Octa Companion: Blofeld or Ipad?

Hi everyone
I’ve been an Octatrack user for quite a few months now, and I’m looking for some other gear to complement it and start using it’s MIDI sequencer potential (so far I’ve only been using samples)

I’m specially intersted in a polyphonic synth, and the desktop format is ideal for live performance.

I had been tempted to buy an Ipad, although most demos I’ve heard are a bit weak, too digital. On the other hand, the form factor (size & weight), the ability to carry it everywhere (I’m a very impulsive person, so I like the idea to be able to play around with ideas on the spot) and the possibility to have other non-melodic apps (playing with field recordings for example) it’s also really tempting.

Recently I’ve been looking around at the Blofeld - wich I can get a for a pretty good price (I live in Buenos Aires so gear is frequently overpriced) - and it seems like a good match… the sound is a bit sterile for my taste, but it seems capable of creating a much powerful sound, and it’s multitimbral capabilities seem great to create basslines, pads, melodies… the only thing that worries me a bit is that I’ve heard that sometimes it gets a little buggy in multi mode, but I asked an octa+blofeld user and he says it’s unusual, and pretty safe for live performance.
any thoughts / comments / recommendations? user feedback of any of these setups are more than welcome!

ps: on a sidenote, I also feel really tempted of selling my Microbrute (the only synth I own) and getting a Shruthi, wich seems amazing for the price / size, and it has way more MIDI capabilities

ps: on a sidenote, I also feel really tempted of selling my Microbrute (the only synth I own) and getting a Shruthi, wich seems amazing for the price / size, and it has way more MIDI capabilities

Take a look at P6 audiothingies.
Cheaper and much easier to edit/play than a Shruthi!
Maybe a better option than Blofled?

wow this sound pretty amazing! I’ll look further into its specs… but it seems really powerful for what I’m hearing

Try to find someone local to you that has a recent iPad and the iVCS3 app. While I haven’t used a real Synthi, the iVCS3 blows away every other iPad synth I’ve ever played with.

Another fun option is the bigger Yamaha rack mount DX-series synths. The TX802, TX81z and TG77 are fairly easy to find at low prices on the US eBay. Although the DX synths have a difficult reputation they really just require a few hours of dedicated effort to master. If you can handle the Octatrack, Yamaha FM won’t be a problem for you.

Finally, if DIY appeals to you, you can go far with cheap parts. Nicolas Collins’ book is a great starting point.[/quote]
hey thanks for the reply
unfortunately, it’s impossible for me to buy off ebay :frowning:
I’m in Buenos Aires, even if it managed to get it thru customs (wich is impossible) the shipping would be astronomical
I’m listening P6 demos and I’m quite surprised with the potential - I’m thinking that another interesting possibility would be getting a P6 and a Shruthi for basslines…

P6 is a great recommendation for an affordable V/A poly in a small format.

Blofeld should be considered especially if you’re looking for some multi-mode use. I think its V/A sound is solid too.

I don’t own a Blofeld yet, but friends of mine that do have said that the multi-mode is stable, so long as you understand and respect the voice count limitations. I’m actually planning to get one to expand my Monomachine’s midi sequencer. Looking to get the sample license as well to import drum wavs and add drums, bass, and pads to MM’s crazy modular FM capabilities.

I bought an iPad thinking I’d use it heavily for music, but in the end I discovered I just do not gel well with the touch screen interface.
If you do gel with it, then it is a wonderfully versatile solution. You could pick up Waldorf Nave for iPad and get some of the Blofeld wavetable sound. There are some great V/As on iPad too. I will say that iPad would accompany OT better than any other Elektron instrument. The ability to sample it would allow you to overcome not jiving with the touch interface. Just get the sound into OT and go from there.

Keep in mind you would want to get a dedicated audio interface for your iPad, and that will add to the cost. It’s worth doing. Even a $25 Behringer UCA202 sounds leagues better than the 1/8" output.

Hard to say which of these is best for you because each have very different interfaces and capabilities. If portability and immediacy are of value to you, maybe consider an OP-1.

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Another iPad synth worthy of mention is iSEM. iMini is great too. Both of those are ports of desktop VSTs and sound just as good as their equivalents.

I’d pick my Blofeld over any iPad synth. But when you consider that the iPad can be any of dozens of different synths for around $10 each, or even a few different synths AT A TIME (depending on which model iPad) it’s a harder choice.

