20 thoughts on “Waldorf Quantum & Iridium Firmware 3.0 Brings ‘A Ton Of New Features’”

1. Waldorf screws people on the Kyra and instead offers more expensive items that are what, two part multitimbral at most? Forget them

   1. How did Waldorf screw people on the Kyra? It is a functional insrument, is it not? It was also on the market for a year longer than the Iridium and a year less than the Quantum.

   2. The Quantum is a year older than the Kyra and the Iridium is a year younger (and based on the Quantum) so your comment doesn’t make much sense. Kyra is also a working instrument, is it not?

   3. Hmm same for Roland, Korg, Moog and Yamaha…..they place resources, where there are interest…instead of malking a dead cow….

   4. Kyra was not a Waldorf design. The root question is why Manuel Caballero abandoned firmware development.

   5. You mean Waldorf M instead of Kyra. But that is my personal opinion. It’s because I didnt hear nice sounds coming from the M so far.

2. A very high quality synth.
   Unfortunately when I looked at my bank account I discovered I am not high quality.

3. With 16 voices now on the Quantum, what are the differences between Quantum and Iridium?

   1. analog filters

4. Most musicians are lasy, they expect “sounds on a plate”, they buy arrangers. They dont want to spend hours tweeking the sounds, mod matrix and properties of different sound synthesis. Most musicians dont even read the manuals. Those musicians are the reason why synth companies in general have problems to offer inovation and multitimbrality.

   1. well people who practice their instrument for 8-10 hours a day is not my definition of lazy.

   2. Using the broad term “musicians,” you confuse instrumentalists such as keyboard players with sound designers. Not every synth player wants or needs to spend hours every day learning about synthesis, just as a pianist might not be interested in building or modifying their instrument. Some people like to play keyboards; others might be more into sound design. That’s why we have many options, from simple instruments like Theremin and Minimoog to deep and complex modular systems.

5. The Kyra actually started life a few years ago without Waldorf involvement, first being shown as a prototype at Musikmesse
   maybe that’s why they did nog finish the project right
   They should concentrate on their one development
   It’s an amazing Synth the iridium as composer like Hans Zimmer does not use garbage by creating scores with Waldorfs Quantum and I have seen him life on stage with it
   also I wired longer on buying synths like a year to read how actually the hardware is doing in real situations studios that keeps you from masking the wrong chooses
   Always sad to feel screwed over can’t take away that pain and hope you still can use the Kyra as the sound is great I heard
   remember the Access Virus stopped having software development and there no parts to find if it’s needs repair people still buy those

6. Synth companies like these kind of flagship everything but the kitchen sink instruments. Perhaps it is what drives them in order to come up with nice useful tools. The wave was only useful because it ended up creating the microwave, the blofeld etc. Hopefully they’ll figure out how to make something useful from the quantum as well. But clearly this is a loss of time and musicians for musicians. There is no way escaping the aweful interface that a flagship demands.

   1. The Waldorf Wave came after the Microwave. Get your facts right. And a synth like this is designed for elaborated sound design. If you like to use presets, get an arranger keyboard. You’re in the wrong place here. This is about creating your own sounds.

7. Thanks for the history lessons as if someone who hasn’t been a visitor on synthtopia for decades now wouldn’t already know. Yeah the originator sold it to Waldorf. So aside from knowing the details of the sales contract how would anyone have the slightest idea if he had any obligations to develop it further. The criticism falls DIRECTLY on Waldorf…dispense of the relativism.
   As for the argument of a delivering a working instrument, you all left out more worthy arguments such as the Timberwolf and Fusion.

8. Regarding the “high” price, a secondhand Iridium desktop can be had for a very reasonable amount. This firmware update adds some very useful new features. I’m particularly interested in the new noise types and the expanded effects routing capabilities. Big thumbs up from me!

9. I get the feeling a lot of folks commenting here have never spent any time with the Quantum.

   It’s beautiful to look at, and the interface is a masterclass in how to avoid the curse of over complicated flagship workstation menu-diving. Axel Hartmann is an industrial design genius and he outdid himself with the quantum.

   Playing it -or playing around with it- is inspirational. Turning it on for any amount of time produces ‘holy sh*t” moments like nothing else I own.

   It’s expensive. There are far more talented folks than I that can’t afford to own one. That’s not lost on me. It’s one of the few pieces of kit I own that’s price seems entirely justified, though.

   If Waldorf decided to stop making by them tomorrow, I’d still have a fantastic instrument that is everything I want it to be. Incidentally, I have a long out of production Q for which Waldorf replaced the main board last year. I have no concerns about them continuing to support their products long after they are taken out of production if they were willing and able to fix that instrument.

   Great company making enviable products.

10. For last the couple of years Waldorf is constantly updating their Quantum and Iridium synth lines with lots and lots of new features. They even added in 2.0 a whole new synthesis engine and they are open suggestions from the user community. This stuff is pretty amazing if you are in sculpting your own sounds for your productions. It’s really inspiring to sit in front of these. I have an Iridium Desktop and a Quantum and use them on a daily basis. The also complement well analog synths like OB6 and Matriarch I have. It’s good stuff by good people.

11. reactor has it completely right. Even if you can’t afford three or four Quantum-level synths, you can usually work your way up to at least one. I’ve had a couple of those, but I quickly learned how smart it was to let just one feed my outboard gear. It keeps things in better balance.

    A Quantum is a universe by itself, but flagships usually offer more routing options. You can easily get added mileage from a few lesser outboard synths. Waldorf’s follow-through is excellent, so it fits my master-synth idea better than anything else at the moment. Gimme two. Okay, just one.