comprehensive, and informative. Thanks for all the work you but into these videos. The Boss JS-5 is just begging to be featured on an episode.
Thanks! Great input, gonna take a closer look
These things are insane. I remember that weird period where every synth player in an indie band had one only to stop using it a year later when the encoders died mid-tour.
The Pulse 2, however, is a powerhouse that I love.
Pulse 2 seems really nice. I've yet to try one
The Pulse 2 is simpler in so many ways, but they got it right. I don't believe (?) the encoders self-destruct, and it has never just crapped out mid song and turned off or stopped responding.
Is the sound of the pulse 2 similar?
@@thefunkydeep446 Not particularly. It is all analog I believe, so none of the crispy wavetable stuff is available. It's a 3 osc synth that does paraphonic stuff (chords). Blofeld has more range, but if you want a tone that instantly sounds pleasing or 'classic' the pulse can do wonders.
Wow that example with the digitakt made my skin crawl. Every video I watch, I love your channel and team more and more. Please keep up the great work! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Thank you so much!!!
I won't lie. This channel makes me wanna start making some songs DAW-less. YOU WON'T CONVERT MR PILZ, I REFUSE!
😈
Hardware is more fun. I gave up the DAW 15 years ago. No regerts.
@@terrybull1534 same.
i just love you man - thanks for putting in all this time
Waldorf should be including a special menu diving costume, that could also help with the bees.
Next live set in bee costume only!!!
He'll need a small white longhair cat too
I’m so glad you reviewed the blofeld! I’ve seen them for sale off and on and seriously considered buying one, but with all the menu diving, no thanks!! Rock on!
Thanks!
Love the references to James Bond, great video as always!
Thank you!!!
@@AudioPilz You're welcome! 😁
You actually managed to make me appreciate mine more..! Keep up the great work
Thanks! Happy to hear that!
It’s odd,has quirks,you may struggle 2 hours and do nothing and then 2 mins later you may have some of the best sounds you ever made.
I simply love it.
It has a lot to hate but it justifies itself with its sound.
Thank God mine didn’t have encoder issues so far but I prefer managing most of it’s stuff from the Digitakt ;)
Excellent video as always 👍🔥
Thanks!
You appreciation for gear is contagious! 👍🏻
Thank you!!!
i almost bought a Blofeld, but hearing Progressive Austro Bass Ravetable High Tech Digifunk makes me want it even more!
Thanks!
My second synth! Sold my Microkorg to get it back then. Have some fond memories of it.
Yeah, there are quite some similarities to the MK
Completely agree with the verdict. Menu diving is tedious and the bugs make it impossible to use live (I played one gig and mine has this bug that it leaves notes on forever and it won't go away without a reboot. That was fun!). I sold my first years ago but bought another because the sound is quite unique and pretty damn sweet.
I wouldn't dare using one live
To be honest, I have a bit of a fondness for my Blofeld. Fortunately, I've had mine for a few years now, and have yet to encounter the encoder issues. It's a menu diver, for sure, so I would probably go for something else if menu diving isn't your thing, but it makes one hell of a crazy percussion machine in my opinion. To save voice count, I find myself being really critical about how many oscillators I *really* need in a given patch. That seems to help quite a bit. I really enjoyed this one, and the jams with it were awesome! Your channel is a real gem. Thanks for taking the time to take on this one. It gets a lot of hate for its issues, but it's my go to multi-tool. Then again, I don't have shit tons of elite gear to choose from.
Thanks! Fortunately we don't need a ton of elite gear
Been waiting for this one!
It had to happen;)
Dude, just so you know, your show is so good those demo songs are on their own a treat to return to
Thank you so much!
Du und Gabe Miller Music: die besten Synthi-Hawara in meiner Abobox und beiden fehlt noch der verdiente Erfolg. Unbedingt dran bleiben! Mit deiner hohen Uploadfrequenz bekommst du hoffentlich bald die Aufmerksamkeit die du verdienst! Mochs güet, Servus!
Besten Dank! Wird schon ;)
I love the Waldarf. My friend has it, I tried it a few times. Super cool sounds
This series can't exist without an Ensoniq Fizmo episode. If you'll find it hard to get hold of one, you can borrow mine.
