Waldorf Pulse 2--Sounds from Beta Tester

[namnibor]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnV3xD4JvdI
These are VCO's by the way, not DCO's...been a long wait but the sound speaks for itself
Published on Sep 12, 2013
This is the new star of analog monophonic synthesizers...the brandnew WALDORF PULSE 2.
An amazing sounding mashine with tons of good features. More than 16 modulationslots are available, 3 real analog oscillators for a rich sound, an analog multimodefilter and a very easy userinterface and 500! presets. It allows you to syncronize an older synthesizer like the Roland SH 101 or older Moog Synthesizer with its built in CV/Gate Interface via Midi. Very nice feature. And you can play with paraphonic modes up to eight voice chords.
The Waldorf Pulse is built like a tank, it´s Made in Germany.
Enough words now...just listen to the raw sound without any effects on it. Have fun and if you like it...buy one.

[oscillator]

Hi, i was looking for some Pulse 2 videos but -ouch- it tells me the video is private. What can i do to see it? Do you know another link?
Thanks

[namnibor]

Originally Posted by oscillator

Hi, i was looking for some Pulse 2 videos but -ouch- it tells me the video is private. What can i do to see it? Do you know another link?
Thanks

Yeah, noticed this by reading on another forum yesterday as it seems the Beta-Tester was not supposed to post that before official Waldorf Demos, *BUT* here's an audio link to the "best of" sounds only from that very You Tube video that someone was able to salvage:

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/attac...soundcheck.mp3

Enjoy!

[oscillator]

great, thanks!

[namnibor]

Originally Posted by oscillator

great, thanks!

FYI--the very last couple minutes is showing the multimode filter's characteristics ...you probably got that but just in case, since the video had caption to which was going on at any given time. Sweet sounds and am really glad I resisted the MS20 and Bass Station 2. The Pulse 2, like the Classic Pulse+ has connectivity via cv/gate/midi and by end of year in "Waldorf Time", a keyboard version is definitely coming out and no rumor, as this came directly from Stefan Stenzel (sp?), one of the main Waldorfians.
Oh, these three Oscillators are NOT DCO's, they are indeed VCO's.

[TweakHead]

It's about time this shows up!

I honestly can't say much as of now, based solely on this sound demo! Just that it's really cool to see a multi-mode analogue filter! A keyboard version of it would be cool, specially if they used the extra space for a proper interface with more knobs on it. Sort like the difference from the desktop Evolver to the MEK kind of thing! Otherwise the rack version would be fine as it's very cool looking (like the color scheme much more then Blofeld!) as there's a limit to the number of keyboards one needs requiring all the extra space and all.

Overall, I think the MS-20 still offers something that's very unique with the patching system! Even for external processing that you don't get on others! Bass Station sounds very cool to me and honestly like it's SH-101ish interface much more then the Pulse 2's one! Never tried it's keys though, so you never know eheh!

[namnibor]

I guess like anything, one either 'clicks' with the matrix programming or doesn't. Historically, Waldorf *first* used their matrix programming schema on the very first Pulse from mid to late 90's.
The reason I actually found it intuitive upon receiving my Blofeld Keyboard Black Shadow Edition, is on certain military equipment that dealt with coded communications in particular in 'Cold War Days', it was actually very much like that grid and coming from Germany, literally built like a military spec'd synth, found it amusing, intuitive, but yes--the Blofeld would literally be a monster synth moreso if it had say, 38 more encoders!
Yes, the MS20 definitely has tons of advantages with it's patch bay and as far as Bass Station 2 goes...call me odd, but I really got "oversaturated' musically, in hearing that SH101 acid bass sound in 90's and quite possibly that sound had contribution to my not-so-much liking the 'dance scene', going full compass to the dark side--Goth, in that era.
But now call me a hypocrite, as I can listen these days from the brand new Nine Inch Nails to new Lady GaGa's "Applause"....and *anything but crap rap between*....I digress...
So on the Bass Station 2, I like just the *new filter* and especially after spending a lot of time now with the Waldorf Q and her wonderful multi-mode filters that can be parallel/series, etcetera, and highly configurable in mod matrix, I am confounded WHY multimode filters are not used more often in hardware and for that matter, 8 stage envelopes that are loop able even within themselves at different stages...I still think the Q, Virus, and Evolver have set the bar high for hardware synths and reason interested on what Access has on their slabs in the lab in their castle in Germany!

