Excellent review...as a new Quantum owner I was curious to learn the differences. Another one when reviewing the panels...the Quantum has the LED's for knobs (and the ability to user define those colors) where the Iridium has no LED's. Also, to clarify the Quantum OSC's CAN retain their panning setting when routed direct to the outputs or through the digital filters bypassing the analog filters :-)
The Iridium has a lot going for it. The Quantum's so pretty though. I like beautiful design, old and new. A friend has his Quantum next to his vintage Rhodes. Dream team, sonically and cosmetically.
Enjoying my Iridium 3 day, so first time turned YT iPad or any other electronic device since unpacked it LOL Great to hear you made essential filters comparison for everybody out there struggling on this question. I think I can tell,the diff, but would still choose Iridium stereosness, even if the same price. It really opens up possibility for what it can do, I set osc1 to left, osc2 to right, osc3 does bottom Bas support in the middle and then go filters! to expand on space more. And then stereo delay, needless to say same preset, tweaked goes to second layer, I finally feel satisfied what one synth in one box can do WRT space manipulation (incl. soft synth). But exactly, she is a fat lady :) I use it on tilted laptop stand right in front of me sitting solid (hate things shaking, or it should be too solid vesa mount). But can use Iridium on top of tilted panel of my Moog Subsequent 37CV, to clumsy. If there was an option I would get an Iridium in the Quantum body :) especially if it supported poly-AT, need to think of dedicated keys for Iridium now. It will also cover extra handy knobs to assign to FX, exactly small section would make sense, even with double use with LFO. Either way both are fantastic synths and I like the bits of your playing along the vid, Tim! Cheers!
I have an Iridium Keyboard on the way but I was a little unimpressed by the filter as compared to the quantum (at least in your initial sweeps). It immediately made me glad for the analog filter in my Peak, but then slightly disappointed that the Peak has no bloody sound in. :/ Ah well. Thanks for the video!
Interesting that on the filter sweep, the quantum really brought out the harmonic series and you could clearly hear overtones coming in and out. Whereas the iridium sounded more like a filter sweep on Pro Q very digital and precise to the frequency not the overtone. Not a good or bad thing but very interesting
Hi Tim, great video once again. What would be your personal top 3 synths for ambient/soundtrack kind of music? Surely the Iridium must be there in the top? Cheers.
Thanks a lot. If I were to choose three instruments to have in my studio for ambient soundtrack work, the Iridium would definitely be in that list. As a companion to it I'd add a workhorse digital keyboard or sound module packed with PCM samples, you always need access to decent stock sounds and such a unit would provide the Iridium with endless material for further mangling. For the third slot I'd add something very analogue, I have the luxury of a Moog One but otherwise a small collection of eurorack modules, or a choice selection of semi modular synths, basically a small rig to get experimental with, to create rhythmic patterns, weird drones and textures. To be honest I hink the Iridium - or Quantum - sits perfectly at the centre of those two worlds...
Would you rather see physical controls for effects, glide, more mudulation etc. on the front panel, instead of pads? I don’t know why they had to put those half baked pads on there.
Thanks a lot. To be honest I did that video quite a long time ago so it's hard for me to remember how the sound was created. But it utilises a long and complex evolving sample that comes with the synth as part of the factory preset bank.
The digital emulation definitely differs at high resonance. It's musical, which to my mind is most important, but it is an emulation nonetheless and not the real thing.
Hi there Tim I’ve just bought a new Waldorf iridium. Can a ask you the vesa you chatted about on you vlog, what size on screws do you need as it does not tell you in the manual.
Hi Phil, I'm not sure of the size but all the bolts I needed came with the mount I bought. It was only a cheap mount but I think a lot of those for sale supply the bolts too...
Tim Shoebridge ok thank you so much for the info. The mount I bought was £52. So I hope they come with the mount 🙏🏻 but thank you so much for your help and merry Christmas 🎄
This synth looks over engineered. There are too many controls/shortcuts for the kind of territory that it covers. I know that this type of synthesis is complex, and this synth has the bells and whistles of MIDI, assignable pads and effects, however there are plenty of alternative wave table/granular synths that have a less cluttered interface. But it does sound good, even for the price.
