Message 7/18
Date: 14-Feb-03 @ 03:55 PM -
RE: Andromeda or Waldorf Q rack
As an andromeda owner, i thought i'd speak up for an awesome synth. Dont have much experience on the Q, but i love some of the waldorf products too. Honestly, if you are considering the andromeda, it would be good to have a little programming background in yas. The newest OS now provides Sysex codes for every single knob and modulation function on the synth...controler 1739 is LFO 3....you get the idea. The layering function ( for playing multiple patches at once) can be tricky and meticulous, and sometimes it is difficult to get the patches to sound exactly the same was when you wrote them in program mode. But once you get used to toggling through alot of menus, its all good. But basically what it boils down to is that sequencing with this beast can be a bit of a hassle, but the results are really beautiful sometimes. oh yeah, and only half the onboard effects are any good, but the various values of some of the specific effects can be controlled ( included in) the mod matrix.
Good things: This synth is fvcking RAW. Ignore the presets....you gotta dig deep into this synth and really milk it. the 7 stage envelopes ( digital) are really sweet, and the layout of the knobs and OS / UI in general are really intuitive once you understand the programming 'style'. I LOVE the filters on this thing. 1 4-pole and 1 2-pole...both the IC chips ( actually there are 32, 2 for each voice), are liscenced from Moog and Oberheim. But you prolly already knew that if you have been researching it. Ribbon controller is great, and with the all the possibilities on the MOD matrix, you can programm it to control OSC freq, filter freqency, and say Frequency Modulation all at once, the results of which you can imagine.
Anyway i could ramble about this thing all day...but before you buy, go to sonic state ( i know there is a particular disdain for Sonic state here, but thier reviews are legit and varied in opinion).
Yeah, i would say pick up the andromeda if you discover you like its sound, but i recomend finding a used one, which you can get for around 2200 US $ if you look around.
Have fun
$0£!D