Waldorf Pulse

1996, Full Midi, rack-mounted monophonic analogue synthesizer.

A very clean and controlled but proper warm analogue sounding synth. I mainly use the basses and bottom end on this, some sounds come accross very vintage especially using subtle amounts of white noise to add grain to the sound. Apparently NIN have used this synth and I can totally understand that on account of NIN's clean choppy synth basses.

The Pulse also has an ability to create huge phase disorted basses that sound like they are being rammed through a hard limiter to the point of obliterating the sound, great for nu skool or dnb type sounds.

The top end lead sounds are often a little too clean for me, sounding too tight and almost digital in places. Likewise with the resonance of which I think sounds too clean when used out front. Perhaps it's the accuracy of the electronics which I feel detracts from the character in certain situations.

All taken into account it is a great monosynth but, to me, not in the same sound category as older analogues. Perhaps somewhere between the old and the new. As with anything; you use it for what it is good at.