German Humour (updated August ’21 …and again in ’25)
There’s something about the Blofeld that inspires inadvertent snickering. Like an editor being released by “SoftKnobs”, which makes perfect sense but … c’mon. The funny starts with the manual explaining how to use piano keys and just keeps on rolling. Waldorf sound like a fun crew.
The software editor helps explain the design of the Blofeld – two wavetable oscillators plus a third VA mostly for subs, through two filters which are multi-modal and act as output channels. Lots of overdrive and burn. Very simple really, and the devil is all in the details.
The difference between Blofeld and Nave for example is that tables are optional to using the Blofeld just as a virtual analogue, pumping traditional waveforms through filters with too much volume to get overtones that way – and it also does this role quite well. The filters are nicely made and tend to do what your fingers were expecting – the box can be very warm when asked.
Some of the old PPG tables are here – nice for making old Depeche Mode songs, but I have had a much better time attempting to squeeze my own odd sounds into monotones – for a wave table is all one pitch. For example a recording of buzzing bee made a great wavetable. Compared to samples, tables invite bowing through them at odd angles.
The sample feature was another 99 euro. You don’t need it, but I really enjoy running Frank Sinatra through a comb filter and damn it, I will pay for my jollies. It has turned out well for me, I’ve been loading up air conditioners and aircraft and old bits of vinyl – the way you get them into memory is clumsy, but once they are there they stay there and its quite a different feel to loading up a sampler – your sound library becomes a limited and familiar source of textures and after a while you use them just like oscillators, to start something.
But now in software
Blofeld has finally left the box … the software version = the hardware – down to the sample function being a total pain in the arse to use. It also kills our old friend SoftKnobs. Is Blofeld really that different to Largo? Not as much as it once seemed. But really Serum has taken over the territory once held by Waldorf, and it is a memory now, if a good one. The instant samples thing is now with Korg’s wavestate.
The Blofeld is a dependable thing like good shoes or a dog. It is going to do what you wanted, and you will think it well done. You tend to take it for granted. Some bad things – plug in the USB cable and it makes a quiet shrill whine. Get an earth-lift box for the outputs. Apparently the twiddly knobs start to become unreliable after some time. I’m lucky to have have a near new machine.
Updated update – the hardware SOLD but replaced by the software.