I got Mac

I picked up a MacBook yesterday and I'm loving it already. I'm Installing all kinds of interesting utilities and applications on it as we speak. The Leopard OSX is really nice.

I have to mention that I got new 'Mac friends' at day one, all my buddies who have Macs have been really supportive and all given me tips and sent me links (via Adium).

Main point getting the Mac was to get a solid work platform.
My plans is to run Logic Express and Final Cut Express on it as soon as possible and then Photoshop at some point. The licenses will cost as much as the MacBook, so I'll just have to settle to learning the new OS at the moment.

I just installed the Roland Fantom G Editor and Librarian on it.

It should be mentioned here that the Fantom G Editor looks and feels a lot smoother on OSX than on XP.

Now I'm just waiting for either Fantom YASE™, Rel. 2 to be released as a Mac version or that Roland corporation releases a newer improved version of their editor with similiar functions.

Waldorf Blofeld 1.03 update

Wonderful news!

This news just came in from Stefan Stenzel from Waldorf:

- - -

Hello,

I just uploaded the firmware version 1.03 for Blofeld:

http://www.waldorfmusic.de/assets/files/products/blofeld/system/Blofeld_V1_03.zip

This is mainly to be considered a bugfix release, addressing many problems
that users kindly reported to us. So the most prominent bugfixes are:

-PPG Filter in combination with wavetables without noise
-Phaser in FX1 slot without spurious crackling
-Parts 5..16 stereo and optional mix into FX2
-Only audible Effect parameters editable
-Eliminated spurious encoder crosstalk

There are many more bugs that have been fixed, but we are too embarrassed
to admit those ever existed.

Regards,
Stefan

- - -
I downloaded the new firmware and the .syx update process was quick, easy and successful with MIDI OX via USB.

So now I have my PPG filters and wavetables working, something I was sad about in my last post.

I'm blessed to get the bugfix so soon, as my Blofeld only arrived last thursday!

The blofeld is an really inspirational machine, thank you for that!

- jessej -

Waldorf Blofeld - First impressions

My Waldorf Blofeld finally arrived today after waiting for months to be able to get one shipped to me. Here's a photo of my Roland Fantom G and the new Blofeld sitting on top of the Fantom G screen. (If anyone of you who read this have a good idea about a better stand, please leave a comment! I have very limited space depth-wise in my little home studio room, so I would like to stack things) You can see a MS-20 in the background. These are pictures from my personal home studio where I do most of my songwriting.

I hooked it up to my Roland Fantom G that enables me to send multi-split keyboard via MIDI to the Blofeld multis really nicely - A perfect match with the Fantom G I'd say, just as I had hoped, both sonically sound wise and MIDI wise!

Nice sturdy design, the little thing is heavy and feels quite solid indeed, but I really think Waldorf should have included a physical MIDI OUT into the design. (There is only a physical MIDI IN, but the USB has both in and out)

I really have to send some standing ovations to Germany for how intuitive the blofeld is to use - I instantly understood how the Blofeld works.

There's a lot of nice presets included (1024 I think) , thank you for those, specially to the stars on the waldorf mailing-list who participated with some top class presets!

I think I will have a wonderful time with my Blofeld and that it is going to serve well for many years to come!

There's a few negatives with the current OS 1.02:
- Headphone amp unacceptably noisy as reported before.
- "crackling sound on phaser FX and PPG filter"
- Some patches have problems with the waveform 'clicking'
- The reverb algorithm is not pretty
- A multi-mode with smart features is needed.

In all I am very impressed with the Blofeld although that PPG filter crackling is really making me sad at the moment.

(since I wrote this the 1.03 update has fixed issues above)

---

Here's a quickie demo I threw together in 15mis on day one.
http://rapidshare.com/files/137346915/jessej-FantomG_Blofeld_test01.mp3

Drums & one synth in the background are from the Fantom G, the 3 other synths are from the Blofeld.


- Jesse -