
Nord Lead 3 buttons and rotary dial
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- Posts: 3
- Joined: 05 Sep 2013, 23:53
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- Your Nord Gear #1: Nord Lead 3
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Re: Nord Lead 3 buttons and rotary dial
It wasn't too bad actually. A handful of screws to lift the top from the body, and a bunch of screws to remove the controller board from the top. One thing I discovered is that you do not need to remove the knobs to remove the circuit board, though you will probably want to so you can clean the pots thoroughly. The other tricky part is that the pitch stick leads are wired directly to the board, so I had to remove the two screws that attach the pitch stick to the top so that I could remove the circuit board containing the LCD. About an hour job total, and well worth it!
- bloodykot
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Re: Nord Lead 3 buttons and rotary dial
Nord lead 3 has the same old DAC as in NL 1/2/NM - AD1865R (18 bit / 192kHz, multi bit).mjbrands wrote:I did some googling, but wasn't able to find anything regarding the DACs in the NL3. The NL2X and Modular G2X might very well have the same (or very similar) ones.stiiiiiiive wrote:I'm in EU, cool then, in a way. As for the converters, I meant DA converters indeed. When the seller told me it was the second classic problem, it sounded familiar to me. But to be honest, I only vaguely remember having read some forums topics about this; I can't remember exactly where.mjbrands wrote:That issue could be fixed, but in Europe there seem to be less issues than in the US. What exactly do you mean with convertors? The DA convertors? I haven't heard of issues, but as a NL3 owner I'm certainly curious about what you heard.
I did find an extensive post by someone who was convinced the DACs on his 'vintage' Lead 1 had become 'uncalibrated', leading to a much richer and more lively sound. And this wasn't even someone trying to sell it... Ha, I pour apple sauce on my NR3 to make it sounds sweeter; the acid in the apples also makes the LP filter sound more punchy.
I don't know - dust sounds like disuse to me. Dusty without dampness might not be too bad, but you don't want a synth with stuff living in there.stiiiiiiive wrote:If dust it is, I feel more and more skeptical about the "hardly used" mention... weirder and weirder.
Anyway, sounds like you're fairly sold on getting a NL3 and reserving some cash to make repairs, if needed.
The proof link:
NL3 inside => NL2 inside => http://www.norduserforum.com/download/file.php?id=2011
NL 3/4/A1 and...
may the Force be with me!
may the Force be with me!
- stiiiiiiive
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Re: Nord Lead 3 buttons and rotary dial
Cool! I was about to say that I had soooo much troubele with the NL3 episode I ended just selling it.justindelay wrote:It wasn't too bad actually. A handful of screws to lift the top from the body, and a bunch of screws to remove the controller board from the top. One thing I discovered is that you do not need to remove the knobs to remove the circuit board, though you will probably want to so you can clean the pots thoroughly. The other tricky part is that the pitch stick leads are wired directly to the board, so I had to remove the two screws that attach the pitch stick to the top so that I could remove the circuit board containing the LCD. About an hour job total, and well worth it!
In the process, I replaced the keybed with a brand new one, semi-weighted. Cost me not a kidney but I sure lost money on this one.
BTW, I didn't tell the whole story about the keybed replacement here because I was afraid that possible buyers won't contact me. I'll tell the whole story some day

Last edited by stiiiiiiive on 04 Jul 2014, 10:24, edited 2 times in total.
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- Posts: 2
- Joined: 22 May 2017, 03:21
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- Your Nord Gear #1: Nord Lead 3
Re: Nord Lead 3 buttons and rotary dial
i know this is an old thread, but any chance you can give more details on the keybed replacement? the unweighted keybed is the main thing i don't like about my NL3 and i'd love to be able to fix this with a semi-weighted one!stiiiiiiive wrote:Cool! I was about to say that I had soooo much troubele with the NL3 episode I ended just selling it.justindelay wrote:It wasn't too bad actually. A handful of screws to lift the top from the body, and a bunch of screws to remove the controller board from the top. One thing I discovered is that you do not need to remove the knobs to remove the circuit board, though you will probably want to so you can clean the pots thoroughly. The other tricky part is that the pitch stick leads are wired directly to the board, so I had to remove the two screws that attach the pitch stick to the top so that I could remove the circuit board containing the LCD. About an hour job total, and well worth it!
In the process, I replaced the keybed with a brand new one, semi-weighted. Cost me not a kidney but I sure lost money on this one.
BTW, I didn't tell the whole story about the keybed replacement here because I was afraid that possible buyers won't contact me. I'll tell the whole story some day
thanks!
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- Posts: 1
- Joined: 23 Jun 2019, 00:56
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- Your Nord Gear #1: Nord Lead 3
Re: Nord Lead 3 buttons and rotary dial
shpongled wrote:i know this is an old thread, but any chance you can give more details on the keybed replacement? the unweighted keybed is the main thing i don't like about my NL3 and i'd love to be able to fix this with a semi-weighted one!stiiiiiiive wrote:Cool! I was about to say that I had soooo much troubele with the NL3 episode I ended just selling it.justindelay wrote:It wasn't too bad actually. A handful of screws to lift the top from the body, and a bunch of screws to remove the controller board from the top. One thing I discovered is that you do not need to remove the knobs to remove the circuit board, though you will probably want to so you can clean the pots thoroughly. The other tricky part is that the pitch stick leads are wired directly to the board, so I had to remove the two screws that attach the pitch stick to the top so that I could remove the circuit board containing the LCD. About an hour job total, and well worth it!
In the process, I replaced the keybed with a brand new one, semi-weighted. Cost me not a kidney but I sure lost money on this one.
BTW, I didn't tell the whole story about the keybed replacement here because I was afraid that possible buyers won't contact me. I'll tell the whole story some day
thanks!
Yeah, I'd love to replace my NL3 keybed too, any details/info is welcome