Waldorf M // Sounds Only Demo

[@photicsonar]

I‘ve been waiting for this synth nearly 30Years now… A Dream has come true!

[@vladimirsalnikov5806]

Hi Starsky Carr, thank you for this wonderful demo. It's nice to see someone got the synth idea right :) Greetings from Remagen! Vladimir.

[@StarskyCarr]

Hi Vladimir that’s for stopping by :)

[@station2station544]

20:53 that 8-bit aliasing is worth the price of admission for sure. Thanks S.C.

[@McEnroe911]

Didn’t want this synth till I saw this video. Thanks Starsky 🤪

[@XanderEwald]

Keep coming back to this video, it sounds so nice.

[@Riktenstein]

Synths and plants go so well together.

[@jayjones2821]

plastics plants?

[@jslg7641]

Beautiful thanks for the sounds-only demos!

[@andrewgenner2613]

I've loved the PPG sound since hearing it on TD and Rush LPs in the 80s. I have managed to get some very close sounds out of my Blofeld - progamming it directly alongside the virtual Waldorf PPG Wave 3.V - but this M sounds like the real deal. Original PPG Waves probably sound different to each other now, as components will have aged and even been replaced. Well done Waldorf for bringing this out, and well done Mr Carr for a superb demo.

[@Beatorloop]

such a beautiful synthesizer

[@digitaldiezel5870]

Amazing 🤩! Unparalleled wave table sound!

[@theway3058]

I love it. Really cool looking synth. Kind of like the old Waldorfs. Looks so fun. I’m in to it.

[@istvantoth7431]

Epic synth. So good. 🥺 If I had to sell my girlfriend to buy this, I swear I would in heartbeat.

[@neilloughran4437]

Beautiful stuff man.... I felt a Tangerine Dream 1982 vibe in there.

[@sauermusicDE]

Yes. Same impression here.

[@Pacer416]

I own a Hydrasynth. I haven't yet heard the M in person. I've only heard it over the internet, so I reserve judgement as to which sounds "better" until I hear the M in person. I would argue the synths are very, very different. The Hydra isn't a true wavetable synth of which the M is - but the real diff is the fact that the M is a true Analog/Dig Hybrid. The Hydra is 100% Digital. As much as I like the Hydrasynth. (I think it's very innovative from a programming standpoint). I don't think it's the greatest sounding synth in the world. It's a great sounding digital synth, and if you program it right, it absolutely can sound very organic. I've gotten it to make some really, beautiful, organic CS80 type sounds, but when I played a basic pad on the Hydra and then played a similar pad on the Prophet 10, you could def hear the diff. Also, when you push the rez on the Hydra filter, I wouldn't call it the most musical filter in the world. I think it's a really nice digital filter. In all of these M demo vids, no one has really isolated and explored the filter. But, I've played the Super 6 extensively, and it has the same filter as the M. It's a much nicer and more musical sounding filter than the filter on the Hydrasynth. So, I think it depends how you use the each synth. The hyrdra is great for quirky and unique sounds. If I wanted a big, full, rich pad, I'm not sure the Hydra would be my first choice. My gut is that the M will be better in a lot of cases. I think the argument is that the the M and the Hydra are different enough to justify both. If I could only have one, I think I'd make a decision based on how I was gonna use it - type of music I was making, how it fit in with my other gear, etc. A note about cost to my friends below. The cost of making an Analog Synth is Considerably more money than making a Digital Synth. If it's an 8 Voice (like the M), you need 8 Filters (chips). If you have Analog Filters, then you need Analog VCA's so the M will have 8 VCA Chips. Then you need CV's to control the Filter and VCA Chips. Digital is completely different. It's all software. It costs Much Less to make a Dig Synth all things being equal. It's also more labor to put an Analog Synth together. Again, all things being reasonably equal. Also, you can't compare the cost of making something in China versus making something in Germany, and I'm assuming the M will be made in Germany because I think Waldorf makes all of their synths in Germany. The labour cost in Germany is far higher. People are paid a much higher wage. Rents costs more. Insurance costs more. Regulations are much more strict. Benefits cost more. The difference is not small either. So, whenever I hear people talk cost, I think the question starts to get philosophical. If you're OK with making everything in China, then yeah, they could have lowered the cost and given the task of making the synth to China. Lastly, having owned some of Waldorf's gear, I'd say the quality of Waldorf is better than the quality of the Hydrasynth. Not that the quality of the Hydra is bad, but I can clearly see/feel/touch the difference between the two. Just some things to think about...