The UI seems pretty straight forward. Nice review. Also you have a great last name. Sometimes I will walk around my apartment and say "TIM SHOEBRIDGE" in an epic voice.
I have all my desktop synths on swivel stands for monitors. It always surprised me that no synth maker thought of the VESA compatible screw holes before. I had to create my own interfaces out of metal to be able to use the VESA mounting. So this is timely I guess. My advice to you if you're planning to do this - use gas swivels, they are much sturdier, and if your synth has pads that you want to be able to play, - regular, non gas ones will change position every time you press on the pads.
Thank you for the detailed Filter section comparison. This is what I've been waiting for :) The Iridium, allowing a stereo filter, wins for me, as well as that awesome mounting bracket! I swear it looks like your using magic to have it levitate in front of you, Tim. Really appreciate this video :)
The Quantum does of course allow a stereo filter using its "Digital Former" section. You can choose between a Waldorf Nave, Waldorf Largo or PPG - like sounding stereo digital filter. Each comes in various types (LP,HP,BP,Comb...)
Remember the first time we saw the Kyra at NAMM they also had it mounted with VESA mounts? Why on Earth did that disappear from the release version.. however while VESA mounting is great to have they also need to deliver on the promised 19" rack kit for the Iridium, so I wouldn't call the mounting options great yet. I kind of wonder if that is an X brace attached to the VESA mount now.. so won't work with Kyra :/ Quantum will get a 16 voice mode, they're running on the same digital hardware.. I've not heard any of this "very very difficult to implement" stuff . o O (where did you hear that?).. it was 8 on the Quantum due to its analogue filters (but of course it can also have all the same digital filters), just limit to 8 when using the analogue ones.. and hopefully as a bonus a 4 voice mode for stereo analogue filters. I think the Iridium OS is slightly ahead of Quantum right now, if there are any digital filter types missing.. but they're both on the same codebase AFAIK Great comparison, cheers. I was pestering Waldorf for a rack Quantum for years, then bought a Quantum about a month before Iridium was announced :)
I asked the Waldorf lead engineer working on the Quantum and Iridium; twitter.com/thajeztah/status/1284787610267930626?s=21 And he replied on the 16 voice: "working on it, but less trivial than it sounds"
@@thaJeztah Rolf is pretty active on the Quantum thread on Gearslutz.. so you can keep up with development there.. or get access to beta firmwares from him
This video may be from almost 2 years ago, but I just found it today and the quality and clear explanations without the usual RU-vid 'weird language usage' made me a) subscribe and b) want to buy an Iridium. Thanks.
Very nice review. Just got mine a couple days ago, and love the sound of it. They have a few kinks to work out in the firmware, and I still would’ve preferred dedicated macro controls or a physical mod matrix over the pads. Other than that, I’ve found it really inspiring to use.
Beautiful pad at the end, very interesting timbre layers. Also love the mounting arm to solve the large footprint on your desk space issue. This Iridium floating over your work space certainly makes for good presentation looking like you are in musical surgery checking the composition's vital signs. I'd use this for pads and sequences. Nice piece.
Tim Shoebridge - most thoughtful, rational and musically relevant analysis and top-end synthesizer evaluation for those whose music-making is driven by end product excellence.
Very informative video as always. How can anyone not want iridium after this comparison? I wonder how much does it overlap with the hydrasynth in terms of the sound possibilities though. Seems quite similar to the hydrasynth desktop version.
The Hydra is pretty different. It doesn’t do any sample playback, it’s wavetable-only. Also the Hydra has a great feature called mutators. Watch some Hydrasynth videos. I love the way the Hydra is structured. Besides ‘normal’ stuff like FM, you have unusual things like a harmonics generator. It’s a wonderful synth, but it’s very different from the Iridium, which has several different engines that are deep in themselves at the root level. Rather than using 1 type of synth engine and offering insane tone-mutation possibilities to give you varying tones. The Iridium also has a more clean, precise sound. The Hydrasynth i think they wanted to give it more of a vintage character. It still sounds digital. But it can be a bit fuzzier than the Iridium.
