DEAL: Waldorf Kyra, a desktop multi-timbral virtual analog Synthesizer, is now 31% OFF for a limited time, in white or in the Seablue edition.
Six years ago, Manuel Caballero from Exodus Digital introduced the Valkyrie Synthesizer at Musikmesse 2018 in Frankfurt. It was a big synth surprise at the time because Musikmesse was no longer a magnet for synth news but more for China cable manufacturers.
Manuel joined forces with Waldorf Music and the designer Axel Hartmann a short time later. In 2019, the Valkyrie was launched as Kyra. The synth has been very polarizing over the last five years. Unfortunately, in August 2023, it was officially discontinued. Now, the last units have to change hands. Thomann has dropped the Kyra price for its 70-year deal event.
Deal Waldorf Kyra
Today, Thomann has released new deals for its 70th birthday bash. One of them is a clearance deal on the Waldorf Kyra Synthesizer. For a limited time, you can save 31% on the Kyra Synthesizer and get it for 1099€ instead of 1599€.
At the beginning of the year, it was already at 1359€, but it went up again for a few months.
Waldorf Kyra is a multi-timbral (8-part) 128-voice FPGA-based desktop virtual analog Synthesizer. At its core are two oscillator groups, each with a wave with 4096 waveforms, a pulse, a saw, and a noise oscillator. They all share the same tune knob. Plus, there is a sub-oscillator with several waveforms.
Hard sync, hypersaw mode, oscillator FM, and ring mode offer additional shaping options. In the menu system, you can find the term wavetables. However, they are single-cycle waveforms. Since essential wavetable functions are missing, Kyra is not a wavetable synth.
Then, you get two multimode filters (12dB/24dB) per voice and a dual mode for a true stereo signal path. It has three envelope generators, 3 LFOs, and a 6-slot modulation matrix on the modulation side.
There is also a multi-FX processor with nine simultaneously available effects: formant filter, distortion, delay, and more. Besides this, you get an arpeggiator with patterns, tons of built-in patch banks, and more.
For connectivity, you get USB 2.0 for MIDI and audio, 5-pin DIN MIDI in/out/thru, four stereo-balanced outputs, and a headphone socket.
Important Notes
At the beginning, I wrote about Kyra’s somewhat polarizing life. There are good and not-so-good things to report. Before you grab the deal on the Waldorf Kyra, you should know this information
On the one hand, Kyra received positive reviews for its excellent sound quality, hands-on interface, and rock-solid build quality. Before the official release, there was talk of a spiritual successor to the Access Virus.
If the lack of support from Waldorf Music and Manual Cabellero hadn’t gotten in the way, that might have become a topic and selling point for Kyra. I don’t need to repeat that updates were very rare.
Many Kyra users have criticized this in the official forum and on social media over the last few years. It’s a real shame for such an exciting synth project. That was because both parties couldn’t agree on future updates.
Another obstacle is the FPGA platform on which Kyra is based. This makes updates more difficult to implement, especially for people who did not develop the synth.
The Waldorf Kyra is a great-sounding hardware Synthesizer with lots voices and functionality. However, we won’t see any more updates for it unless Waldorf and Manual make the firmware open source. But I don’t think that will happen.
The deal on the Waldorf Kyra is available now for a limited time. You can get the synth for 1099€ instead of 1599€ in the standard white or Seablue edition.
More information here: Waldorf Music
Available at my partner
There’s no getting away from it, both Waldorf and the original designer have acted despicably towards the people who purchased one at an original price far higher than the €1599 quoted as RRP here.
Suffice to say I wouldn’t buy a bent nail from Waldorf, utterly untrustworthy.
The least they could do is make it open source.
Heckfires, I feel the same way about Waldorf and my relationship with them has been limited to buying a used Blofeld and a few deeply discounted VIs.
Thomann is too dear postage wise if you live abroad so won’t buy anything from them which is a shame as I looked at there blue Waldorf pulse 2, but its like 300 GBP for synth plus 100 extra for postage abroad, so I will go without. At least there are some music stores who subsidise the postage at bit, to I only shop there. If in stock in my own country then fine, but normally never in stock or just don’t import them.
Horrible path forward to a fairly nice VA that has now sunk, 😢
https://www.change.org/p/free-kyra-firmware