Nord User Forum

[Nadroj]

Excitement isn't waning at all. There was a lot of hype, but there's always hype with new products in any industry. Hype has thankfully died down. Still very much looking forward to receiving my own Stage 3.

Re the synth engine, I was fiddling with the A1 in a store last week and managed to get this absolutely gorgeous, fat, moving sound out of it. Really gave me GAS for one. I was blown away by its complexity. Then I realised that I only had one slot turned on. 2 slots of that synth engine is mighty powerful; especially compared to the Stage 2.

[fjzingo]

Yep the synthsection is really fat and really easy and fun to program, miss a real ADSR though. For phattness I really like The second oscillator, it is implemented in a really nice way.

Excitement isn't waning at all. There was a lot of hype, but there's always hype with new products in any industry. Hype has thankfully died down. Still very much looking forward to receiving my own Stage 3.

Re the synth engine, I was fiddling with the A1 in a store last week and managed to get this absolutely gorgeous, fat, moving sound out of it. Really gave me GAS for one. I was blown away by its complexity. Then I realised that I only had one slot turned on. 2 slots of that synth engine is mighty powerful; especially compared to the Stage 2.

[Duplobaustein]

@Analogika:
May be because some people on is forum were talking about the super wave, that are two Osc/Synth? In one slot...So, kind of 4 synth sounds?

Makes it still only two timbrals...

[BuckW]

Regarding one kboard being a compromise:

Not if you already have asst least one. If you already have a piano like 88 keyboard you'll probably opt for the organ keyboard like I did in the compact stage 3. If you already have an organ like keyboard you'll probably opt for the 88-key piano like keyboard.

How many people really are getting a Nord stage 3 as their first one and only keyboard? Damn few I would think.

Regarding missing FM:

You'll already have DX7 like e piano out of the piano section so who cares?

[anotherscott]

Regarding one kboard being a compromise:
...
How many people really are getting a Nord stage 3 as their first one and only keyboard? Damn few I would think.

Even if it's not someone's first/only keyboard, that doesn't mean they they necessarily must then own a viable, complementary 2-board rig. Maybe their previous board failed or got damaged beyond cost-effective repair, or didn't actually belong to them, or was a really old or really cheap POS, or is too heavy to want to gig with, or was traded in or sold to subsidize the purchase of the new board, or was an older Nord that doesn't do anything the new one doesn't (they just want an upgraded version of what they already have) or was otherwise a board whose functionality is completely replaced by rather than complemented by the new purchase, etc. Tons of scenarios.

But also, even if it's not someone's first/only keyboard, that doesn't mean they necessarily want to gig with more than one keyboard. They may even specifically be looking at something like the NS3 because they don't want to gig with more than one, and they're having a hard time finding a single board that does everything they want it to do.

Regarding missing FM:

You'll already have DX7 like e piano out of the piano section so who cares?

The DX7 had TONS of great sounds in it. (And in fact, personally, the DX7 EP was among the DX7 sounds I *don't* care about having.)

[analogika]

Regarding one kboard being a compromise:
...
How many people really are getting a Nord stage 3 as their first one and only keyboard? Damn few I would think.

[…]
But also, even if it's not someone's first/only keyboard, that doesn't mean they necessarily want to gig with more than one keyboard. They may even specifically be looking at something like the NS3 because they don't want to gig with more than one, and they're having a hard time finding a single board that does everything they want it to do.

Yup.

I have a bunch of 'boards, but I try to take only the Nord whenever I can get away with it (like on the tour I'm on right now).

[baekgaard]

The Wave/Stage 2 synth is a pretty powerful FM machine: 38 algorithms, from 1 to 3 operators.

Only 2 configurations in the Stage3? It looks like the Stage3 basically dismissed the FM synth...or maybe there are many settings selectable inside the generic "dual FM" and "triple FM" modes?

Just for the record: The NS2, NLA1 and NS3 are all different

The NS2 basically has dual and triple operator FM (i.e. carrier and 1 or 2 modulators) in two configurations: Some without feedback and some with feedback. In addition, it has a special single operator mode with feedback. For dual operator modes, the carrier:modulator ratio can be any integer ratio 1:1 up to 9:1, with or without feedback (18 modes in total; I think the manual lists one line twice). For triple operator modes, there are 8+10 different pre-selected ratios to choose between (without and with feedback). In total, this gives around 37 different modes: 1 single operator mode, 9+9 dual operator modes and 8+10 triple operator modes.

The NS3 has dual and triple operator FM, but only in one configuration each; there is no feedback. The carrier:modulator ratio is now selected in semitones, so instead of 9 (or 10) different modes, you now get to choose between 60 ratios (the manual is wrong here, listing only 48). For the 1:1, 2:1, 4:1 and 8:1 ratios, they can be exactly the same (0, 12, 24 and 36 semitones). The 3:1 and 9:1 ratios can be almost the same (19.02 and 38.04 semitones) whereas 5:1 and 7:1 cannot be quite the same (27.86 and 33.69 semitones). For the triple operator modes, some modes can be selected similarly, but not all.

So counting in a similar way as for the NS2, the NS3 gives you 120 modes instead of 38: 1*60 dual operator modes and 1*60 triple operator modes. So more choices for the two configurations, but you're lacking the feedback mode (and apparently also the ability to have all 3 operators at different ratios -- although the manual doesn't say explicitly how/if the two modulators are varied).

The NLA1 has only dual operator modes. The 2nd operator can also be from -12 to +48 semitones, so there you have 60 modes.

There are many other differences too between the 3; I think the NS3 is generally more powerful than the NS2 (although with some differences like the ones above). The NLA1 is more similar to the NS3, but there are additional differences (e.g. AM mode has been replaced by the somewhat "similar" RM mode -- similar because the function is the same, but the modulator is now bipolar and not unipolar -- and there are more waveforms to chose from, etc).

[Spider]

Wow, I imagined the FM synth couldn't be so limited!
Thanks for the detailed explanation baekgaard!

[DJKeys]

My next setup will be the NS3 with the A1. Easy programming, great sound, light weight. Since the A1 was derived from the NS2 synth, I will have 6 slots of synth, which will fill my needs perfectly.

-dj

[Mr. Marko]

Hoping the USA shipment arrives soon but concerned about V3 sample format and lack of an editor program for backups so I might stay with the NS2 and G2 for live work until Sweden gets that together.

People who never owned a NS (this will be my 4th different NS model) really have no idea why the rest of us liberated ourselves from the idioticenu menu diving that the pacific rim is known for...I know someone has to keep them in business, but it is not going to be me.