this is the best synth i have owned in a long time. no doubt about it. the sounds of this synth go far beyond the possibilities with the ms2000 or the nord lead2 for that matter. i would say its leaning more towards the nord lead three but has its own character and sound. this synth is not thin. i think alot of people may be using it in single mode with only one of the voices sounding at the same time. many things are possible here. even the arpegiator is fairly flexible and easy to use. these often go for less than the alesis micron wich i did find some things in common with in terms of the way its set up.however the alesis micron is a toy compared to it. the onboard effects arent stellar but they are not terrible either plus its pretty cool to have sample rate distortion to throw into a sound for making some gritty stuff. it can do sounds with sound like a ppg wave or do sounds wich sound like a modern va synth. the pads you can make with this will stun you if you have a basic understanding of synthesis however this is not a synth for someone who wants to spin a few knobs with little or no knowledge and expect miracles. i love it i am happy with the trade. theres some things about the ms2000 i will miss however this is a great synth and i am very happy with its build quality its sound and its programabilitys. it can get pretty crazy sounding. i think its perfect for all kinds of electronic music.

Most criticism of the Waldorf in some of the other reviews comes from people who seem to not programme synths--<sigh> how is it that so few musicians do?--one can obtain any MS-20 sound with the Waldorf. The list of plusses is extensive; start with the regulars: MIDI, patch memory, patch names, visual feedback on tuning (A=440), responds to touch sensitive keyboards and other MIDI messages. Now the fabulous extras: a third oscillator, multi-mode filters (including the one used by KORG and a comb filter), FM, more complex envelopes (granted, they are a bit buggy), a variety of OSC waves, wave sequencing (!), a modulation matrix--an LFO can control another--, separate audio OUTs, patch layering, a generous number of voices, solo patches and MULTI-patches, a very good vocoder, AUDIO IN for processing external sounds (like the MS-20), a printed manual... And it is smaller and lighter than an MS-20. And stark yellow, like the Beatles' submarine. I've duplicated the trumpets, basses, oboes and Innu throat singing patches from my MS-20 with ease. Can't say I regret the swap. It is like having 30 (thirty) MS-20s for the price of one, + patch memory and a third OSC per patch... Amazing! May Waldorf's resurrection benfit players now and in the future. The only minor gripe is programming through the panel, when no PC is around for editing. Almost 5 out of 5. Almost. By a hair.

its a waldorf synth , it has that waldorf character , its kind of clean and detailed but still warm . Its not fat though and if thats what your looking for you may be dissapointed .

Great pads , both analogesque and digital , good leads , blips , arps and efx . Not the greatest bass machine ever , it can get very deep and subby but again not fat and round .

an excellent mod matrix and extremely good synth engine make this a programmers delight . the user interface is not too bad either .

one of the best VAs ever , if you see one cheap do not hesitate to grab one .