[@cameronfitzpatrick2681]

Buy the hydra BECAUSE it is digital, not because it comes close to an analog. They're so different as to make the comparison silly. Digital synths make wildly different sounds well than the sounds analog synths make well.

[@timwaldmann5689]

@benny ccme If something is broken, you can send it to Waldorf, even if the synth is 20 years old. Big pro argument for sustainability. Yes, it's build in Germany.

[@vondoom2876]

Cool story

[@LukezyM]

I think Peak is a good middle ground. I could never justify paying 1800€ for a hardware synth.

[@HOLODECK-MUSIC-PROJECT]

I would mostly agree, but in my opinion the M is half engineered, for 2021. It lacks of effects! Especially for wavetable synthesis dedicated tx are elemental. They have to publish a effects with 2 fax busses at minimum, saved witch patch settings. Also this meager display is not state of the art. because of me you could have made the device teierer, then it would still have a better price-performance ratio.

[@cortical1]

Starsky, I noticed that your heart rate is about 30 BPM higher while you're playing through the PPG presets than during other portions of the video. Heartrate is a non-specific, non-valenced metric of autonomic arousal, but could it be that you find the PPG sounds the most exciting? ;) Thanks for a great video! Cheers from San Diego.

[@szymeklawik7636]

Love the Specular Tempus, so underrated.

[@DaveS-Ace]

Just found this vid, thanks Starsky awesome demo 😉

[@Paul_Y_T]

Really enjoy your videos Starsky - thanks!

[@ChrisSmout]

More DnB from the Starsky? I highly approve!

[@videosuperhighway7655]

Wow brings back memories of the Studio PPG i used to use quite a bit in 1989

[@Rez311]

I can’t explain why but the sound of this synth makes me feel so much more than the Iridium.

[@McEnroe911]

Because the iridium sounds like shit. I just bought one but I'm returning it to buy this instead hahah.

[@2ammusik]

@@McEnroe911 😆

[@McEnroe911]

@@2ammusik I couldn’t get it back in the box fast enough 😂

[@2ammusik]

@@McEnroe911 🤣 it sux because I really wanted to like the Iridium. Beautiful synth, design, bazillion features, but the sound… it’s just so fukn BLAH. Most of us prefer hardware synths for a certain character, somehow Waldorf managed to make the most lifeless sounding synth ever 😆 I went with the M myself and couldn’t be happier.

[@thejuice1254]

@@McEnroe911 Yeah when I checked the spec of Iridium I was totally sold because I wanted something which combined different synthesis types and sampling and so it was a no brainer. But I watched loopops demo of it on youtube and the work flow looked convoluted man. Like a giant ipad synth with hard ware knobs. I never bought it but I have to say though that I do still find the sound nice. I think it would be great for cinematic sound track work. I've checked some cinematic preset packs for that and they sound huge. Bigger than anything i'm hearing from most other things there so there are going to be areas where it shines but i've always loved the ppg sound and so found my way to the M. I have to say this sounds fantastic and looks like it would be a work horse synth what with the 4 parts multitimbral and 4 stereo outs. I could just immediately hear this in a techno track when he gets onto the first few prestets

[@devmiles]

Fantastic sounds! I've always been a Waldorf fan. They are in their own league soundwise and i've always respected and enjoyed that.

[@StarskyCarr]

Me too. I’ve got the XT so trying to weigh up what I do. This has a real charm.

[@PacificIslandDrive]

I’d be curious of a comparison between the Waldorf Iridium, and this, being they are so close in price.

[@Slownoisedubs]

This sound really nice, great demo

[@marzzz1]

Briefly owned a Microwave I back when they were being sold new, and stupidly returned it. A few years ago missed out on an eBay auction for a Mean Green Machine for around $800. Refurbished Microwave I's were going for $2500 (plus shipping from Europe, then having to do the transformer change). Never thought Waldorf would do this! But then again never thought I would be able to get a reissued MiniMoog, or a 2600 for well under a grand. Mine should be here early next week!

[@StarskyCarr]

Nice :)

[@josecortez5213]

I had both microwave 1 revisions for a long while, this sounds better.

