DO NOT BUY a Waldorf Iridium!!!!

Broadcasted live on Twitch -- Watch live at / junkiebass
In this video we discuss why you should not buy a Waldorf Iridium, the reasons, and our own personal experience. This is not a piece of gear we can support or stand behind. Please do avoid purchasing one of these.
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[@Syndrive]

Sorry to hear you've had so much quality problems. I've had Waldorf Desktop for almost 3 years and "upgraded" it a recently to Iridium Keyboard, which I have used with my band and carried around. Only thing that has provided me problems was the power cable, I managed to break it, but Waldorf sent me a replacement. So maybe I have been lucky so far or maybe the success stories don't get so much presented, but I have been very happy with my unit. It's awesome to use with LinnStrument. But yeah watching these videos makes also me hesitant to trust this on the live shows.

[@junkiebass]

Now this is just my personal opinion. I would never take it live. Not just because of my experience, but there are many other owners out there sharing these experiences

[@Rightly_Divided]

I own an Iridium. I have to say I love my Iridium and the capabilities of the sounds it presents. I accidently pushed my chair into my desk where my machine was and I backed up with a lot of force. My chair hit the knob. The knob bent a little. With some patients and banging it back into place it is now straightened up and still works perfectly fine. I do have to say I did experience some issues when I first got mine. The OS would freeze sometimes. But ever since upgrading to the newest firmware it does not do that for me anymore. I would say live performances maybe not something you should necessarily do, but recording amazing sounds into a DAW and layer it with other synths behind a beat sounds pretty good in my opinion.

[@junkiebass]

I wish it was firmware issues. If it was just a firmware issue that happens with technology no big deal as long as firmware is kept up to date. We had to wait for ASM to update their firmware so the Hydrasynth could read incoming CC messages. If the equipment would not keep having actual hardware issues I would be over joyed. The synth has great potential especially for pads, and synthwave basses.

[@davebetts900]

Was thinking of buying one, after watching this I'll stay well clear. I own a Arturia Matrixbrute and it's an absolute work horse.

[@junkiebass]

Very interested in the PolyBrute.

[@rumo201]

I‘m a owner of the Iridium: 2 years now without any issues. Works stable, sounds great.

[@davlippo7]

I know we shouldn't have to repair new gear but perhaps if you love yours and the screen is loose I'd Not glue it but get some pro type tape trimmed to something visually attractive like your favorite logo and place that at the (4) corners to seal it in place. I suspect it's simply taped in place along the underside and when shipped via truck in 130 degree temps that tape softens and it comes off or loose. You could get fancy and make a perimeter seal that looks original like a nice bezel to cover the seam all around with double sided adhesive. Mine it mounted vertical on an arm and so far it hasn't fallen out.

[@junkiebass]

The screen wasn't loose it was hanging out of the unit, and fell out if you moved it at any angle. I finally got a semi working unit that I will be doing a sound review on in a few weeks. I say semi working because it arrived without the screen installed the screen wouldn't even fit in the unit, and doesn't have a power button so you actually have to stick your finger in the unit to turn it on.

[@davlippo7]

@@junkiebass That's hard to understand however it does sound like sabotage by Korg because no company would allow such a thing coming from a factory. I'm an engineer so I'm curious when you raise the screen what is underneath meaning what should it be attaching to? Is it double sided tape around the perimeter that might be melting away during shipping? Vibration &/or heat is the cause. Obviously if it's mechanically attached via a structural system & screws it would never come out except from extreme impact causing structural damage to the supporting system. IF the screen were installed as the first internal item meaning underneath or from inside the frame it couldn't come out thus it appears it's installed from above the frame like it has an electrical harness and the last item they install is to plug in the screen and seat it onto some adhesive. IF the adhesive is poor unlike 3M products it might be failing to hold. Still that's an odd design. I've personally repaired hundreds of screens and thousands of switches mostly vintage Yamaha gear but they are all pretty similar. The old backlight types that would go out after years of run time. I'm a structural engineer so this is a structural or mechanical attachment failure which intrigues me. It's certainly not rocket science but there's a simple explanation. A company could exploit a simple design flaw or the person attaching the screen forgets to remove the double sided film on the tape and press down the screen and moves on not realizing it. Something silly. I'm not removing mine to look underneath it unless it falls out by itself. They might have several assembly plants so I wonder is it only a batch or can it be any unit which would narrow down the issue. Might be as simple as a poor or bad or no adhesive product that is supposed to be permanent. Looking at your video with it opened up I see nothing to hold it in place but I've seen others that look like there's a adhesive strip supposed to be installed but still that's not a $3K level design. Someone has made a big mistake and they are ignoring it. If the adhesive was high quality & permanent you probably couldn't pry it off once installed. Also noticed that the screen is almost the identical size of the opening thus there's nothing for the screen to rest against. There should be a secondary platform so that it snugs inside the outside frame and rests against an inside frame. Again not rocket science just common sense. Also it's possible the screen supplier dropped the contract and they had to get a substitute without making a total product design change and the new supplier's spec is off so it doesn't fit the same. For example it's supposed to snap in all around the edges but the tolerance is off. Many reasons however they should answer that question instead of us speculating. Not having practical repair capability is also a big problem.

