February 22, 2013
To The Moon...
by Chris Randall
Waldorf surprised us all this morning with the announcement of the Rocket, a little hybrid monosynth (analog filter, digital everything else) that will retail for about $299 here in the US.
The synth features some crafty oscillator hijinks to craft an interesting sound. Whether it's your bag is a subjective opinion, but the nice thing is that they're actually taking in to account the fact that it is 2013, and making the little guy modern, unlike other manufacturers I could name but won't (cough *Korg* cough-choke *Moog* cough). Looking over the specs on the Waldorf site, it seems to be a fairly current and comprehensive feature set, with full control over USB or MIDI. I assume a control plug-in will follow shortly.
This is what I mean when I say "take some risks," instead of re-hashing 30-year-old tech for the sake of income. There isn't much risk here, and it's obvious this will be a smashing success, but at least they're trying something new-ish. (For this price point, anyhow.) Here's a video:
54 comments:
This looks amazing, but I'm more than a little wary of Waldorfs bearing renders at this point. Assuming this actually becomes available, though, it is indeed great to see something new (and that I'd actually use) coming out that isn't Yet Another Vintage Reissue.
USB power and MIDI parameter dumps (and with CC mapping to each parameter) are nice additions, as is the price point. You can also turn the OSC off (setting the pulse wave to "0") to just use is as a filter. And, the filter does self-oscillate.
But yeah, hopefully not vaporware.
But yeah, hopefully not vaporware.
Yeah, and this and the Pulse 2 have similar shipping windows. I think we can say "game on." For this, anyhow. Pulse 2? Hard to say. A little spartan in the mod and env departments, it should be said.
-CR
-CR
I could see that's the next step after the Pulse 2 comes out, maybe Blofeld 2 with a VCF?
I like the price and look of this new one, but after reading through the manual, it's a little underwhelming as a synth. Wish they had thrown something creative into the modulation here.
One thing though, that launch button is a confusing addition.
I like the price and look of this new one, but after reading through the manual, it's a little underwhelming as a synth. Wish they had thrown something creative into the modulation here.
One thing though, that launch button is a confusing addition.
So what's so interesting about those oscillators?
Would be great to have a Waldorf poly that could get the grainy 8-bit wavetable sound and also some new sounds, with VCFs. Should be able to make a Wave for much less today, no? (Aside from the cost of the front panel controls)
Would be great to have a Waldorf poly that could get the grainy 8-bit wavetable sound and also some new sounds, with VCFs. Should be able to make a Wave for much less today, no? (Aside from the cost of the front panel controls)
I highly doubt it's vapor, as they've already posted the user manual in English and German on the web site...
... and some browsing reveals: the Launch button is sort of like the Push It button on the DSI MoPho. By default, it's set to MIDI note number 60 (C3). But it will pick up whatever was the last MIDI note received and use that instead. And it lights up in response to MIDI messages.
Also, there is a warning on page 10 (English manual), stating that the Rocket should not be left "near children, mothers-in-law or pets", as this can lead to "critical interactions."
... and some browsing reveals: the Launch button is sort of like the Push It button on the DSI MoPho. By default, it's set to MIDI note number 60 (C3). But it will pick up whatever was the last MIDI note received and use that instead. And it lights up in response to MIDI messages.
Also, there is a warning on page 10 (English manual), stating that the Rocket should not be left "near children, mothers-in-law or pets", as this can lead to "critical interactions."
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