That would be great, thanks! Are you located in EU?
@@AudioPilz, yes. I wouldn't really want to send it, I heard some horror stories about carriers mishandling instruments, but my kid goes to ski training camps in A several times a year, so I can easily drop it to you (as long as they won't tighten the travel restrictions). The Fizmo is such a wonderful mixture of unique cinematic soundscapes, crystal crear fx and a half-completed software crowned with a 3 digit display, so it's a perfect match for this series.
Haha, I've just checked it and only found one on ebay for 2400 :P I knew the prices went completely bananas in the past few years, this was still a surprise. Drop me a msg on the contact page of endre-enerd punkt com and we can arrange it.
@@EndreeNerd Prices on EVERYTHING have gone bananas. Tried to buy a used Juno lately? I've bought *cars* for less cash! And you could buy a decent beach condo on the Gulf for what a Jupiter runs.
it took me hours to analyse your book shelf 😄 pretty dope selection 👌
Thank you!!!
The Blofeld is actually a really slick little box, and you nailed it. Sounds great. Needs a bit more physical quality control and some tender loving care with fixing bugs. But Waldorf is all about bugs. I can’t get my old software working on an old machine with an old OS, but whatever. I sold the MicroQ Phoenix and the Blofeld, but I love my Rocket and I also love the Nave app for iOS. I at least still have that.
Rocket it da bomb!
Bought a Blofeld a couple of months ago and I'm liking it more and more. I found it to be very versatile even with its very Waldofy and digital sound.
I had a lot of fun sampling with the randomize patch function, which gave some very interesting results.
There is a half-decent patch editor for the Patch Base app on iOS which helped me a lot in my first couple of days with it.
great video! Hope to see more of you and the Blofeld!
Thanks! Working on it!
AudioPilz: W=V & V=W ok, got it!
Vs and Ws are not absolute ;)
@@AudioPilz only sithes deals in absolutes
Now that could have been a gem of a synth. Great video. I dare you to review the Dave Smith Tetra 4? All the best friend 🙌
Thanks! That one keeps coming up, I'll take a closer look
Oooooooh, nicely done with that Spaceballs reference!
THX! Comb the desert!!!
Amazing sounds from an unassuming package! Amazing video as usual :)
Thank you!!!
Finally someone that says VALDORF as it should be said
Valldorfff!!!!
@@AudioPilz Sehr gut! Grüße aus Italien
Wasn’t that the bad guy in Harry Potter?
@@freefinancialadvice I don't know anything about Harry Potter
Yeah😄 and also "Yuno"😉
AND AGAIN! you're killing me. First Digitakt the Sk1 and now Blofeld! :O
Thanks!
I've been using the Studiologic Sledge for like 6 years or so at this point. It's supposedly built around the same sound engine, but has the full standard layout for a VA synth. It's pretty good all around, though it has some issues (like too much plastic in the construction of the output jack, it shorts sometimes).
Great episode! You kind of captured the spirit of Waldorf perfectly 😆 oh & I loved the classic Winamp visualiser vibes for the memejam!!
Thank you!
Your channel *will* blow up
Its practically inevitable
Thanks! Let's hope for the best!
Terroristic threats? ;)
Many years ago, I tried... I got the sleek black edition, I payed for SL, I sequenced it with hardware, with software, sent it CC, everything, and all what you are listing as bad was enough for me to let it go amid an ocean of frustration... I continued my search of a small, tweakeable multi synth for my live setup, and had to wait years until Digitone...
Yeah, Digitone is tight!
Getting some popcorn before I read the comments on this one
Surprisingly peaceful around here. Too peaceful...
Wow what a trip!!! This channel is amazing!! Thanks algorithm 😬
Thank you so much!
@@AudioPilz I was watching this while driving and almost lost it when I just happened to look at the screen when it said " it's not flat we checked" lol
I love my blofeld.
I have plenty of good memories but it also gave me some headaches
Yeah, lots of Aspirins necessary for that one ;)
Awesome video as usual, and very surprising outcome! Also, that manual warning made me laugh :D
Thank you!!!
