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I should preface this review by stating that, as a rule, I do not use my synths multi-timbraly, so I have no comments about how the uQ works in multi mode. I also use them to make, for the most part, what Mark Schelinger referred to in an earlier review as "weird self-indulged experimental music". So bear these things in mind and take my impressions with a grain of salt.
Although I've onyl had it a couple days so far, I'm really happy with this synth. It goes a bit beyond the standard VA thing with the wavetables, comb filters and such, both of which are some of my favorite features. All I can say to those complaining about the UI is this: you must never have tried to program an FS1-R. I'd still prefer to have a Sound Diver adaptation for it (of which there are none yet), but front panel editing isn't that bad once you get the hang of it.
It definitely has a bright character timbrally speaking and tends to break up on lower frequency sounds - I wouldn't recommend the Micro Q if you want smooth basses (at least not yet)... the filters all sound great. As for the FX, I don't know what some of these other reviewers are complaining about - buy an external FX box if you think they're that bad! I personally have enough other units that do these FX well, that the Micro Q version of a chorus, for example, is a welcome change from what I usually get out of chorus effects. Sure it sounds more metallic than most other choruses I've heard (metallic is a good word to describe it's tonal character, period), but to me that's a good thing. I'm also more impressed by this implementation of overdrive effects than I have been with any other digital implementation of same in the past. Maybe just because it fits in so well with the overall tonal character here.
Another thing I really like are the Modifier functions. These allow you to take two existing modulation sources (say, LFO 1 and LFO 2) and combine their values through various mathematical processes (ie. sum, difference, multiplication, AND, OR, etc.) to create essentially a new modulation source (the original LFO's can still be used seperately). This is similar, though not as extensive, to what Kurzweil gives you with the FUN's in their K-2x00 series, and pretty cool to have here. Besides these modifiers, the mod matrix and fixed mod-routings offer more than enough flexibility here.
Even some OK presets on this one... I liked the "VA LA", which is actually a decent D-50 pad imitation, though with that characteristic Waldorf brightness to it.
Haven't messed around too much with the arpeggiator or external-signal processing yet... I guess I'll have to post another review once I do :-)
Over all, it could be because I have no use for the features which others claim are bug-ridden, but I don't see what people are bellyaching about with this synth. For the price, it gives you a lot more features and flexibility than anything else in it's range. I have no complaints... so far, at least.
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