[@lukas_trips]

At this price will be nice to include some Fx, like reverb or delay

[@jimb12312]

Adding FX would increase the price. This is made in Germany, not China.

[@isc4915]

Prefer it without. No need for extra ad da stages

[@timewalker_]

I disagree that onboard FX are needed here. People spending in this price range usually have some external (and far superior) delay/reverb pedals.

[@maccagrabme]

Anyone tried GFI System Specular Tempus and if so what was your verdict over the standard delay and reverb pedals?

[@wurlinnawurl]

@@maccagrabme great pedal! Sounds amazing, somewhat cryptic interface.i think the Ventris is the current over all favorite in that price range. If you can spend more the oto bam is a standard for a reason, and just beautiful. Ventris isn't shabby though.

[@jmcbeady8210]

Sounds fantastic!

[@julianhigginson5946]

So what does this expensive blofeld offer or should we just get 6 blofelds come on sell me sell me

[@vaclavtravnicek6015]

Very good intro. Love it from the first sound.

[@nectariosm]

Obviously the analog filters play their part, this is a rather nice sounding synth. But the price is making the ASM Hydrasynth even more appealing. If the analog filters where multimode, then the price would be easier to digest, but only low pass for a desktop at 1800€ is a big chunk...or maybe we're in the "stuff just got more expensive just because" era and I haven't realized....Maybe in a few years when people start selling them for a reasonable price. Also, good that you did some Sounds with FX. Sure in a synth demo you want to hear the dry sound, but you also want to hear the synth with some vanilla reverb/delay instead of trying to imagine what some patches would sound like with some reverb and delay..

[@Bin909able]

At first is does seem steep, but take in consideration a 20-35 year old microwave 1 or XT will set you back minimal 1250 euro at the moment. Here: you get a lot extra (separate wavetable for each osc!) with modern electronics (a whole new lifespan). I would miss the digital multifilter (the exotic types) from the XT. If it had that and would really be a microwave 1+2=4, I would've ordered already...

[@mr.irrelevant3588]

agreed, i actually think the Hydra sounds better too.

[@liantrosretrospectiva4134]

@@mr.irrelevant3588 hahaha you are all deaf!

[@liantrosretrospectiva4134]

@@Bin909able not you... you understand it

[@nectariosm]

@@Bin909able I think the current MW, XT prices are silly...or I guess I just didn't like their sound enough to even think about paying half that. So people jumping on vintage wavetable synths, these days, does not make a difference to me. Anyway, Waldorf is a big company, with a lot of history, not the best when it comes to squashing bugs but I think this will sell well. If people are paying 1250 for an XT, there's definitely a market for it.

[@GeekGearSynths]

I was lusting really hard for an Iridium. I imagined me creating complex pads on it. Although M is very different the sounds fulfill all my expectation on a poly-synth. And yeah, I really go nuts if a thing contains analog components and is not only a computer in a fancy housing.

[@voodoohex72]

I have both and they are both amazing.

[@nabooka316]

It sounds just about right - the Microwave made some nasty clicks and pops in wave transitions and with short attacks on the vca envelope - I hope this isn't the case with the M?

[@KattKirsch]

Great tones from this synth. I'm wondering, is this a case vs. Iridium of something digitally doing everything well versus something doing a very specific thing exceedingly well (and analog). I've never really had a problem with digital filters since I tend to lean on low resonance tones in my sound, even on older analog gear. I'm really curious where your opinions lie on the two synths for ambient soundscapes, but also a more classic EBM / darkwave sound. Thanks for these!

[@StarskyCarr]

Watch this space :)

[@whenvioletsturngrey9597]

Is obviously premium gear & priced accordingly. Man, if they made this in a vector format w’ Keys, I’d have a hard time not draining the bank account, this machine sounds incredible!

[@AlexanderBlastBeats]

Waldorf Quantum basically. Wavetable 61 key with 8 voices.

[@bateimidrashnetwork]

@@AlexanderBlastBeats the filter on the Quantum is totally different

[@RiccardoCoen]

Thank you for this, sounds classic, but it also proves that I can keep carrying on with my XT without forking out extra money.

[@aqueous5099]

Do you think I would miss out on anything if I went for this over an XT or Iridium?

[@RiccardoCoen]

@@aqueous5099 if you went for an XT you wouldn't miss anything, maybe the modulation matrix which is quite advanced, the audio inputs and some weird digital filters. the Iridium is a different beast, it's comparing apple and pears (not quite oranges).