If there's anything the world could use more of, it's Waldorf Blofeld Sound Demos on TH-cam. They serve as a pleasant respite from the polished, bloated and humanized nature of all other music. Alas, the compositions themselves are often vary sparse, only often showcasing two sounds at once. And perhaps they could feature more elaborate and compelling progressions, but I'd often sometimes settle for a couple note sustain or drone. Alas, I might be somewhat carried asunder, overstating this synths prominence or singular nature. Surely most, if not all it's sounds can be reproduced elsewhere such as with even rather primitive software synths of yesteryear such as Sylenth, FM8 or massive. Serum, Gladiator or Hive would likely not even break a sweat, though I do often wonder what it is exactly that distinguishes it from others.
I think it's great to have a HW synth that can cover territory that is usually only covered by plugins and goes well beyond what most of them can do
"Progressive Austro Bass Ravetable Hightech Digifunk" .. FINALLY somebody mentioned my FAVOURITE MUSIC STYLE! xD .. Grüße aus Wien =)
Immer große Freude!!!
The Blofled is an amazing synth, a soundscaping monster.
Agreed!!!
Ive had one for years and whilst many pieces of hardware came and went in the studio ,the Blofeld never came close to leaving .Its depth in unfathnable and it always sounds class .
Yeah, deep box!!!
@@AudioPilz I'm neither a musician nor a synthesizer expert. I'm just a hobbyist/noise wrangler. I love the Blofeld. (I also own MiniBrute2, MicroFreak, Hydrasynth, and Reface CS.)
I am astonished at the great sounds you can get from affordable synths these days. Perhaps I will actually read my manuals and REALLY make some fantastic noises.
By the way, the only major technical issues I've had were with TWO Prophet Rev 2 synths I owned. The first one would simply shut down. I got a replacement. It did the same. Luckily, zZounds was amazing and the returns did not cost me a dime, not even shipping. I thought it fascinating the only synth I had major glitches with was the $1600 Rev2.
@@PunguinYoga
@@mrz80 Thanks!
The Blofeld is one of the few synths I purchased a second time after selling. I got my black version new (not B-sock) from Juno in the UK, and it was so cheap that even with shipping to the US it cost me $351. Every once and a while they blow out their stock or something. For anyone in the US, always ask for a lower price. Also, Waldorf gear ships with a universal wall wart. Korg gear (ahem) does not.
Wow, great price for a new unit!!!
your little jams are so the best out there my friend
Thank you!!!
Yo, that rave track is BANGING.
Thank you!!!
Bro, please, please, that's a really great lil machine, omg, I was so happy when I get that.
It IS a great machine but we all know that it has its flaws
I actually love its sound, the ice cold pads and leads it can make are fantastic for electro. I kind of want it for the sound, but I just can't be bothered with learning it.
Not that bad as long as your encoders work;)
You made that little box sing !
Your visual production is fun , stunning , and gives me envy . Love the show , the sounds and the humor . I am not gassing for a blofeld, but wouldn't kick it out of bed for eating cheetos . Clean sounds , and deep multivoice structure are enticing , but I get enough menu diving from my MicroKorg XL . Limit reached , in that department for me as a consumer of bad gear.
Bad gear might be worthy of a feature length film . I would pay to see it on the big screen thanks to your clip production . I LOVE THE BEES 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
Bad Gear movie? Interesting! Thanks for the suggestion!
Sounds far fetched but I’m in the camp of paying viewers, like I would totally ditch my Star-bunks Crappa Zappa Lotae - lot a lotta eh? Errrr however you call it crap coffee with 66 grams of sugar in favor of watching Bad Gear the Movie.
In terms of UI design, I think the blofeld (and pulse 2) are some of the most well thought out compact synths there are (and they also sound fantastic). The display screen and endless encoders actually solve a big issue that even knob-per-function synths have, which is that when you load a preset what you're hearing doesn't match up to the knob/slider positions. There's always accurate visual feedback on screen (even if you can only view one parameter at a time). Of course not everything on the blofeld is intuitively laid out, but this basic design choice is really good, inspired even. I can't think of many synths that actually bother to address the issue of visual feedback on recalled sounds (the light up encoder rings on the Moog Phatty come to mind). btw any chance the OP-1 will make an appearance on the show in the future? :)
Agreed! If only the knobs worked properly on mine;) OP-1 is moving up my list. Thanks for the suggestion!
