Waldorf Pulse 2 5-stars Reviews

Great synth in a small package!

Being an owner of other Waldorf instruments, the Pulse 2 was another nice addition to my studio. I like the compact desk-top construction, which is also built like a tank, the Pulse 2 brought a unique analog flavor to my rig. The three oscillators are superb and I've made some great little bass sounds that stand out amongst many other synths I own. Definitely recommended.

Very versatile synth

Like said in the manual, the modulation matrix is the heart of Pulse 2. This takes the synth from basic subtractive synthesis into the world of modular synthesis. The mod matrix is also one of the few things that actually makes use of the fairly large lcd screen - all 8 modulation routes are displayed at once. Hopefully a future firmware update will make more use of the screen elsewhere, eg. visual ADSR envelope or the ability to see all the parameters at once as a list, etc.

At the time of writing (summer 2014), there is still no news about the upcoming FX board, but I have high hopes for it. The drive circuitry is quite nice.

Very adjustable CV and GATE OUT's are definitely a nice bonus if you have other analog gear.

bought for the filter and it came with a nice synth attached

i had been looking out for a waldorf miniworks multifilter for a project i'm working on but they don't come up very often. i was on holiday a couple of weeks ago and thus a bit distracted and unfortunately missed the end of an auction for the first one i'd seen on ebay in a while and so in my frustration decided to buy something new instead, not something i do that often. I ended up pulling the trigger on a Pulse 2 due to it's external input and the Waldorf reputation.

The machine is very nicely put together. i don't really need to comment on the quality of the engineering except to say that they've manged to keep the price very reasonable for something so solid that's also been built in the EU. I like to know that the people making my equipment have been paid and treated ok.

i'm a bit bored of analog synths to be honest but am pleasantly surprised with what i've been able to get out of the Pulse 2 so far. It's hard as nails, modern and has plenty of modulation options. the poly capabilities make it much more than just another mono. It's not knob per function but the matrix is still an intuitive pleasure to use and the generous LCD gives you all the parameter info you need.

The presets are excellent by the way and show well what you can pull off with the tricky modulation and huge oscillators. my only criticism is the very slightly noticeable stepping of the filter but rumour has it that Waldorf will increase the midi resolution to 14bit on the next upgrade which should solve this problem.

I can also recommend the Pulse 2 software editor by SynnyS. I've been using the max4live version and it works well. It has a randomize/mutate function, makes it easy to setup modulation tracks in Live, gives a good patch overview as well as making it possible to map whatever controllers you're using in live so you can twist the envelopes at the same time as the filter, not possible with the Waldorf matrix dials alone.

All in all, i'm very happy with my purchase.