What a bunch of AI jibber-jabber and nonsense. The VST version of Blofeld is just a code port from the hardware, wrapped in a modern GUI. The funny part is the "talk" about the “warmth” and “grittiness” of a DAC. Old days DACs with lower bit depth are definitely "gritty", but modern DACs are quite transparent and don’t color the sound, including Blofeld and Nord Lead 2X.

And I'll just leave this here:

and this

 

Thanks @Pimp Rekker for the clarification and revealing that the AI was talking nonsense!
I'll just go out into the garden and bury the AI.

I'm not an electrician, so I can't discuss it. I was just guided by the sound, so I created free sound banks for all three Waldorf instruments mentioned below .Whether the DAC does this or that is completely irrelevant to me, but I can say that Waldorf's filters are exceptionally powerful and engaging. Their instruments are truly an asset and deliver their own Waldorf sound.

Spoiler: So that you'll believe that I do have some knowledge of synthesizers, you can download my sound banks for free here:

So that you'll believe that I do have some knowledge of Waldorf synthesizers, you can download my sound banks for free here:

The Transform Soundset by Sonic Sirius for the Waldorf - Blofeld Plugin.
https://www.kvraudio.com/product/the-transform-by-sonic-sirius

The Waldorf Blofeld Soundbank Trio
https://www.kvraudio.com/product/the-waldorf-blofeld-soundbank-trio-by-sonic-sirius

10 Free Largo Soundbanks Presets for Largo by Sonic Sirius
https://www.kvraudio.com/product/10-free-largo-soundbanks-by-sonic-sirius

Spoiler: Waldorf Statments

Waldorf Statments

On the Waldorf - Blofeld website, we read about the Blofeld:

The Blofeld not only reproduces the warm, organic sounds of the Waldorf Q, it even features a powerful wavetable engine, just like its ancestors with the "Wave" in their name.

This unique synthesis system is based on the revolutionary PPG synthesizers of the early 1980s. When you first hear the Blofeld, you'll immediately recall those edgy, assertive, or bell-like timbres that have been an integral part of countless global hits since the PPG era.

On the Waldorf - alrgo website, we read about the Largo:

Oscillators & Wavetables
3 oscillators per voice (two with sub-oscillators) with classic waveforms and 68 wavetables from the legendary Microwave and Wave synthesizers, as well as Q and Blofeld.

On the Waldorf - Blofeld Plugin website, we read about the Blofeld plugin:

The sound engine of the Blofeld plugin delivers the typical fat and rich Waldorf character that so many Waldorf users around the world love when playing their Blofeld, Q, Q+, Microwave, Microwave II/XT, or even the flagship Wave. Therefore

 

Last edited: Apr 10, 2025 at 12:36 PM

Sometimes AI talks nonsense. I asked Deepseek days ago about cramping and decramping in eq - it suggested too much shit as "maybe clipping?", etc.
But not about nyquist, sample rate limitation etc.
AI is still an info tool , a la "searching system 2.0 with retelling", "next-gen Googling", a selector of suggested info found over the internet, it has its own artificial thinking etc.. It helps, but it is still not there..

 

Don't you think using AI for answering forum posts when you know nothing about the subject is a bit ridiculous and bad taste?
We are here to talk to real humans, any one who wants know what AI thinks could just use an AI app in his phone.

 

Is there a source for this? It would make sense, but it would be great to know for sure.

Apart from that, and as mentioned in another thread, the problem with discussing "emulators" is that most people don't differenciate between emulators, approximations, "feature clones" and sampled instruments.
Nodal Red factually is an NL2X. It's the actual code running on an emulated virtual hardware that behaves identical, just like all of the TUS stuff.
DiscoDSP Discovery is not an emulation, it's a synth "inspired by" the NL, a feature clone at best.
Szabo's Viper is something inbetween a feature clone and an approximation, cause he tries to come as close as possible to the sound and behaviour of the components.