[@adventurer3645]

Given Korg is the U.S. distributor for Waldorf Iridium and Korg has a competing product, I wonder if they are purposely damaging the Iridiums in order to damage their market share.

[@junkiebass]

You are not the first person to consider that being part of the problem. If that is the case hat is not only bad business, but shady beyond belief.

[@BrentODell]

Two years ago I bought an Akai MPC Live II, and the left audio channel didn't work(both main outs and phones). I returned it and got a replacement, but the touch screen had issues registering 'ghost' presses, making it almost completely unusable. I got a third copy, and it's still going strong two years later. While I'm very happy with the unit, it makes me nervous about getting another MPC, and EXTREMELY hesitant to buy used(something I normally am happy to do).

[@junkiebass]

Yes there are somethings we will not buy used, but we will never buy a Waldorf product again.

[@tommyg5095]

Today, November 20, 2022. I have spent the last 3 weeks researching the Iridium Keyboard. Messaging many owners of the Iridium, and read / saw on KZbin and other sites mixed reviews of this synth, and this video has finally made me to not even think about the Iridium any more... No lust for this.. I will not take the gamble of getting a good unit. No.. Just not going to gamble with this... So sad, but life will go on...

[@junkiebass]

We have yet to receive a fully working unit.

[@ericjohnson1811]

Thank you for the video! I ended up getting a Novation Peak instead of an Iridium because of all the quality control issues I’ve seen.

[@junkiebass]

We are glad we could help! The Peak is amazing!!! We use a Summit which most people don't know the original name for the Novation Summit was the Novation Twin Peaks.

[@Redneck_Wizard]

Some people were speculating that this is the real reason they released the Iridium Core, same engine, smaller footprint, less stuff to go wrong/more reliable. I don't have any actual evidence of this but this seems to be the most versatile hardware synth on the market so I will research this subject.

[@drdoolittle8396]

got a used iridium about a month ago that would freeze and sometimes lockup at high tempos or with complicated patches. Turned out to be the usb midi controller I was using was the cause of the instability.

[@junkiebass]

Ours was ran by USB to PC like recommended by the manufacturer. We also tested it with a MOTU 128 Express.

[@davidtaylor-dawe122]

Thank you for this. I was about to buy an iridium keyboard. I'll look around for something else.

[@junkiebass]

The ASM Hydrasynth is a great alternative and about $2k less

[@Pintosonic]

You should go to small claim court over this, it suck for the retailer. I once had a problem with a Nikon camera where they failed 2 repair attempts, then gave me a faulty replacement camera and when I told them I was suing them at small claim court, the retailer gave me a brand new camera that was ok.

[@junkiebass]

It is not the retailers fault. It is the manufacturer

[@Pintosonic]

@@junkiebass I understand it’s not the retailer’s fault but according to consumers protection law, both the retailer, distributor and manufacturer, are responsible when the products is defective and can’t perform its intended purpose. In your case the manufacturer is in another country. So legally your recourse is against the retailer then he will have to sue Korg which is the distributor in this case. This is a mess but at the end of the day retailers need to be careful what they sell.

[@junkiebass]

@@Pintosonic I will have to hit you up in a private message maybe you can help us out a little more

[@eyesintheskies]

In Europe it comes down to the supplier you bought it froms warranty. Which is generally longer than the 12 month manufacturers warranty. Believe it’s a bit different in the States.

[@junkiebass]

Still have yet to receive a working one. We were jerked around for 2 years so the warranty expired, and they would never replace it.

