Waldorf Music

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Waldorf Music

logo
legal form GmbH
founding 2006, successor to Waldorf Electronics GmbH, founded in 1988
Seat Remagen
management Joachim Flor
Branch Electronic musical instruments
Website http://www.waldorfmusic.de
Status: October 22, 2019

Waldorf Music GmbH is a German manufacturer of synthesizers and was founded in 2006 as the successor to Waldorf Electronics GmbH , which existed from 1988 to 2004 . The best-known products are the Wave , a wavetable synthesizer and the Blofeld , a virtual-analog synthesizer .

The company is not associated with the Waldorf schools . The name is derived from the place where it was founded, Waldorf (Rhineland-Palatinate) .

history

Waldorf Electronics GmbH was founded in 1988 by Wolfgang Düren, the managing director of TSi GmbH, a sales company for electronic music products. Previously, Wolfgang Düren was in charge of distribution at Palm Products Germany . After its closure in 1987, Waldorf Electronics GmbH continued to use wavetable synthesis. The microwave was developed and manufactured on the basis of the ASIC chip designed by Wolfgang Palm .

Waldorf Electronics GmbH initially had its headquarters in the small Eifel town of Waldorf, and later in Ahrenthal Castle .

In the summer of 2006 the new Waldorf Music GmbH was officially founded. When it was founded, the management consisted of Kurt Wangard (former employee of the Waldorf distributor in Germany, TSI) and Stefan Stenzel (former head of research and development at Waldorf).

Waldorf Music GmbH is currently based in Remagen.

Products

Product history of Waldorf synthesizers:

1989

From top to bottom: Pulse, 4-Pole, EQ-27
  • Microwave , a rack - wavetable synthesizer . The synthesizer was built in different hardware versions: The first generation was supplied with a backlit LC display (green), the later models with green luminous digits (also LCD). The different models also use different Curtis CEM analog low-pass filters - ICs . This synth was subsequently called "Microwave I" to distinguish it from the successor "Microwave II" presented in 1997.

1990

1991

  • Microwave waves slave . 1- U voice extension for the Microwave that adds eight voices

1992

  • WAVE . A wavetable synthesizer with a keyboard . This device was an extended luxury version of the microwave technology with additional features for wavetable creation and re-synthesis. Different versions were produced: 4 colors, 61 or 76 piano keys, with 16, 32 or 48 voices.

1993

  • EQ-27 : Compact, programmable and via MIDI controllable 7-band stereo - Equalizer in console housing

1994

  • Microwave I V2.0 ROM upgrade, adds additional wavetables and the ability to algorithmically create your own wavetables. Also offers a speech synthesizer and numerous other improvements. The waveslave could not be used with the V2.0 upgrade, so there was an exchange campaign in which the waveslave could be exchanged for a full-fledged microwave for a small fee.
  • The limited edition Mean Green Machine was introduced at the same time as the ROM upgrade. It was a microwave with a new, rubberized 3M "Nextel" surface in a striking green color, a "certificate of authenticity", special cone-shaped metal feet and a funny lettering (the power button is called "Life", and the memory card slot is called "Food." "). From this point on, the normal microwave devices were also manufactured with a Nextel surface, in the usual blue color scheme.

1995

1997

  • Gekko Arpeggiator , very compact passively powered MIDI tool
  • Microwave II , Motorola - DSP -based wavetable rack synthesizer. Contains many of the properties of the original Microwave with improved performance in mixing, modulating, effects processing and multimode filters.
  • x-pole , programmable stereo (in / out) analog filter and VCA in a 2U rack module. With full MIDI, CV / Gate and ACM support.
  • Pulse + , monophonic analog rack synthesizer with additional audio input and MIDI / CV interface

1998

  • Microwave XT , Microwave II with 44 buttons and audio input, 5U housing in bright orange.
  • Microwave XT Limited Edition , Microwave XT with charcoal gray / black coloring, limited edition of 666 devices.
  • d-pole , VST filter plug-in
  • Terratec Microwave PC , synthesizer module for the TerraTec EWS sound cards. A full-fledged Microwave II fits into a 5.25 "drive bay with half the height (1.75").
  • Wavetable oscillator for Creamware Modular

1999

  • Q , DSP-based virtual-analog synthesizer. 58 rotary controls. Colors: light yellow and WAVE blue.
  • XTk , a Microwave XT as a keyboard with 49 keys.
  • Q rack , rack version of the Q synthesizer. Fewer knobs. Available in yellow and blue only.

2000

above in the keyboard stand WAVE, below that yellow Q. MicroQ keyboard on the left
  • PPG 2.V VST plug-in synthesizer that emulates the blue PPG -Wave 2.x wavetable synthesizer.
  • microQ , an even smaller and cheaper rack version of the Q synthesizer. Slightly reduced scope of performance compared to the Q. Fewer simultaneous effects in multimode, filter routing can only be switched in parallel or in series, not as dense Hall effect, no PPG filter. Offers only seven knobs and a different DSP. The microQ does not have a step sequencer .

