Waldorf rising from the ashes?

[Merlot]

I have had my eye on a Q+ for awhile. None ever seem to show up on ebay though.
Anyone know where to get one in the states? Used or new.

[Hollowcell]

Thanks for the MP3 link there Array! Nice stuff mate.

[Array]

Originally Posted by F5D

Thanks for the info about Q+ Array! Currently I don't have much more space for another keyboard but the Q+ sure is on my shopping list.

edit:

I just noticed that Waldorf website has changed. Check this link about the products: http://www.waldorfmusic.de/en/products

It seems that these are the products which they will continue to sell. At least thomann is listing the Q+, Q keyboard and microQ. So maybe you cannot buy pulse, rack attack and microwave XT(k) anymore.

I hope they will introduce something like Pulse keyboard and maybe a new synth with lots of wavetables, improved analog modeling and analog filters. Something like Q+. A rack version would be nice too.

The price of the Q+ is not very high and I was just wondering if they sell it and the Q keyboard at these new prices to get things running fast that they can run the company before NAMM 2007 when the first new product(s) from new Waldorf will be introduced. Let's hope that the new pricing isn't too high.

On the other hand, the price of the A6 Andromeda isn't too high either and we all saw what happened to Hartmann so the price of a high end keyboard synthesizer cannot be much higher than 2000 euros. About the price of the Virus TI too.

Actually the XT/XTk was discontinued a little while before Waldorf folded. At the time they said that there would be a new wavetable synthesizer from Waldorf in the "near future". Hopefully development of that project has kick started again.

[Array]

Originally Posted by F5D

btw, has anybody compared microQ and Q? Is the sound identical if you use the same filter types? And how about the polyphony of the Q keyboard... It seems to have 16 voices and I remember somebody saying that the polyphony won't get reduced what ever modulations you use. Is this right? Some say that the polyphony of the microQ can get reduced from 25 to 15 or even 10 if you use heavy modulations and fm.

There's quite a few differances between the two. This is a pretty comprehensive explenation:

http://faq.waldorfian.info/faq-browse.php?product=q#21

[Array]

Originally Posted by Merlot

I have had my eye on a Q+ for awhile. None ever seem to show up on ebay though.
Anyone know where to get one in the states? Used or new.

Your best bet would be to ask on the Waldorf mailing list:

http://waldorf.synth.net/userforum.html

You might be able to import one as well, and then replace the internal power supply so it will work with American outlets. It's actually a very simple procedure. The power supply inside of the Q and XTk is like that of a laptop...basically a black brick bolted inside the upper right corner of the chassis.

Edit:

some pics of the Q's internals:

http://faq.waldorfian.info/q-inside.html

[Array]

Originally Posted by Hollowcell

Thanks for the MP3 link there Array! Nice stuff mate.

Glad you liked it! I quite enjoyed your V-Synth demo as well!

[F5D]

Hey Array!

Thanks for the link to the waldorf user faq! Really interesting stuff to read there.

Btw, do the Q+ and XTk keyboards have the same touch/feel so are they the same keyboard? Of course the lengths are different ( 4 vs. 5 octaves). I found the XTk keyboard to be quite light but I got used to it. The keys of the A6 are heavier to push and feel a little smoother to play with. Virus KC had even heavier keys and I liked that alot. It seems that Fatar makes very many kinds of keyboards.

[Array]

Originally Posted by F5D

Hey Array!

Thanks for the link to the waldorf user faq! Really interesting stuff to read there.

Btw, do the Q+ and XTk keyboards have the same touch/feel so are they the same keyboard? Of course the lengths are different ( 4 vs. 5 octaves). I found the XTk keyboard to be quite light but I got used to it. The keys of the A6 are heavier to push and feel a little smoother to play with. Virus KC had even heavier keys and I liked that alot. It seems that Fatar makes very many kinds of keyboards.

Hey no problem

Regarding the kyeboards, I'm not much of a keyboardist myself (I grew up playing trumpet), but I actually like the feel of the XTk better than of the Q+. The Q+'s keyboard feels very light, where as the XTk's feel like they have some weight to them.

It is entirely possible that differant keybeds were used during different production runs of these synths though. For instance, my XTk is a 30 voice version with the black rubber knobs (a later production model). I played a 10 voice XTk, with gray knobs, prior to buying this one and the keybed had a similar feel to it. Maybe the older Q's, the ones with the yellow and dark blue nextel finishes, have similar keybeds to the XTk.

[F5D]

Originally Posted by Array

Regarding the kyeboards, I'm not much of a keyboardist myself (I grew up playing trumpet), but I actually like the feel of the XTk better than of the Q+. The Q+'s keyboard feels very light, where as the XTk's feel like they have some weight to them.

It is entirely possible that differant keybeds were used during different production runs of these synths though. For instance, my XTk is a 30 voice version with the black rubber knobs (a later production model). I played a 10 voice XTk, with gray knobs, prior to buying this one and the keybed had a similar feel to it. Maybe the older Q's, the ones with the yellow and dark blue nextel finishes, have similar keybeds to the XTk.

Ok, thanks for the info again! Nice to finally see a person who knows more about waldorf synths, especially the keyboards. My XTk is my first Waldorf with a keyboard. In fact I have had 3 different microQ's (had to sell 2 to get money for something else), 1 Pulse (bought as new, never sold) and now a 10 voice XTk. Altough the XTk keyboard feels a little light, it's easy to play some bell sounds etc.

I really would like to buy either the Q 16 keyboard or the Q+ and sell my microQ. I have never really programmed many sounds with my microQ('s) because I don't like the matrix system so much. If I had a Q keyb, I would definitely program tons of sounds with it like I'm doing with A6 right now. The Q+ is about 800 euros more compared to the basic digital Q but the + version sure has more features. I'm just trying to figure out where do I get the money for the synth. Maybe I will have to sell something but I wouldn't like to sell anything.

btw, this Budejovicky Budvar beer is great! Helps to make decisions.