Waldorf Rocket Synthesizer

http://www.waldorf-music.info/en/rocket-sythesizer.html

Price €205, available March 2013

Decent price, boring sounds in the video.

digital oscs with analog filter?

likely

Looks very limited. I think if it was £150 then it could compete with the Monotribe. I just can't get too excited about this to be honest.

haha that video looks like it was done by a first year 3d student.

well it fits the ca. 1995 sound.

  On 2/22/2013 at 7:35 PM, The Bro said:

Looks very limited. I think if it was £150 then it could compete with the Monotribe. I just can't get too excited about this to be honest.

Are you joking? (No sadly I don't think you are...)

This--unlike the Monotribe--is a fully-functional polyphonic synthesizer.

Oh and it's analog.

Thought I saw it at £199 somewhere.

  On 2/23/2013 at 12:03 AM, LimpyLoo said:

 

  On 2/22/2013 at 7:35 PM, The Bro said:

Looks very limited. I think if it was £150 then it could compete with the Monotribe. I just can't get too excited about this to be honest.

 

Are you joking? (No sadly I don't think you are...)

 

 

This--unlike the Monotribe--is a fully-functional polyphonic synthesizer.

 

Oh and it's analog.

in case you are not joking:

this is a hybrid monophonic synth.

the oscillator(s) is/are software.

the filter is analog.

they were probably going to name it "pocket". then someone had the genius idea for its current name.

what happened to the Pulse 2?

  On 2/23/2013 at 1:09 AM, phling said:

 

  On 2/23/2013 at 12:03 AM, LimpyLoo said:

 

  On 2/22/2013 at 7:35 PM, The Bro said:

Looks very limited. I think if it was £150 then it could compete with the Monotribe. I just can't get too excited about this to be honest.

 

Are you joking? (No sadly I don't think you are...)

 

 

This--unlike the Monotribe--is a fully-functional polyphonic synthesizer.

 

Oh and it's analog.

 

in case you are not joking:

 

this is a hybrid monophonic synth.

the oscillator(s) is/are software.

the filter is analog.

 

they were probably going to name it "pocket". then someone had the genius idea for its current name.

oh wow really?

Synth-makers aren't being very upfront about their DCO's lately

http://www.waldorf-music.info/en/rocket-specifications.html

no mention of DCO's

but hey, it's as analog as a Juno-60, innit

tbh i just assumed what i assumed because the specs put the A N A L O G filter first and then never mention that word again.. so i guess the OSC is not a DCO but in fact software, its weird hyper-saw-quasi-poly-mode seems to imply the same imho...

But we all know what this really is. This is an espresso machine.

  On 2/23/2013 at 12:03 AM, LimpyLoo said:

 

  On 2/22/2013 at 7:35 PM, The Bro said:

Looks very limited. I think if it was £150 then it could compete with the Monotribe. I just can't get too excited about this to be honest.

 

Are you joking? (No sadly I don't think you are...)

 

 

This--unlike the Monotribe--is a fully-functional polyphonic synthesizer.

 

Oh and it's analog.

Oh okay I thought it was just Monophonic.

haha it is.

sounds like a shruthi-1 would still kick this thing's ass.

  On 2/23/2013 at 12:02 PM, slightlydrybeans said:

haha it is.

"Up to 8 oscillators in unison for chords or Ultra High Density Sawtooth"

I miss the days when this stuff was made explicit, though

for example

osc: VCOs

filters: VCF (12db/oct HPF and LPF or whatever)

voices: Mono or 4 or whatever

etc

ya I but the "chords" are done by tuning each osc to the right interval. LOL. Could do some banging oldschool that way though hahah.

  On 2/23/2013 at 9:45 PM, slightlydrybeans said:

ya I but the "chords" are done by tuning each osc to the right interval. LOL. Could do some banging oldschool that way though hahah.

oh jesus

does it actually say monophonic anywhere in the specs? Or is it just hinted at?

I hate this kind of marketing. Common practice with synths these days, though.

  On 2/23/2013 at 9:52 PM, LimpyLoo said:

 

  On 2/23/2013 at 9:45 PM, slightlydrybeans said:

ya I but the "chords" are done by tuning each osc to the right interval. LOL. Could do some banging oldschool that way though hahah.

 

oh jesus

 

does it actually say monophonic anywhere in the specs? Or is it just hinted at?

 

 

I hate this kind of marketing. Common practice with synths these days, though.

Didnt see monophonic mentioned anywhere in the specs, but I would be very surprised if this was a poly synth..

Can't be certain, but seems like you get a mono 8 voice osc section with a unison spread control. So at minimum setting all voices will be playing the same frequency, as you turn the spread parameter up, the voices are scaled apart at varying ranges. Low settings would get you a thick phasing sound, higher settings creating chords, and most likely ending up at stacked octaves when the spread paramter is maxed. Actually can be a nice bit of fun, and cant sound really fat, still a long way from full poly but I guess they're trying to save money as proper voice allocation stuff might ramp the price up a fair whack.

Very little is mentioned about the VCF which is annoying, aside from the fact that it's Analogue, but that really doesnt mean a whole lot imo. Multimode analogue filter, at such a low price, wouldn't expect anything too exciting. Some dull 12db thing I guess.

VCA looks proper poop, on/off switches for sustain and release..

I dunno, I guess it's a pretty cool price, and the osc detune function is pretty unique. Personally I'd save a few pennies more for something a bit more ballsy.

one more demo (with prototype)

Manual

http://www.waldorf-music.info/en/rocket-download/documentation/922-rocketmanual.html

'Special case: If Sawtooth is selected and the poly saw mode is active with a maximum value of the Wave parameter: With maximum setting of the Tune parameter you will get an unisono mode where all 8 oscillators will play the incoming MIDI notes. This is no real polyphony but will allow playing chords.'

Like I said, I really hate vague and misleading marketing like this.

Three things should be made immediately evident: osc, filter, polyphony.

Only reason not to be clear and up-front is hucksterism.