2001

  • Attack , VST drum synthesizer plugin
  • The color of the Q, Q Rack and the microQ will be changed to classic (microwave) blue.
  • microQ keyboard , keyboard version of the microQ with 37 keys (3 octaves). Classic (microwave) blue.

2002

  • D-coder , a TC Powercore synthesizer and vocoder plug-in
  • RackAttack , the VST plug-in in a microQ housing.
  • Q + , a ruby ​​red Q with up to 100 dynamically assigned voices and 16 analog low-pass filters
  • A1 , VSTi software synthesizer for Steinberg's Cubase SX and Nuendo
  • Waldorf filter for Halion

2003

  • AFB-16 , 16 analog filters that are used via USB for VST instruments (PPG Red) and effects (Red Analog Filter Step Sequencer, brass). Only works with certain USB chipsets on Windows computers.
  • Waldorf Edition , package consisting of D-Pole, Attack and PPG 2.V

2004

  • February 5, 2004: Waldorf Electronics GmbH filed for insolvency.

2006

  • From April 2006 the new Waldorf Music GmbH will take over day-to-day business. The website said: "The new Waldorf Music GmbH is currently being founded". As of August 2006, rumors have been circulating about a possible demise of the new Waldorf because the website is only temporarily accessible. From November 2006 the rumors are history: the website is updated with regular news and the Waldorf user forum has been reactivated.
  • June 2006: Waldorf Nano Synth , a synthesizer slot developed for CME UF master keyboards with the sound generation of the MicroQ. Contains 1000 preset sounds, including the microQ factory presets. There is no way to edit parameters and save setups. "Made in Germany", but only sold by CME.

2007

  • Blofeld , presented in January 2007 at the US music fair NAMM, available since December 2007. This synthesizer in the console housing integrates the sound generation of the microQ with the wavetables of the Microwave II. The name refers to a character from the James Bond films, the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld .
  • Stromberg , product announcement for a mixed analogue and virtual analogue synthesizer with a keyboard over 5 octaves (velocity sensitive with aftertouch) that was ultimately never realized. The sound generation was planned to be virtually analogous to that of the “Blofeld”. It should be possible to switch on analog filter banks and a tube module. As with the Blofeld, the name referred to a character from the James Bond films, here the villain Karl Stromberg.

2008

  • Waldorf was represented at the Frankfurt Music Fair in 2008 and showed the Blofeld in the serial version there.
  • Blofeld Keyboard appears, with a keyboard and the option to use samples as an oscillation source.

2009

  • The Waldorf Largo is published, a virtual instrument for VST and AU, which is based on the synthesis engine of the Blofeld.
  • Q and Q + as "Phoenix Edition". The connotation to the resurrection of the phoenix is desired and is mentioned on the website ("Risen from the Ashes")
  • Micro Q Phoenix Edition Reissue of the Micro-Q rack synthesizer

2010

  • PPG Wave 3.V appears with a significantly expanded range of wavetables compared to version 2.V.

2011

  • Lector , a software vocoder, is now available.

2012

  • With the Zarenbourg model , Waldorf is entering the field of digital pianos for the first time in the company's history. The Zarenbourg models 5 electric pianos and integrates its own loudspeaker system from EMES in the table-shaped chassis. External audio signals can be reproduced via the speaker system. It offers 76 keys with hammer action. The device is available in an unusual color scheme (e.g. orange or as a Union Jack ).

2013

  • In spring 2013 Waldorf presented a mini synthesizer called the Rocket . This inexpensive device only contains a manageable selection of control elements. In addition to the VCO, a VCF as well as a (stripped-down) envelope and two LFOs are available.
  • The Pulse 2 has been in stores since autumn 2013 . This has almost all the basics, like the Pulse from 1995. An analog, monophonic synthesizer with three oscillators.
  • In cooperation with Vision 4 Instruments, NAVE is released for iOS .

2014

  • With the Streichfett, Waldorf introduces a synthesizer for string emulation. It enables continuous morphing of violin, viola and cello.

2015

  • Waldorf Edition 2 , new version of the Waldorf Edition with updated versions of Attack, PPG 2.V and D-Pole
  • nw1 , a digital wavetable oscillator for the Eurorack modular system
  • NAVE as a plugin for the DAW

2016

  • kb37 , a keyboard with 37 keys and aftertouch with frame to accommodate Eurorack modules
  • mod1 , an analog modulation generator with 3 sources for the Eurorack modular system
  • dcva1 , an analog dual VCA for the Eurorack modular system
  • cmp1 , an analog compressor for the Eurorack modular system

2017

  • vcf1 , an analog multimode filter with distortion for the Eurorack modular system

2018

Waldorf Quantum Synthesizer

2019

Waldorf STVC
  • STVC , a 4 octave keyboard version of the Streichfett extended by a vocoder with additional improvements. Was delivered in very small numbers in summer 2019. Further deliveries only announced for 2020.
  • Kyra , the first commercially available system- on -chip based synthesizer. The virtual-analog synthesizer provides 128 voices with 8-fold multitimbrality and sends the audio output in addition to the analog outputs via USB to a computer. There are up to ten oscillators per voice and nine effects per part, everything can be used in parallel at the same time.
  • Waldorf announces the 2.0 update for Quantum . This expands the existing forms of synthesis to include kernel synthesis: each of the three oscillators can be converted into a subgroup of six kernels, each representing an oscillator. These oscillators can be interconnected to operate FM synthesis . The update will be available to all Quantum users free of charge when it is released.

