Waldorf Quantum

I’m a big fan of Tangerine Dream and owning a Waldorf Quantum gave me the opportunity to use a wavetable synthesiser ( as well as waveform, particle and granular synthesis) and try and emulate PPG-type sounds with hardware. I will,use this to make Berlin School music for my personal pleasure and for short film soundtracks etc.

This is a solidly built (pressed steel) LED-emblazoned thing of beauty. Even the pitch and expression wheel are metallic! Viewing it in subdued lighting transports me (pun intended) to,the bridge of a SciFi flight deck: It’s thrilling. The keyboard has a nice positive feel. It’s a very heavy device which again lends it a feeling of quality. On powering it up, I updated the firmware as suggested before delving into the sounds.

Most of the patches are....harsh, digital, abrasive sounds perfect for soundtracks and scaring ones underwear off at night! There are a few bell-like ringing sounds but there are no really smooth string-like pads which is a great shame. To be honest I feel these patches were developed to show off the extreme sounds the Quantum is capable of producing rather than acting as starting points from where one can develop usable sounds. Slime will like that, others will find it tiresome.

I have experienced some software glitches such as screen going white, clicks and buzzes when standing idle, expression being stuck in the on position all of which required the Quantum to be rebooted.

The user manual is pretty useless and I rely on the Waldorf forum members for help. They are a great resource, helpful and SO knowledgable .

In conclusion the Quantum has military-standard construction, a temperamental firmware, digitally harsh sounds (use Youtube to hear some of the patches), but the vast flexibility means I’m going to have years of fun developing sounds and exploring its capabilities.