My English is not good, but i love your videos. Great knowledge, nice colours on the video and your voice is great too. Tim, what is the "stand" under the Iridium?
Interesting and (as allways) really informative video! 👍 Now after you got an ASM Hydrasynth i would really appreciate a comparsion to this one ... or at least your opinion regarding "value for money".
Tim, how difficult do you think it would be to get a simple MIDI controller with a bunch of knobs, attach it to the Iridium and use it as a permanent addon controller for the various f/x parameters via CCs? Would the CC mappings be global so you didn't have to set it up for each patch? What I love about the Iridium and the Quantum is the workflow, it looks beautiful. If I could add something on like that, label my knobs what they were, and have it without the hassle of having to set it up for every patch, that'd be serendipity.
The Iridium has a very cool MIDI CC learn feature, lots of parameters can be automated, but not absolutely everything. To be honest I'm not sure if those mappings are global or per patch, I have a sneaking suspicion they are per patch, but that's still ok, you could create your own INIT patch if needed....
Two things, though... Prophet X has analog filters, and they go up to 16 poly at release, and instituted a 32-poly paraphonic mode later on past 2.0, so it's definitely possible to do more than 8-poly on analog filters (albeit in mono for 16 and up). Also, ASM Hydrasynth is only 8-poly, and has no stack/split at all, and is one hell of a synth. Given that, I'm certainly not turned off of the Quantum. Hell, most of the time I only play a single or an octave spread on bass anyway. Not seeing it as a huge limitation. I just bought a Quantum, and am still eagerly awaiting its arrival. No regrets, even after watching this. Rather have the Quantum than the Iridium, all things considered. And the Roland System 8 doesn't even have stereo control, so the stereo vs not nature of the analog filters isn't a huge deal. One wonders why they bothered with stereo oscillators then, though.
The Quantum and PX are real analog filters, which really does make a huge difference. It’s a shame the PX is so tough to add your own samples to, because the stereo analog filter setup sounds beautiful. The filter on the PX beats either of these synths, really. That’s an opinion, and grain of salt because i generally prefer Prophet filters over anything else for polyphonic material. OB filter is amazing too. I wish Sequential made a sample playback synth with filter switchable between Oberheim and Prophet. I have the Pro 2 and looove the filters.. but no sample playback, and paraphonic.
I have aroun 3k to spend to gear right now, and I was going to go even further down the rabbit hole of modular, but I have to say this is throwing a spanner in the works!
If I were buying one now, I'd probably get the Iridium. The extra polyphony and stereo features are nice to have, and, of course, it's half of the price. But, since I have a Quantum, I'm very happy with it. I do think that the analog filters sound a little better than the digital ones, and I like the Quantum's screen and panel. So I think that both of them have advantages over the other. No buyer's remorse, anyway. I know that the Iridium is a monster pad machine, but I can attest that the Quantum does a mean pad as well. Thanks for the comparison. It was useful and spot-on.
Thank you Tim, I love how clear and precise your uploads are... you were a big reason I ordered the Kyra and preordered the Iridium and I'm very happy with the Kyra. When the Iridium comes your steel patch is on my top list. Keep up the good work
I've finally ordered an Iridium, and already have the Kyra. Need to source a decent arm like you're using. What did you get, any particular things to search for in a mounting arm other than VESA +75mm +monitor arm?
