Waldorf Blofeld Plugin review!

Waldorf has released their own plugin version of the Blofeld hardware synth. The plugin does exactly the same as the hardware and is currently on offer at €119 but if you have a Blofeld that is registered with Waldorf for a limited time you can get the plugin for €89 which is still pretty expensive compared to other plugins. Having reviewed Waldorfs previous plugin offering HERE and saying it was poor value for money, can the Blofeld be any better in that regard? Well spoiler alert – for me, not really. No standalone version, no CLAP version, it just seems a bit lazy if I’m honest. It sounds like a Blofeld, but the hardware is now 17 years old, and the plugin adds nothing to the sound. I mean you can pretty much get the same sounds from a few FREE plugins, and the full price is a frankly ludicrous €149. This is Waldorf in a nutshell – expensive, behind the times and just lazy. Their previous plugins have always smacked of being just adequate. Harsh, but they seem to have been stuck about a decade behind the times permanently…

Now with the negatives firmly up front and central, what is there to like about the plugin. Well browsing presets is pretty easy, cpu usage is low but I would expect that as the Blofeld hardware isn’t exactly cutting edge. Arpeggiator works well, and it sounds exactly like a Blofeld – for good or bad. Problem is that plenty of plugins do this wavetable and VA synthesis as well if not better than the Blofeld and for less. I mean Vital does wavetable synthesis for nothing, and against the backdrop of many options the Blofeld just lacks features. It just could have been so much more, and if this was say 5 or 6 years ago, I’d have been much happier. But things move on, and that is where the Blofeld feels, like in the past – firmly in the past! Plugins in 2024 have evolved so much whilst Waldorf just hasn’t!

Waldorf Blofeld Plugin

6.5 out of 10
€149€119
blofeld

The Blofeld comes to the plugin world. However it is expensive for what it is and lack a CLAP or standalone version. Would have been better released say 5 years ago but nowadays seems expensive and limited

Stability
9 out of 10
No crashes but isn't the fastest plugin in the world despite it being fairly limited
Ease of Use
8 out of 10
Is easy to use, but part of that is that it doesn't add much compared to other plugins in 2024. Is a direct copy of the hardware
Look & Feel
5 out of 10
Looks and feels like a plugin from around 2020.
Price
4 out of 10
Limited and old looking and feeling plugin. Ludicrous pricing in 2024 when better and much cheaper options are about. Should be 50% of what it costs!

Pros

Easy to use

Exactly like the hardware

Sounds great – in a retro way

Cons

Expensive with no CLAP or standalone version

Lacking in features compared to other plugins

Price IMHO is ludicrous

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