I have the black desktop, no encoder issues, it’s solid as hell. Love the sound it produces. Best bang for buck if you get a decent unit.
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I have both, like them both,Blofeld have immense potentiel but is not Easy to use / program, deep synth for sure, just scratching the surface with the modifiers…
Digitone is less deep but deep enough and things gets done with it, more modern sounding, i get Classic fm, hybrid fm with the filters, kinda skrillex basses… GET THE DIGITONE , it’s twice expansive but 4times more fun and productive.
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Yup I feel you on that. Did not find the blofeld very inspiring. On the other hand, I do feel like the DN feels like an instrument and inspires me to want to create. Get one!
Everyone should take just the tools that they like and that lets them produce the sound/music they like the most :).
Pretty sure it goes without saying that everyone does that
Why would you use tools that you think sound like crap and don’t like using
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^^+1 right you are, was in “captain obvious” like mood… sry…
How do you like the Social Entropy Engine sequencer?
I would probably go with Blofeld and Korg FM synth both can now be had new for less than a Digitone. That said, I love the Digitone I tried and would be happy with just that synth. Hard choice!
Yes I love the Engine, use it to sequence everything.
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I like the DT and DN a great combo. I wanted more so have OT+A4 and happy thus far.
After spending some more time searching through the Blofeld (and deciding to return it) I decided to spend another day playing with it since I won’t have chance again.
Now I’m finding good sounds in it haha!
There are bugs/glitches that I don’t think I can forgive, especially for live use, but my first impressions may have been a bit harsh. I don’t think it does anything unique that makes it special and worth keeping, but depending on the needs of someone, I might recommend it.
I own Blofeld Keys and Digitone Keys.
The Digitone has the edge in terms of sound output. It is just more open and wider sounding. Also with a more reasonable output level too. So you don’t have to crank the gain on your mixer (or lower the gain of everything else if you are playing straight into a soundcard with no level adjustment).
The Blofeld sounds fine. It just isn’t as hi-fi as the Digitone.
OTOH I find the Digitone interface pretty badly designed. The knobs and parameters just don’t always line up intuitively as they do on the Blofeld or even other Elektron boxes like the A4 and MD. What am I talking about? It’s the best interface ever according to reviews! Well check out the Arp menu and get back to me.
Speaking of Arp. This is where the Digitone destroys the Blofeld. Both synths have very powerful, even similar Arp capabilities. But the Blofeld still can’t properly sync Arp to Midi. Which is bullshit.
The Elektron boxes are all in a polyamorous relationship with MIDI. So of course the Digitone syncs just fine, and also has the old school in/out/thru ports. So it is perfectly happy being anywhere along a chain of synths, samplers and drum machines. Unlike the Blofeld which basically has to be at the top of the chain or the end of it. (if there is a way to make the out a virtual thru please tell me!)
As far as the sound, I find them both very similar. Glassy, edgy, digital, sharp. The Digitone can give me warmer sounds than the Blofeld. But just barely. The Blofeld has a few just perfectly aggressive patches (acrylic bass amirite?) that I can probably get close to on the Digi, but it won’t be the same without that Waldorf/PPG DNA.
The variety of virtual filters on the Blofeld is better, though they don’t sound analog at all. You just have to give credit for the comb filters.
I think it really boils down to whether you must have a something Waldorf in your rig or not. For some folks PPG Wave and it’s descendants are essential. All of them have problems that you work around for that sound.
The Digitone for me was a similar essential. I had a brief love/hate thing with Yamaha DX synths years ago. Always used an editor librarian because on many of my Yamahas the buttons were screwed! I actually ditche dmy DX synths when I jumped from Windows to Mac and couldn’t find an equivalent free editor app.
So it was a gimme to get a modern FM synth with a better interface.
It may seem like I am down on the Blofeld. I am not. I do wish Waldorf would take a cue from Elektron and make a MKII that addresses the shortcomings and bugs. The MIDI sync issue for Arp and LFO is pathetic. And the built in effects, as well as a few other things are very dated and could use refreshing.
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I sold my Blofeld for a MicroMonsta without regrets, definitely prefer the warmer filters, lfos behavior, much user friendly, efficient matrix / modulations…no fm, less voices, monotimbral.