[@aqueous5099]

@@RiccardoCoen Many thanks for your input. I have too many analog/hybrids-so I might go with an Iridium. Why not a fancy vst sampler if I’m going all in? 😅

[@shiftedfocusmusic]

11:53 sounds so good. Gives me some ppg vibes

[@QuantizStudioRecords]

M or Kyra? Wich is the best and why?

[@StarskyCarr]

I much preferred the M. The Kyra wasn't for me. Its got pristine sound, but you cant modulate through the wavetables. I like the dirt in the M.

[@QuantizStudioRecords]

@@StarskyCarr On M I see wavetable on every OSC 1/2 section. And you can combine them! That it's great!

[@BladeJones]

How does the 'sound' of this synth differ from the Iridium and the Kyra?

[@StarskyCarr]

I’ve made a vs with the Iridium you’ll find on my channel. The Kyra is also fully digital, but works at 96kHz and has 8 channels of audio (I think). Kyra can’t sweep through the wavetables which is very strange. For me the M sounds better than the Iridium - the filter has something extra … but that’s very subjective and the Iridium can do so much more. Kyra I never gelled with. M feels more gritty - can be offensive in a good way. Iridium is a close second.

[@nim10107]

1:12 mins Very Epic sounds Great Demo and Video

[@serraramayfield9230]

I hope you remembered the patches you created...some of these sounds I would adore to hear in full song form. The part 6-7 minutes in wouldn't suffer from an extended cut.

[@DmitryGorbushin]

At 4:16 it sounds very much like Depeche Mode's 'A Broken Frame' (they used PPG Wave a lot for this album)

[@Essjay88]

So did the cat increase your views? great sounds... wasn't sure what of thought of this one as its quite pricey and the iridium looks and sounds so amazing (and modern?!) I don't have any Waldorf gear... yet.

[@StarskyCarr]

Haha I’ll have to workout how to promote it’s got a cat in it!

[@MIDERA]

You know - with the market saturation of synthesizers (which I'm very happy about, it's nice to have all these options), I'm finding each new iteration harder to stand out. But I often ask, "Does this sound better than the Virus" Which is obviously subjective, but I couldn't bring myself to buy a hydrasynth or other digital synths because the Virus just does so well with all of these things. I think the Virus test is just a good set point to base new (especially digital) synthesizers on. Not that I suggest you do this - but I imagine if you showed this same video, but actually had it modulating a virus in the background (notes being sent off and MIDI CC from the Waldorf sent to the Virus), people would equally be blown away because it seems new. Although... looking through the comments, a lot of people are looking more at the Hydrasynth as being the appealing synth (and for the price that makes sense). Of course, I have too much stuff at this point, so it could just be a very personal journey, that I'm just way too overwhelmed with my own studio that it's increasingly hard to justify purchasing a new synth these days. I'm just yammering on... Nice sounds anyway. Good demonstration as usual.

[@djmouglie]

I totally feel you.. i have the Virus on Powercore, a Motif XS, a Alesis Ion and a Waldorf Pulse 2, and im already completly way over my head with hardware synths. I only have so much time to play with synths and those are already maxing out my synth time and then some. And yes i feel like with what i have i can create so many different sounds in pretty much all categories so this new synth sounds nice but not really anything that so different that i could see myself getting it. But as you say, all this is a great luxury problem of having so many great choices.

[@LukezyM]

You can always evaluate if something new could justify replacing something old, so basically you sell an old piece to give space for a new one.

[@noodlingaround2023]

Sorry to be a complete newbie here, but how do you actually hold a note in the Waldorf. Do you need hold function on your midi keyboard or does the Waldorf have a hold function. Very nice sound. I'm tempted by the this.. Thank you for your answer.

[@TheArtisticFlavor]

Sounds great!

[@Bendy2K]

That thing is lovely.

[@cymonalex]

Nice Demo… best I’ve heard so far of the ‘M’.. My opinion, not a competitor if you have the Q or XT, but worth getting if you have neither?

[@StarskyCarr]

It depends what your after. I think the us has loads of old school charm with modern facilities. The more I play it the more I like it.. although working out what the modulation is doing can drive you nuts!! I’ll demo more in a walkthrough. Should be easier for others once I’ve explained 😂

[@Dudderlyful]

The PPG's didn't have an arpeggiator, so was sort of hoping to hear some more pad type sounds in that section, got one in though! Really interesting instrument but structurally quite limited compared to the Iridium, hmmm!

