Anyone also disappointed by the W2?

[clickclack777]

Worst weakness: where do I even start?

My biggest disappointment over time has been realizing that Nord basically did nothing to expand the single-oscillator architecture.
This is, honestly, a real shame.

It’s absurd that to get a basic synth configuration like saw + square, I’m forced to use two slots.

Thanks for highlighting this. I was just about to buy one coming from the NLA1 (have both the keyboard and rack version which I love) thinking that the NW2 expanded on the NLA1 2 OSC synth engine architecture with improved FM capabilities, super saws, separate pitch/oscillators ctrl modulation and full ADSRs. This could have easily been added considering the real estate available and that there isn't a rack version to consider. Would have also liked to see more Impulse Morphs like the NL4 since this is inline with their live performance profile.

They removing an OSC while doubling the polyphony to keep it within the CPU limits probably. Also a shame that they removed the LFO switch to turn the LFO into a single cycle envelope which I thought it was a clever use on the NLA1 and that the mod destinations are that few without adding pedals or external midi modulation. The MOD envelope is also simplified (missing the decay/sustain control). No separate outputs nor sample posibilities in the machine without software. Wouldn't consider this an evolution. Specially not for that price. Completely understand their choice of key bed now considering all this.

I'll wait another 10 years for the Nord Wave 3 or the A2.

ps. Would also like to see an auto-sample function like the one Elektron uses on their Tonverk which also offers multi-layered/velocity sounds and round robin functionality.

[miglio77]

Worst weakness: where do I even start?

My biggest disappointment over time has been realizing that Nord basically did nothing to expand the single-oscillator architecture.
This is, honestly, a real shame.

It’s absurd that to get a basic synth configuration like saw + square, I’m forced to use two slots.

Thanks for highlighting this. I was just about to buy one coming from the NLA1 (have both the keyboard and rack version which I love) thinking that the NW2 expanded on the NLA1 2 OSC synth engine architecture with improved FM capabilities, super saws, separate pitch/oscillators ctrl modulation and full ADSRs. This could have easily been added considering the real estate available and that there isn't a rack version to consider. Would have also liked to see more Impulse Morphs like the NL4 since this is inline with their live performance profile.

They removing an OSC while doubling the polyphony to keep it within the CPU limits probably. Also a shame that they removed the LFO switch to turn the LFO into a single cycle envelope which I thought it was a clever use on the NLA1 and that the mod destinations are that few without adding pedals or external midi modulation. The MOD envelope is also simplified (missing the decay/sustain control). No separate outputs nor sample posibilities in the machine without software. Wouldn't consider this an evolution. Specially not for that price. Completely understand their choice of key bed now considering all this.

I'll wait another 10 years for the Nord Wave 3 or the A2.

ps. Would also like to see an auto-sample function like the one Elektron uses on their Tonverk which also offers multi-layered/velocity sounds and round robin functionality.

I completely agree with you, and I’m really glad my post was useful.

When I bought the Wave 2 about five and a half years ago, I had a similar expectation:
I thought I would get what I already knew from Nord’s synth architecture, plus something new on top of it.

I knew from the panel that I wouldn’t find the Nord Lead 4 architecture there — that was clear from the start.
But I never expected to lose even the basic oscillator configurations that were already present in instruments like the NLA1 and the Nord Stage 3.

Those architectures were already limited and limiting, sure, but they still provided a solid classic synth foundation to build on.

I clearly remember someone here on the forum telling me:

“Yes, but you can get oscillator detuning with the supersaw.”

As if that “solution” (wow, what a stroke of genius! ) could really replace the musical and architectural flexibility of two real oscillators in a classic synth setup:
pulse + saw, square + saw, different wave combinations with independent tuning and interaction, and so on.

Supersaw is fine — but it’s not a substitute for a proper oscillator architecture.
And that’s exactly where, for me, the Wave 2 shows its biggest conceptual limitation.

[Amadrius]

I’ve owned a Nord Wave 2 for almost six years now.
I’ve programmed a lot of patches on it, used it extensively live, both in setups with Nord Stage 3 88 and with a Roland Fantom 6.

Let me start with the obvious:

Best strength: on stage, it sounds
It cuts through the mix beautifully, it’s immediate, solid, and very “Nord”. In a live context, it does its job extremely well.

Worst weakness: where do I even start?

My biggest disappointment over time has been realizing that Nord basically did nothing to expand the single-oscillator architecture.
This is, honestly, a real shame.

One of Nord’s historical strengths was always the clarity and completeness of basic synth building blocks. On the Wave 2, this philosophy feels strangely abandoned.

Some examples:
• It’s absurd that to get a basic synth configuration like saw + square, I’m forced to use two slots.
• It’s absurd that splits are so limiting and rigid for a performance-oriented instrument.
• It’s absurd that LFOs cannot be synced. For a synth in this price range, this is hard to justify.

