Nord's classical Virtual Analog Synth Nord LEAD 1/2/2x/3/4/A1 and Nord Rack versions

Re: Love for the A1

Postby Infinite5ths » 19 Oct 2015, 04:22

New Nord user: The Lead A1 is my dream synthesizer. I've tried nearly everything on the market for the past 15 years and never found anything that really clicked. Owned several keyboards from major brands...always sold them after a period of lukewarm use. The A1 is so perfect, as both standalone synth and controller.

The UI is fast and gorgeous. The pitch bend stick is totally natural for me as a classical concert violinist; and the vibrato technique translates easily and effectively to the Nord. None of the joysticks and wheels on other boards work as well. The compact control section leaves room for my laptop on the right side of the board. The overall compact size of the board fits my minimalist style. Editing parameters, and even the few necessary menus, is already becoming 2nd nature and automatic. The controls + keybed all feel solid and invite physical connection to the sounds created.

The sound engine is superb. It is flexible enough and has sufficient polyphony to feel like a tremendously capable instrument, rather than a glorified noise box. Because the engine is VA (not sample-based) the sounds and modifiers feel authentic to my ears. The filter types offered are musical and rewarding to use. The FX are straightforward and highly useful. The waveforms are perfect. The arpeggiator is exactly what I want - not too much, not too little, quick to use, and easy to tweak on the fly. The layering system works intuitively.

Patch management is simple via USB and Sound Manager. Best of all, the synth is one big sweet spot - so little time spent trying to find something that sounds good, so much time spent choosing between many options that all sound great.

If forced to really nit-pick, I would make two observations:
1) The power supply transformer does hum. (You don't want this sitting powered ON in a classical recording session!) Fortunately, in most live and studio settings, it won't be an issue at all.
2) The Arpeggiator and Hold functions do not send their resulting patterns/notes out via USB/DIN MIDI - only the original notes as pressed/released on the keyboard. It is not the end of the world; but these two features are soooooooo easy to use on the A1. To be able to use them to drive other software and hardware synths via USB and MIDI would be a beautiful thing.

All in all: Best hardware synth or controller keyboard purchase EVER - completely ecstatic about this instrument
Last edited by Infinite5ths on 19 Oct 2015, 04:57, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: Love for the A1


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Re: Love for the A1

Postby e8ndave » 19 Oct 2015, 05:21

I think the only think you forgot is how well designed it is for a live setup. Everything is placed exactly where it should be for easy access for everything from soloing to changing programs. When I got my Sub 37 I really loved the engine but for performing it is much more difficult to tweak than the A1. It is the coolest synth I've seen and have found very little I can't do with it.
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Re: Love for the A1

Postby Infinite5ths » 19 Oct 2015, 06:23

...good to know. The Sub 37 is next on my list; but I'm VERY happy the A1 took first place. So it might be a while before I make time/space/money for another synth.
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Re: Love for the A1

Postby ljefe » 19 Oct 2015, 07:45

@ Infinite5ths- great post. To your list of excellent features I'd add individual effects/arpeggiator/outputs/MIDI channels for each layer, a beautifully implemented morph function, ability to quickly map velocity to affect almost any parameter, master clock sync for the arps and delays, randomize, mutate, the color red.

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Re: Love for the A1

Postby Mr_-G- » 19 Oct 2015, 08:59

We all have different views of what a dream synth should be like... ;)
For sure the A1 is very popular, so Nord is doing many things right, but I do not see the UI as so special, really... In my humble opinion, the NL3 is king, as you can 'see' a patch without playing. I hope Nord brings the encoders with leds back for all parameters in future models (and a display, please). And I still do not get why is it 'fast'? It is not much diffrerent from any of the other NLs.
I stll think the NL4 is more attractive in terms of architecture.
Also as RedLeo said elsewhere, the arpeggiators should not output MIDI notes, according to the MIDI standard.
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Re: Love for the A1

Postby Infinite5ths » 19 Oct 2015, 10:34

I chose a Nord the same why I chose a violin: Put my hands on dozens of instruments, and what worked, worked. To me that means the UI on this is special. I did play a bunch of Nords about 2 years ago, including (if memory serves) a Lead 3, Stage, Electro and Piano. None stood out above the Moog, DSI, YamaKorg or Rolvation models beside them. I specifically remember the NL3 encoders - didn't work so well for me. They took up panel space and were visually distracting. The A1 feels like the right mix of elements.

"Fast" is subjective. Fast feels a certain way on a violin, or in a DAW + soft-synth workflow. In short, fast tools go places I want and need to be while raising my levels of energy & creativity. A fast instrument sounds in an unintended way and I like it better than my original direction. A "slow" instrument does the same...but I don't enjoy the new direction(s). It's hard to quantify; which is why it can be difficult to find. But when I find it, I buy and never look back.

Many highly regarded features, like exotic synthesis engines, complex FX, 88-keys, etc., are not important to me. Some I strongly dislike (aftertouch, massive sample libraries, complex routings, fancy graphic UIs). Others have been OK (like the rotary LED-ringed encoders on my pair of Slim Phatty Moogs), but not 'special' to me. A few, like the Nord pitch stick, have become game-changers.

MIDI standard notwithstanding, it would be useful to have the option of enabling MIDI out from the arp.
Last edited by Infinite5ths on 19 Oct 2015, 10:38, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Love for the A1

Postby RedLeo » 19 Oct 2015, 12:57

Mr_-G- wrote:Also as RedLeo said elsewhere, the arpeggiators should not output MIDI notes, according to the MIDI standard.


Personally, I would prefer at least an option for arpeggiators to output MIDI data. Seems like something that would be useful.

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Re: Love for the A1

Postby Mr_-G- » 19 Oct 2015, 20:15

Yes it would be more useful.
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Re: Love for the A1

Postby barryfell » 31 Oct 2015, 20:57

Yeah the A1 is my most used hardware synth, and the last synth I would get rid of if I had to, hardware or software. It just has this lush/liquid warmth that I can't get from any other synth. Some come very close, or occasionally equal, but the A1 consistently delivers patch after patch. Never do I hear anything 'thin'. The FX obviously go a long way to achieving this but the core oscs and filters are great.

It's not a synth for some tasks, (I think some judge a synth on it's ability to do everything and have extensive modulation options), but it excels at what it does do. If I want a traditional architecture or complex modulation I just use one of my other synths.
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Re: Love for the A1

Postby GBP_DE » 25 Nov 2015, 22:08

Hmmm. Please just try the DSI Pro-2 before / after the Sub 37. I like the Moog. I like that specific sound.
But.... I also love the Pro-2 and the magic you can do with it.

I owned the Lead A1 for approx 3 weeks and loved it. But the DSI Prophet 6 as an addition to the NS2EX was more interesting... So now i own the JD-Xi and Prophet A6 and NS2EX76 and wish to win the Jackpot of a Lottery...
Nord Stage 2 EX 76 | DSI Prophet 6 | Roland JD-Xi | Ableton Live
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