NL4 Minimoog Imitation

[SocProf]

I am a 70's prog rock fan who loves the sound of the Minimoog. I have thought about buying a Voyager, but I'm wary of the fragility of analog gear. My Akai Miniak (a reincarnation of the Alesis Micron) does a decent Minimoog imitation, but programming by menu is not fun at all.

So I am considering checking out the Nord Lead 4. For those who have tried this, how good a job does it do imitating the sound of a Minimoog?

[Davidp]

Hello SocProf,

Welcome to the forum.

I too have a Miniak. Brilliant machine but painful to program (the tiny blue display is abysmal with tiny graphics and narrow viewing angle).

I don't have an NL4 but I just got a NL2X which is similar without a few new bells and whistles. Nords are good at most of the Minimoog sounds but I think lack the ability to convincingly imitate a resonance laden overdriven analog filter in self oscillation, but they do everything else in spades with polyphony!

I would also like to bet that a cared for Nord will be more reliable than a Voyager! Think of a Nord as a super Miniak that you can actually program enjoyably without headaches and you won't be far from the truth!!

Hope this has helped
Regards
David

[mjbrands]

The Moog's ladder filter has a pretty recognizable and warm sound; in a way (when looking at the filter), only a Moog (or a clone) sounds like a Moog. This specific filter noise also makes Moog a bit of a one-trick pony, since (of course) a Moog will always sound like a Moog (even if you don't want it to).

You mention prog rock; it wasn't just Moog back then, was it? How about Oberheim and Sequential?

If soft synths are an option (probably not), the following might be interesting:

• U-he Diva (my favourite)
• Native Instrument Monarch
• Arturia Minimoog V (a bit old, but supposedly pretty good)

Of course, you could also get a Moog Slim Phatty and combine that with a synth you already have.

The Akai Miniak/Alesis Micron/Alesis Ion are of course known for creating a pretty good Mood sound.

[SocProf]

Hello SocProf,

Welcome to the forum.

I don't have an NL4 but I just got a NL2X which is similar without a few new bells and whistles. Nords are good at most of the Minimoog sounds but I think lack the ability to convincingly imitate a resonance laden overdriven analog filter in self oscillation, but they do everything else in spades with polyphony!

Thanks for the welcome. I wonder if the NL4's "ladder" (darn copyrights!) filter closes this gap.

You mention prog rock; it wasn't just Moog back then, was it? How about Oberheim and Sequential?

Those are cool, too! I love how early-80s Rush combined Moog leads with Oberheim pads. I currently have a Roland SH-201 that would cover pad duties if I bought a Moog. The appeal of the NL4 for me is potentially having one synth to cover both Moog-style leads and pads. I've got too much junk in my basement, so fewer synths would be better. I'm not ready to try soft synths yet since I like working with actual knobs and sliders.

Of course, you could also get a Moog Slim Phatty and combine that with a synth you already have.

I've heard some pretty nice sounds from the Phatty. It's just not quite as flexible as a Voyager since it only has 2 oscillators.

[maarthel]

Hello

Just wanted to chime in.

As a recent Nord Lead 4 owner but also a longtime user and owner of several American and Japanese vintage synths, I could shine some light on the subject.

I bought the Nord Lead 4 because I really liked the sound of it a lot. It seems that the synth is very capable of making lots of different colored sounds due to its set of VA oscillators and wavetables and extensive set of filters and also the new FX section.
Having said that I have to say that if you're a real fan of the minimoog and want that sound, there's really only one way to obtain that, and that's buying a minimoog.
I have an old Model D which I love to death and also use very extensively as well as on stage and in the studio. The unit stays surprisingly stable and I didn't encounter any troubles. Maybe I'm lucky or have a good synth karma. But anyway. I think a voyager would even perform more stable and reliable than this old lady

The funny thing is that the Nord Lead 4 actually reminded me of my Memorymoog! The way it distorts the filter really sounds authentic to that old synth, which i call "The Diva" because it never behaves the way I want it
Also Prophet 5 like and even Oberheim kind of sounds could emerge from the NL4. I have an OBX and I was able to come close to program similar sounds.

Anyway, long story short, I'm really happy with the NL4 but also very happy with my old minimoog, every synths has it's own sound for that matter.

Have fun, whatever purchase you may make!

[mjbrands]

Thanks for the welcome. I wonder if the NL4's "ladder" (darn copyrights!) filter closes this gap.

A very good point. I had forgotten Nord added emulations of the typical Minimoog (Ladder M) and TB303 (Ladder TB) filters to the NL4 and as such, it might just be the best qualified of all Nord products to produce authentic sounding Moog sounds.

[SocProf]

The way it distorts the filter really sounds authentic to that old synth, which i call "The Diva" because it never behaves the way I want it

I can relate. I call my 4 year old daughter "The Diva" because she doesn't behave either.

Thanks for sharing you experience.