[@StarskyCarr]

That’s a good point and one I’m a bit annoyed I never considered! Maybe I’ll do a pads only demo soon.

[@supercompooper]

A spectacular synth

[@StarskyCarr]

SPECTREacular!

[@supercompooper]

@@StarskyCarr yah! 😋

[@squirrelvalhalla9386]

I am trying to get the hang of the multitimbral part of M... and feel like voice allocation is very limiting. I'll explain: if you set 4 voices for the first part, 3 for the second, and 1 for the third. It leaves none for the 4th (and that part will not operate). I am contrasting this to the Digitone, which has a much more fluid voice allocation system. For the Digitone, you may reserve a set number of voices for any of the 4 parts, but if you leave it unconstrained, it simply steals voices freely, depending on the rules you set. In practice, this works very well. So, is there something I am missing with the M? I realize a future firmware update could fix this, but for now, it is a bit of a hurdle to using its multitimbrality.

[@StarskyCarr]

Mines in its way back to me so can’t check it out at the mo, but I get what you’re saying. It could do with dynamic voice allocation. Definitely something to ask Waldorf to look into. With 8 voices though it’s bound to be limited. The issues with dynamic allocation is how to transition between patches on a voice that’s changing tone from one note to another etc. even the Moog One with 16 voices struggles there.

[@tatmo1072]

Sounds fantastic! Are these factory presets or did you program them? Thanks for the hard work @Starky Carr! Cheers!

[@StarskyCarr]

The intro track I think was just stuff I’d put together (maybe the initial sound was a preset) but the rest I think are all presets - definitely the PPG tones - there’s a bank of them.

[@lewis9898]

Sound at 8 minutes is craaaazy. Also is the drive into the filter digital or analog? (On my prophet for example the drive is before the DA into the filter so overdriving too much clips the DA)

[@vladimirsalnikov5806]

After oscillator's mixer - all signal path is analog. VCFs and VCAs are analog.

[@Toymortal]

The trouble with this one for me, is that it's hard to distinguish it from a VST plugin. I've heard KZbin demos of plugins that do this sort of thing, including free plugins. Other opinions are available!

[@StarskyCarr]

The analog filter are what distinguish it from a VST. But … there’s some good emulations of analog circuitry now which begs the question.. what synth can’t be emulated by a plug-in? The Roland cloud, U-He and Softube to name a few are fantastic.

[@Toymortal]

@@StarskyCarr True. I've owned lots of classic synths over the years and know how great they sound, when running straight into a pair of speakers. Recently I recorded a real, vintage, Prophet 5 and SH101 into a DAW with a good preamp and ADC etc - by the time it was in the DAW, it was hard to tell any difference between the real things and U-He Repro and the Roland Cloud 101. The plugins are getting insanely good these days.

[@TheArtisticFlavor]

I don't use plugins much. Is there a plugin of the Microwave?

[@lewis9898]

@@TheArtisticFlavor there’s a plugin of the PPG Wave

[@TheArtisticFlavor]

@@lewis9898 Got it, thanks. But no Microwave then, huh? Those are the waves I seek.

[@thefrozensea9314]

Didn't understand the point of this vs the Quantum at first, but it does seem to have a bit more character to the filters, a bit more character overall maybe? Or maybe I'm just hearing what I want to hear. I figured I could stick with Pigments for wavetable stuff but I like the Waldorf brand and find myself looking for an excuse to get one of their products...

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

Sounds great and on my wishlist along with an ARP 2600m.

[@StarskyCarr]

Yeah I bought it in the end... even though I have the XT - there's something special about this.

[@granolasong6994]

Does anyone know if there’s gonna be a keyboard version?

[@peterkarczewski8200]

A premium mega synth being played on a three octave mini keys if you would have done this 20 years ago you would have been slaughtered lol. P.s sounds great

[@StarskyCarr]

😂

[@mauricesteinecker]

ok pour la suite merci

[@juxty3102]

Great demo. Be good to do a side by side comparison with the PPG.

[@timhowes7088]

This machine sounds incredible! I thought I had everything covered… seems not! like some others I’m preferring the sounds to what I’ve heard on Hydrasynth demos.

