Hi. New to this forum and glad to be here.
I need a smallish set up that serves a purpose.
I need a keyboard synth that creates soundscapes and ambient music.
I would like a sampler for manipulating recorded sounds
I would like a sequencer.
I had an OP-1 a few years ago and didnt wow me. I have looked hard at Blofeld Waldorf as they generate big sounds that i like.
Is there a synth that fits my remit? Or am i better of buying it in parts for each purpose.
Budget is £700-£800
Cheers guys.
You could take a look at the Roland FA06. Great for pad style sounds, good sequencer, basic sampling but it includes a stunning set of FX which can be used to manipulate your recordings.
Blofeld is really great for what you want. Keys edition is especially tasty.
I have the analog 4, however the keys version is the same, (bar a couple of small things… Like the keyboard!) and that will definitely get you where you want
And then there’s the MicroMonsta, which will also get you there.
Happy to answer any specific questions
A OT / Blofield Combo seems the best way for your smallish set up !
check out the System1 from Roland. It can generate some great ambient tones, but its Reverb is too “small”. You would need an additional Pedal to get it do really nifty ambient stuff. The Zoom MS-70 CDR is probably the best for the money you can get. Combine System1 (500 €) and Zoom MS-70 CDR (100 €), you are below your price tag and you can create quite huge ambient Soundscapes. System1 also sounds a lot better than the Blofeld. Blofeld is old, sounds cheap. Its Reverb is crap as well, sounds like Sheet! Imho. I had it two times in the past and always returned it. It doesnt have warmth; its just not nice!
[edit] in Terms of Sequencing: If you only want to sequence the Synth you could check out the Beatstep Pro. Quite cool for what it does. Poly Sequencing is a bit of a mess though, because you need the Drumtrack for that. But overall it could do the Job and if you later decide to add another Mono or two you can use the Instrument Tracks to sequence those as well.
Another option - like some already suggested here: Take the Octatrack. And a good Pedal like the Zoom MS-70 CDR. You prolly dont need a synth if you use the OT; its sampling capabilities are huge and its Pitch-Shifting/TimeStretching Engine works so good that transposing samples is a breeze! But its Effects are not the best you can get. Apart from the Dark Reverb 
OT + MS-70 CDR would prolly be a good combo too - i think.
Blofeld gets you plenty of those boxes ticked one way or another (with SL). If you got the Desktop one you could maybe wait for a midi sequencer like the one in the Digitakt or cheaper alternative. Maybe the drum centric nature of DT isn’t to your brief though.
Blofeld is hard to fault as an investment, but some don’t like the matrix interface.
Yeah, I’m a big fan of the System-1 (it sounds great and it’s really easy to program, huge sweet spots) but the small flat keyboard (no velocity either) plus only 4-note polyphony and straightforward subtractive synth engine doesn’t make it the best choice for big ambient / evolving pad stuff.
If you can get on with the Blofeld, that, maybe plus a small dedicated sampler (Volca Sample? Microgranny?) might be a good bet. The Blofeld has a very wide range and the sound quality is really good. I didn’t get on with it super well personally, but I didn’t give it very long before deciding it was surplus to my requirements. I didn’t have the SL upgrade, might be good enough for you not to need a separate sampler.
For me, personally… I think I’d prefer an Analog Keys. But on spec the Blofeld is a great match for your brief.
And thats the problem. The Blofeld is good on Specs but sounds like Sheet! 
Yes, it offers a lot with its Wavetables but its sound is so analytic and cold - i cant imagine how a great and warm Ambient Soundscape should be possible with this thing. Unless you run it through a Pedal like the BigSky which can “warm up” its sound. But thats more expensive than the whole Synth 
Another great Deal could be the Minilogue. It also has just 4 Voices but with the right Effects 4 Voices are more than enough! Unless you wanna multitrack … yeah, that … get an OT and use great Samples Or get the Analog Keys. But thats out of the price range as far as i can tell. Only know the price in Euro.
I think you can get some decently warm pads out of the Blo, and definitely complex ones.
Its intrinsic sound wasn’t my problem with it, it was that I hit my head against its interface for a short while and went back to my other gear… Probably didn’t give it a fair chance.
Blofeld sounds as good as you can program it. It has a very wide pallete, a big modulatuon matrix, modifiers, does samples, even MPE. I’d take anyone’s comment about a synth sounding bad with a grain of salt, but I’d make that grain a mountain for the Blo.
exactly
If you can’t imagine it, this guy will show you step by step. Seriously, i don’t think there has ever been a better hardware synth for ambient soundscapes than the Blofeld. No external FX, no multi timbral stuff.
There’s no accounting for taste, but a bit of empirical evidence goes a long way to present an opposing case.
Exhibit A; Don Solaris’ Analog Voltage Pack for Blofeld.
No additional FX used.
Every tool is a weapon if you hold it right.
As posted, check out the Mark Pigott YouTube videos for some of the things the blofeld is capable of.
hmm, yeah ok stuff sounds ok but still you clearly hear how cold and analytic the sound is.Thin as well. If i compare that to the Xfer Serum (which is a Softsynth btw) Serum sounds much better already, has a lot more warmth. Same for the Virus - if we wanna stay in the old age 
Nope, Waldorf’s best days were with the Wave and the first Revision of the Microwave which had the analog Filter. The Blofeld is versatile, no offense. And it can clearly do some pretty bright and snappy Pluck Sounds and Stuff. But i still think that its just not warm enough to make it sound really good. But yeah, thats personal taste. For the OP those sound examples might be what he/she was looking for.
I wonder how it would sound when its fed through the Heat. That might be interesting …
Horse for courses as usual with this stuff!
Cheers guys.Most of you seem to be favouring the Blofeld as i have.
Is there such a thing as a Blofeld synth with an easy Sampler built in? Which is closest
Octatrack
Analugue 4 keys
Electribe 2
Or maybe i need two or 3 seperates
I have a Zoom H5. It records great ambient but can i import the sounds to these synths and play around with them?
Thanks all.
Reckon you’ll need separates matey. Blofeld and a micro granny?
Never used one myself but people seem to rave about them.
Actually get a blofeld and an sp 303.
Or blofeld and an octatrack if you can afford it.
Buy a blofeld and an 2pole Filter.
Microgranny is quite lo-fi and gritty. It’s also mono. It ends up creating really interesting things but if you want precise, clean sample playback it’s probably not the best tool. It’s also really noisy when live sampling - I’ve resorted to loading stuff onto the SD card.
Volca Sample has more conventional sampler controls, and some pleasing grit, but no way of live sampling (I think?).
Electribe 2 Sampler is probably the most conventional and fully featured. A lot more money though. And has its quirks.
An SP404 or similar is another compact option.