Note: This page is no longer updated as of April 2023. Though they are amazing and I highly recommend them, I no longer own Waldorf products and will not be blogging about them.
Waldorf 16 voice all-digital Iridium desktop
The Waldorf Iridium was officially announced on Friday June 12, 2020. Coming up on 2 years later, this very popular synth is still selling faster than they can build them. Now there is also an Iridium Keyboard version for an $1100 uptick.
The Waldorf Quantum and the Sequential Prophet X are like the Gibson Les Paul and Fender Stratocaster of the synthesizer world. It’s a BIG deal for an all digital desktop version of the Quantum to be released.
The Iridium has the same OS and same sound engines as the Quantum. Patches are interchangeable. Notable differences aside from the obvious form factor differences, are there is no analog, no auxiliary outs, and there are CV connections and a 2nd type of sequencer with the pads (on/off, not for drumming).
Firmware progress
Currently the newest ‘official’ firmware release is v2.8.0 which is roughly equivalent to OS 3.0 Beta 12. I would still recommend joining the Beta program (free) and updating to newer Beta versions.
Currently I am running OS 3.0 Beta 15 (Quantum), which is publicly available for Iridium/Quantum by asking Waldorf to add you to the Beta. If you are waiting for the official release of OS 3.0, don’t. OS 3.0 Beta 15 is much more stable, bug free and feature rich. There are also many great patches that require OS 3.0. There is no downside to running the Beta, none. Running OS 2.x.x massively cheats you out of the very best Iridium has to offer. Have I said this clear enough? Ha!
Thanks!
-Yehuda
Manufacturer’s website
https://waldorfmusic.com/en/iridium
Product support, downloads
https://support.waldorfmusic.com/products/Iridium
I strongly recommended that you run OS 3.0 Beta 12 or newer, unless you hate bug fixes, stability and new features. It is an improvement in all ways over OS 2.x.
Facebook user groups
Waldorf Quantum & Iridium Synthesizer Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/184475775419027
Videos
Yehuda Rothschild Waldorf Iridium Desktop YouTube Playlist
Useful Links
Apple related pages
Updated periodically – Apple Silicon is the DAW standard
Updated periodically – Apple Mac Studio M1 Max & M1 Ultra
Updated periodically – Apple MacBook Pro M2 Pro & M2 Max
Updated periodically – Apple Mac mini M2 & M2 Pro
Updated periodically – Apple M1 Processor Series
Updated periodically – Apple M2 Processor Series
Waldorf related pages
Updated periodically – Waldorf Quantum Keyboard
Updated periodically – Waldorf Iridium Keyboard
Updated periodically – Quantum Iridium Patches
Updated periodically – Quantum Iridium Wavetables & Utilities
Updated periodically – Wavetable Editing Tools
Updated periodically – Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave or Waldorf Quantum/Iridium?
Updated periodically – Sequential Prophet X or Waldorf Quantum?
Follow on Mastodon – TurtleIsland.social/@Yehuda
This page is subject to content updates/additions. If you think any content should be updated or added, please leave a private comment on Mastodon – TurtleIsland.social/@Yehuda.