Waldorf Iridium Deep Dive Part 9 [Pros and Cons]

Here is the next and last in the series of videos for the Waldorf Iridium. This video is part 9. A deeper dive into the Iridium's Pros and Cons. Subscribe here for additional deeper dive Waldorf Iridium videos to come. Check out TJontheRoad.com for more.

[@a-nus]

Your channel is the best kept secret on KZbin, absolutely love ya man

[@tjontheroad]

Thanks for the kind words. Feel free to let the secret out ;) Cheers TJ

[@a-nus]

@@tjontheroad lol I'm looking at the iridium, a year later is there any major updates you could give to your pros and cons? Also, a studio tour at some point would be awesome, can watch you gush over synths for hours Specifically worried about that white screen freeze thing lol Keep on chugging man you'll get there

[@tjontheroad]

The latest firmware has many bug fixes. Best new upgrade is MPE support and some new filters. I did a studio tour a year ago but it's always changing with my gear moods. I can't let well enough alone.

[@cjbollandmusic]

Hi TJ, thanks for taking the time to give us such a thorough breakdown /review! Watched all of them and I bought one :) Love it!

[@tjontheroad]

Thanks for watching. Enjoy it :)

[@DMS198526]

TJ thanks for these brilliant deep dive vids on the iridium. I have just finished watching them all and they are such a brilliant point of reference and help for my new iridium ;) thank you mate, excellent work 😊

[@tjontheroad]

Thanks for watching. Cheers, TJ

[@DMS198526]

@@tjontheroad TJ have u had any further issues with ur iridium? I’ve read people having a number of issues.

[@tjontheroad]

I was the first user to report the white screen of death bug. But the current firmware is very stable and I'm not seeing any issues with my Iridium.

[@kevorkianrock8004]

What a great tutorial. I have seen all the videos about Iridium and I thank all the information to make a good purchase decision. Thank you so much

[@tjontheroad]

Thank you :)

[@KacyDennis]

Nice Pros and Cons summary. Thanks TJ.

[@tjontheroad]

Thank you for watching :)

[@chriscopeman8820]

Love this series. I'd like to add two of my own wishes. 1. A sound manager program. My Nord wave2 has one, and it's super useful. 2. I'd like to be able to search for programs by name. 3. Fix the bugs. I guess that's three wishes, but to the whole industry: Don't release a product, hardware or software with known bugs. Fix them first! Should be a no brainer.

[@tjontheroad]

Iridium could use a slightly better file management tool. I doubt Waldorf would create one themselves, but a third party app could be useful. They have fixed bugs and added features in the latest firmware beta. Thanks for watching, TJ

[@dorteva]

Great video series. Will refer back to these when I am able to get Iridium. Been waiting on a compact yet awesome digital poly synth like this for years. In the meantime, still enjoying the ol’ Roland Jp-8000 20+ years and counting.

[@tjontheroad]

Thanks for watching. There maybe a few more Iridium videos to come here or there. Please subscribe and don’t get rid of that JP :) Cheers, TJ

[@SteveHorne]

Great job on the series, TJ- I got an Iridium a couple of weeks ago, so the timing of this was perfect. Have to say I mostly agree with your pros and cons. I will say that I have learned from Tim Shoebridge’s Quantum Pros and Cons video that those 6 areas on the left/right side of the screen are all one big button, even though they look like there are small areas in there. You can tap anywhere in that big area and bring up the menu. Anyway, great job covering the synth!

[@tjontheroad]

Thank you for watching. I find in practice, the side popup menus are not easy to use. There needs to be a designated touch point area so you don't (in error) change the parameter value. As of now, it's vaguely random as to where it works or not.

[@CharlesFerraro]

@@tjontheroadthe lack of touch accuracy might be a symptom of porting the OS from the bigger Quantum screen to the smaller Iridium one.

[@tjontheroad]

@@CharlesFerraro The latest firmware 3.0 has made improvements to the UI where the touch sensitivity is less of an issue.

[@CharlesFerraro]

@@tjontheroad you’re convincing me to get one more and more 😉

[@tjontheroad]

@@CharlesFerraro Just do it!!!

[@sK3LeTvM1]

Thank you. I'm waiting mine...

[@tjontheroad]

Thanks for watching. TJ

[@Tvaroh]

Thanks for the review series, really looking into buying the thing. What stand are you using for it in the video?

[@tjontheroad]

Thanks for watching :) My Iridium is on a VESA mount I purchased from Amazon www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PPCG1KD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@SmokysRides]

I made it! Thanks again!

