I bought one not long after I sold my JP8080 in 2012. It had the encoder issue and after several firmware updates did not resolve it, I moved on.
I picked up another one last year cheap. This one has no issues but time will tell. It’s the only hardware synth I can afford these days that does what it does.
Given the rate of inflation I’ll sell it ten years for thousands…. With dodgy encoders perhaps.
I had a similar experience with an older blofeld running 1.25 and it didn’t help. There were different revisions on the motherboard and I suspect they improved the encoders too later on. I think I’ll be on the lookout for a newer version or maybe I’ll buy one new if they’re discontinuing them. They’re $580 new in the US which seems kinda high.
I was trying to figure out why expression CC11 wasn’t in the blofeld mod matrix as a source. It is actually there though.
The Blofeld has 4 global assignable CC parameters Control W/X/Y/Z that are set to CC2/4/11/12 by default so expression is in there but it’s under Control Y by default.
Recently dug out the Blofeld and used the ever-buggy Bigglesworth software to manipulate some of the patches I’d made a few years ago on my unit (saves me effort since the encoders on mine are basically useless). One of the most interesting parts is that you can randomize specific aspects of a given patch.
Factor in the custom samples added thanks to the (paid) SL upgrade, and this becomes an engine of unpredictability. Once something usable is found, it gets saved. Currently sampling some of these new sounds onto the SP-404 mkII to make new oscillators for on-the-go synthesis.
No unisono operator, breaking the paradigm of programming and programming more the way I would a Modwave.
Oscillator 1: Male Voice #57, sent to Filter 1 bypassed, sine shaper, pan by LFO
Oscillator 2: Male Voice #57, sent to Filter 2 bypassed, sine shaper, pan by LFO
Oscillator 3: Sine, fmed by osc3, envelope 3 for amplitude, panned to both filters.
Blofeld are nice. Did Waldorf ever fix the encoder issues? I looked at them but went Virus instead. Still want a Waldorf M or Quantum someday.
I bought my Blofeld used in 2018 and haven’t had any encoder issues. It hasn’t seen as much use as my other synths, but I’ve had a few sessions that were multiple hours long and deep. My biggest problem is that the encoders are a bit stiff and slippery. One day I’ll replace them or put some of those fingertip condoms that bankers and librarians sometimes use on them.
From my understanding a lot of encoder issues were fixed with the final firmware update
Gain-staging is one of the aspects I find a tad difficult with the Blofeld - especially with the filter drive settings. Do it wrong and I can hear some nasty artefacts.
Any tips for getting the drive levels right?
Oscillator levels no higher than 64ish.
Use sine shaper at about 24 drive level.
Master output around 90
patch levels around 90.
Use drive to compensate, there are lots of good timbre on the Blofeld,
but using high oscillator levels pre-filter is a recipe for nasty.
Myself, I generally bypass the filter entirely and use the StartPos on the Wavetable to
create the timbre. I then use the amp envelope for dynamics and the LFOs for vibrato.
@MarkPigott great tips. Stuff I’ve never tried but will now
Since I use an insert (Y) cable from the left output only it is much better. Before I used the L & R with TS and TRS cables. Especially using two TRS cables made it really quiet. Note that the outputs are labeled “Left/stereo” and “Right” 
EDIT: I know ‘solution’ this lacks the theoretical base which has to do with balanced & unbalanced cables in conjunction with the Blofeld outputs and mixers/other inputs - cancelling out and phase shifts etc etc. But it works for me getting a decent output in the first place.
Wait what?
Korg Modwave plays patch “Cindy Who 23”
Waldorf Blofeld plays patch F54 “CindyWindy23”
Korg Modwave has filter out set to 100% Dry (filter bypassed)
Waldorf Blofeld has filter bypassed, sine shaper on drive.
Semi improvised live, mistakes and all.
Video recorded on a Panasonic FZ-1000 in series with a H1 recorder to capture the sound.
just a thought.
Blofeld engine with SH-4d UI would be the greatest digital synth ever.
“One is about £1200 more than the other… so there’d better be a difference!!”
One is also 3 times the size.