To my ears, the quantum sounds just a tad warmer than the iridium, a bit more clean as well. However, once you layer other sounds, I don't know that anyone would be able to hear the subtle difference. I think I agree that the Iridium is the better unit overall, but this is only based on what I have seen, I don't have either unit. I am considering an Iridium, it would be my first sort hardware modern synth specifically designed for sound design, although, I do have a Korg Kronos 2 and a Yamaha Motif XF8. I don't know tho, I am intimidated by this unit and its complexity, and I am not sure how much I would use it, considering I never got into sound design in a deep and meaningful way. I am into all sorts of music, synth, orchestral, ambient, soundscapes, country, rock, R&B, you name it. I think the only music genre that doesn't peak my interest is polka... What I would likely end up doing is sampling stuff I create for use in the computer or my MPC Live 2 / Maschine +, and there is plenty of stuff here that I would use for my orchestral music for sure.
Really enjoyed watching that Tim... Firstly, as a Quantum owner, I knew the Digital filters would be good on the Iridium but even though I think the Quantum's one sounded a little more 'organic and richer' I wouldn't say it was 'massively significant' and that's what I wanted to hear, just for my own curiosity. You patches sound amazing Fella and I will certainly have to buy a few of those beautiful pads you've created... Great video... Thanks for doing it
I kinda wanted an Iridium...the touch screen issue, put me off one...but now I saw that you have this stand for it and I want one again. I think the filters make a massive difference. But then again analog emulations is not the first thing I want an Iridium for...and of course I can't afford a Quantum..
Hi, what kind of music styles the Iridium can cover best? Mostly pads and smooth sequences, yes but what is with f.e. bass and harder things like Techno?
I agree with you. There are plenty of amazing VST plugins out there. I don't think buying an Iridium or Quantum is about sound quality or capability compared to a collection of VST's, it's about user experience, workflow and personal preference. Some people can't get creative in front of a computer, others can. And yes you pay a huge premium for that hands-on hardware experience...
@@TimShoebridge I have a small collection of synthesizers. I love them, they look great. And possession makes me happy. And here I see the end of the advantages. The computer facilitates the workflow. A strong laptop and a good controller will do. And you can now own the most powerful set of synthesizers. It's convenient. But it is sexy and mentally very difficult to jump over :)
Wow, many of the comments here surprise me because, to my ears, the quality of the sweep through the harmonic series on the Quantum just smokes the Iridium. The Quantum transitions SO smoothly & organically between those resonant harmonics. The Iridium still sounds impressive, but there are some comparatively awkward transitions between harmonics. But hey, what do I know? I'm just a violinist.
It's really shocking how nobody noticed the HUGE difference on the filters sweep. Waldorf is one of the hell daddy of analogue filters. And here is the proof. Iridium is a step up in terms of sound design, but those sweeps on quantum... Jesus... Those filters are pure singing to me. That's what I call a musical filter. Iridium sounded like a sea sick cowboy puking on the side boat. Nevertheless, I still hold my Sherman Filterbank and I filter my kids farts through it... You'll be surprised how musical methane can sound when processed with harmonically and organically tuned filters. No DSP will ever be even close
"Iridium sounded like a sea sick cowboy puking on the side boat." This lies purely on Tim's choice of presets presented in this presentation and has nothing to do with the Iridium lacking some sort of ability. Even Tim's other videos about the Iridium showcase some absolutely beautiful sounds. The Iridium is absolutely equipped with the ability to make sounds that would make God weep at their beauty. But, it can also make ugly sounds, the kind that make seasick cowboys puke over the side of the boat, so to speak.
Hi Sir, in your 75% resonance sweep test I hear more artifacts and a less uniform behaviour in the digital filter emulation of Iridium compared to the analog filter in Quantum. Do you agree with that? Thanks and greetings
The Iridium should offer SND & RTRN jacks to process the sound through an external analog filter, and the ability to enter midi values with an attached pc-keyboard via USB
Seems a shame that Waldorf didn't implement some sort of option to use the dual analog filters per voice in the quantum in some sort of limited stereo mode. I'm not aware of the circuit details, but even if they are "locked" to 12 and 24 db per octave designs respectively, it would have still provide a very cool effect if you could route them in stereo.
Yeah, those filters are worlds apart... the Iridium loses a lot on the top end, and doesn't sound stable with high resonance at all... Thanks for taking the time to make this!
