Kyra from Waldorf

The Lounge Other Gear
#269

Works perfect with the MPC… Got Kyra hooked up via midi out A on the MPC… Getting all 8 channels playing no problem at all, perfect timing, rock solid with the MPC sequencing… Mapping Kyra’s CC’s via the Q-Links is a breeze too. Also have the MC707 and Quantum hooked up to MPC midi out B and C.
Just about to rig up the Behringer MS-1 to midi out D.
Nice little setup with plenty to keep me busy. Still designing some ROM sounds for a future Kyra OS update so haven’t had time to jam much.

Rob

3 Likes
#270

About the interaction on the display is it only for text or is there also visual graphic feedback like on the Quantum?

#271

Any idea why the manual discourages sending SysEx for automation during a song even over USB Midi?
My intended use case is to use mostly SysEx msgs to remote control the Kyra from my custom live performance software, basically to use Kyra as a backend and not touch its knobs directly.
Does it mean the Kyra is not suitable for this use case?
Quoting the manual:

“Note that sending SysEx messages during a song is not recommended, especially if using DIN MIDI.”

But why also over USB?

Another question I have:
Does the transpose setting act on the Midi pitch or can the pitch after being transposed be higher than Midi pitch 127? Because Midi pitch 127 is only 12500 Hz and I want to play pitches at the upper limit of human hearing.
So, is transpose done on the Midi pitch data (that would mean it can’t play above 12500 Hz) or on the frequency (float) that was derived from the Midi pitch?
The manual is not clear on that: “The Transpose setting configures transposition (key shifting) of the Patch in the range -24 to +24 semitones relative to the MIDI note played.”

1 Like
#272

Anybody found any new great videos out there for the Kyra? I’m super curious to hear it in action.

#273

I’m also checking the youtube search every day, ordered by upload time.
It seems most people are eagerly waiting for videos or just waiting for their Kyra to arrive.
I was so hungry for information (before making the final BUY decision), I analyzed the factory presets, to see what kind of patches are common (getting an overview of the intended sound design).
I converted the names of all the factory patches into a word cloud.
(Bigger font means more frequently occurring word.)
I posted it on Twitter, it was retweeted by WaldorfGmbH itself, so I thought I’d share it here :slight_smile:
You can see the word cloud here:

We can see that there are a lot of lead, arp, pad, bass, piano, acid and fm patches.
For more detail: Here is a list of the interesting patches based on matching keywords (acid, analog, arp, bass, deep, fm, house, lead, organ, pad, piano, rave, reese, saw, techno, trance, trip):
http://dpaste.com/35T8EFP.txt
There were also many empty patches and some duplicates:
http://dpaste.com/173G5ZH.txt
Possibly the empty patches will be overwritten by the ones that rob_lee is designing right now for a future OS update(?)

Unfortunately, I can’t offer more info before I have my own Kyra. But when I have it, I’ll definitely make a whole playlist of videos on YT about it, providing more technical info, including SysEx stuff…
I have the choice to buy it from a local shop where I kinda pre-ordered (for 2072 EUR), then it’d be here in 3 days and I could upload videos starting next week, OR buy it from another shop where it’d be 1899 EUR but I’d have to wait at least 5 weeks (probably more) because demand is so high…
Tough decision…
I think I’ll wait until Black Friday and see if there’ll be any discounts…

3 Likes
#274

For what it’s worth, I’m a big fan of simply using synths in a musical context, rather than only technical analysis. But I look forward to more videos nonetheless!

1 Like
#275

Couple of shops have a few in stock.

https://www.musicmatter.co.uk/waldorf-kyra?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwPKIpveX5gIVVODtCh2dRgFDEAYYBCABEgLvVfD_BwE

2 Likes
#276

$2300 and appears to use the same Multi mode scheme as Blofeld where “Multis” are just shortcuts to existing patches.

So if you edit a patch that exists in any other multi, you’ve changed other multis, inadvertently.

I don’t understand Waldorf.
This is not a difficult scheme to overcome.
Clavia has been doing it for decades. Elektron as well.

An 8 part, 128 voice mega synth isn’t very fun to use in multi mode if you’ve got an archaic multi mode scheme.

6 Likes
#277

any custom patches ?

#278

Question for those who have it.
Do you make Bass with it, how is the Low End ?
(I heard the low end is disappointing…)

Thanks

#279

Hi Adam. I just got my kyra last night. Do you have a detailed example how this works ? I want to make sure I don’t mess up multi’s.

#280

If you plan to use multis, name your patches and organize them accordingly.
Bass-1-Multi1
Pad-2-Multi1

etc.

That way when you’re surfing your patches, and you see “MULTI” in the name, you know that using it and editing it outside of any multis is going to screw up your multis. And skip over those.

When I was using Blofeld, I added odd characters to the beginning of any patch i used in a multi.

So whatever works for you.

1 Like
#281

Thanks Adam. Nothing worse than messing up a good default preset.

1 Like
#282

How does Kyra hold up soundwise with similar priced synths?

#283

I wonder why no more people are excited about this 8 part synthesizer, compared say to Peak or Summit.
Why do u think? Is it that weak sounding?

#284

That is easy to answer:

  • people want “analog” synths. In my personal opinion “analog” is not the same as “better” but in the synth-community most people would agree to that idiom.
  • The Kyra is using Virtual Analog synthesis. This was (and still a is) a lot of fun to explore. But when synths go digital these days they offer Wavetables, different models, FM, Physical modeling, etc. Look at Modal Cobal and Arturia Microfreak and you see much more than a standard 2OSC setup. Kyra has Wavetables but no morphing.
  • The Kyra is rather expensive compared to other synths on the market and Waldorf is very lazy with advertising and the usual youtube stuff others do these days. The less people use a synth the less attention it gets.
  • The Kyra was a one-man project and this person is not even working at Waldorf. The synth will always be as it is now, no interesting updates are to be expected at anytime.

As much as I would like to put a Kyra next to my Iridium just for the sake of visual awesomeness I don´t believe that the Kyra adds anything to my setup, in which I already have a few virtual analog and “analog” synths. Large Polyphony and multitimbal sounds do not really kick these days when you work with plugins and a DAW.

1 Like
#285

This…

It’s still a fine synth, but it kinda seeks for a market that used to be the one of the Virus TI… so that’s 15 years late I guess.

I still want one.

#286

Maybe this is the key point. You either want something thathas a lot of character or something that is unique in a special kind of way. Kyra lacks both.

#287

It is still in development by Manuel Caballero.

They way Waldorf is making synths is nowedays more like one-man projects.
Quantum/Iridium by Rolf Wöhrmann

But for the older ones Streichfett/STVC and Blofelt are done by Stefan Stenzel and it seems he doesnt work anymore for Waldorf. So these are a kind of finished and even there are a few bugs in the STVC left.

1 Like
#288

Ok, I read that this was a “he sold it to Waldorf and run over the hill and far away” project.