Nord User Forum

The problem is:
- What sells a Nord? Who buys it? Who buys a digital synth in the age of great sounding plug ins?
- What does each feature bring and what does it cost?

I think Nord sells a new synth to people who collect hardware, perhaps as much as musicians playing live.
These are people wanting/craving new synths because of their looks, features and sound. Perhaps just because it is new.

You will sell new Nord Leads to these guys as long as you have something new, and something resembling the old. The Nord is popular, it is frequently encountered in studio-tour-videos, there is a market for it.
A Nord Lead will possibly take market shares from Roland System-8, from Prophet 12, from the new Novation keyboard - as long as it can compare feature-wise.

What features are essential then?
1. You need a subtractive layout.
2. You need a very hands-on-layout
3. You need at least two oscillators per voice
4. You need at least 8 voices.
5. You need at least both a filter and an amp envelope.
6. You need to be able to save patches by name on the keyboard.

What is probably needed?
1. You probably need a couple of assignable envelopes like on the analog keys.
2. You probably need a couple of assignable lfos
3. You probably need additional tools to fatten up the sound, like slop, detuning multiple voices, stacks of voices to create pads - polysynths are used for pads.
4. You probably need dual filters
5. You probably need some tricks on the oscillators, both shape mods/morphing, supersaws, unison, unison-option (detuning, spread, voice count)

You might not need more than that.
A new lead might not be intended to compete against the digitone and the peak simultaneously.

Judging from the A1 and Lead 4, Nord are looking on every feature to figure out where they can save money, especially on effects. I don't think they will get away with downstripped effects. People want more, not less. You will need a sweet chorus, both delay and reverb simultaneously and distortion. You will.

Duplobaustein wrote:I would love to have a Lead A2 with:

[...]
5. display of the stored value of a parameter, right now it is impossible to see on what value a parameter is stored
[...]
7. dedicated shape knob. Shape shouldn't be an OSC config imho.
[...]

Please at least something from this list.

@5: You can show current value by pressing the "copy/monitor" button and turning the relevant knob.
@7: This would also introduce the need for 2 extra knobs lfo amount and env amout for just the shape. I see this would be useful, but it harm the lovely simplicity of the A1.

skipgilles wrote: @7: This would also introduce the need for 2 extra knobs lfo amount and env amout for just the shape. I see this would be useful, but it harm the lovely simplicity of the A1.

TBH, I really hope they get away from the A1 interface. I like subtractive synths to look and behave like subtractive synths. I found the A1 offputting. It seemed to be a success though. I'm currently back using my 2X which I like a lot. Just wish it had a few more features.

skipgilles wrote: @7: This would also introduce the need for 2 extra knobs lfo amount and env amout for just the shape. I see this would be useful, but it harm the lovely simplicity of the A1.

TBH, I really hope they get away from the A1 interface. I like subtractive synths to look and behave like subtractive synths. I found the A1 offputting. It seemed to be a success though. I'm currently back using my 2X which I like a lot. Just wish it had a few more features.

Aftertouch and better keys
Importation of NL2 and NL 3 Sysex !
Screen
Vibrato
Open for a third plugin editor company !

Bring back the rack format!