Please do a video on that Spectralis 2! Loved your video on the Kyra where you do a detailed walk-through onthe architecture of the unit. It would be great to see something along those lines with the Spectralis 2.
Yeh v nice already have both Prophets 6&12 and Pro 3 along with Virus Ti & Lead4 plus most the usual line up but was contemplating the Kyra but think I'm more likely to go with the Iridium having now seen it esp as I havnt got more slat wall space left for another full size synth like the quantum. Not usually a fan of desktop versions but this one gets my attention .. Great Video btw
Would really like the original Valkarie pref version in blue and orange pre waldorf if anyone was lucky enough to ever get sent a demo version and wants to get shut though CALL ME !! LOL
Hi! How is the "state-variable" filter here different from any other filter type? I'm used to "state-variable" meaning that a filter can gradually interpolate between LP-Notch-HP states, like the Sequential OB6, or maybe LP-BP-HP states. Does the Iridium do this? If not, how are its state-variable filters different from any other filters? Thanks!
Thanks a lot. Build quality is excellent, it's built like a tank! The stand is just a VESA stand that clamps to the desk, you can pick them up off amazon for about £20. there are a huge number of VESA stands and mounts out there...
Hi Tim. Could you possibly let me know what adapter you used along with the VESA arm mount. I’m having problems trying to identify the correct plate. PS. terrific and insightful video - subscribed!
Thank you for this great review, super informative. A question - could u use a MIDI device or software app w continuous controller to surface better on hand control over FX, glide and other otherwise less ergonomic functions not facilitated w knobs etc on the iridium? Thanks!
Thanks very much. Yes the Iridium has a "MIDI learn CC" option for all FX parameters and also the glide options, not for the master compression though.
daft question..... I have room for a single "VA" synth (along with one analogue or hybrid). Currently have a Virus Ti2, but am considering a swap. For either Kyra, Iridium or Hydrasynth. Use is primarily live, in cover bands (70s, 80s, 90s) but I want this particular unit (as opposed to the analogue/hybrid) to get into ambient sounds just for fun. Thoughts on best option/s ?
Not a daft question at all. One thing's for sure, we're not short of choice at the moment! :) I do not own a hydrasynth so can not comment on it apart from reiterating what you probably have already seen over and over which is loads of people raving about it and its poly aftertouch capability. I guess from a live performance point of view that capability is definitely something to consider if you went for the keyboard version. As for the Kyra, my conclusion about it was that at this point in time I don't see a substantial benefit over a virus Ti or Ti2. It has huge potential and I'm hopeful that new features will find their way into the firmware but for now I'm not so convinced about trading in a virus for it, but I stress that is very much a personal point of view. The Iridium is my number one synth currently. I absolutely love it. It is so flexible, easy to work with, and capable of such a huge spectrum of synthesis options and sounds. The only downside I would say for live use is that there are a few initial bugs with the firmware at this point in time. I occasionally get stuck notes controlling it over midi and very rarely I'll get white noise glitches playing sample-based patches. In a studio environment these become minor annoyances, they don't happen very often anyway, but at this point in time I would personally be wary about using an Iridium in a live environment. Hopefully these issues will be eradicated in the next firmware release.
@@TimShoebridge Thankyou. Confirmed my own view of Kyra. No arp latch on iridium is a PITA, and it does offer much more than I actually need - Love the Visa mount option though..... Could probably add it rather than replace something with that (as its stand space that the factor - I could add a mic boom mounted on top of my K&M spider coming over the top of peak/virus and mount iridium on that). Again with Hydrasynth, the module does lack some of the key points in control - and its a module Id have to have.
Tim, Super Thank You for all the videos. I am torn between getting the Iridium or the Quantum, I work with Multi Samples, (old emu guy). I guess the main difference is how much more warmth does the Quantum analog filters give to the samples and are you satisfied with converters on the Waldorf. It seems that no one has figured out how to make standalone workstation with a proper Autosampler engine, just like the ones we have in software format. I have tried the Akai MPC , but it still needs a lot of work to get it right. Thank You Sir!!