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good info, thanks!

one advantage about the possibilty of the P6 / Shruthi approach is that I can have them routed individually - the Blofeld only has one stereo out (the P6 is stereo and the Shruthi is mono)
I never managed to get along with computers… so I’m also wondering if an iPad might drive me in the same direction - just trying out apps endlessly, going nowhere - I like the limitations of hardware (I come from an Electribe EM-1 background, wich, although limited, offered me countless hours of fun, and I ended up using a handful of sounds)
the demos of the P6 I’ve heard seem to get the kind of sound palette I like - maybe not as strong for pad sounds as a blofeld, but with more character… and if routed thru the Octa’s effects, I think I can get around nice sounds :slight_smile:

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I was thinking of an Ipad Air
I heard a few demos but they all sounded a bit weak for my ears… maybe the iMini from Arturia sounded better
As I said in my previous post, I think that the P6 might have more than enough sounds for my needs, and less distractions (infinite options are a double edged sword :stuck_out_tongue: )
so I might try to get a P6 or something similar, and leave the iPad for later… maybe I will even end up having one for other purposes, like mangling field recordings and ambient sounds (I saw an app called… Sampler I think? wich had interesting features)

If I was stranded on a desert island (with electricity, obviously), I’d go for an iPad and the Octatrack, no question. There’s no shortage of sounds available to you. Even if you never buy a single iOS music app, you could still go nuts just sampling into the OT from Youtube. But you should buy some music apps while you’re at it, because there are a ridiculous amount of good apps out there.

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There’s nothing inherently weak about iPad synths, though some are definitely better than others.
Beyond that, Samplr and some other sound mangling type apps are perfect for touch screens.

The iPad is a playground you could get lost in forever, and I can relate to wanting to focus on just a few instruments.

…p6 and shruthi are pretty close, end of the day…and sharing the exact same way to find u and ur ot…

a multi timbral synth is something seriously to consider, if ot midi seqeuncer is the source to make it run…

one clear add on synth concept to comfort the ot is more than enough for a simplicity makes the most set up…so go for one voice super raw honey or for many options in one to get the most out of a midi companion to spice up ot’s complexity…but keep the concept clean from scratch…anything else is overwhelming instead of freeing u up…

an ipad, even just with it’s internal output straight hooked to some ot inputs is an endless weapon…and a timeless and limitless sampling source with a total different perfomance appoach to top it…

knobs to twiddle you got in front of you already…and even a crappy 99 cent app sound can morph to cineastic miracles with a little help from our common swedish friend at any time…

while some other apps even are really that much dope of their own, you can’t even find that way as vst or au…
and touching a sound is touching a sound…freezing this different way of perfomance within the ot makes a huge difference in the overall expression of your results and let u jam at a new level…the sound makes the ot, end of the day anyway…

an octatrack feeded with an ipad is the most pro appraoch versatile quick and dirty small setup i can think of…and an endless journey of lucky dips and unexpected surprises and discoveries, always with the option to finish and fix serious results that can last…and to jam your head away…

If you are familiar with the Korg Em-1, why not get the new Electribe 2? They sound very good and you can get them for around $340 on sale.

I can still sample from YouTube straight into the Octa :stuck_out_tongue: but I get what you’re saying
for now at least, I’m not that interested in live sampling… so far my main limitation was the possibility to create melodies - specially polyphonic melodies - wich I’ve solved, in some cases, creating samples / slices on ableton… but it is a bit counter intuitive for my workflow - exporting the audio, importing into the octa… is not a big deal, but anyway
I could’ve mentioned this earlier, but the way I approach music, is not so focused on change, but more texture-based… kind of a minimal techno approach I guess (I’m not that good with labels)
what I mean is that I like to find something that can be interesting enough to be repetitive, and then focus more on subtle changes than structural variants (I do love aphex twin-ish music, I just feel like I don’t have the brains for that - I come from a noise-drone background, so I guess that’s why I like slow-evolving sounds)

So that’s why I like the synth approach… so instead of just playing around with effects on a recorded sample, I can actually modify the filter of the synth, or it’s decay, etc…

I understand what you mean… it’s just that, although some apps sound good, I really think none can deliver the punch and warmth I’ve heard on both the P6 and the Sruthi… maybe I haven’t heard enough demo’s, but I heard a few and none really caught my attention :-/

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I was actually incredibly excited when I got the news that they were making a new electribe… it was going to be my upgrade for the EM1
then I gradually became dissapointed as details surfaced… that’s why I decided to save up and but an Octa instead.
to be honest, I don’t like the sound of the new Electribe - neither I liked the sound of the EMX, and I still feel like the EM-1, although beeing much more limited, has a nicer, darker sound - the low end on some of the synth presets is truly amazing… I still have it with me :slight_smile:

P6 is not a rival at all to blofleld, specially if you want to put your OT MIDI tracks to work.

Indeed.
Maybe this would help the OP, as well…

There’s no doubt that, if they had a rumble, Blo would win. But if you buy a P6 kit, that’s still a lot of synth for much less money.

Oh, and also, I waited months for a Waldorf sale, just to buy the Analog Voltage patches.They really show the Blofeld at its best.

Korg Micro X. esp. if you want a compact keyboard as well

Grrrrr, now I have to but buy this expansion, thanks Adam