[@eyesintheskies]

@@junkiebass ah man thats a nightmare 🤦🏼 feel for you. Well thanks for sharing your experience to help others. I mean i was convinced made in Germany would make it bombproof! I have heard of folk having issues but more with crashes & glitches not construction. Cant believe the screen was falling off, thats some bad Q.C!

[@DanielStaff_]

Thanks for the heads up, This unit was on my broken down list to be my next buy.

[@junkiebass]

It was highly disappointing

[@DanielStaff_]

@@junkiebass i can only imagine, my shortlist is now down to the prophet rev 2, polybrute and the hydrasynth. I do like integrating generative aspects into music so that is why I am thinking hydra.. but I have plenty of software to cover such workflows like vcv rack, phaseplant and pigments.. so I think it really comes down to the prophet rev 2 and the polybrute

[@junkiebass]

@@DanielStaff_ we pre ordered a Hydrasynth when it was first announced. We love it. Great synth even the presets are good though musically a dew are way out there lol. All in all the Hydrasynth is a great synth I recommend it regularly along with the Novation Summit

[@tommyg5095]

@@DanielStaff_ same... I was going to pull the trigger, but this video set me straight.. I ain't gonna get it.. not taking the gamble.

[@michaels8607]

Sounds anecdotal, yet if that's not the case, there's always the BBB, the Attorney General, and other places to go for resolution. I have personally taken care of issues ,including my first Ensoniq ASR10 that did not work. That sampler was $2500,and like I said I have taken care of issues, including getting a new CAR replacement for a friend. Remember the Xbox recall? I got a replacement and still use it...

[@junkiebass]

We received another unit, and it was screwed up too. Screen not in, and missing the power button cover of the back. Reinstalled the screen, and just going to deal with the power button. It's been nearly 3 years of going back and forth. At this point we will just deal with it and use this unit, but we will most likely never have a Waldorf product at the studio again.

[@zoralkia]

J'ai eu un problème au début avec mon Iridium. Il était sous garantie et je l'ai renvoyé chez Waldorf. Le problème étant connu, il ont réparé ma machine et depuis je n'ai plus jamais eu de souci. Je suis désolé pour toi car ce n'est pas de chance. Ce synthé est fantastique et c'est dommage qu'il semble y avoir des soucis avec certains utilisateurs.

[@CaidicusProductions]

I just got my Iridium today, second hand for $1500. I'm really looking forward to using it and hope to goodness that I don't have the issues you've been experiencing. :P Thanks for the video!

[@CaidicusProductions]

By the way, the ASM Hydrasynth is probably one of the best for the money synthesizers a person could possibly buy. Just FANTASTIC stuff.

[@junkiebass]

@@CaidicusProductionswe love ours! The Hydrasynth and Novation Summit pair nicely too!

[@CaidicusProductions]

@@junkiebass No Summit for me, but I do have a Peak! I think the Peak would pair well with a wet cloth being smacked against a wall, it'd pair well with just about anything. Such a beautiful synth.

[@junkiebass]

@@CaidicusProductionsWe were going to order a Peak for the studio, but then they announced the Summit, and we bought it prerelease. Supposedly the Summit was originally supposed to be called Twin Peaks.

[@CaidicusProductions]

@@junkiebass Hah! That would've been a bit on the nose, uh? :D

[@xiaoxia5]

i honestly do believe that it's a 50/50 chance you get a good one vs. a bad one. reading all the comments over the years about the Quantum/Iridium, i've stayed clear. i do have a Waldorf M, and it hasn't given me any problems. the main reason i bought it other than how it sounds, is the fact it doesn't have a touch screen. i think of synthesizers just like car brands. i wouldn't buy a British, or German synth without a Japanese synth for backup.

[@gladtobeangry]

There's going to be a negative bias on that. Most satisfied customers are not going to go out of their way to tell the world how satisfied they are. They're too busy using the thing and making actual music. It's always the people with the worst possible experiences who are going to be most vocal about it. So type any product into google, knock yourself out, and you will find some hick complaining that heck my NASA-built radiotelescope is buggy, or gosh darnit my Moog One came with a faulty power supply. There are always going to be faulty units, whether you buy from the best quality-controlled manufacturers or do the exact opposite of that by filling an entire rack with Behringers built by drugged Chinese kids like this numpty has as his backdrop for his video warning you not to buy cheaply built crap. I don't own an Iridium, but I have other Waldorf products and they're the most stable and dependable synths in my rig. I seriously doubt their flagship synth is going to be the one they've somehow thrown together in a drunken rage, just to troll their customers. And a single bitchy video from a beardy guy drowning in Behringers isn't going to persuade me otherwise.

