A topic about free wavetables and conversion notes for blofeld. Free Wavetables
FYI
Is it worth getting? If I’m honest I’ve not used my Blofeld for ages, but I know I’ll get into it again one day… just not sure I’d actually use the SL. But it’s tempting while on sale just in case 
that’s a tough one - it does add a lot - but it already does a lot, it sorta takes it off-script, but that can be a good thing - it’s powerful, but slow/fiddly to upload
it’s only wise at sale time imho
i can’t recall if user wavetables is part of teh core feature set or linked to the SL option - if teh latter then it would be more of a no-brainer, but there are plenty good wavetables on it
if you can afford it, it’s probably worth it, but maybe not if you’re not drawn to teh blofeld so much - samples do sound nice through teh filters and they can add a lot of different textures
flip a coin !
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Do you use plugins? If so I would rather buy pigments by arturia
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The License SL option is not required for uploading user wavetables.
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Just picked up a desktop version in a trade and its an amazing little box. Such a good compliment to a takt or tone setup.
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There not the same company anymore.
Mine bricked twice. So i tossed it.
Ive had my Q since 2000 and still works perfectly.
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Is there any significant benefit other than a simple 60MB mono sample player? (yes, many multi-sampled notes across the keyboard is something digitakt will not do this way), but could this be a pointless addition to digitakt or this “sample as oscillator” and layering feature is a worthy addition? Sample ROM size is very low anyway, for a serious sampled instrument a perfectionist would probably use all the available space.
A free piano patch sampled for blofeld found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/synthesizers/comments/7fmmgt/heres_a_free_sampled_piano_soundset_for_the/
You have to decide for yourself whether it is worthwhile for you. Bear in mind that Blofeld with License SL does not only simply play samples, but also allows use of the samples to do anything the other oscillator types can do, including acting as FM modulators and carriers.
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I enjoy being able to use samples as operators for simple FM patches. Depending on how you have set up the sample you can acheive some pretty interesting things. E.g. a sample ‘program’ (one OSC ‘shape’ in your Blofeld patch) can consist of numerous wav samples assigned to seperate notes, which can be modulated. But just for sample playback, no not worth it IMHO.
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Ok I see, so it seems that even if the sampling engine is a bit restricted on all levels comparing to digitakt, someone could use the same samples on a blofeld (multi) and e.g. digitakt, to get some combined layering synthesis maybe?
I had the opportunity to try the sample option, serious drawbacks, one being the transfer speed.
Painfully slow and no way to transfer partially, only all at once.
I agree samples can have some good use as FM modulators and maybe some “intense” interesting layering or tricks for randomness, but other than that… simply nothing. This SL upgrade is overpriced even at the discount price in my point of view.
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loading samples is not as elegant as it could be - however i still find it very nice to be able to load up a bunch of one shots and have some standard drums ready at all times.
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I didn’t have licence SL for the first 2 years, but eventually got it in, rolled my eyes and thought “meh my daw could do that”…it took me a year of experimenting to start to find the unique potential…i don’t think messing about with it for a week would give you enough “ah ah” moments.
new version allows single sample addition transfers and you no longer need to transfer all at once i thought. And the SL option is worth it in my opinion but not just as a standard sample player…
Its a completely different beast to any other “sampler”, closest thing ive owned in architecture is the Ensonic Mirage but that’s not a comparison either, they are worlds apart, i wouldn’t consider it a straight sampler…Its a Wavetable synth that can use samples as sound sources or to sculpt sounds as mod sources…and that’s where it gets interesting…saying that, some really nice single cycle snippets of samples from modular sound massive as chords…i dunno its a complex pain in the arse at times but when its good its very very good.
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Spectre is not great. All the instructions you read from Waldorf will tell you to deselect all Midi in options, but for me that was wrong. When I selected the Blofeld as both Midi in and Midi out, I could upload sample sets and it only had to transmit the new ones. You just dont get a Finished message on the Blofeld display, but restart and the new samples are there. OS 1.25
Spectre is a joke. Transmit does not work here, and if you use midi option for transfer (with a midi player e.g. the midibar of midiOX), every other sample gets deleted. If I could get a refund I would do that, purchased from thomman.
see what others say @ waldorf’s forum: https://waldorfmusic.com/en/forum/blofeld-en/1362-transfer-single-samples-to-blofeld
software does not respond as advertised, in a few words… a bit of fraud, as you have to delete all previous samples in every upload. Tested OS windows 7. I would suggest to avoid unless you are a mad scientist. Software abandoned and support non existant as they force users to use the “delete all” midi transfer.
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Spectre is good for building multi sample instruments or kits. The key assignments can be set with an ext keyboard. Pretty quick if you look up the shortcuts. In my case I set up 25 drum kits in one go and it’s been great to have them on there. A kit then takes up only one oscillator slot
In multi mode a kit can be all on one part, or you can spread them across multiple parts to use different filters and drives per drum voice.
Arpegiator is fun with a drum kit on an oscillator too.
Installing SL license was painful though. I have never got my Mac to communicate properly with my Blofeld. I basically had to acquire a PC just to get SL license on there. Since then using windows has been fine. I use Bigglesworth beta for occasional backups / bank rejigs.
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I’m kinda surprised Waldorf hasn’t given us a Blofeld MK2.
The complaints of the Blofeld are rather universal.
Encoders, fiddly destructive multi-mode, underpowered DSP.
Just sorting those common issues out, and perhaps adding a row of encoders for the most commonly used parameters (Tetra/AS1 style), they could have really capitalized on the latest (unfortunately monotrimbral) wavetable synth boom and filled the gap with an affordable wavetable/VA module with multi capabilities and world class sound.
I love the sound of the Blofeld but can’t stand using the thing.
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Do you mean single cycle wav converted to wavetable or used as a simple sl sample? I guess as a simple single cycle, any sample, only pitched down can have a somehow listenable result. Digitakt uses single cycle wav with the use of loop and start/end points. This is not happening to blofeld sampling engine. So i guess for single cycle osc sl is useless.