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Great sounding multi-timbral synth
My thoughts after 30 days :
Pros :
- The sound is great. Patches all sound crystal clear (great for layering), not thin, but you can dirty them up or give them some more bottom end ('Gnasher' algorithm!). There's an 'organic' and vintage quality to the sound when you detune oscillators, add PWM or LFO.
- This is not a classic wavetable synth, so no replacement for the Virus, Blofeld or Quantum. It's just a good sounding multitimbral and true stereo VA with static, digital waveforms added.
- The filters sound juicy. Compared with the Quantum, they sound more focused. The Virus sounds harder but a bit more snappy.
- The Dual Mode sounds really big and is great for pads or sounds that have to stand out from the rest.
Cons :
- The editing is not so good. There is a Shift button which doubles the functions of some knobs, but it is latched, so you have to remember to disengage it or you're editing something else.
- You have to push + or - buttons to select the digital waveforms. It would be great if this could be assigned to a knob
Pros :
- The sound is great. Patches all sound crystal clear (great for layering), not thin, but you can dirty them up or give them some more bottom end ('Gnasher' algorithm!). There's an 'organic' and vintage quality to the sound when you detune oscillators, add PWM or LFO.
- This is not a classic wavetable synth, so no replacement for the Virus, Blofeld or Quantum. It's just a good sounding multitimbral and true stereo VA with static, digital waveforms added.
- The filters sound juicy. Compared with the Quantum, they sound more focused. The Virus sounds harder but a bit more snappy.
- The Dual Mode sounds really big and is great for pads or sounds that have to stand out from the rest.
Cons :
- The editing is not so good. There is a Shift button which doubles the functions of some knobs, but it is latched, so you have to remember to disengage it or you're editing something else.
- You have to push + or - buttons to select the digital waveforms. It would be great if this could be assigned to a knob
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Kyra - Is it worth it?
I purchased this late last year. Overall, the quality is good as I would expect from Waldorf. Sounds are also quite good with lots of tweeking available.
The multi-timbral aspect is great having 8 parts available is really nice.
A couple of things of note:
1) There is no factory reset function so make sure you backup the original sounds before you start adjusting and saving them (If you want the factory sounds). Of course, there are user spaces available for custom sounds/patches.
2) My Kyra must have been one of the first run manufactured as it has no VESA capability. I contacted Waldorf support on this and I found no help except to contact Korg North America (I live in Canada) - They were useless. I really wanted to VESA mount this synth in my studio but I find there is no retrofit from Waldorf available. If you want the VESA mounting ability, make sure you check with Thomann before you purchase.
One other thing...I have had issues with the LED's not coming on sometimes when the instrument powers up. Its not a big deal, simply unplugging the power supply fixes it but its just an inconvenience.
All in all, its a nice synth but I would say, I would not purchase another or buy anymore Waldorf hardware simply for the fact the price is high, problems that are not addressed and lack of support.
It looks like other reviewers have had better luck with their instruments than I have so it will be up to you to decide.
I would hope that Waldorf comes out with a fix for issues and have an option for those of us who didn't get the VESA mount ability.
The multi-timbral aspect is great having 8 parts available is really nice.
A couple of things of note:
1) There is no factory reset function so make sure you backup the original sounds before you start adjusting and saving them (If you want the factory sounds). Of course, there are user spaces available for custom sounds/patches.
2) My Kyra must have been one of the first run manufactured as it has no VESA capability. I contacted Waldorf support on this and I found no help except to contact Korg North America (I live in Canada) - They were useless. I really wanted to VESA mount this synth in my studio but I find there is no retrofit from Waldorf available. If you want the VESA mounting ability, make sure you check with Thomann before you purchase.
One other thing...I have had issues with the LED's not coming on sometimes when the instrument powers up. Its not a big deal, simply unplugging the power supply fixes it but its just an inconvenience.
All in all, its a nice synth but I would say, I would not purchase another or buy anymore Waldorf hardware simply for the fact the price is high, problems that are not addressed and lack of support.
It looks like other reviewers have had better luck with their instruments than I have so it will be up to you to decide.
I would hope that Waldorf comes out with a fix for issues and have an option for those of us who didn't get the VESA mount ability.
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