Waldorf Music today introduced the Iridium Keyboard, a keyboard version of their latest synth, featuring a new 49-key FATAR TP/8SK semi-weighted polyphonic aftertouch pressure-providing keyboard.

Polyphonic aftertouch is an expressive performance option that has historically been limited to a few high-end synthesizers. It gives you continuous expressive control over each note you play, vs just capturing the velocity of notes.

The Iridium Keyboard also offers an expanded front panel, with one-knob-per-function control, along with six programmable Macro buttons, with which users can define functions from a wide range of features for additional performance control.

Here’s what Waldorf has to say about it:

“Tremendous tonal changes flow freely when playing the Iridium Keyboard live, since polyphonic aftertouch is transmitted individually for each note played.

Performers can conceivably play and hold down any number of keys simultaneously, subsequently moving each finger individually. In other words, individual keys are affected by the pressure applied by each finger, thereby creating, for instance, individual data streams for modulation purposes, whereas with monophonic (Channel) aftertouch all notes played will respond in the same way.

With a powerful Mod Matrix offering 40 independent modulation assignments, each with individual settings for Source, Amount, and Destination, Iridium Keyboard comes with powerful modulation options — just like the Iridium desktop synthesizer namesake. Notably, Iridium Keyboard is also capable of processing MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) data, duly making multiple parameters of different notes separately controllable to effectively enable it to behave more like an acoustic instrument in terms of spontaneous, polyphonic sound control.”

Here’s a performance demo, by synthesist Matt Johnson:

Pricing and Availability

The Waldorf Iridium Keyboard is available now for 2.849,00 €.