Now, to be clear:
Can you do great sounds with the NW2? Absolutely yes.
If you know what you’re doing, you can still pull out huge, expressive, musical patches. I’ve done it myself many times.

But that doesn’t change the fact that the overall architecture feels unnecessarily constrained, especially considering the price point.

At around €2500, having such fundamental limitations simply doesn’t make much sense anymore. And maybe that’s also why you don’t see many Wave 2s on stage compared to other Nord products.

I still like the instrument, I still respect what it does well, but I can’t help feeling that the Wave 2 is a missed opportunity.
With a few architectural improvements, it could have been something truly outstanding.

The dual oscillator configs were added to the stage 4 in an update. Seems like it should be possible for the wave 2. And the lack of LFO sync is extremely disappointing since you have to use two seperate layers to get a classic dual osc sound.

[tsss27]

LFO sync does work. The Vibrato LFO, however, does not sync, if that's what you are referring to. You need to enable the master clock, tap the tempo and then adjust the LFO rate to find the speed you want. If the LFO's are grouped together, it works. To be fair, this is more fiddly than it should be, and it can take some trial and error to get the right speed.

My biggest complaint with the Wave now, aside from the vibrato LFO not syncing, is that you can only affect one destination at a time with the main LFO. That's a really stupid design choice.

I'm not so concerned about some of these dual oscillator configurations as it seems you can still get those sounds with 2 slots. I guess if you need 4 multi-osc sounds split across the keyboard it could be a limitation, but many times I build patches using multiple layers for a single sound. This gives more complexity and control in terms of detuning and osc shape.

What I would like to see, some of which would only be possible on a newer instrument and some would be dead simple to add into the NW2 firmware:

1. Vibrato sync across layers.
2. Replace the tube drive effect with one of the amp models in the Stage, or at least put the eq after the drive so that it can be smoothed out.
3. Multiple destinations and amounts should be useable at the same time for the main LFO. Better yet, ditch the vibrato one and give 2 full LFO's instead.
4. Polyphonic glide.
5. Keyboard tracking as an additional morph source.
6. Expanded sample memory. If the NW2 is the top sample-based instrument (I.E. it does not feature any room for the piano library) then the sample memory should be the same as the flagship piano and stage. These have 3 GB total, 2 for piano library and 1 for samples. So give the Wave 3 GB for samples.
7. Ability to adjust single/multi trigger separately from constant/legato glide.
8. Ability to make the impulse morph latch by default.

[clickclack777]

The dual oscillator configs were added to the stage 4 in an update. Seems like it should be possible for the wave 2. And the lack of LFO sync is extremely disappointing since you have to use two seperate layers to get a classic dual osc sound.

From a user experience perspective I don't really see how that could be achieved without some SHIFT + command combo (which would go against Claviers UX approach on this level of selection) since the knobs available and their labelling are set on the NW2 compared to the assignable knobs on the NS4. It was a deliberate design decision for the NW2 which requires a hardware update -> NW3.

LFO sync does work. The Vibrato LFO, however, does not sync, if that's what you are referring to. You need to enable the master clock, tap the tempo and then adjust the LFO rate to find the speed you want. If the LFO's are grouped together, it works. To be fair, this is more fiddly than it should be, and it can take some trial and error to get the right speed.

My biggest complaint with the Wave now, aside from the vibrato LFO not syncing, is that you can only affect one destination at a time with the main LFO. That's a really stupid design choice.

I don't agree at all that we should conform on this solution since it is a workaround for an expected setup for any synth (and scales back from precious Nord synths) that also requires more button pressing back and forth to adjust a simple 2 oscillator setup. This also means that you are currently getting 4 OSC less on a synth that cost 1000 euros more than the NLA1 just because it offers a single layer of sample playback. Doesn't make sense from a buying perspective.

[tsss27]

The Tonverk is interesting and I only discovered it due to these posts. Whether I can use it in the way I want is another matter -- seems it only has 8 voice polyphony per layer. I sent them an email earlier after checking it out to see if it can do the things I need, but if so it'd make a great extra sound module for my setup. The fact it can load .sfz files is very exciting.

If you want deeper sample and synth flexibility in one keyboard instrument then I think the Prophet X is king, especially if you delete the 150GB of factory samples.

Regarding the multi-osc configurations, can you give me an example of a sound you cannot get on the Wave 2 that you can on the Stage 3-4 or Lead series which uses these? Seems they are just combos of waveforms and you can use two slots to get them. I'm not saying they wouldn't be useful to include, but it seems from some posts here it is a much larger impact than I would think, so I am curious.