[@brymilan]

I love the sound of this. But because of money, I ordered a Korg Modwave. We'll see how that goes. Demos for the Modwave sound good, but not as lush as this. Would love to hear some comparison between the M and Modwave being the two major 2021 Wavetable synth releases.

[@LukezyM]

Modwave is a steal for what it offers, imho.Got fx too. And a good analog modelling filters.

[@voodoohex72]

I have both and they are both awesome!

[@Fallingoverbackwards]

Loving the Depeche Mode vibes

[@SEFFOfficial]

Now this is more like it, I could even happily replace the trusty old Virus TI for this one y’a know!!!!

[@StarskyCarr]

There was a lot of talk about the Kyra being a Viris replacement. I’ve got one here on loan. Loads of polyphony and top spec audio… digital wave shapes… but no modulation through them🤷‍♂️

[@SEFFOfficial]

@@StarskyCarr yeah mate I watched a lot on it but counted that one out already without even trying it myself. This on the other hand sounds gorgeous!!

[@2ammusik]

@@SEFFOfficial I won’t rid my Virus TI2, but I’ll definitely let go of my Prophet 12 desktop for this.

[@SEFFOfficial]

@@2ammusik Same if I still had mine mate!!

[@s.f.n.641]

I’m waiting for the 4 octave keyboard version, 2 lanes step sequencer, vocoder and espresso/ginseng machine ❤

[@googlingthevoid]

Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave :)

[@john9291]

4:10 ballsy sounding, love it

[@e-conrecords4665]

It’s lovely but I feel it’s a bit under spec for it’s price.

[@albionpatterns3986]

Seems expensive for what it is..

[@southpolesurfer6936]

Expensive is a different machine.

[@southpolesurfer6936]

There is also presets to be bought. People like Matt tuck from my bullet for my valentine

[@worldofmuu]

I have one on order for the end of the month. Pretty excited

[@StarskyCarr]

Nice one.

nice synth! :-)

[@RiccardoCoen]

A comparison of these wavetables with the Iridium ones would be nice

[@abelos1518]

El sonido definitivo.

[@MonkeyMarc]

Oh my

[@PaulGBass]

Sounds and looks pretty darn cool. Thing is it costs as much as 3 of its nearest rivals added together, that's a lot to pay for the analog element. Does sound very "Tangerine Dream" though. For the price of this you could get a modal Argon 8 keys version £499, new mini Hydrasynth (Explorer?) with poly AT around £500-520 and the new Korg Modwave around £640. Another way of looking at it is that it's £700 more than the Peak, which has similar architecture, but another oscillator and excellent effects vs no effects. Peak only has a handful of wavetables though... I want one, but not sure if I want one at £1700, maybe £1000-1100

[@eddievanheinous666]

The Peak doesn't only have a small, finite set of wavetables. There are a bunch available on Novation's Components app and you are free to upload any that you want, AND you can create wavetables from scratch on the editor or in Phaseplant or other VSTs and export/import them. The only drawback is you can only upload 10 at a time - hoping that changes down the road.

[@PaulGBass]

@@eddievanheinous666 I'm aware of that, but the actual storage capacity is minimal for the wavetables composed to the Waldorf, without looking it up, what is it? 80 factory wavetables plus 10 user? vs a couple of thousand on the M. I need to go back and look at my Peak, but the wave table functionality seemed more like a bank of individual non sine/triangle/square waveforms as opposed to actually tables full of waveforms that the synth can morph and traverse through. My Argon also seems a bit limited in this way, they seem to have confused waveTABLE count with waveFORM count. Isn't a wavetable something with more than one wave as opposed to simply a complex, digital waveFORM?

[@eddievanheinous666]

@@PaulGBass Yeah, 10 user, and each wavetable is 5 waveshapes to morph. Novation seem good about updates, so hoping that number goes up on the next update. I'm definitely not complaining.

[@snardash_1197]

Damn nice intro

[@karolcelinski8077]

I like what i hear

[@23bit76]

Nice but Hydrasynth seems to offer more at a far better price

[@StarskyCarr]

I think having the 8 analog filters working together must add to the costs

[@DestroyER82]

It does offer a lot more, but also this instrument is pure descendant to original PPG with everything it was about (even analog filter design is same). So depends what are you looking for in your music.

