Analog century for the 21st century.
Analog synthesizer sound has not lost its mystique since its first inception. As digital control over analog functions improves, newer, more powerful analog synth designs continue to evolve, and Waldorf is at the absolute forefront of that research and development. The Pulse 2 is a brilliant reiteration of the sounds that sparked a musical revolution, but with unprecedented control and editing capacity.
The new Pulse 2 Analog Synthesizer is proof that good things come to those who wait. Ever since Waldorf discontinued its original rack-mountable Pulse and Pulse+ programmable analog synths, those Nineties electronic music dominating sounds have been highly sought-after. Which was exactly what put the development of an all-new Pulse fit for the 21st Century into overdrive.
As an all-new, all-analog synthesizer design, Pulse 2 flawlessly delivers exactly what synth connoisseurs around the world have been craving for quite some time - three analogue oscillators living in perfect harmony with a VCF (VoltageControlled Filter). But the development did not stop there: the fresh filter circuits in the Pulse 2 now offer 12dB Highpass and Bandpass modes in addition to 24dB/12dB Lowpass for strengthened sound-sculpting flexibility, along with an analog Filter FM, two Overdrive circuits, and Ring Modulation from OSC 3, together with Paraphonic and Unison modes allowing up to eight-voice chords - a fantastic feature found on the recently-released Rocket Synthesizer.
Pulse 2 is housed in a sturdy metal desktop casing. Alongside its generous 128x64-character backlit LCD, eight eye-catching stainless steel knobs are available to nimbly navigate through the parameter matrix - logically laid out across the front panel for all to see at all times, set the master Volume, and easily edit display-accessible parameters.
Connectivity comes well catered for courtesy of USB, MIDI In, MIDI Out, Ext In (external analogue signal input), line OUT, and headphone output - not forgetting, of course, CV Out (supporting both the V/octave and Hz/V standards) and Gate Out (V-Trigger- and S-Trigger-compatible), allowing a myriad of suitably equipped older (or newer) synths to be connected to the Pulse 2 to mirror whatever MIDI Ëœnote' information is being played by the Pulse 2, including the output of its powerful ARP (arpeggiator). And if that's not enough to be getting on with, the CV Out can even be modulated in the eight-slot modulation Matrix, making for even more tantalizing tone colors and performance possibilities!
Alongside analog must-haves like a noise generator, Pulsewidth modulation, and hard Sync, other notable features include an Alternating Pulsewidth Modulation mode new to the Pulse 2 (offering a dense PWM sound without affecting perceived loudness), and an XOR Osc mode (that is a binary XOR combination of two PWM oscillators with two distinct output levels - high and low only - capable of producing inharmonic spectra unlike anything associated with any analog synthesizer other than the original Pulse) - all of which, of course, contribute to kickstarting those still sought-after sounds right here, right now in the 21st Century. Speaking of which, 500 onboard sound programs should be more than enough to keep the most diehard synthesist smiling. What's more, all are backwards-compatible with the original Pulse series, so original Pulse owners can quickly transfer their favorite sounds to their new Pulse 2 via MIDI (dump).
Thanks to the timely arrival of the Pulse 2 Analog Synthesizer, readily reincarnated ballsy bass tones and legendary leads beyond compare can all be yours with much more besides in a truly 21st Century compact and bijou performance package priced to go.
