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

The Nord Rack 2x can layer sounds

Postby livefastdieslow » 09 Mar 2017, 02:26

Hello,

I have owned a 2x for about 10 years now. I've made lots of interesting noises on this fine piece of equipment ...but I've never layered the sounds. The time has come.

I've seen some youtube videos of guys layering sounds and playing multiple slots at the same time. I am interested in doing the same. But the manual and google don't seem to be helping me figure out what the magic buttons are. I'm not sure what "performance" or "program mode" are so that doesn't help when I'm trying to make sense of these abstract concepts. I don't really care about nomenclature I just want to start layering.

I've always just played one patch at a time. 1-99. So that's all I'm used to: scrolling up or down through my presets and twisting knobs. I've never used the slot buttons because I didn't want to screw up the sounds I've worked so hard on. I assume layering is done by using the slots. I'm just not sure how to use them properly.

1: Let's say I want to layer presets 1-4. How is this accomplished?
2: Let's say I want to save this new multi-layered noise. How is this accomplished?

Thank you in advance!
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The Nord Rack 2x can layer sounds


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Re: The Nord Rack 2x can layer sounds

Postby Quai34 » 09 Mar 2017, 07:32

1- You just ckick only on each Slot you want to add, in this case, click, at the same time on slot 1 and 4 only.
2-Then save it as a performance...
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Re: The Nord Rack 2x can layer sounds

Postby Spider » 13 Mar 2017, 00:11

Have you ever read the manual?
Layering and using performances is probably the most powerful feature of the Lead series (together with morphing).
If you don't use it, you're missing most of the sonic potential of the synth. It's very easy to learn, it's well worth spending a few hours on it.
Also, apart from programs 1-99 there are 300 more user-rewritable programs and 100 user-rewritable performances: you can freely experiment without fear of losing your sounds.

Have fun!

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Re: The Nord Rack 2x can layer sounds

Postby livefastdieslow » 13 Mar 2017, 17:56

Yes, I've read the manual and searched online.

I tried Quia34's suggestion. Which would be fine if I owned a lead 2x, not a Rack 2x. Following that advice, you still only hear one sound at a time with one of the slots left blinking. No matter which one is selected, you only hear the first slot.

The ONLY hint the manual gives in using layers with the RACK version is that "your midi controller needs to transmit on channel 1". I'm currently using one of the earliest cheapest USB MIDI controllers that became available. There's no option to change the MIDI channel settings on it.

I recently made duplicates of and reorganized my presets on this machine, so I was more comfortable taking chances employing the click-on-shit method than I was previously.

This lead me to the discovery of how to use layers on the RACK VERSION of this machine, which does NOT operate the same as the Lead 2x. See below.

--
On the RACK VERSION, you have to navigate to a performance bank and select one of them. Next, you select one of the Slots (2-4). Click on the shift button and locate the MIDI CH button. PRESTO. The midi channel is displayed on the slot. On the RACK 2x, slot 4 is operating on MIDI Channel 4. Slot 3 is operating on MIDI Channel 3, 2 on 2 and 1 on 1. SO! You need to change them all to MIDI Channel 1. With all 4 slots on MIDI Ch 1, I now hear all 4 sounds, for the first time EVER.
--

I've had lots of issues with MIDI controllers and this Rack unit. My MPK49 controller was a bit too much for this Rack. The way linear faders and circular knobs operate with MIDI values lead to all sorts of annoying issues when trying to use the MPK with this Rack. So I switched back to my dumb controller to get the Nord to behave properly. During the long painful process of assigning/troubleshooting/ultimately removing the MPK, I overwrote certain presets which sounded completely different depending on which knob on the controller was in which position when powered on. So that's why I was very hesitant to go messing around with layers and such, because the manual did NOT make it clear how that worked and I didn't want to risk overwriting more presets, which the manual DOES make clear will overwrite the original sounds.

So it wasn't until I had the sounds duplicated and reorganized that I was willing to try this again. Although this is an old machine and most people out there probably have it figured out by now, I hope this helps others who are equally confused about the difference between the RACK VERSION of the 2x and the Lead 2x, because they are in fact different in this regard.
Last edited by livefastdieslow on 13 Mar 2017, 17:57, edited 1 time in total.
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