Hi Tim, congratulations on your channel, I came across it when I was looking for information about Waldorf Iridium, and I became a fan of your channel, and Iridium. I wanted to ask you if you know where I can find information about Iridium's midi implementation to get the most out of it in a DAW (preferably Studio One), since it's not sending me midi information, so I can't send changes in real time or control keyboard plugins, which is a waste for me!!! I hope you can help me or, even better, maybe make a video on this topic, it strikes me that there is so little information (from manufacturers and users) on how to get the most out of a hardware synth in a DAW. Thank you so much,
Tim, love your videos - have you ever used the Waldorf Blofeld? I have the keyboard version and find it to be remarkably deep. It would be really interesting to see your take on this amazing but highly underrated synth. I am on a mission to find an analogue synth to partner with my Blofeld...stuck between the Minilogue XD and the Poly D...I feel that the Minilogue covers some of the sonic territory of the Blofeld with its digital OSC...I find myself intrigued but unsure about getting a synth that cannot save patches...does it free you up to explore sound or is it a source of frustration?
Hi Mark, Yes I have a Blofeld, I definitely hope to do a video on it one day. As for synths without presets, that's an extremely good question, but it's one that is so much down to personal preference. I'm also a photographer, I sometimes shoot with digital cameras all day, they're so convenient, they can automate almost every aspect of photography for you these days, people will argue that they let you get on with the job of composing the photo, of creating art. And while that's undoubtedly true, I still have an overriding urge just once in a while to take out a 30 year old view camera, no batteries, no automation, it takes ten minutes to set the damn thing up to take just a single photo! And that's exactly how I feel about fully manual analogue synths, they're highly impractical if you are making music to a deadline, but they're something I simply have to have on hand once in a while to bring me back down to the ground and to experience synthesis they way it was some 40 or so years ago, even down to needing to tune each oscillator before you start! They can be highly inspirational, but for the right project and when you're in the right mindset. Hope that helps.
Thank you for this good explanatory video .Would it be possible to build a modular rack heavy on analogue filters .Then to modulate or apply envelope from the Iridium via the CV ?
The four CV connections are actually CV ins, so they are intended for modulating the Iridium using external gear rather than the other way round. You could take the MIDI out, pass it into a eurorack MIDI-to-CV converter, and then control external filters and envelope generators that way, but there would be definite limitations in terms of polyphony vs paraphony
@@TimShoebridge Thank you Tim .The instrument stands quite on it's own .Even though the filters are digital we are spoilt with versatility and choice .
btw "pricetag": nowadays, why can't it simply provide 16 multi-timbrality that can be assigned to the physical outputs (as synths already could decades ago)?
I was really taken by the guitar in the intro at 0:00 - 0:38. I am a guitarist with an injured left hand who has been trying to move to keyboards. I'd like to get that sound. Does anyone know whether the Quantum and Iridium presets are compatible with the Blofeld? The Blofeld is all I can afford. Thanks in advance. . . J
you could display 4 future LFOs by illuminating 1-4 leds while led5 is also lit to let you know "add 5 to this" but 9 LFOs is a bit overkill...or is it?
@@TimShoebridge thank you sir.....I just recieved both my Summit and Hydrasynth and managed to find a way .. I just went on multi mode and one of the layers will continue to ring it's preset while the other layer can flip to other presets without cutting out the first preset.....and then whilst playing we can switch it over now the right hand layer can hold the ringing while the left hand layer changes presets..... another way is to split the keyboard.. thks for yr great videos!! Also jus recieved my Hydrasynth Deluxe and the same way works on it as well.....
Thanks for this video I am going to down size to the iridium for the stereo sound and more voices ....and saving space....no need for analog filters given I have other analog gear would rather focus on digital and do it well here
then go out and make it. you are young and you can do it if you work snart and come up with an idea. unless you live in a socialist country you can become rich.
