Vintage Synth Explorer

Waldorf • Micro Q

The power of the Q synthesizer is now available in an affordable 2-unit rack module. Sound quality is not compromised, it sounds just as great as the more expensive Q! The main limitation is that there is less polyphony and only 6 knobs; however these knobs provide access to dozens of parameters at the push of a button. The Q's powerful arpeggiator is also on-board. There is no sequencer, but a rack module is usually destined for use with an external sequencer or controller anyway. There are two independent filters with low-pass, band-pass, high-pass, notch and comb filters. The filters are resonant and can self-oscillate too! There's also a Modulation Matrix where you can route your signal through flexible and complex processes to really shape your sounds. There's also a stereo vocoder and ring modulator on-board. A Voice Expansion board can boost polyphony in the Micro Q up to 75 voices!

The Micro Q is not an analog synth, but it can emulate them very well. It is great for punchy analog bass, 303 lines, synth leads, trance pads, swirling effects, analog drums, percussion, beats, and lots more! It's worth a listen! Wonderful preset sounds, a challenge to program...bottom line is affordable, incredible sounds! It has been used by Somatic Responses, RadioBomb, and Hardmakz.

The Micro Q Keyboard is identical to the Micro Q, but packaged in a handy and portable 37 note keyboard. It also adds pedal inputs, pitch/mod wheels, and some front panel numeric buttons.

VISITOR COMMENTS (19)

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Posting Rules: Please keep your comments relevant! Do not post requests for help, do not use for sales, do not post unless you have something interesting to say about this instrument, or we may delete your post.

 

fvsr

Posted 11 days ago

As far as I Know, the Micro Q Rack doesn't have keytrack modulation. Sometimes it is bad, making it dificult to create a stereo image. You must use chorus spread ou delay.

fvsr

Posted 12 days ago

It sounds metallic and heavy, has very good and precise high and low end, and beautiful filters. Sometimes it is heavy in a good way (subwoofer), sometimes it is metallic in a bad way. Good arpeggios, bells, plucked, CS80 emulations, brasses are beautiful, some basses are usefull. Bad: sustainable sounds (strings and pads are sometimes unusable), leads are sometimes weird in a bad way, sometimes are fine, the organs, electric pianos, acoustic emulations and the especial effects aren't good also. I know it’s a VA, and you can program it to make every kind of sounds. But the problem is the sustainable sounds, they sound bad to my ears. It can't emulate TB303 and TR808 well. It produces noise, you must use eq to handle it. The effects [beep] s. In my setup it doesn't sinc with Sonar very well (Blofeld doesn’t too). Use power conditioner and don't buy it without the original power supply. It is difficult to fix in case of damage. But the moment you listen to it you will never forget.

Dan88

Posted 45 days ago

The voice expansion only works on the blue series models from what I am told.

tron

Posted 51 days ago

i just got a rack mQ (yellow one) it still had software version 1.1 ... changed it and got even more fx than they say here ... has 5.1 delays and reverb now.
i love it and i will never get rid of it! anyone knows how or where to find the voice expansion?

Tom

Posted 56 days ago

This synth is brilliant. It sounds beautiful and gives you sense that everything is possible.

I bought mine almost a decade ago. I was on a budget and had to sacrifice knobs for sound quality. But I honestly think that the matrix system makes you make better sounds.

What it means is that you can't just blindly twiddle the knobs and buttons without thinking. You have to specifically go to each parameter to adjust it. It really is easier than it sounds, but If you can't be arsed then, I suppose, don't bother with this synth (or trying to make any original music IMO - it all takes effort).

However, if you persist then after a couple of days you start to get a mental image of the signal path, the modulation matrix, the filters. You really get a feel for synthesis. The manual is excellent as well - really lovingly written by someone who clearly enjoys synthesizing sound.

The sounds are wonderful, above all. This synth has so much life where others feel flat.

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