Review: Waldorf Iridium Keyboard

Review: Christopher Holder

GETTING AROUND

The extra real estate afforded by the 49-note keyboard form factor means the layout of this Iridium is more relaxed than the module. You have the three oscillator controls on the left, the generous touchscreen display in the middle (with attendant pots), and the filter and envelopes on the right.

It’s logically laid out. The controls feel great. The touchscreen isn’t overly relied on. Mostly there’s a pot to make an adjustment. That said the screen fills the breach when you need to interact with it — like drawing in a modulation curve, for example. Often my (albeit pincer-like piano-player’s) fingers can find it hard to interact with certain synth touchscreens, but I found the Iridium’s accessible and responsive.

Patches load up almost instantly, except Particle patches which rely on larger samples. You can switch smoothly from one patch to the next without cutting off the previous sound (essential for performing). Speaking of which, there’s a Performance mode that gives you access to your gig’s patches, along with a Kaoss pad-style mod canvass you can mess with, the arp/sequencer section, and more. It’s a good feature.

The synth-action Fatar key bed itself is primo. It responds to poly touch and is beautiful to play. It’s a little too sensitive to aftertouch for my taste. I find myself accidentally setting it off when I start to dig in. Perhaps there’s a setting to adjust sensitivity buried deep in a menu somewhere.

SONIC SMORGASBORD

This is a review of the Iridium Keyboard and not the original Iridium (released in 2020). Chances are, if you’re reading this review you’ll already have read Iridium reviews and heard what it sounds like. 

Personally, I’d not spent any worthwhile time with Iridium at all until I started messing with the keyboard version. So I’ll give you my impressions.

First up, it’s just so much more versatile than other desirable 16-voice polys, because of the five different voice modes.

The sounds are neatly categorised and explorable. Which is just as well as there’s a wealth of preset options and even more space for your own creations.

There’s often a grace and refinement about the Iridium sounds. I rarely feel like Iridium will growl, snarl and take my head off. Which gives you a sense of what the smooth digital filters are like. There’s character, for sure, and complexity, but a level of cool restraint as well.

The sonic depth is often evident. Yes, it can emulate a MiniMoog bass sound but that’s not where Iridium’s sweet spot lies, I suspect. 

All that said, you can’t typecast Iridium because you could just as easily spend a day only exploring its wavetable sounds, it FM synth-like sounds of the Kernel voices, the bells and percussion of the Resonator… you get my point.

My personal favourite are some of the pads which I got lost in for hours. Some have rhythmic qualities that are fun to sync to tempo, without sounding like a wave sequence.

Given Iridium’s depth, programming it is a real joy. This is a credit to Waldorf’s user interface.

CONCLUSION

There’s a lingering suspicion of an all-digital polysynth — a ‘VSTi with knobs on’, as I’ve heard it said. Well, I challenge you to find a PC+controller experience that even remotely approaches what Iridium can do. Long after your licenses have timed out or been updated out of existence, the Iridium will load up just as quickly as it does today and reliably provide you with the same array of tones and textures (not withstanding future Waldorf updates you can opt into).

‘What about resale value, though? Surely the analogue engine of a Moog will maintain its value more than the Waldorf?’ If collectability is a concern then that’s a whole other Pandora’s box of worms. But again, I challenge you: open your eyes and take a look at the Iridium. It’s stunning — a beautiful piece of industrial design. It will remain a desirable piece of kit for a very long time. What happens in 20, 30 or 40 years is entirely in the lap of the synth gods, and I wouldn’t be basing my superannuation fund around synth investments!

Oh, and don’t forget the luxurious Waldorf Quantum, which combines an analogue filter section with its three digital oscillators. To strangle my metaphor, I guess the Quantum is more like a Ferrari hybrid. And who wouldn’t want one of those?