vcf1: Waldorf put the Rocket and 2-Pole filter into Eurorack
The Waldorf vcf1 was spotted in the wild at NAMM earlier in the year, but now it’s here! It brings the sound and functions of the Rocket and 2-Pole to your Eurorack with some added harmonic distortion.
vcf1
You’ve got to love that clean, spotless interface – Waldorf has its own complete sense of style. The knobs are made from real metal (apparently) and give you access to all the important parameters.
At the top is a distortion section that can be used completely independently. There’s two inputs with gain and then a further knob to push in the nastiness. The gain controls enable the vcf1 to handle a wider range of audio signals than just Eurorack. The multimode filter is
The 12dB/octave multimode filter is analog with separate outputs for high, low and bandpass. The resonance is described as “organic” and can be pushed for some extreme self-oscillating effects. Then there’s a post-filter overdrive that can select which filter mode to use and route to its own output.
On the control side there are 2 CV inputs for the cut-off where one features bipolar control. Essentially the first CV input is unipolar and gives very fine control, whereas the bipolar one is less sensitive. Then there’s a CV into to modulate the resonance.
At 18hp it’s quite wide for a filter, but you can’t fault the clarity of the layout. I wonder whether it would somehow look far too clean and ordered in my chaotic rack.
The Waldorf vcf1 is available now for €349. More information on the website.