Waldorf Q+

[rids]

Sweet thumbsup Tell us how you like it. I have my share of analogs and VAs and digitals, but have wanted the Q+. I have MW1 and love the sound of that.

[Ghost Logic]

I wonder if the build quality of the new ones will match up with the build quality of the old ones... the "new" waldorf isn't actually the same company as the waldorf that went out of business--I'd imagine they're cutting costs in order to make the prices more competitive.

[Nemesys]

Originally Posted by Ghost Logic

I wonder if the build quality of the new ones will match up with the build quality of the old ones... the "new" waldorf isn't actually the same company as the waldorf that went out of business--I'd imagine they're cutting costs in order to make the prices more competitive.

that was my thought exactly ! ill post a small review soon as i get it ... i really hope thay are still tanks like they used to be ...

[curtism]

I'm thinking of getting one.

How did it work out? Who did you talk to a Waldorf? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[halfguard]

if interested, im selling a waldorf micro q, in great condition, manuals and all 300$ = ship........south fla

[vixapphire]

looking forward to seeing pictures and reading your thoughts on the Q+ (new) versus the earlier "old-waldorf" models. i've got a Q32 and have wanted to "upgrade it" to a Q+ for years but never could justify the cost to buy the +. I decided shortly after the company went under (of course, "day late and a dollar short", as they say) that the money wouldn't matter as much as getting the unit i was pining for. of course, it's been hell finding one anymore... can't wait to hear whether the new one is as solid as they used to be.

p.s. post lots of pics!

congrats on your purchase.

vic

[djui5]

Originally Posted by vixapphire

p.s. post lots of pics!

congrats on your purchase.

vic

And samples!!! I love Waldorf

[No4PCs]

Originally Posted by Nemesys

hi, i just ordered a Q+ from germany, they will ship worldwide, the price use to be very very expensive before, it seems now that it went down... A brand NEW Q+ shipped is going now for 2700 USD !!!!!!!!!! , i just thought you guys should know, it should be a monster. if anyone intrested, pm me on private, i can give you the number to call.

why im telling this here ? i saw on ebay a used waldorf Q+ for 3000 $$$, somtimes more, i dont want people to get ripped !!!... anyway, thare my 2 cents for gearalutzzzz...

cant wait for my Q to come !!!!!

Congratulations friend, by the way, what will make the Q+ play will be your heart.
Peace.

[vixapphire]

yo,
what's the word on the ETA for your Q+? Here I was looking at the "new" waldorf web site, where it looks like nothing's really happening yet; then I saw that you've already placed (and paid for?) an order for a new synth, and got the pricing from somewhere (pray tell how/where you found this info - did you just email them, or is there a more information-rich site somewhere for the company?). How long did they tell you it would take from the time of the order to ship the synth to you? Curious minds want to know! I've got a yellow Q-32 (with wood sides and the later knobs, no less) and an XT (one of the older, more handsome (imo) ones) and have been yakking for years about upgrading to the Q+. Your post about ordering a new one is probably the best thing I've ever read on this forum! Please update us all on your "new-waldorf" experience!

best,
vic

[curtism]

FYI - I've sent emails to info@waldorfmusic.de in both English and German. It's been a couple of weeks and I haven't heard back.

[vixapphire]

Originally Posted by curtism

FYI - I've sent emails to info@waldorfmusic.de in both English and German. It's been a couple of weeks and I haven't heard back.

I hope they haven't absconded with our hombre Nemesys' $2700!!!

[vixapphire]

bump.

still waiting on the news about the new waldorf, product delivery ETA's and reviews of build quality! if you've already received the Q+, i hope you're enjoying it!

[curtism]

I was finally able to talk on the phone with one of the new Waldorf owners. He said that he had never heard of a Q+ selling at this price. He also said that they are still setting up the new company and are not selling anyhing yet.

Sorry to burst everyone's bubble.

[halfguard]

im actually glad i didnt sell my micro q. i hadnt used it for a while and just realized what a monster it is....

[vixapphire]

no surprise. that web site has had the same message on it for around 6 months now...

on a related note, though, i was at the GC in hollywood the other night and dicked around with the Virus TI synth for a bit. the added wavetable oscillators, sp/dif outputs etc. have essentially turned the virus into the Q. (plus everything that makes it a virus, of course). soundwise, very similar things happening in both. features wise too. i suppose that was to be expected when a few of the key waldorfians migrated next door to access when their company folded.

so there you have it. my 12 second review...

[ignatius]

i thought waldorf went out of business because of poor busines practices adn a lot of R&D into that USB filter box w/16 analog filters in it? that thing was super pricey and just seemed like they didn't know their market. i dont think anyone bought that thing. sort of tied up a lot of their capital or something. plus they worked in that giant castle. well, maybe castles are a dime a dozen over there but it still seemed like an unecessary expense.

anyway, i bet the synths will be exactly the same. maybe they will just be smarter figuring out where to invest there R&D dollars and all that.

ihope they start making MWXT's again or at least the parts for them so when your main board goes in your synth you can get another one w/o too much hassle.

congrats on your purchase. i'm sure it'll be killer.

