Waldorf Rocket

Written in 2013, latest update 2014.

Waldorf Rocket is a modern analog-sounding hardware monosynth created and made by a German company Waldorf.

  • Strong sound for leads and basses. This thing has a virtual analog oscillator and a true analog filter. The combination sounds very analog.
  • Direct access and editing of all parameters on the fly. Great for performances where sound is evolving while playing.
  • Interesting user intefrace design where every knob counts. It pushes the box beyond what a traditional monosynth can do.
  • Filter is very powerful and can be pushed to sound aggressive. The box includes even a boost switch to give even more saturation and overdrive.
  • Looks cool.
  • No control for attack of ADSR.
  • Sine wave available only via filter resonance so it is limited and it is hard to mix it with other waveform types.
  • No noise generator so limited ability to do for example percussive sounds.
  • The powerful sound is not so great if you want soft pad sounds. If you are looking for a soft-sounding synth then this is not a synth for you.
  • Not actually a con but as all synths that come without effects the bare box sounds dry and dull without delay, reverb etc. For example Boss TE-2 Tera Echo works well with many sounds.