Ambient Pad Sound Design with polyphonic aftertouch (Waldorf Iridium)

As a first day user of the Waldorf Iridium I was excited to get the keyboard version! Waldorf included a new keyboard with polyphonic aftertouch that allows the design of dynamic and "playable" ambient pads. In this tutorial I walk you through a first patch. Please let me know in the comments what you would like to see next, as I plan to record more videos with the Iridium Keys.
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#ambient #iridium #sounddesign

[@paul_bismuth]

Today the ring modulation shown on the OSC page is on the filter routing page. It took me time to find it.

[@MartinStuertzer]

Thank you!

[@2112jonr]

Fantastically clear demonstration as always Martin. Thank you very much ! 🙂

[@pepel81]

Very useful again for me. Detailled patch construction is very instructive. Thanks a lot.

[@user-sx2iw2hq3l]

I knew it Martin! 👍 You've bought it! My congratulations.

[@nolake]

Awesome keyboard and sounding. Nice demo.

[@wega4105]

And its so cool, the way you do ambient pads. Man I like it :)

[@MartinStuertzer]

Thank you!

[@vincentc8692]

Thank you for sharing this video. It was excellent and very informative. Congratulations and enjoy your Waldorf. Have a wonderful weekend.

[@MartinStuertzer]

Thanks for your kind words, have a good weekend as well!

[@mettecorsel]

thanks for sharing your knowledge, very helpful! Filling whole weeks working at home with your music, please carry on!

[@MartinStuertzer]

Oh thanks for your kind words! Yes, I will keep it going here. :)

[@wega4105]

And suddenly I get it the source and mod thing. Fabolous! Iridium and the way you show it to us, is a very pedagogisch instrument:)! With the display close up. I enjoyed your show very much and you seems to like the Iridium. Win-win :-D Neptune too likes to try the Iridium-walk :-D Congrats to the Keyboard- Iridium!

[@maximilianhohl412]

Neptun ist ein sehr schöner Katzenname 😊 Danke für deinen Content. Deine Tracks sind so nice beim Programmieren Gehörst meiner Meinung nach zu den besten Producern was Space Ambient und Dub Techno angeht 🪐

[@MartinStuertzer]

Ich danke dir!

[@Morberis]

Ooo you got the new keyboard Iridium.

[@MikeRenouf]

Welcome to the Neptune show - oh yeah and we have synthesizer stuff here as well 😆. Nice video Martin. The Iridium sounds gorgeous.

[@MartinStuertzer]

His usual interest in synthesizers multiplied with "spring", "oh, it smells new" and "stop doing what you do and let me out".

[@davidknight754]

I preordered mine as soon as I could. Sold the desktop when this was announced.

[@stevesmyth4982]

Hello Martin. My Iridium desktop arrived about a week ago and I'm slowly getting my head around it watching youtube videos. I use the Roli Seaboard Rise to control it. There's a Waldorf Quantum Mk2 on order and I have a Korg Wavestate and an old Korg Wavestation SR that I will add to the system when the keyboard stand arrives. I hope to do ambient soundscapes but there's a lot of learning to do yet. Thanks for this video, very helpful.

[@sudhanva-bhat]

Great video, thank you Martin :)

[@MarcWeertsMusic]

Great demo! Aftertouch is such an important feature, it should really be standard on every synth. And poly aftertouch is even more useful to have.

[@Jason75913]

yet they still won't do it, aftertouch is reserved for flagship instruments, if even Ignoring Nord, I think AT is common among their keyboards? I might be wrong.

[@MartinStuertzer]

As far as I know Waldorf is the first company to use a new keyboard from Fatar. It is possible that other companies will implement that into their machines as well. I listened to the Blade runner soundtrack yesterday. Vangelis used the CS80´s poly aftertouch a lot and I am glad that I can try to re-create these sounds with the Iridium now.

[@marzzz1]

@@MartinStuertzer It is extremely encouraging that Fatar is creating polyAT-capable keyboards. I am currently controlling my Waldorf M with an ancient polyAT controller, would be great if Waldorf made a polyAT M Keyboard (at least 5 octaves, please!), or if Fatar would make dedicated polyAT MIDI controllers.

[@anonymoushuman8344]

With Iridium and the lower priced ASM Hydrasynths out there, it seems like it's only a matter of time until all new polysynths and MIDI keyboard controllers have polyphonic aftertouch. 5-10 years?

[@Jason75913]

@@anonymoushuman8344 cross your fingers

[@bahramshamloo]

😍wow, Iridium Keyboard.

[@francotonini6446]

Om 🎶 grande maestro 🎹🎶🎹🪐

[@synthury1858]

This keyboard is probably one of the best available yet (2023) ! The keybed is simply fantastic. Period.

[@anonymoushuman8344]

Nice demonstration. With Iridium and the lower priced ASM Hydrasynths out there, it seems like it's only a matter of time until all new polysynths and MIDI keyboard controllers have polyphonic aftertouch. 5-10 years?

[@-Ashunar]

Ich hab ihn mir grad bei Musik Store bestellt, ich freue mich, eine sehr gute Ergänzung zum Hydrasynth.

[@MartinStuertzer]

Beim Hydra haben mich die dicken Plastikknöppe etwas abgeschreckt, aber der Synthesizer ist sicher klasse! Vielleicht werde ich bei der Desktop mal schwach irgendwann.

[@veldkampsynthrec-studio2045]

Thanks for the inspired demo. I have the Iridium desktop in my studio. My question to you is whether there are more new factory presets in the keyboard version compared to the Iridium desktop?

[@rayderrich]

And this preset will be available for download under the name "Neptune"... What a wonderful machine, I can only dream of having so much hands-on control during sound design.