[@tjontheroad]

You the MAN!!! Lol Thanks for watching, Cheers, TJ

[@Matthewsavant]

Not being able to use the Oscillators as modulation is almost a deal breaker for me. Being that it is a Waldorf synth and a rack version of their current flagship I fully expected FM, AM, Ring mod and more like you can with the XT and the Blofeld. I have been enjoying my iridium a lot over the last week but I expected it to be a wavetable monster and it’s missing some key things to me to fill that category (same with the fact that envelopes are only four stages…I mean even the Blofeld has extra stages in the envelopes and cross modulation) I also agree with all of your feature requests I sincerely hope that Waldorf is watching and reading comments because if they tweaked it just a little bit then the Iridium/quantum would truly be a flagship worthy of the Waldorf legacy and would move on to be a future classic. Missing key features like this it feels like an incomplete synth

[@MadelnMachines]

Really nice depth of review! Do you think the Quantum interface is a lot cleaner and more intuitive? It's probably going to be a rarity that I need more than 3 envelope and 3 LFOs. I'm just curious how the sequencer will compare as it's lacking the pads and buttons on the Quantum. One thing i'm not sure about is if you disable the quantum's analog filter in order to get stereo what filters does that only leave you with a single digital former filter to use? I think those encoders around the screen should be easy to implement as macro knobs. With regard to the amp and the filter envelopes - I do think it's good to have access to them both at the same time. I think they tried to squeeze everything on that they could but the design is too compromised and they struggled with it. If they had decided not to bother making it rack mountable and just made it bigger it would have turned out far better. SSD streaming would certainly take it to the next level if it had a decent multi-sample import option.

[@tjontheroad]

Thanks for watching and comments. I’ve not tried the Quantum. So, I can’t comment based on first hand experience. As far as I’m aware, the UI is very much like Iridium with only differences in features. The Quantum also has a slightly larger screen and would make it easier to use. You don’t need to use the pads at all to use the sequencer. The pads have a duplicate screen that can be used instead on both Quantum and Iridium. LFOs and envelopes are as addictive as any drug. You can never get enough. Having so many with the 40 mod matrix slots lets you create small fine tuned sound motions that add detail to the results. Cheers, TJ

[@MadelnMachines]

@@tjontheroad Oh I wasn't aware the quantum screen was larger. What I was thinking was I'd probably rather have 3 envelopes and lfos fully accessible and dedicated to the job and the others with the soft knobs than have them laid out in a more confusing way like you mentioned.

[@JudgeFredd]

Thank you for this serie - do you still own / use it ?

[@tjontheroad]

Thanks for watching. Yes, I do still own and use my Iridium. Cheers, TJ

[@steveh9799]

Thanks for the videos. Very informative and helpful. I have an issue that I have a complete screen freeze on the Iridium if I switch it on without switching the PC on.( wanting to play with it without turning the PC on) I think it has something to do with the USB cable plugged in as it comes up with an error when I start the Iridium. Have you come across this error? Still an amazing piece of kit though and hopefully they can iron out the bugs and add additional features as described.

[@tjontheroad]

No, I haven’t connected it to my computer yet. I’ll give that a go soon, but I have a Mac not a PC. Are you connect via the USB A or USB B port? Thanks for watching, TJ

[@steveh9799]

@@tjontheroad Its connected to the Computer USB. Only ever happens if the computer is off, never when on so will be interesting to see if it happens on a Mac that is switched off too.

[@tjontheroad]

I’ll try it later today. If I have an issue, I’ll let you know.

[@voodoohex72]

Hey great review! Is it possible you can link that vesa mount? I have same stand and want to do it to my waldorf M!

[@tjontheroad]

Hi, Thanks for watching. I bought the VESA mount on Amazon here Mount-It! Universal VESA Pole Mount with Articulating Arm | Full Motion TV Pole Mount Bracket | VESA 75 100 | Fits TVs or Monitors Up to 32 Inches (MI-391) www.amazon.com/dp/B07PPCG1KD/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_7WW1K0KPRMBWAZ636WB9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[@voodoohex72]

@@tjontheroad ty so much!!!!

[@overload8741]

Hi, nice video once again. You speak about something i was worried about, the internal memory for samples, wavetables etc. You can't stream and the SD Card, i feel like that the part of the synth is not great, but something i would like to know that can change about my feeling for this part, can we save directly on the SD Card the patche importing all data of it using only one file, then we can erase it for another patche, that way if you make a patch using 500mb of samples we can recall it that way choosing one file in a folder of the SD Card then load all the data of it without to have all the process to place things with it. If not would be realy great to have this function.

[@tjontheroad]

Best way to look at it is, any preset that uses samples must have those samples loaded into internal memory before the patch can be brought up successfully. Iridium cannot recall a preset and load the desired expected samples from the external SD card or USB stick and hold that data temporarily in the same way streaming works. Iridium does not save any other data on the external SD card or USB stick. Only sample data can be saved externally. Thanks for watching, TJ

[@overload8741]

@@tjontheroad Yeah so in this case if they can make a way to save patches with all data of it with samples or other, would be great this way you use only memory to load and not to stock things, a little bite like a "back up".

