Nord Lead 4 and it’s sound

[stevie_windows]

I’m really interested to get your opinions on what you feel it’s real strong points are? I’m focussed on the studio aspects rather than any live situation.

What are the type of sounds you think it’s best suited to? Moog for great bottom end, Juno 60 for 80’s pads etc. How would you describe the NL4?

I know it’s versatile, but this is my concern – is it a jack of all trades and master of none? For the price would you be better off getting a Slim Phatty and a 2nd hand Juno 106?

Is it better to have one synth to rule them all that can take care of most tasks?

Mainly interested in the sound and character though

[Kibosh]

Hey Stevie,

I'm a comlete newbie so I can't tell you how good it is because I can't compare it to others, and lack the experience. But I can tell you why I bought it.

The reason I bought the Nord-Lead 4R is because off the sound you can make with it, and because it's a VA synth which gives you more then a real analog one, for example the extra wave types. Also when you turn a knob, for example the filter, you hear it direct. You can make it soft or really let it bite. I think you can compare the Nord-Lead 4 with NI Massive, but then with a little less options but more buttons and a direct hands-on approach.

Another big reason for my choice was the layout. No need for menu diving and this was really important for me. It's an easy to learn synth, so I could concentrate on the sound synthese part off it. I already made some nice simple lead sounds which was really easy with it. Next is to concentrate on more risers and fx sounds, but hearing the presets, this will be no problem for the NL.

But then, for the sound part, I think that is also a personal thing, I like it, someone else might not. So I think you best test it at a shop for yourself, it is expensive, but for me it was worth it.

Another small item. This could also be a problem with my pc, but I thought also to give you a heads-up. I'm having some issues with the USB2 connection. It's something strange, when I'm in Ableton I can work with it a complete day with no problem, but when I close Ableton, my audio interface can get stuck. I still need to contact Nord-Lead about it, and I already installed their latest OS update.
But like I already said, this can be an issue off my PC, and not a common one. You can follow up on it in this thread (just thought to give you a heads-up): http://www.norduserforum.com/post38147.html#p38147 So it isn't a dealbreaker for me, still like it and I'm sure it will be solved...

[stevie_windows]

thanks for the reply, although I wasn't asking about the workflow or interface - my question is specifically about its sound and character in comparison to other synths in the price range.

[Kibosh]

No worry's. Can't help you then.

But on a sidenote. That USB problem is probably not caused by the Nord-Lead so you can skip that part. See my other post for more info about what is what.

[Mr_-G-]

I know it’s versatile, but this is my concern – is it a jack of all trades and master of none? For the price would you be better off getting a Slim Phatty and a 2nd hand Juno 106?

The question is kind of vague. Sound character? Synthesizers are programmable machines, so it depends a bit more on how flexible the programming is and what you do with it rather than the sounds that are already there.
To me, the ultimate synth is indeed the king of the jacks of all trades.

I think you will get way more out of the NL4 than than the 1 voice slim phatty + 6 voices juno 106.
NL4 has 20 voices, 4 part timbrality (obviously the voices get reduced) various filter types, sequencer, effects and many waveforms. Best thing is to go to a shop and have a test drive.

At the moment I am also curious what other synths are there whcih are comparable in price and features to the NL4. I have been wondering how the Korg Radias (which is not so new) compares to the NL4 but unfortunately I have never seen one. The Solaris appears to be fantastic (not only in sound but in price too ).

[RedLeo]

I owned a Juno 60 for years (it was the first analogue polysynth I actually owned) and to be honest it and the 106 are very over-rated. They depend heavily on the built-in chorus and they don't sound great if you turn it off. The Juno 60 and 106 are basic "one trick ponies". The Juno 60 was a good starter synth but when I upgraded to better synths I never missed it and still wouldn't have one again - -even for free.

As for the sound and character of a synth, they're very much what you make out of them. Don't pay too much attention to a lot of the twaddle you hear about one synth or another on the internet, particularly when people talk about a synth being good for this or that type of sound or style of music. Despite what you wrote, the features and flexibility of a synth are hugely important because that's what allows you to create the sounds you want, and frankly the Nord Lead 4 will wipe the floor with a Juno. Sure, it won't sound the same, but then again all synths can give you something that no other synth can do - it's the nature of the beast.

The synth doesn't do the work, you do the work.

Having said all that, a Moog is always a good thing to have, though I think the Slim Phatty is quite limited and doesn't have the quite the "fatness" of many other Moogs. If you can afford it, the Sub Phatty is a glorious-sounding synth and well worth considering.

As other people have already commented though, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and only you can really know what synths work best for you. Try before you buy.

[maurizione]

I owned a Juno 60 for years (it was the first analogue polysynth I actually owned) and to be honest it and the 106 are very over-rated. They depend heavily on the built-in chorus and they don't sound great if you turn it off. The Juno 60 and 106 are basic "one trick ponies". The Juno 60 was a good starter synth but when I upgraded to better synths I never missed it and still wouldn't have one again - -even for free.

As for the sound and character of a synth, they're very much what you make out of them. Don't pay too much attention to a lot of the twaddle you hear about one synth or another on the internet, particularly when people talk about a synth being good for this or that type of sound or style of music. Despite what you wrote, the features and flexibility of a synth are hugely important because that's what allows you to create the sounds you want, and frankly the Nord Lead 4 will wipe the floor with a Juno. Sure, it won't sound the same, but then again all synths can give you something that no other synth can do - it's the nature of the beast.

The synth doesn't do the work, you do the work.

Having said all that, a Moog is always a good thing to have, though I think the Slim Phatty is quite limited and doesn't have the quite the "fatness" of many other Moogs. If you can afford it, the Sub Phatty is a glorious-sounding synth and well worth considering.

As other people have already commented though, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and only you can really know what synths work best for you. Try before you buy.

I agree. Perfect analysis. The sound is what you can get out from a synth, not the synth's sound.

[Marlowes]

RedLeo wrote:

"The synth doesn't do the work, you do the work."

So true! Amen!

[MiKeRoLLe]

..it's an every-day-pleasure to work with the NR4.
When you start to go in the details of this machine, it's amazing how much potential the good old subtractive-synthesis offers.
I never will never regret that i bought one, thats fact after 3 months working with that pretty beast.
No need to talk about the sound - try to explain somebody the ocean, who has never seen it.

good night everyone

[pablomastodon]

..try to explain somebody the ocean, who has never seen it...

what a perfect way to put it!

Bless,

Pablo