Notes on the Waldorf Quantum vs the Q and Microwave/XT Series

The following is via Soviet Space Child who has a Q+, an XTk, and a Quantum coming. He spent some time with the manual and found that the structure of how sounds are built on the Quantum differs from the cohesive synth engines of the Q and Microwave series. Yes there are new synth engines on the Quantum, but is it a replacement for Waldorf's classic synths? Perhaps not. Note, I have not had time to check out the manual myself, so this is solely Soviet Space Child's take. Also, he is still excited about the Quantum as you can see further below. If you have an opinion, feel free to leave a comment. You can find the manual on Waldorf's website here.

"Just sharing a few initial impressions as someone who has been using Waldorf synths for over 15 years now...

Judging by the manual, there's a great deal that the Quantum can do which previous Waldorf synths cannot. The reverse is also true, in that there are features in older Waldorf synths, specifically the Pulse, XT, Q, and Blofeld, which do not exist in the Quantum. This new synth really makes it feel like theres been a generational leap akin to when PPG's legacy shifted to Waldorf, i.e. the difference of going from the PPG Wave to the Waldorf Wave, and then MicroWave II/XT. Where as Wolfgang Palm was no longer involved in the new series of Wave synths, similarly the Stefan Stenzel era has given way to Rolf Wohrman. That's not a bad thing, but it really feels like this new synth was developed by a new company.

In terms of specifics where the older Waldorf synths offer more robust features, the Quantum lacks modulation modifiers, whereby two modulation sources can have operations such as '+', '-', '*', 'min', 'max', 'and', 'or', and 'xor' performed on them. The Quantum's 'komplex' modulation source partially alleviates this, though. The Quantum also lacks a random patch generator. While this is seemingly a minor features, the random patch generator on the XTk and Q is a source of great fun. It's easy to get lost in those synths for hours at a time just due to that one feature. There's also the lack of stereo capabilities on the analog filters, which was available for the analog filters on the Q+.

The biggest area where the older synths might seem to shine more than the Quantum, though, is the lack of modulation capabilities between the oscillators and the filters. That is to say, there are currently no FM or sync capabilities between the three 'oscillator' sections, and there are no FM capabilities on the digital formers. Where the Q and XT each felt like one large complex timbre, with the option to layer simpler timbres per voice, the Quantum feels like each voice is up to three simple timbres layered on top of one another.

Stereo analog filters aside, most of these things can be added later via OS updates, and here's hoping that the Quantum has a long life ahead of it in terms of customer support is concerned. Anyone who sells a Q and/or XT with the intent of replacing either with the Quantum might be left disappointed though, at least until the Quantum OS is given some time to mature, and even then the core sound of the synthesizer might be different, especially considering how characterful the Q and XT are.

With all that said, my XTk's and Q+ are not going anywhere, and I'm very much looking forward to having them in the studio with my Quantum."