[@p6housse]

Hi, How can I control multiple sounds from Iridium with Maschine+ Currently I only get one sound from the Iridium on Maschine+ Can you use only one sound over Midi?

[@tjontheroad]

Iridium can play up to 2 patches via the split mode via "Layers" > "Voices" > "Split" selection. Here, you can also assign the max number of voices used for each split layer. Use the "Global" > "MIDI > "Inputs" to select the receiving channels for the two sounds.

[@p6housse]

@@tjontheroad Thanks for the info :) Isn't that a bit too few 2 sounds for such an expensive device? Or is that normal? (I'm new to midi)

[@tjontheroad]

@@p6housse Multi-timbral synths (ones that can play more than a single sound at a time) are not as common or considered a must have feature as they have been in years past. Price has little to do with it. If you need Multi-timbrality, consider looking onto a workstation like the Roland Fantom or Korg Nautilus.

[@RayyMusik]

Well, the Iridium can sound very dirty with FM, AM and 2-stage gain/drive in the Digital Former plus in the FX section. It‘s just digital, not analog dirt. :) I absolutely agree about your criticism on the envelope curves. Compared to the Hydrasynth‘s *syncable* DAHDSR, seamlessly adjustable from extreme positive thru linear to extreme negative exponential, the Iridium‘s envelopes are pathetic. :(

[@tjontheroad]

Best dirt on Iridium comes from the saturated filters. I am surprised that the envelopes haven't yet gotten some attention from the latest firmware beta. Cheers TJ

[@carmeloponente5030]

Nice review .Can you please tell me what's the brand of the support you use it ? I'd love to put it in that way on my Jasper stand. Thank you :)

[@tjontheroad]

It's a VESA mount from Amazon currently out of stock. But there are others there too www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PPCG1KD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Thanks for watching. TJ

[@kisho2679]

The Iridium should offer SND & RTRN jacks to process the sound through an external analog filter, and the ability to enter midi values with an attached pc-keyboard via USB

[@tjontheroad]

Waldorf probably figures, if you want analog filters, then buy a Quantum. The Iridium filters are very good. No real need for external patching. Not sure how many people would use a PC keyboard to control Iridium??? There are other MIDI controllers that can do the same and/or better job. Thanks for watching, TJ

[@kisho2679]

well, more physical I/O would be appropriate for the high price

[@samplidium]

+ on wishlist: pitchwheel amount individual/global selectable

[@tjontheroad]

Cool idea. Mention that in a support request and/or on the Waldorf forum. Thanks for watching. TJ

[@chriscopeman8820]

You can do pitchwheel on each oscillator individually and make one go positive and another negative, and that's kinda cool effect.

[@samplidium]

@@chriscopeman8820 I mean: in the Layer window.

[@AcidTechnoMan5000]

the problem with all these videos, is everyone just goes through the presets. All ambient, and all identical to any other synth out there. I want to hear some bass. Can this thing do bass and rave style synth sounds? How about percussive appregiated effects? I'm starting to think it's only capable of ambient church organ and bells.

[@tjontheroad]

First, thanks for watching :) Iridium is pretty capable of of anything you wanna throw at it. FWIW, there is so far 16 Iridium videos in this playlist from me. Almost all sounds, except for the first video, are not factory presets for better or worse. I know it can cover lots of ground. I'm not generally an EDM nor ambient type guy though. So, I don't try to play that. Cheers, TJ

[@AcidTechnoMan5000]

@@tjontheroad Yeah I haven't really heard much as far as sequenced or appregiated bass tones like the tone you can get out of an Access Virus, which is the tone I'm after, but not wanting to pay 2k for a Virus that was released in 2013.

[@tjontheroad]

@@AcidTechnoMan5000 Here's some things in this video you may like kzbin.info/www/bejne/fF64n6uXo52nmZY

[@adoremotion]

I disagree with the envelope layout con. Having filter 1 and amp on 2 different rows (like designed) is a much faster and more intuitive way of creating a fast sound. No toggling between filter 1 and amp.

[@tjontheroad]

Ideally sure. But, it would make better sense that way if there was "Amount" controls on both rows rather than just the top row. As is, you inevitably will need to use the display to make adjustments. That makes the panel 2nd row much less useful. Thanks for watching, TJ

[@bluename4]

simply put, the Iridium is not mature enough, yet, for its price and modern technology. e.g. considering multi-timbrality of digital devices nowadays (Nord wave 2, Percussa SSP, Mayer m800, ...)

[@tjontheroad]

Well it’s easy to agree Iridium isn’t mature since it is pretty much new despite it’s Quantum sibling. I mean, you can get a new puppy and watch him grow or an old dog and watch him sit on the sofa. Whatever is your pleasure is cool. Thanks for watching, TJ

[@bluename4]

@@tjontheroad well, the price is kind "mature" ;-)