[@MartinStuertzer]

I sneaked a few Neptun patches into the M´s factory library, but there is always room for more!

[@burger659]

Nice ! can i ask what is your top 5 instruments for techno production ? (the cat is funny ! :)))

[@o.m.a]

Great demo ! The reverb comes from the Iridium ?

[@ErwinSchrodinger64]

Are you still keeping your modular Iridium? Furthermore, does the modular Iridium support after touch with a midi controller that does offer it, like your Arturia Key Step? Thanks, loving Neptune.

[@MartinStuertzer]

The iridium desktop supports MPE and poly aftertouch in the beta OS. I hope I am telling the truth here, better check with Waldorf before jumping on an Iridium Desk because of that feature! But as far as I know the OS for Quantum / Iridium keys / desk are identical.

[@Paul_Y_T]

quantum and iridium desktop support poly-at over midi in the official release firmware, not just beta. there are pretty big differences between iridium and quantum outside of 3.0 beta, but the beta is bringing them ever closer. iridium keyboard firmware is pretty much beta 3.0.

[@VinylWave11]

Martin Sturtzer, how would you rate the Waldorf Iridium Keyboard as a synthesizer? I am considering purchasing one. It seem like a great synth. I had canceled an order of a desktop version. However the keyboard version looks like it resolved all of my previous concerns. I wanted knob per function control, less menu diving. The polyphonic aftertouch looks like it adds a lot of expression.

[@MartinStuertzer]

The workflow of the Desktop and Keyboard are very much the same, I´d say that the Desktop has a good interface already. WIth the complexity of the synthesis methods that the Iridum offers a knob per function layout is very difficult but they found a very good way to solve this. The Keyboard is high quality and I enjoy the Poly aftertouch a lot. There are a few videos on my channel where I talk about this feature.

[@davidmgonzalez9122]

I thought the Cat Part was kind of cool. My cat does the same thing during a recording session. thanks for the info.

[@DBPawlan]

I've updated. to 3.2 firmware and it seems that the ring modulation function isn't found under the place that you showed on OSC3? Do you know where I can find it now?

[@MartinStuertzer]

It took me a while to find, where Waldorf moved that function! Press the "routing" knob under the "Osc Mix" section to find the Ringmodulator.

[@RayyMusik]

I‘m not an unconditional fan of poly AT, which I know well from my Hydrasynth. Often I play just an octave with the left and fast chord progressions with the right hand - but want to control the overall sound with the left. In so far mono/channel AT can have its advantages! However, unlike the Hydra, the Iridium doesn‘t seem to have a toggle for poly/mono AT? Suggestion: could you explain the kernel engine for Waldorf newbies? This is the greatest enigma for me. And please include Neptun in further videos!

[@MartinStuertzer]

The Iridium does have a toggle to select between Poly and mono (classic) AT! I put the Kernel on my list for a future video and check with Neptun about his schedule. ;)

[@RayyMusik]

@@MartinStuertzer Could you please tell me where that poly/mono AT toggle is? I‘ve been searching for days. The manual doesn‘t say anything about it; well, there isn‘t even a dedicated manual for the keyboard version. :/

[@ThePurpleSnork]

At first I thought Neptune only spoke German, but then he got reprimanded in English as well. 😻

[@raymond_lazer]

Neptune is really after Iridium poly-aftertouch

[@City2x]

How do you fund all this gear?

[@MartinStuertzer]

Music is my full time job and I re-invest a lot into my studio.

[@ivanoleg054]

Hast Du mal das Seaboard Rise ausprobiert?

[@MartinStuertzer]

Hätte ich gerne, aber überall war es ausverkauft.

[@ivanoleg054]

@@MartinStuertzer die Tage soll ja endlich ein neues rauskommen. Ich habe eines und es war für mich ein Game changer.

[@BrianFields]

Neptun is all about the MPE and new keyboard smell. Hahaha

[@Jason75913]

He learned it from his synth-loving master.

[@maydaygoingdown5602]

Hi Martin. Now that you have irridiums do you think the polyaftertouch keyboard is worth the extra over the desktop version? Do you miss the pads of the Desktop for triggering sequences etc when your on the keyboard version?.

[@MartinStuertzer]

I really like the keyboard, it is the best that I have in my studio. The poly aftertouch is unique and I begin to explore its potential! I never used the pads on the Desktop, so I won´t miss them. If you are used to working with them keep in mind that you can load a virtual version of them on the touch display.

[@maydaygoingdown5602]

@@MartinStuertzer A virtual version, wow I didn't know that, that's great. Thanks my freind that's great to know.👍 I think I'd like to use that feature for triggering sequences.

[@maciejs3329]

HAHA ... Neptune :)

[@geofff6671]

I’m so impressed Neptune is bilingual. Better than me!

[@Jason75913]

🤣🤣🤣

[@chillwalker]

Och menno. Die ersten 4 Noten waren sooo "Superman". Und dann ziehst Du einem das imaginäre rote Cape unterm Hintern wieder weg. Naja. Wenigstens ist die Katze vom Neptun. Zwar nicht krypton, aber dafür ja fast mit schwarz gescheitelter Frisur...es fehlt nur die Locke. Zufall?

[@MartinStuertzer]

Ich durfte als Kind kein Superman gucken (nur Star Trek und Duck Tales), deswegen kann ich leider nicht mitreden!

[@chillwalker]

@@MartinStuertzer Waren deine Eltern Zeugen Jehovas? Ernstgemeinte Frage.

[@MartinStuertzer]

@@chillwalker Nein, Musiker! Noch schlimmer!

[@chillwalker]

@@MartinStuertzer Dann versteh ichs nicht. John Williams Filmmusik wird doch sselbst von den konservativsten Musikwissenschaftlern gefeiert. Ich habs erlebt. Im Musikstudium...