NAMM: Hot new synths (and piano) from Waldorf?

Amazona.de seems to have the scoop on the new synth lineup from Waldorf (bonkers English translation here). The headlines (which may be wrong - could a German speaker confirm?):
Stromberg A big aluminium 5 octave wavetable digital synth with optional plug-in modules adding analog filters and/or tube amplification.
Blofeld A desktop/rackmount analogue modelling synth with a nice big LCD display and an aluminium box.
Zarenbourg A Wurli-inspired stage piano using physical modelling rather than samples (a bit like a hardware Lounge Lizard), with built in speakers - clearly going after Clavia's Electro range but with a much more retro look.
Phoenix Edition A limited edition reissue of the Q, Q+ and Micro Q, in black. The Q+ has analogue filters, the Q digital ones, and the Micro Q is the simplified rackmount version.
Exiting stuff - let's hope it doesn't turn out to be vapour! (via your source for all things Waldorf, Sequencer.de)

Posted by Tom Whitwell.

Comments:

I hope they won't sound too sterile...

# posted by

Anonymous : 4:37 pm

As a native german speaker, I can tell you your text is a good summary of the way longer german text.
well done.

hope to turn these new Waldorf knobs soon

Till "Qwave" Kopper

# posted by

Anonymous : 4:53 pm

Am I alone in thinking these are pretty poor photoshops ?

Well, once again the NAMM Bullshit Machine kicks in to full flow.....

Why oh why can people not just wait till the 18th ??

Dear oh dear.....

They might as well call the next two products Kananga & Scaramanga and keep the Bond theme going.....

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:22 pm

Ok, I stand corrected, they do appear on the official Waldorf site, but not even they can post real pics, just these poor digital creations which look like some 6th former just knocked them up in class !

http://www.waldorfmusic.de/en/news

Ah well, the proof is in the pudiing and I'm sure the halls of NAMM will be ringing with the tomes of these new devices.

And until then, I reserve my judgement.

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:58 pm

It's a bummer that the piano isn't truly electro-mechanical. That would kick some serious ass.

I don't see lugging that thing around when you could just get an Electro. But I guess you would look really cool on stage. :)

I guess I'm sticking with the Rhodes...

# posted by

Anonymous : 11:36 pm

Right! I'm be excited to have an alternative to the Nord Electro, but why the big, bulky case?

# posted by

Anonymous : 12:11 am

blofeld? What kind of a name is that? Perhaps it means something different in German. A nice little logo with a Golden Gun, a siamese pussycat and three nipples would be rather fetching I think.

# posted by

Anonymous : 1:35 am

The Future Belongs to Amorphous Alloys.

# posted by

Anonymous : 1:41 am

This is like Novation unveiling a trio of British keyboards named the Bainbridge, the Caldicott and the Parkhouse.

It would have been more amusing if they'd chosen placenames, because Novation could have pitted their new phase modulation 'Husbands Bosworth' synth head-to-head against Waldorf's new 'Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitänsjackenknopfloch' megasynth.

# posted by

Anonymous : 4:49 am

As an german native speaker:

Funny translation, lol! From a first quick reading:
Please switch "Whale Village" to "Waldorf", "Whale village is bake" - as you allready guessed to "Waldorf is back", "Current mountain" to "Stromberg". Blofeld don't mean anything in German - think it fits into the line of strange names they decided to choose. Reminds me of James Bond.
Cheers - ginger

# posted by

Anonymous : 10:30 am

# posted by

Anonymous : 10:31 am

it was James Bond characters..

Stromberg is the bad guy from "The Spy Who Loved Me"..

Blofeld is the head of SPECTRE and the bad guy from "You Only Live Twice"

# posted by

Awakened Yeti : 12:43 pm

I never thought of it that way before, but maybe the "Q" was also named after the Bond character: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_(James_Bond)

# posted by

Anonymous : 6:01 pm

Then there was Microwave, the James Bond character that captured 007 and forced him to only eat TV dinners.

# posted by

Joe McGinty : 3:12 pm

It seems a little big for my liking.

Janet

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:18 pm

You don't expect me to talk, do you?

Noooo, Mr Bond, I expect you to play!!

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:32 pm

forget that. MF-107 is announced.

# posted by

Anonymous : 9:55 pm

With the greatest respect to waldorf, I hope this product actually exists and that it's relativly bug free.

I admire Waldorf for giving unqiue products, but if they're going to survive their re-birth they need to announce products when they're ready to ship, not before.

# posted by

Anonymous : 9:19 am

I'd love to give that piano a whirl. Or maybe the correct term is WurliTzer.

# posted by

Anonymous : 1:12 am

I think they should really call it "Whale Village" It's the most innovative synth name ever.

# posted by

Anonymous : 2:06 pm

considering they first made WAVEtable synths.. "Whale Village" is fairly appropriate

i like it too - they should think about changing it

# posted by

Awakened Yeti : 8:02 pm

the zarenbourg will be a rhodes and wurly. a little bird has told me that it sounds wonderful and the keys feel great.

# posted by

Anonymous : 12:26 pm

I played the Zarenbourg a bit at NAMM. Good action, and it sounds great. It's the best modelled electro mechanical piano to date. Who needs it though now that Rhodes is back.

http://rhodespiano.com/

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:39 am

It's big advantage over the Rhodes -if it's as good as people are saying/hoping it will be- will be weight. Maybe half of the Rhodes' mass is the guts of it.

# posted by

Anonymous : 8:36 pm