J'adore cette chaine, y'a tout ! Bon travail
Merci beaucoup!!!
OMG I will need to sit down and breathe before I watch this
Alcoholic beverages seem to work for some too
I have one of these! I walked into my local synth shop years ago, and they had a used one on commission. I asked the shop owner to demo it for me, and about 5 minutes later told him i'd take it. Very powerful engine, and a lot of fun. Takes up very little space too!
Agreed! I'll have to get mine serviced
@@AudioPilz Yeah, that's unfortunate. I didn't even know this was an issue until this video, but i'm glad it's possible to still get replacement parts.
you have covered so many things i've owned i don't know wether to feel good or insulted hahaha
YES!!!
Really nice video as always. You should take a look at the Yamaha Reface series.
Thanks! Great input!
Is an access virus episode planned? Not that I consider the viruses to be bad gear but I would just love to see you jamming on one of those
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll take a closer look
The Access Virus absolutely *rocks!* (still got my kB)
Ooh, the Snow has like 4 buttons and is a menu diving nightmare. It's like a coconut - the inside is good, but christ it's a mission to get to it!
i like the grandpah graphix pic as you update! this synth. Amazing Pic
Yeah, they nailed the aesthetics
Noooooooooooh, I love my Blofeld even with a slight encoder issue. There is nothing like it with 16 part multitimbral and multi mode plus 25 voices for the price. Plus it sounds great. It’s a pity Waldorf doesn’t release a mark 2 with its quirks ironed out. I guess the people who wrote the original software have been fed to the sharks by now.
I could live with "slight" encoder issues;)
I’m thrilled to try out my new (used) Blofeld after watching this fun episode. I had no idea it was multitimbral
Nice!!!
Favourite synth ever. Also one of the most unreliable :) Studio use only but beautiful synth.
I wholeheartedly agree!
Great vid! This is in my long list of "almost bought one" gear. I probably bought some other piece of crap instead back when it was new. On a side note, I would give a kidney to find an ultra-rare Waldorf Microwave PC ISA soundcard. That's my holy grail of retro PC peripherals!
Thank you!!!
me too! along with the Lexicon PC-90 and Waldorf AFB... 🤤🤤
The Blofeld sound engine is better than a lot of the recently released wavetable synths and even better than some soon to be released like the Korg Modwave. At least the Blofeld is multitimbral and can import user Wavetables.
There's some truth to it!
🤔🧐
Blofeld! It's a 'tricky' & quirky little guy. I love it, it's very deep. As in deeply frustrating (the encoders issue, ugh. Down is up and up is down...maybe); and yes, do be careful and pause for a moment before reaching for a knob as you may twist the wrong one and lose 15 min worth of edits, so save often! It's also deeply versatile, satisfying and fun. I did purchase the License SL option and that opens up a whole new world of being able to import your own samples and use them as oscillators. I actually went even a step further and got the "Attack Soundset", which essentially turns Blofeld into a really interesting drum synth, using samples, wavetables and multis. Great review!
Thanks!!! The encoders are from HELL!!!
for next weeks Bad Gear can we get a jam that's 'Sinisterly swung progressive 2step dub-siren austro garage' ?
Only if it’s announced in a Sean Connery accent...
How did you know???
Quality as usual
Nuff said first tune right up my street
Thanks!
@@AudioPilz tjanks
tbh I am surprised to see this one here. It seems to be a better idea than shelling out for it's predecessors or even some of its more expensive siblings
There's a lot of controversy around this one, so... ;)
Even people that love it hate it in equal measures.
@@Gainn Yes, this
@@Gainn I love and hate mine... though not passionately in either case. It's good for the price, but I look forward to eventually upgrading to a Hydrasynth or Peak.
My Blofeld is one of my favorite keyboard I own, It is my goto more often and not. Yeah yeah maybe a little picky at times but that's personality. I can't wait to see more on the Blofeld from you!
Thanks, it will get quite some use in future jams
I 🧡 my Blofeld!
Great-sounding synth!
Yay! I think I asked for a Blofeld video once. (: I pondered buying one 2019/20 A bit long in the tooth, but still one of the few affordable multitimbral polysynths with a fairly complex engine under the hood.
Hey, thanks for the suggestion!