There are other ways to try to sound as close as possible to a certain synth or instrument, but an emulation is something very specific and it gets mixed up in discussions like this all the time.

 

Thanks @mild pump milk for your helpful comment.

You want to help people solve their problems, but I notice, just like you, that it only does so partially. Sometimes, though, it also surprises me in a positive way. Thanks again for the support. Most people don't like the AI posts here, even though they complain themselves but don't offer any solutions.

 

No, @Synclavier, I don't think so at all, otherwise I wouldn't do it.
The AI is relatively new, and I didn't want to ignore it. Sorry you had to suffer through my AI experiment.

But it looks like it, and thank you for the criticism, that the AI didn't meet our expectations or mine.
I'll therefore bury the AI in the garden this afternoon, and you won't have to read any more AI posts from me.

 

I'm sure you mean well, but if someone wants an AI generated answer, the person can ask it themselves.
The problem is, AI generated answers are often wrong or incomplete and it seems you often post them without fact checking them first. Maybe it would be better to wait for someone who knows their stuff instead of trying to be as quick and helpful as you can be.

 

Thank You @noizy!!!
I'll therefore bury the AI in the garden this afternoon, and you won't have to read any more AI posts from me.

 

Alain Paul annoys me slightly because he sometimes fails to be totally consistent with his arguments or take them to the logical conclusion. He sometimes tries provide balance when it doesn't exist. He says "However, most sensible converters over a basic price level, let's say a few hundred dollars". But there are DACs that sound fine for as little as $10. He's arbitrarily making claims about design and "basic price levels" that have no actual tested basis.

In his recent mic test, a large majority of responses stated they did not like the Sennheiser mic then he tried to justify it in the followup video in the mix even though it sounded worse in the mix too, and contradicted his other argument that we should generally record the cleanest input we can (tonally etc) and then EQ it afterwards if needed.

I prefer people like Dan Worral who are very consistent in their arguments.

 

groove is in the heart, not the DAC chip. That's it.

 

I think DAC is not the whole vibe, just color, distortions, and not the main goal someone is going to buy hardware for...... "I want to buy the digital VA synth because of DAC"... No..... You also have own ADC to digitize it.... New ADC distortions, phase shi(f)ts, thd etc..... So what is the point to buy gear only because of DAC, if we all here have different ADC at home, wires etc... So, ton of colors from ADC variants? Plugin is just a "no-DAC-ADC" colors of same code.... Analog gear? Yep, different story. The point is in the code, initial sound of gear, not that DAC ADC architectures...

 

The reality is usually this: The deciding factor for purchasing a synthesizer is the sound you like and the possibilities it offers.

These days, I prefer to use virtual software synthesizers in my DAW. They're cheaper, take up less space, and you can save presets at any time. Here's what I notice about the Waldorf Blofeld plugin compared to the Waldorf Blofeld hardware synthesizer:

The graphical interface of the Blofeld plugin is very user-friendly and clear; with the Blofeld hardware, creating presets was quite a challenge, with few controls and many submenus.

Now I can even play my own Blofeld hardware presets in the Blofeld plugin; what Waldorf has done there is quite advanced.

 

Last edited: Apr 11, 2025 at 9:46 AM

Interesting. Could you post some presetsounds from HW and plugin? Same presets, to compare. Maybe bass, pad, lead, perc, fx, something very complex. Processing only internal (from hw and plugin). Gain matched or not. 15-20 sounds will be more than enough (playing not more 7-10 sec each), flac 24 bit to compare with all that HW noises etc. Not less than 44.1k both. Thanks)

 

I sold the hardware Blofeld a long time ago.
I still have 1 recording of my Blofeld presets and 2 Videos from 2013: http://ohlenbostelhelge.magix.net/public/blofeld.htm

Click on the Link: http://ohlenbostelhelge.magix.net/public/index_htm_files/Blofeld_by_CHE_111_Timing.mp3

 

Last edited: Apr 11, 2025 at 10:27 AM