[@davlippo7]

Interesting. I still bought one around $2,200 new. I hope mine doesn't die. I did notice my screen doesn't sit firmly and one corner is above the frame. I left it alone because if it ain't falling off I'm good. Originally I bought a "scratched" demo unit from SW and someone had attempted to epoxy the screen back down. The clue ran down the face and ate the paint off but it still worked fine. I returned it, priced about $1,800. Mine is not for the road and live performances but that's the reason for this type equipment. Imagine Yamaha putting out questionable quality or poor road durability. That is risky and what you often find such as with Expressive E, they will drop into videos like this one and respond and answer concerns. So were are the Waldorf or Korg reps dropping in here to promise and guarantee timely help and assistance? I'm sure they've seen this video. I've never owned a Waldorf, this is my first. I think the screen mounting is a design flaw or assembly problem. There's an internal run-time clock too that tells you how many hours are on the unit. I wonder are the keyboard units having the same issue? I do agree $2,800 is unrealistic for a module in a small shipping container and no large form factor or keys. I got a new unit from a dealer for $2,200 which is much more realistic or fair. Once you near the $3K price range for a module you can buy a lot of other gear. FYI The new Yamaha Montage2 is coming in October so with Oberheim OB-X8 (I just bought) & Yamaha Montage2 (pre-ordered) & Osmose (which destroys everything else for a fraction of the price, I have (2)) Waldorf needs to be very competitive in pricing or might fail. If there's a quality concern that's almost certain failure. Typically SW has a lot of reviews on popular gear. I only saw 8 total for the Iridium module and only 6 were good. I like my Iridium but I know it's not up to par in build quality. Whether I will keep it for the long run I'm not sure.

[@christinepaluch7967]

I had a Waldorf Iridium come with a broken screen. I got a refund. But I was heartbroken to say the least. Still I was on the border thinking it was bad luck. It's not....clearly something is wrong here.

[@junkiebass]

Yes we did finally receive a semi working unit, but still semi working.

[@eyesintheskies]

I’ve been obssessed with getting the iridium for years, but have recently been questioning whether it’s far to complex for a tweaker like me & if the only reason I’m really drawn to it is that I could sit and play the desktop in bed! Started looking at the prophet 12 again & hearing this video has confirmed some of the reports I’ve heard of faults & helped me make a decision. Both would be great but the prophet will hold its value better & more importantly has a bit more soul. The iridium goes down in value the minute you get it out the box & is unlikely to be a synth for life. I can do the Granular & stereo filter stuff by other means.

[@junkiebass]

It truly was a disappointment.

[@eyesintheskies]

@@junkiebass sorry to hear that, lucky for me i opted for the prophet, but i have been told arturias pigments can do 99% of what the iridium can, so perhaps try that, hooked up to a decent midi controller you should be flying 👍🏼

[@Snudedude]

WTF, I just bought an Iridium. When I opened the box the screen was displaced hanging by its cables. Almost like if they sent me your device.

[@junkiebass]

Mine is still sitting waiting on the return shipping label so I know it is not mine lol. That is messed up that it happened to you too. Just keeps more evidence it was is not a fluke.

[@Snudedude]

@@junkiebass I'm sorry for all your troubles. Luckily for me, the local shop replaced my faulty Iridium with a new one within two days. On Facebook I have seen even more Iridium owners with the same display problem.

[@el.denver6074]

I'm glad you made this video. I was about to buy one. Thanks.

[@junkiebass]

You're welcome! Honestly we really hated we had to do this video. We strive for positivity. Sadly this the first, and hopefully the last negative video we have to do.

[@CaidicusProductions]

It's worth noting that this is HIS experience with it. People have different experiences with different things. This is why some people love Ford and hate Chevy, while some people love Chevy but hate Ford. Some people just have shit experiences with things and it kind of is what it is. It sucks, but again, it is what it is. :P

[@tommyg5095]

@@CaidicusProductions yes... But 4 bad units...

[@CaidicusProductions]

@@tommyg5095 I know, right? RETURN!!! :D

[@TheCbone1979]

I got a micro Q Phoenix, Q rack and Microwave XT rack for less than the cost of the Iridium. The old Waldorfs were tanks.