OT: The original Pulse still kicks some serious a@@ and having the Pulse+, with the multiple cv/gate ins/outs, and external audio processing to filter...just as the new Pulse 2 is to have....makes it just as viable option as MS20. (have read on more than one occasion build quality issues with new MS20)

[TweakHead]

Originally Posted by namnibor

OT: The original Pulse still kicks some serious a@@ and having the Pulse+, with the multiple cv/gate ins/outs, and external audio processing to filter...just as the new Pulse 2 is to have....makes it just as viable option as MS20. (have read on more than one occasion build quality issues with new MS20)

yeah, I think it's probably even a much more capable (and modern) synthesizer! I just think the MS-20 can be used for processing external audio as much as for the synthesizer itself and it's signature sounds - those it's famous for - with the resonance turned into screaming territory is unique. Pretty much like the SH-101 was famous for those acid arps you talk about, along with the infamous TB, but the filter on it sounds very warm and juicy also with big amounts of resonance to put it asside just for the soudns it's most famous for. Like the Roland's JP's that are also known for their supersaw leads, used to oblivion in cheap Euro Trance tracks and never failed to make it sound like some Carnival Fair or some kind, but it's also capable of very surprising sounds and with the uniqueness of Roland sound - that I always find has some sort of round contour to it (even the oscillators with filter fully open). Like said on other recent thread: if you want to blame fatigue for most obvious sounds on the Dance Scene on some brand, you have to pick Roland: we've all heard the TR drum sounds about a milion times - and still plenty of emulations or sample packs and this and that on that topic; same thing with the TB, the SH range (most specially 101) - and new software synthesizers with the latest DSP technology for recreating analogue filters (zero feedback delay filter that is) like the Lush 101 (actually a polly/multi synth with 4 101s and mixable incorporated fx, I think with sends to!), Tal Audio's Bassline 101; the JP (blabla, there's a good emulator Timo mentioned once for iOS - be sure to check it out on you new gift ), so forth and so on... After Roland and Yamaha's big hit on FM synthesis with DX7, you can probably ear ad nauseum the Virus and Nord Lead pretty much everywhere.

The music scene and the synthesizer developers mindset oscillates (cute word) between nostalgia for the past, imitating the classic synthesizers of the past for a vast public of synthesis enthusiasts born in the computer age that somehow got interested in the history of this machines and eager to get their hands on some old circuitry with its exquisite sound (myself included!); and a venture towards new territory, taking advantage of the new technology (mostly digital these days) for new approaches to sound synthesis - and there I'd probably put the finger on Native Instruments and some other companies, and Waldorf to! Waldorf, long before Massive made wavetable synthesis very popular among aspiring producers (possibly inspired by Skrillex-like music), was putting synthesizers on the market with this very peculiar type of synthesis, along with wave shaping, so forth and so on and (I think, not exactly sure here) popularized the comb filter on hardware machines capable of that very odd and grittier wall of sound with a metalic ear piercing attitude to it - that I immediately associate with the brand!

Not so familiarized with the Pulse, have listened to some sound demos online and think it sounds like a powerful analogue mono synthesizer, not so different to Novation's Bass Station to my ears, to be honest, capable of that acid bass sound and anything in between, but not with the silky sound of a Moog, much more edgier (again, like Rolandish sounds). This new one comes packed with features and modulation options that are rare to see on a true analogue and is probably going to make it into my "wish list". Multi-mode filters are also something I value a lot in analogue synthesizers, and is something that can (and has) make me choose one instead of another. I don't have enough gear here to go with a 1k synthesizer just for loving it's sound character or the raw sound of it's oscillators, I need modulation options, routing choices (if and when possible), sequencer and/or arp doesn't hurt either or, at least, cv and (!!) midi connections on the back to allow for rather cool communication between devices!

Last but not least, heard the Minitaur can recycle it's waveform on each note you press - like the "phaseinit" function on the Virus. So the Pulse2 is actually one of the few that meets my criteria. Also heard rumors of this bad quality build on the MS 20 (what a shame...) with fidly knobs, so not really excited about the majority of the analogue returns hype thing and still find the older models more attractive imo.

the make noise dpo, on the other hand...

[TweakHead]

Originally Posted by namnibor

SPAM

what do you mean?

anyways, heard the Pulse 2 is due to arrive next month and that the manual's being written right now.

also, read this will be a para-poly synthesizer. not exactly sure what that means, to be honest, but my guess is that some voices can share the same filter and envelope, instead of using dedicated ones per voice.

was honestly thinking this was just another mono analogue synthesizer, so that's why I ranted so much about other offerings, both classic and new ones...

think it would be amazing to see them go hybrid now that they've put two very interesting instruments on the market, something like the Evolver, with the wave tables you see on the Blofeld and the analogue oscillators and filters PLUS an interface with knobs instead of encoders and tons more of them with a nice keyboard to go with it!

[namnibor]

It has since been deleted, but there **was** rather lengthy spam post that appeared not only here but in several other subject/threads by same new user.

Just wanted to be clear, was not projected towards you, Tweakhead, at all!

The user manual is already available for pulse 2 on Waldorf's website as well as more sample sounds.