Nord User Forum

[pablomastodon]

Hi Shark,

I'm guessing that our musical tastes run very similar to one another judging from the bands you mentioned, but one thing I've learned is that us Nordesians represent a hugely wide variety of musical interests. Farts, squeaks and burps are very popular for some folks. Others like to pump up the overdrive to the point of turning their sound into gravel, all crunchy.

Just guessing on my part, but I would think that someone showing off a new instrument with a new design would naturally focus on highlighting this newness by creating new sounds, either as a conscious process or quite subconsciously without even realizing it. I mean, there may be much interest in the open market in having sounds which recreate the 80's synth sounds you mention, but there will be just as many people whose reaction will be WTF, we've had those sounds for 30+ years already, where's the new stuff?

Some years ago Roland came out with something they called the V-synth. As I recall it was around $2200 at the local shop and the saleperson was practically breathless with excitement as he related how, if i bought this thing, and then spent another $1000 for an add-on module I would have a faithful recreation of a D-50 on my hands. At the time I already owned a D-550 which I really loved, but went on ebay and found another D-550 that was in brand new minty fresh condition and it cost me $400.

Admittedly, in the areas of organs and pianos and clavs and mellotrons and...etc., Nord is all about faithful reproduction of the original sound, but the synth world is kinda different. I have little interest in spending phat money on a new synth which will make sounds that I can already make with the synths I've owned for thirty years. And I daresay that of those artists you mentioned who are still playing, they too have moved on to newer and different sounds. Seems like another Ricky Nelson Garden Party situation in some ways...

Bless,

Pablo

[Marlowes]

Of course, new sounds it what a modern synthesizer is all about, but at the same time a machine like the A1 which is marketed - and more to the point, preceived - as being very analog in sound and style will tend to lean itself to at least have a strong foothold in the analog part of the sound spectrum. As someone with very little studio space, assuming I'd want to go for a lot of analog style sounds, there's one huge advantage with the A1 compared to the Junos, Jupiters and Prophets of yesteryear: it's a compact machine, can do four sounds at once, has a built in effects unit, is velocity sensitive and will not go out of tune. Sure, if you have space to hold a Prophet-600, a Jupiter-8 and a Juno-60 plus a master keyboard as well as suitable MIDI to DCB converters, that will probably give you a more convincing analog sound, and of course if you already have the gear it's cheaper too. But for someone starting out yet loves "that 80s sound", an A1 brings a lot to the table, and since it is partly marketed as being very analog sounding, it stands to reason that the company behind it would offer a very 'analog sounding' soundset if nothing else to promote the sound.

The way I see it, a machine like the A1 should firmly start in the analog realm, but offer more than what a classic analog could so that you can have the best of borth worlds. I'd say the A1 (minus a couple of gripes) does this very well. If I were to by my first polysynth the A1 would be at the top of the list.

Now, I haven't heard the new A1 sound banks so I can't comment on how they sound; I know 'Kroffe' at Clavia is an analog synth affectionado, so if anyone at Clavia could come up with a good analog soundset it would be him.

[shark]

Pablo, I am all for progress and do like to explore new sounds. However this particular patch has been "advertised" as:

"This A1 Bank from Clavia employee Kristofer "Kroffe" Ulfves is much inspired by classic analogue synthesizers, electric pianos and string machines. In these 99 programs and 100 performances he has tried to capture the vintage sound sweetspots of the Nord Lead A1."

After trying the patch I was disappointed because the product was not as "advertised". This reinforced in me the notion that the A1 is also being promoted as a synth capable of replicating classic vintage analog sounds so a lot of people (like me) probably bought it to do just that (in my belief as a 50+ years old musician it is my mission to keep classic rock alive! If we don't do it who will?). It would be really nice if Nord were to supply the sounds that go with the promise instead of piling farts and burps onto an already huge pile.

Sorry for the rant, I am happy with the A1; I just would like it to be loaded with the sounds I (and apparently a lot of other forum members) like and seek.

Ricky Nelson didn't make it onto my setlist, maybe next century.

[AinTziLLo]

I completely agree with Shark...
(I would not have been able to find better words)

[pablomastodon]

All points well taken. Sometimes my brain/mouth/typing fingers just seem to act like some of these newfangled synths, belching and farting uncontrollably...

Pablo

[YvesEchoes]

Reloaded, they're ok.

Funny I was hoping to find some "standard" vintage patches like all-round pads, some strings, voices and well known lead sounds but the vast majority seem to be pretty useless sounds that show programming mastery but little musical purpose.

Pretty much along the lines of all the other patches available.

I wished someone at Nord (or outside) would take a good listen to pink floyd, rush, journey, heart, genesis, steve winwood and other classic rock acts and replicate the main synth sounds used instead of programming farts, squeaks, burps or general white noise that have pretty low vintage musical value.

From the Nord site:

"This A1 Bank from Clavia employee Kristofer "Kroffe" Ulfves is much inspired by classic analogue synthesizers, electric pianos and string machines. In these 99 programs and 100 performances he has tried to capture the vintage sound sweetspots of the Nord Lead A1."

Where are they???

I don't want to sound ungrateful, I know they're free so I shouldn't complain but since the guy must have spent company time and money to program the patches why not program something that has general purpose rather than to just show off the extreme sounds the Lead A1 is capable of? I mean it's supposed to be a musical instrument in the end, to make MUSIC.

Just saying...

What do you think?

+1 ...

[shark]

Funny how my rant is still valid almost two years later. Any talented programmers out there who want to pick up the challenge? I'm sure Yves, myself and many others will be grateful.

[Marlowes]

I think the description of the patches unfortunatly was a cut and paste job from the description of my patches for NL4, sorry that people are feeling dissapointed.

[shark]

Thanks for the clarification Kroffe, never mind the description give us vintage patches!!!

[NoDirection]

Hullo!

+1 to Shark from here as well. As an new user of Nord lead A1 I´m as well in a hunt for those classic, proggy sounds, and I wonder, that nobody with programming skills hasn´t grabbed this opportunity yet. Still thumbs up for all the goodies given this far - hopefully there is still some will for the classic range of lead sounds, no matter how school should they be:)

Pete