Vibrato sync across layers?

[tsss27]

Old thread, but I wanted to attach this example as the main LFO can also go out of sync. I've talked about it before however it seems that it only happens under certain conditions which is why some other users were unable to reproduce it. When you turn on the instrument and play it works as it should, however I've found after making some new patches and coming back to a saved one, the main LFO is out of sync. As you can hear, the layers are grouped and move together as the speed is changed, however their cycles in the LFO are clearly not in the same place, so that even with a normal vibrato rate the sound is not correct.
The good news is this is fixable by power cycling but it's annoying if it were ever to happen in a live performance...

EDIT: I figured out a solution. This will only work for the main LFO, not the vibrato one. Just sync the LFO to master clock and adjust the tempo accordingly. You may need to experiment with tapping different tempos in to fine tune the speed, but once this is done, the LFO never drifts out of sync if the layers are grouped. Since each patch can have its own tempo, this essentially takes care of the problem, unless you have a patch where you want to adjust the LFO speed smoothly with a morph source. Aside from that, this will work.

[miglio77]

Old thread, but I wanted to attach this example as the main LFO can also go out of sync. I've talked about it before however it seems that it only happens under certain conditions which is why some other users were unable to reproduce it. When you turn on the instrument and play it works as it should, however I've found after making some new patches and coming back to a saved one, the main LFO is out of sync. As you can hear, the layers are grouped and move together as the speed is changed, however their cycles in the LFO are clearly not in the same place, so that even with a normal vibrato rate the sound is not correct.
The good news is this is fixable by power cycling but it's annoying if it were ever to happen in a live performance...

EDIT: I figured out a solution. This will only work for the main LFO, not the vibrato one. Just sync the LFO to master clock and adjust the tempo accordingly. You may need to experiment with tapping different tempos in to fine tune the speed, but once this is done, the LFO never drifts out of sync if the layers are grouped. Since each patch can have its own tempo, this essentially takes care of the problem, unless you have a patch where you want to adjust the LFO speed smoothly with a morph source. Aside from that, this will work.

I think the problem lies precisely in the use of vibrato.
Certainly, you can sync the main LFO, but since it's the only one, does it make sense to "waste" it to use it as vibrato when there's an LFO specifically designed for that function?
Nord should address this issue and not just this one.
The Nord Wave 2 needs to become a truly competitive synth by ensuring that what's already in the instrument works at 100%

[miglio77]

I agree completely, however the main LFO does have a much wider range than the vibrato one, so for some types of synth-style vibrato it is actually the only choice. But the dedicated vibrato LFO not working across layers is frustrating and I cannot imagine why Nord thought the current situation was logical, surely they have tested a patch with more than one layer that has vibrato on it...

For me personally, because I am pairing this with a Prophet X, I have my deeper bases covered. However if someone only wanted to use one synth this has some strange limitations for sure... As part of my setup I am happy with it now that I found the right keyboard to pair it with but if it was my only synth I would still be very disappointed.

[waxdoctor]

Recieved this response from Nord Support today. Looks like it is probably in the design:

Hi dj,

Apologies for the lack of response - still confirming a few details regarding this behaviour with Nord. I believe that this is something inherent in the design on the Nord Wave 2's synthesis engine. But I am waiting on a response to confirm.

Best regards,

Matthew Wood
Technical Support Specialist
support@americanmusicandsound.com

was there ever a follow-up? did he confirm or elaborate further? or is it still an open ticket?

[waxdoctor]

Recieved this response from Nord Support today. Looks like it is probably in the design:

Hi dj,

Apologies for the lack of response - still confirming a few details regarding this behaviour with Nord. I believe that this is something inherent in the design on the Nord Wave 2's synthesis engine. But I am waiting on a response to confirm.

Best regards,

Matthew Wood
Technical Support Specialist
support@americanmusicandsound.com

was there ever a follow-up? did he confirm or elaborate further? or is it still an open ticket?

I never heard back from them after this exchange. As I mentioned before, I seriously doubt that there will be any more updates to the Wave 2, and the Stage 4 may indeed have the same issue, as the architecture is the same.

-dj

[waxdoctor]

I also just opened a ticket about that earlier. let's see who is handling it and what they have to say.
Just got my W2 this week on THU (I am in honeymoon phase)

[waxdoctor]

Recieved this response from Nord Support today. Looks like it is probably in the design:

Hi dj,

Apologies for the lack of response - still confirming a few details regarding this behaviour with Nord. I believe that this is something inherent in the design on the Nord Wave 2's synthesis engine. But I am waiting on a response to confirm.

Best regards,

Matthew Wood
Technical Support Specialist
support@americanmusicandsound.com

was there ever a follow-up? did he confirm or elaborate further? or is it still an open ticket?

I never heard back from them after this exchange. As I mentioned before, I seriously doubt that there will be any more updates to the Wave 2, and the Stage 4 may indeed have the same issue, as the architecture is the same.

-dj

... but then there's hope again, as the Stage 4 is their flagship, and I'd like to believe they'll iron that out for the Stage 4, which could then be "easily" ported back to the Wave 2...
(just dreaming )
I mean, it wouldn't be serious of Clavia Nord to have a flagship on the market with a dedicated "performance" vibrato that has no use when layering. same goes for their "most versatile synthesizer ever", the Wave 2...

[waxdoctor]

I also just opened a ticket about that earlier. let's see who is handling it and what they have to say.
Just got my W2 this week on THU (I am in honeymoon phase)

Still no reply…

[DJKeys]

There won't be, I'm afraid. The reply I got way back when indicated (to me) that the problem was inherent in the design, and probably was not an easy fix. The Stage 4 has this same problem, and I doubt it will be fixed in either instrument.

-dj