Sales only

  • For marketing reasons, EMES studio monitor speakers were additionally provided with the Waldorf logo in the late 1990s in order to increase their awareness. Since 2001, the German manufacturer EMES has been building loudspeakers under its own name again.

Products for Steinberg

  • SMP 24 (for Atari ST )
  • SMP II (for Atari ST)
  • Midex + (for Atari ST)
  • Topaz (hard disk recording, in collaboration with Wolfgang Palm from PPG )

Awareness and Distribution

virtual MicroWave Console

Waldorf synthesizers continue to enjoy great popularity in studios around the world. The devices produced up to 2004 have achieved cult status and are still used in productions.

There have been and still are individual attempts to reproduce sounds typical of Waldorf and to map device functions in software.

Programming consoles and VST plugins are also available to control synthesizers directly from digital audio workstations .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Peter Grandl: Interview: Wolfgang Palm - the man who invented PPG. In: AMAZONA.de. August 3, 2019, accessed on July 3, 2020 (German).
  2. ^ Waldorf Music History. Waldorf Music, January 1, 2020, accessed July 3, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Till Kopper: till-kopper.de - Waldorf Midi-Bay MB-15. In: till-kopper.de. Till Kopper, accessed July 3, 2020 .
  4. ↑ till-kopper.de - Waldorf Waveslave. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Till Kopper: unofficial Waldorf WAVE Pages. Till Kopper, April 21, 2019, accessed July 3, 2020 .
  6. ↑ till-kopper.de - Waldorf mini WORKS EQ-27. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  7. ↑ till-kopper.de - Hohner ADAM. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  8. ↑ till-kopper.de - Waldorf miniWORKS 4pole. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  9. ^ Waldorf X Pole. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  10. ^ Waldorf D-Pole. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  11. ^ Waldorf Q Series. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  12. ↑ Microwave II / XT / XTk Series. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  13. ↑ Waldorf PPG Wave 2nd from Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  14. ↑ Micro Q series. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  15. ^ Waldorf Attack. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  16. ↑ Rack Attack. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  17. ^ Waldorf Q Series. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  18. ↑ Steinberg & Waldorf A1 VSTi Unlocked | Magesy Oficial | Audio PRO. Magesy Original, January 1, 2013, accessed July 3, 2020 (American English).
  19. ↑ Heiko Bischoff, Cristina Bachmann, Michael Ruf, Matthias Klag, Sabine Pfeifer: Filter area. Accessed July 3, 2020 (German).
  20. ↑ NEWS. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  21. ↑ Waldorf Nano Synth for CME UF Keyboard. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  22. ↑ Blofeld overview. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  23. ↑ Karl Stromberg in "The Spy Who Loved Me". In: https://jamesbond.fandom.com/ . Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  24. ^ Waldorf Blofeld Synthesizer. Waldorf, accessed July 3, 2020 .
  25. ↑ Waldorf Largo VST Plug In. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  26. ↑ Ruben Seevers: Waldorf Largo - Update 1.1 Test :: bonedo.de. In: https://www.bonedo.de . July 14, 2009, accessed July 3, 2020 .
  27. ↑ https://waldorfmusic.com/de/hardware-archiv/q-und-q-phoenix-edition
  28. ↑ Micro Q series. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  29. ↑ Overview PPG Wave 3.v. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  30. ↑ Lector overview. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  31. ↑ Ruben Seevers: Waldorf Lector Test :: bonedo.de. October 4, 2011, accessed July 3, 2020 .
  32. ↑ Zarenbourg overview. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  33. ↑ Rocket Synthesizer overview. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  34. ↑ Pulse 2. Accessed July 3, 2020 .
  35. ↑ Nave overview. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  36. ↑ Streichfett overview. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  37. ↑ Overview Waldorf Edition 2. Accessed July 3, 2020 .
  38. ↑ nw1 overview. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  39. ↑ Nave VST / AU / AAX. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  40. ↑ kb37 Eurorack. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  41. ↑ Overview mod1. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  42. ↑ Overview dvca1. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  43. ↑ Overview of the CMP. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  44. ↑ Overview. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  45. ↑ Overview of Quantum. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  46. ↑ till-kopper.de - Waldorf STVC. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  47. ^ Waldorf Kyra Test. April 27, 2020, accessed on July 3, 2020 (German).
  48. ↑ Kyra overview. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  49. ↑ Waldorf Quantum OS 2.0 with new synthesis features is available. In: AMAZONA.de. March 28, 2020, accessed on July 3, 2020 (German).

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