[@junkiebass]

It sucks its starting to seem like that

[@CharlesFerraro]

Sorry you had an incredibly unlucky run. Despite everything it IS a fantastic machine. My buddy was trying to purchase a Gibson Les Paul Gold Top for a long time. He literally had to purchase four before he got a guitar that wasn’t messed up in some way. And we’re talking major defects for a $4k+ instrument. Now that he has a good one though he absolutely loves it. I think you’re having a similar experience just with the Iridium. If I were to ever get one I would probably want a desktop unit. But after seeing this maybe I should go for the keyboard version.

[@junkiebass]

We have a semi working unit we received that I will be doing a sound engine review on. If only the quality of the unit match the quality of sound this would be close to the only synth you would need.

[@CharlesFerraro]

@@junkiebass yeah it’s definitely a flagship. The engines compliment the Kronos nicely imo. Pretty much have my heart set on getting one at this point. Hopefully a mk2 Iridium is released by the time I’m ready. Looking forward to your engines review in the future. And again sorry about your bad experience, that’s stressful.

[@junkiebass]

@@CharlesFerraro I handle the one we have very delicately because we are now out of warranty, and I don't know if it will hold up.

[@6195ryan]

I have a quantum, luckily I have yet to have a problem but now it’s been years since I bought it. Now I do get a bit worried if I do get a problem because I’ll get no support for sure. Seems like a lot of manufacturers these days release unfinished products. On one hand the firmware updates are nice because new features are added but on the other seems like it’s just ok to release unfinished products now. Hardware issues though are pretty unacceptable, especially on a multi thousand dollar instrument.

[@junkiebass]

The Iridium is just a Quantum with digital filters instead of analog. Waldorf even said that, and that's how they made it a deck top unit. Which was perfect for our studio. Sadly it's not the same quality as the Quantum Quantum is great, but you only have so much space for gear, and a synth that you can put on a vesta amount is amazing.

[@6195ryan]

@@junkiebass no dispute there, people have also had some issues with the quantum

[@junkiebass]

@@6195ryan I have heard of minor issues, but nothing like the Iridium

[@dbefore7165]

@@junkiebass the quantum have screens that are only held in with tape that will fail with heat and time

[@junkiebass]

@@dbefore7165 yet they are charging $3k for them

[@eddfromearth]

This sounds like buying a Maserati 🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫

[@junkiebass]

I will have to take your word on that. They're a bit out of my price range lol

[@eddfromearth]

I dont have one, just heard from owners that you pay all the money and they're in the shop half of the year.

[@junkiebass]

@@eddfromearth I could see that. Awhile back they had a Lambo get marked under the lemon law for cars here. They even sent a team of mechanics from Italy here, and still couldn't fix it right lol.

[@TJ-bx5px]

VST synt in a box for 3000 usd😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@junkiebass]

I always have found it amusing when people try to compare a $59 to $189 VST to high end flagship synths.

[@robst247]

What a horror story! What a handsome paperweight! Thanks for the warning.

[@junkiebass]

Yes beautiful paper weight that had tons of potential

[@robst247]

@@junkiebass I've never had any problems with my Blofeld Keyboard. It's built like a tank (not a Russian one). I was seriously considering buying an Iridium until I saw your video. Thanks for saving me megadosh on a dud.

[@junkiebass]

From what I have come to learn from listening to people is that this is really the only model they have that is not superior quality.

[@dirkkeersmaekers4343]

I decide myself wether I buy one, dude.

[@junkiebass]

As a professional studio we are explaining the experiences, and issues we have had. We are trying to help protect consumers. In 12 months we have had to return 2. This was our third replacement which as soon as it was taken out of the box the touch screen fell out of the device. Our first one the screen went dead, and osc 1 controls died 4 hours aftee unboxing, second one after a few weeks power system failed, would cycle on and off continuously, and of course this current replacement the touch screen fell out of it as soon as it was taken out of the box, and now we have to get a 4th replacement. We have got no response for warranty support from them or Korg who sells them in the U.S. our supplier has had to fight to even get them to respond. There is much more that has gone on with this device, and issues we have had with Waldorf not responding to warranty claims, or even responding to customers. We are not the first person to have these issues. If you watch the entire video you will see we go over every issue we have had with this synth, and trying to get Waldorf to respond to warranty claims. Enjoy your weekend!

[@yarobrock]

Mine just started powering off a few weeks ago. I sent in an email and they asked for the crash log. I begin this process now. I hope I don’t go through a similar experience.

[@HammyHavoc]

@@junkiebass Sounds as bad as Komplete Kontrol MK2 and Maschine MK3 QA.