[@RayyMusik]

Yes, the HS costs less, but I wouldn’t say it offers more. It doesn’t have that typical Waldorf sound (and vice versa).

[@ottokraut]

Hydrasynth is a VST in a box. This is is an instrument on its own.

[@liantrosretrospectiva4134]

hydra sounds like a shitty digital sterile vst... this sounds great and it´s a true microwave 1 legacy synth

[@MichaelRohaly]

You could probably fake this with the Iridium for only a little more. It is an odd duck.

[@Sycokay]

Pity. I always fancied a Microwave 1 and was really excited about the M. But every demo I heard was underwhelming. I don't like the filter at all.

[@StarskyCarr]

It’s the SSI2144 which is the modern equivalent (or clone) of the SSM2044 used in the PPG.

[@Sycokay]

@@StarskyCarr Hm. The Microwave had CEM3387 or CEM3389. Either they sound pretty different, or I'm suffering from nostalgia^^

[@michaelgronroos6328]

@@StarskyCarr Just for the heck of it, i swapped all four 2044 to 2144 on one voice board of the PPG 2.3 and calibrated carefully towards the four original 2044s from 1983 on the other voice board. It is REALLY impossible to hear which voice/filter is playing, although i really WANTED to be able to hear a difference.. So in my opinion the 2144 is a very capable filter, no complaints here. And I have the Microwave 1 A/B and PPG 2 with CEM3320 filter side by side to compare with. So I think the guys at Waldorf did the right thing using the 2144 on the M. Different than CEM, yes, but like you say a step back to the 2.2/2.3 era, and in my opinion, a bit more elegant (in the meaning different, not better or worse).

[@Claude_van]

@@Sycokay The Microwave 1 sounds different, absolutely brachial and in your face compared to this. An instantly recognizable character I can identify in every mix. This one hasn’t it. Or it’s just lame demo sounds and bad programming trying to hide the overall character of the instrument.

[@Claude_van]

I cannot hear the similarity to my Microwave 1 at all. Am I missing something?

[@dirkkeersmaekers4343]

Rather the new UDO 6 desktop.

[@mauricesteinecker]

ça aurai été bien à écouter sans le delay reverb specular !

[@BlackMan614]

Always lusted after a PPG Wave. Kick myself for buying a WaveStation A/D instead of a Microwave I in 1991. I think I got a reprieve here.

[@markbonn1973]

Ouh là là ✌😎😁🎶

[@sK3LeTvM1]

In sound, the M does not even come near the Waldorf Q or XT. Sorry. After Q & XT, als Waldorf synths sound dull & Hi Fi. Sorry.

[@leohall7260]

It is lacking...

[@StarskyCarr]

.... FX ;)

[@noisynois1670]

bufff demasiado frio esteril,no me puede gustar menos,el omnisphere digital le de mil vueltas y otros plugins mas baratos,serrum,pr l precio hay mejores analogicos,pensaba que sonaria mejor este sinte,no mejora en cada presets,creo que te habras dado cuenta,el deepmind trae menos formas de onda pero es muy superior por su parte analogica y digital,pero este es digital entero no?suena a vst normalito tengo un virus ti y noto que es digital pero es que este es buff demasiado ,saludos

[@modularnepl900]

Harsh sounding

[@flamesintheattic]

So German.

[@marcelcontrole2948]

No FX section on a digital synth in 2022. Shame on you Waldorf.

[@fjfrancois]

Another Digi? Nah thank you.

[@StarskyCarr]

Analog filters… if that makes a difference. DIGITAL IS BACK 😂😂

[@ingoodmusic]

When you do a demo, always take away FXs

[@StarskyCarr]

There’s only 4 of 20 with FX … and 2 of them start and end without 🤷‍♂️ When you make comments….

[@jslg7641]

I actually want to see the FXs... FXs are a big part of any otherwise dry synth sound!

[@fjfrancois]

@@jslg7641 is like showing a electric guitar whitout pedal fx 😄

[@StarskyCarr]

@@jslg7641 I agree - it’s a balance between hearing the raw sound and what it’ll sound like in a track. In the demo track at the start they were all dry except for the lead sound .. which is how they’d be used. But for pads sometimes adding textures is exactly how it’d be used in the wild!

[@johnnyraphaell]

Fx please! bc you would use effects with this synth! Nice to hear how its feeding the reverb with its grainy sound!!