The inimitable Nick Batt takes a deep look at the new Waldorf Pulse 2 analog synthesizer.
The Waldorf Pulse 2 is a three-oscillator analog synth with 8-voice paraphonic operation. Batt says that it’s built like a tank and is a pretty classy synthesizer. Check out the video review and let us know what you think!
The Waldorf Pulse 2 is priced at £399/400 Euro/$799.
Resources:
- See our previous Waldorf Pulse 2 posts for more info.
- See Sonic State for Batt’s written review of the Pulse 2.
- Waldorf’s site
Great review as always from this guy, I loved the synth face to .Great to see someone responding to sound in a cool way. A really good look at Waldorfs now Pulse.
Pretty good sounding synth. Glad to hear the build quality is solid. I think I want to wait and see if they push any firmware updates to make better use of the display. Parameter editing seems to not put the large matrix display to good use.
I was looking at getting another synth to compensate.paly along Monomaschine and Maschine and this could be it, the matrix system should be fine with me, I was happy programming the matrix of the Evolver, this doesn’t look harder…
Very good and comprehensive review, Nick. The musical transitions were inspired, you were clearly having a blast. I just LOVE this synth’s sound, and will be using it all the time!
Excellent review, yet again!
I sometimes miss my old pulse plus… The modulation capabilities of this synth look even deeper, and I’m assuming the build quality has improved as well.
The Matrix editing is easier than expected AND more annoying than expected at the same time… Kind of hard to explain, but I’ve owned several Waldorf synths over the years and the matrix thing has it’s quirks.
As for the filter: yes, it’s clinical. ALL of Waldorf’s synths (xtk and onwards) have had very accurate filters with wide sweet spots. What it lacks in vintage voodoo, it makes up for in versatility and ease of dialing in exactly what you want to hear. Don’t let Nick’s comment about the filter be misunderstood. A filter like that on an analog can be a great asset when it comes to programming more complex patches where the filter needs to sweep evenly.
I mostly agree with just about every point, but let’s not forget about the Waldorf Rocket, which has an outstanding filter brimming with character, and a drive circuit that sounds alive and organic, unlike most. It’s a brilliant beast, and apparently a completely different design from the Pulse 2, so I may just have to settle for both. 🙂
I would love to see this in a keyboard version.
I don’t know that I’call Nick Batt inimitable. He is in fact highly imitable.
Yep, when I read that the idea of a Nick Batt impersonators contest came to my mind
I freakin’ love these analog desktop synths that are coming out nowadays.
Gotta say though, for a few hundred dollars more you can get an AnalogFour, which has crazy sequencing, much more useful information displayed, ability to edit lots of params at the same time, and huge storage space. I believe the A4 has full use of MIDI (in and out). Although the A4 doesn’t have 8-voice poly like this Waldorf. Not hating on the PULSE 2 at all. Great sounding and looking synth. But it is a hard to decide which of the two I will get!
I agree somewhat. The Elektron is more appealing to me too, for having four parts and the best hardware step sequencer on the market ( and great effects to boot!)
But… The pulse 2 may be a more full featured and versatile pure synth…. The oscillators sound different (buzzier?) and there are more ways to modulate the sound….
End of day, I would always recommend someone save up and get the best gear they can that they have a connection to.
Well, the Pulse 2 is priced in thomann.de (for example) at €499, while the Elektron Analog Four is priced at €1 049. I’d say, a completely different ballpark. But yeah, I guess the US prices are a lot closer to each other, for some weird reason.
“Very satisfying actually sound” he says
Yes, indeed! ^_^
And gotta love that paraphonic stuff…with the pressure to filter cutoff and a bit of drive, mmhh sweet!
5/5 Review from MusicRadar:
http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/tech/waldorf-pulse-2-synthesizer-589701
Good sounding synth but unfortunately that typical Waldorf interface which will much less enjoyable playing with. I’ve a micro Q keys 75 voices and it has that same matrix. Also a synth with a lot of possibilities, including CV in, but because of that horrible interface I might sell it in the near future.
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