[clickclack777]

Regarding the multi-osc configurations, can you give me an example of a sound you cannot get on the Wave 2 that you can on the Stage 3-4 or Lead series which uses these? Seems they are just combos of waveforms and you can use two slots to get them. I'm not saying they wouldn't be useful to include, but it seems from some posts here it is a much larger impact than I would think, so I am curious.

Yes, the Tonverk looks promising with the addition of granular synthesis and recent bug fixes. The 8 voice per channel polyphony is a limitation to consider that I hope the make dynamically adjustable instead, if no other voices are playing on the other channels. The sample memory is also based on the SD card size rather than a fixed internal memory. Join the Elektronauts forum for any questions you may have. It's a lively forum with a lot of users.

On the NLA1 you can multi sequence all 4 layers with the double OSC config (e.g. Kick, Bass, pads and lead) simultaneously or play them layered which isn't possible with the NW2 without having pre-sampled from software.

Besides those major things, here is a list of per layer that the NW2 and sometimes Stages can't do:
- The main OSC on each layer can't be modulated through the MOD ENV or/and LFO (cycled or single cycled (Attack/Decay/Sustain) at the same time.
- You can't FM, detune or AMP modulate the main OSC of waveform available per layer (other than a sine) and easily set a a sine, triangle, saw or pulse at the "right" setting as a secondary OSC without using another layer.
- Random, Mutate and Save favourite settings through the like button.
- Routing each layer to one of the stereo outputs isn't possible either on the NW2.
- Might be mistaken but Stage 4 doesn't seem to have ENV or MOD ENVs at all when I look at the panel.
- The LFO is just a rate knob.
- The MOD ENV can't be inverted.

While the NW2 FM engines looks really tempting with the ease of use of the Nord interface, it is not enough for me since I'm the studio hobbyist who doesn't have to tour with my keyboards. The only thing missing on the NLA1 which isn't critical but would have expanded the sonic possibilities on the NLA1 is controlling the shape and pitch separately through different knobs and modulation. Funnily enough I can live with the single modulation destination if these two options where given on the NLA1. Would have been the perfect synth for me. Despite NLA1 limitations at first glance, it is a beast that can get you in some weird territory easily thanks to the mutate and random functionalities.

In general, what I like with the Nord keyboards is instant gratification and results through a non-menu based layout. That's their main strength together with their curated sound selection.

[cambe]

So, after a few weeks with the Nord Wave 2 I thought I would share my thoughts.

As a background I have owned and played all Clavia synthesizers besides the modular (1,2,2x,3,4,A1 and Wave 1).
I fairly embrace limitations and feel like the A1 is and forever will be (apparently) the most inspirational synthesizer I own.
Now to the Nord Wave 2:
I have bought it used (15000 SEK including gigbag against 26000 SEK new) with plastic still on the displays, mint condition.
When the nord wave 2 came out I was baffled by the decisions made by clavia (such as the form factor) but it was too nice of a price to not try it out.

The good (and I really squeezed this orange to get these):

- The keyboard indeed lovely, I was skeptical at first being a synth player but enjoyed it.
- The sound is Ok I guess.
- The keyboard splitting leds are quite useful.
- The layer control section is very nice to use and quite enjoyable.
- I really see the appeal for a live player only situation.

The bad:

- The effects are very underwhelming, on a 1 to 1 comparison to the A1, it seems they dont shine as much. I was expecting exactly the OPPOSITE.
- Sample memory for 2026 is ghastly.
- No support anymore from clavia for samples (they already moved on to another sample version). Which feels VERY horrendous, they dont even bothered publishing new samples in both smp4 and smp3 formats..
- No support from clavia for updated oscillators (even the Nord Stage 4 synth has more configurations including double waves at the same octave) I wonder if the Electro 7 is gonna have a better synth section that the wave 2.
- Wavetables are a joke. 10-20 single cycle waves if even that and no shaping??? The A1 CAN DO THAT!
- LFO cannot be used as envelope, again even the NLA1 had that. FM is basically a one trick pony in the Wave 2. Wave 1, A1 and Lead 3 had much better implementations of it.
- I hate screens on synthesizers but since it is there, why not add more funtionality like beign able to fully play around with the FM alogrithms?.
- The fact that the sounds stop playing when changing presets is terrible (even the Lead 3 has that!!!)
- It feels like an unfinished idea, where the limitations instead of inspiring actually enfuriates when you see what they've improved in the stage 4 but didnt roll back to the wave 2.


Overall, I understand why the preivious owner didnt bother to remove the plastic from the display. The same as I did. Sold it and I am pretty sure I won't misst it at all. Clavia absolutely lost their passion in the synth business and hopefully the fact that Wave 2's are barely seen anywhere and are sold at very low prices in the used market makes them understand they dropped the ball on this one. I don't recommend spending 3000 USD on this abandoned synth not even to my worst enemy. Plenty more to choose from.