I recently sold AH and MM to fund a Digitone, no regrets ! Much better fx, and of course FM and great sequencer. Great sound palette, really good drums. I really like the UI, except mutes display. Miss random arp, midi arp…
But I think I’ll buy a MM again, there’s V2 coming, 12 voices, bi-timbral. Really good pads. No fm (something like fm for filters).
I won’t buy a Blo again. Didn’t like random glide lfo behavior, delay was clicky when receiving clock (didn’t like other fx), and I didn’t like its filters. Didn’t like knobs behavior especially when editing matrix, not a pleasure to edit anyway. It’s samples + fm ability is really interesting though.
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There are specific sounds I keep going to my blofeld for. Stuff like techno stabs for instance. Bass would definately not be on that list, although i have gotten some decent bass patches from it.
You have to get to know it and know where the sweet spots are. Them it’s fun. But i also recommend an editor for it. I use one, so I don’t even have to touch the encoders and can have it sit hidden somewhere in my studio desk.
That’s pretty similar to what happened to me, though I made the mistake of purchasing both a Micromonsta and Blofeld within days of each other. What a difference! If there’s ever a case where layout determines user experience, it’s these two. Sure, the MM might lack many of the Blofeld’s features, but getting things done is so much easier. Not having to scroll through endless pages is a godsend. Got rid of the Blofeld after two weeks.
But… I still recognize the sound potential in the Blofeld. As time went on, I appreciated the vast potential of wavetables. The Microfreak certainly helped in that regard. I decided I wanted access to all the old PPG wavetables. Furthermore, having a Deepmind and a Microfreak really led me to appreciate the nuances of having an extensive modulation matrix. The one on the Micromonsta struck me as less intuitive than the one on the Blofeld.
In the end, I relented a got another Blofeld. Forced myself to get over the dismal scrolling on crappy knobs, but now I’ve grown to love it’s sound design potential. Now I see how specific one can get. Love FM’ing on it. The randomize function is one the greatest things ever since I often try to take these noisy aberrations and reverse-engineer them into something semi-useable.
These days, I still use both. The Micromonsta is now my workhorse. It always sounds good, esp for virtual analog. The Blofeld, however, is there to be weird and digital. Caveat: I play them for live improvisation and not for sequenced work, so that’s worth keeping in mind.
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I have both a Blofeld and a Micromonsta and I never understood the sentiment that the MM is easier to navigate/program. They both utilise a page system with encoders. If anything I find the Blofeld easier to program due to its larger screen and visual feedback for everything that you’re tweaking.
I had the Blo, wanted to love it, but just couldn’t… Sound was not O.K. for me, UI is also bad.
It might be an ergonomic thing. Think of all the clicks and scrolls you need to get through just to get somewhere, esp with the two encoders right under the screen (which sometimes get blocked by one’s on hands as the cluster near the pair of encoders). In contrast, the MM seems more like the sort of thing where both of your hands can partake in the action. The left hand can choose the menus, the right hand can scroll between values on the knobs. Meanwhile, the screen is fully visible.
While I do agree that the Blofeld screen can convey info well (esp on the mod matrix), it’s hard to see it as an advantage when it’s tough to see.
I don’t know how to evaluate the sound of two different instruments. It seems to me rather strange to compare the trombone and the trumpet, the violin and the velo, the piano and the accordion. Everything has its place among the musical instruments. And this place is wonderful! I like Blofeld, you can get good stuff. Digitone / Digitone Keys is probably a future classic.
But only your ear, your desire and preferences in the creation of the track can choose!
Digitone is a great combination of modulation, LFO, TRIGS, fantastic sequencer, first-class effects and filters. And 1000 other non-standard tricks. I don’t think everyone needs it, but those who love to create new emotions will find everything they need!
The choice is only for the musician or composer! Give advice “HOW?” quite possible, but here’s “WHAT?” is a utopia.
In South Africa, I heard two children play a cheap children’s electric piano with batteries and a fruit transport box. And it was very appropriate for the awesome music that these 9-11 year old boys were giving birth to before my eyes.
I wish all of us creativity!
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Both plays really well along each other. Digitone is perfect sequencer for Blofeld, and Blofeld complement really well Digitone. I would not choose one over the other but instead I would pair them together 
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