[vixapphire]

Originally Posted by ignatius

i thought waldorf went out of business because of poor busines practices adn a lot of R&D into that USB filter box w/16 analog filters in it? that thing was super pricey and just seemed like they didn't know their market. i dont think anyone bought that thing. sort of tied up a lot of their capital or something. plus they worked in that giant castle. well, maybe castles are a dime a dozen over there but it still seemed like an unecessary expense.

.

i think they went out of business because they seemed to run out of ideas, and the paradigm was shifting off hardware to the software side. the AFB filterbank was a neat idea in that way - using the real analog filters in connection with a plug-in synth, but yeah, it was really pricey and no one bought it.

as far as castles go, waldorf and access (virus) were neighbors occupying office space in the same castle. so there you have it.

given that some of the waldorf people migrated to neighbor access after waldorf folded, and access has since come out with the TI line, unless waldorf does something radically different or reissues the Q+, it's not worth much to bother with them over a virus TI anymore... note that the AFB's concept and interfacing idea bears some resemblance to the "virus control" plug-in control of the hardware box, and note that the AFB itself was merely a repurposing of the analog filters that were implemented in the Q+ synthesizer. they figured the Q+ would be boutique and low-volume, and sought to leverage the technology of "real analog" over a newer product for the software age. had it worked better and reached a more affordable price-point, it would've been a killer. it's also worth noting that many of the features of the Q, including (finally) the sp/dif and the "harmonic tuning", are present for the first time on the virus TI.

when i saw the spec of the TI, it was pretty clear to me that access made the best of the waldorf technology/know-how that they'd acquired, and it was great to see such good ideas given a new home to develop further.

now, the wait for the virus TI OS to be fully debugged/stabilized continues...

[desiredusername]

Originally Posted by vixapphire

given that some of the waldorf people migrated to neighbor access after waldorf folded, and access has since come out with the TI line, unless waldorf does something radically different or reissues the Q+, it's not worth much to bother with them over a virus TI anymore...
t

I don't know about this... To me Virus (although I haven't played a TI, yet) and Q have always been like opposites. The basic attitude of Q is also very different from Virus. Q is more of a weird programmers' synth with crazy modulation possibilities and nearly ridiculous parameter ranges, while Virus is an easy and "usable" everyday synth. However, if Waldorf is going to release a synth, it'd better be a Microwave 3, with analog filters.

[vixapphire]

I agree with what you're saying there about the Virus and Q, but I think once we get beyond the surface of the machines (and where the factory presets lead us in our conceptions of same), they're both radically capable of craziness or mundanity in pretty much equal measure. This is particularly true of the Virus TI, which incorporates much if not all of the Q's differentiating featureset. The TI still may not be quite as modular (the mathematical equation mod routings are still the exclusive province of the Q, for example), but most of the other features are on offer in the TI (not in the "C").

Now, if Virus can iron out the remaining wrinkles in the TI OS, I may bother to put my hopes and theories to the test by picking up one of their new synths.

[vixapphire]

Check out waldorfmusic.de

Appears they've updated the site recently with a new teaser page. "new sound engines", it says... my appetite's definitely whetted; does anyone have any further knowledge of what these guys are up to? "new sound engines" sounds like it could be anything, i.e. a family of softsynths rather than more cost-intensive hardware.

v

[tomylee]

hi,

I bouth my Q+ new just the day the first (new) old stock Q+s were available.

Its a great synth, and I saw some buying it used for 4800$...although, I have to say it has some very annoying bugs, they happen randomly, and the only way to get rid of them is to reboot the synth, so you probably wont use it live...

I wrote them some kind of angry mail to tell them how much these bugs were annoying me and many other users, but they didnt respond.

If the there were no bugs with this machine, it would be the only synth I ever needed.

greets

tom

[doubledecker]

I don't see what's the big fuss.Waldorf went out of business because they were making mediocre products.
I own Pulse which is ok if you really,really know what you doing,full of bugs and its sitting in the rack switched off for a couple of years now.
I also have bought Micro q which was so bad i sold it half price two months later.
This Q selling for 3000 usd?!
Give me a breakdfegad

[dlmorley]

Of all the new synths on the market, the Q+ is to me one of the best sounding.
No idea about reliability, but it sounds great...

[tomylee]

well, the synths are outstanding, but they dont stand out because:

Waldorf had chosen sound programmers not so well - only recently I heard some new sounds for the Q that really use its capabilities, way too late!

Waldorf did not care so much about new OS-releases an thus, and

Waldorf did not get rid of all the bugs, that still scrabble arount in their synths.

Thats it. I bought that synth (I have a Q and a Q+) because of its potential by specification and by some demos where I liked the basic sound - I thought with this machine´s capabilities, and that basic sound, I can finally realize the sounds that buzz arount in my head - and I could! - at least as far as the damn bugs let me go...daaaa*!



bye

tom

[vixapphire]

yeah; i used to dream about replacing my 32 voice yello Q with a Q+ for the added rage of analog filters, but at this point i'm pretty much over it and plan to transition to a Q rack (too much legacy sound usage and familiar with the interface to let it go) and an andromeda. you only live once, might as well do it well!

v