Are there samplers like the wave in the market? Actually not very many and not in the same "immediate" format. But frankly, there was nothing the Nord Wave 2 did that the Nord Wave cant do better (except using 4 samples at the same time, which I gadly can live with). If I need that, my MPC can do that in a heartbeat. Maybe Clavia can be consertive and just relaucnh the Nord Wave 3 as a Nord Wave 1 with more memory? Maybe a new fresh paint job and a better keyboard? That would be enough.

Rant over.

[tsss27]

- I really see the appeal for a live player only situation.

I think that is the biggest key to understanding this board. They didn't design it for deep synthesis, they designed it for bread and butter on stage. Frankly most keyboard players I have talked to don't know how to build a synth patch from scratch, no matter how well they can play said patch. The wave takes many shortcuts to allow people to get into the ballpark quickly. That idea works for some and not for others, but if you need to build a sound for a live performance on short notice, it's quite simple once you understand the interface. And being able to split and layer up to 4 sounds is again a very helpful feature for live players.

- The effects are very underwhelming, on a 1 to 1 comparison to the A1, it seems they dont shine as much. I was expecting exactly the OPPOSITE.

Never owned an A1, but isn't the effect selection larger on the Wave? Larger doesn't necessarily mean better quality of course. I tend to run my keyboards through pedals anyway to account for effects I am picky about or that cannot otherwise be easily produced directly. For example delays and reverbs from pedals can be so much nicer sounding.

- Sample memory for 2026 is ghastly.

True, but the good news is 1 GB in Clavia's terms is not 1 GB. I have converted 1.34GB so far and the nsmp3 files account for only 383MB. The sample memory should have absolutely been at least doubled -- if this is the flagship synth, and other flagship boards have 2GB for the piano section it would have been a no brainer. Obviously a board with much more is preferable but I am thinking realistically about what Nord does with other products, asking for 10GB is not going to happen sadly... Also the original Wave, if I remember correctly, had less than 200MB!

- No support anymore from clavia for samples (they already moved on to another sample version). Which feels VERY horrendous, they dont even bothered publishing new samples in both smp4 and smp3 formats..

Where are you seeing samples only available in nsmp4? The only exceptions I can think of are a few factory wind/brass sounds that use features exclusive to nsmp4. Otherwise everything they've released is available, I think even in original nsmp. What are you looking for?

FM is basically a one trick pony in the Wave 2. Wave 1, A1 and Lead 3 had much better implementations of it.

Agree -- would love to have more FM possibilities here.

- The fact that the sounds stop playing when changing presets is terrible (even the Lead 3 has that!!!)

True, it seems odd that this was not included in the design when other boards Nord had released previously were able to do it.

Overall, I understand why the preivious owner didnt bother to remove the plastic from the display. The same as I did. Sold it and I am pretty sure I won't misst it at all. Clavia absolutely lost their passion in the synth business and hopefully the fact that Wave 2's are barely seen anywhere and are sold at very low prices in the used market makes them understand they dropped the ball on this one. I don't recommend spending 3000 USD on this abandoned synth not even to my worst enemy. Plenty more to choose from.

That's a major plus though, you can get these used for a huge discount compared to other Nords, in virtually new condition. So if it's a board you want, there's no excuse to pay $3200 or whatever the current price is. At one point Clavia had a sale on these for $2000 new which, as they never do this, probably explains a lot.

Are there samplers like the wave in the market? Actually not very many and not in the same "immediate" format.

Yep...this is a big selling point, however. I have a Sequential Prophet X, which I have used as my main gigging keyboard despite it not really being advertised as a ROMpler. I deleted the 150GB of factory sounds and replaced them with my own library I converted from various software and hardware. It has its own strengths, and is a far deeper synth, but it's had so many issues in the 2.5 years that I've owned it and it also takes forever to fully load large multisamples (sometimes 20-30 seconds!) As fun as that board is, I recently got a great deal on a Wave 2 and will probably be selling the PX, replacing it with a double Nord stack (S4 compact, W2 on top.) There are features I'll miss from the Prophet, no doubt...but the reliability issues, the long patch load times, the keyboard's velocity response being uneven, and so on...Even the VA oscillators don't sound as good as the Nord's let alone actual analog synths though you can give them a lot of nice character with the mod matrix. And the effects on that one make the Wave's sound top tier!
But I realized as a live keyboard player I don't use half of the sounds I loaded nor do I need half of the features the PX has. I spent more time programming than playing and then I didn't use a lot of what I programmed for anything. This is where the simple boards like the Nords fit in, at the end of the day. I'd love to see them make a deeper synth again, but I don't think it's a priority for them.

[cambe]

[deleted]

Messed up the formatting, sorry!