Waldorf Blofeld

Start 360°

Desktop Synthesiser

Up to 25 voice polyphony
16-Part multitimbral
3 Oscillators per voice
Frequency modulation between the oscillators
2 Independent multimode filters per voice
3 LFOs with sine, triangle, rectangle and sawtooth, plus sample & hold and noise
4 Fast envelopes
Over 1000 sounds
Multimode with 128 memory locations
5 Endless rotary encoders
5 Buttons
1 Volume control
White backlit graphic display with 128 x 64 pixels
Freely programmable arpeggiator pattern per sound with up to 16 steps
2 Effect slots per part
Stereo output
Headphone output
MIDI In
USB for MIDI In / Out
Robust housing
Aluminium controls
External power supply unit
Dimensions (W x H x D): 304 x 54 x 132 mm
Weight: 1.3 kg

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

3-Year Thomann Warranty

Available since January 2008
Item number 112756
Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
Design Desktop
Polyphony 50
Sound Generation Virtual Analogue
MIDI interface 1x In
Storage Medium USB to Host
USB-port Yes
Effects Yes
Arpeggiator Yes
Number of Analog Outputs 2
Digital Output No
Display Yes
Special Features Micro Q Sound Import and Playback

£513

All prices incl. VAT

152

Sales Rank

in Sound Modules

Bundles & offers

Create your own bundle

starting from £1,039

Up to 5% discount

137 Customer ratings

5 78 Customers 4 46 Customers 3 10 Customers 2 2 Customers 1 1 Customer

4.4 / 5

handling

features

sound

quality

Review guidelines

83 Reviews

Still Very Good after 13 Years... However...

*Theo E* 27.08.2020

So why, you'd wanna buy a 13 year old synth module? First because you're after the Waldorf digital sound at an affordable price. Second, the device has matured and probable issues with the firmware have been fixed. And third the community has matured, meaning there are thousands of sounds and utilities for it, and you won't get stuck with just the support files from the vendor.

Blofeld, sounds AMAZING! Some people compare it with Largo VST, and although the later sounds excellent too, they DO NOT sound the same. This is a device which carries out the legacy of Waldorf's rich sound, and you'll reckon that as soon as you start to test the presets.

It's built like a tank, inside a metal housing. However there are sacrifices to the quality. The DSP is not too powerful, so polyphony may drop significantly depending on what features you use. Also many people have reported that the rotary encoders, do not work properly after years of use.

Speaking of encoders, this is NOT a hands on device! It would be great if you could assign the 4 knobs to the W, X, Y, Z controllers, but I haven't found such option. Also a big absence in my opinion is a confirmation dialog when you try to switch sounds. You can easily lose the sound you created if you're not careful.

Would I recommend it? Yes, more or less, but it may be time for Waldorf to upgrade their design to 2020 standards.

handling

features

sound

quality

Report

Do you believe this rating to be inaccurate or unacceptable for some reason? Please give us the reason for your assessment in the following text box and – if possible – your e-mail address for further questions.

the best synth at that price range

nesmeured 27.06.2018

Blofeld's desktop version is the best thing you can add to your studio at that price. The blend of wavetable synthesis and analogue modelling is something that can provide absolutely endless possibilities.
Downside is the lack of direct interface. Sometimes you would spend hours drowning in its parameters menu but its totally worth it. Another cons is that the original presets are very mediocre thus you should spend months on learning its synthesis.
Once you learn how to control that beast you enter a whole new world of weird sounds.
My main use of it is for pad sounds but its also perfect for making some classic chord/rhodes/piano type of sounds. Filters, oscillators, envelopes, all done very well, not really impressed with the effects though, except the overdrive.
Overall, its a solid, versatile, powerful and feature-rich synth.

handling

features

sound

quality

Report

Nice and little but powerfull Synth

Anonymous 28.11.2014

Iam owning the Blofeld since it came out back in 2008 and i think the featureset is still holding up, specially at its pricepoint.
Its packed with 3 OSC's , 2 multimode Filters wich can be used in parallel or serial mode, a bunch of ADSR envelops + LFO's and a huge MODmatrix. If you dive deep into its synthesis options, with the Wavetables (2 of the OSC's have them), modifiers etc., the possibilities are almost endless.
But the Blofeld is not just advanced Users, because with the LCD Display it provides a very good Feedback for beginners that want to learn how to program a Synth.
The range of sounds is huge, from the standard analog style subtractive bass to complex wavetable pads, its all in there.
One downside of its engine are maybe the Effects, they are mediocre at best.

The buildquality is decent, metal case and encoder caps. The encoder are still working good here after 6 years of use. Only issue is that get noise from the PC on the Outputs if i connect it via USB.

All in all its a nice Desktopsynth, that i recommended.

handling

features

sound

quality

Report

Affordable synthesizer with loads of features

Anonymous 18.05.2016

The waldorf blofeld tabletop synthesizer is a good quality machine. It looks good, it feels good, and it's really powerful for such a low price. It's packed with features, such as wavetables, frequency modulation, many different envelope types, and a mod matrix.

While you can make some really amazing sounds with the blofeld, it can be a bit difficult to use if you're not into browsing menus. There are only a few knobs to use, so you often need to navigate using the screen. While it's not my favourite way of doing things, it's still quite comfortable with the blofeld, and I find a lot easier than my other small synthesizers with little lcd screens and menus.

Overall blofeld is an amazing synthesizer for the price. It surely is a lot of fun, even though the editing can be a bit slow compared to synths with loads of knobs. Those, however, are usually much more expensive.

handling

features

sound

quality

Report

Read all reviews

Waldorf Blofeld

Desktop Synthesiser

137 Customer ratings

You have to be logged in to rate products.

83 Reviews

Smart Navigator

Served with love!

Waldorf Blofeld

Desktop Synthesiser

Accessories & matching items

137 Customer ratings

You have to be logged in to rate products.

83 Reviews

Compare options

Smart Navigator