Another take on Nord Lead 4 and A1 differences

[combathook]

Here's another quick thing on soundcloud. Two programs combined in performance mode, this time with the onboard reverb. Mind the crap playing.

https://soundcloud.com/account/nord-lead-4b

[ricard]

Ricard, did you make that demo of the A1? It sounds fantastic. The tightness of the bass on the A1 sounds great.

Yes, it's me. It's not just the A1 all the way through though, the drums obvously aren't, but also a lot of the sounds that come in later. The initial pad sound (demonstrating the various unison modes, ending with adding chorus too) and the bass are the A1, as well as the shimmering pad sound around 6:45. The idea was to demo some key sounds of the A1, while also demonstating how they work in a context with other instruments.

I think the NL4 is capable of the same sounds if you're a careful programmer.

Very likely, but then again a lot of synths are capable of imitating each other given careful programming; to me, the point is that one wants a synth that gives you the sounds you want without a lot of painstaking programming, i.e. the way the machine reacts to its parameters should match what you as a sound programmer expect them to, and not just on a superficial level ("turning the cutoff knob changes the brightness of the sound"), but also things like what it sounds like when the filter is swept with an envelope relative to my expectation of what it should sound - and feel - like. The A1 seems to manage this better than the NL4, for me at least.

[Ricoche]

I now own both the Nord Lead 4 and the A1. There are some great deals floating around in Japan now.

My impression was that the Nord Lead 4 right out of the box needed programming. It didn't quite give me the "Wow" factor I was looking for when I first bought it. Later I bought the A1 and my first impression was indeed "Wow"! Why? Basically, the A1 had the sounds and the effects I was looking for straight out of the box. Personally, I feel the Nord Lead 4 messed up the effects pallet and perhaps didn't quite have the best presets. They should have put the A1 effects into the NL4 in my opinion. I later hooked up an old Boss DC-2 Dimension Chorus that I had to the Nord Lead 4 and that warmed it up really good. I know Nord probably intended to make two different products, but honestly I can't see the Nord Lead 4 moving onto an NL5. I think the A1 is where it's at now and I must say the A1 is getting used far more than the Nord Lead 4. I will keep the NL4 and if lucky, maybe Clavia will sneak a chorus into the NL4. Wishful thinking perhaps, but again if the NL4 had the effects pallet of the A1 it would rock. Which do I recommend? The Nord Lead A1 hands down. Enjoy!

[Muziksculp]

I now own both the Nord Lead 4 and the A1. There are some great deals floating around in Japan now.

My impression was that the Nord Lead 4 right out of the box needed programming. It didn't quite give me the "Wow" factor I was looking for when I first bought it. Later I bought the A1 and my first impression was indeed "Wow"! Why? Basically, the A1 had the sounds and the effects I was looking for straight out of the box. Personally, I feel the Nord Lead 4 messed up the effects pallet and perhaps didn't quite have the best presets. They should have put the A1 effects into the NL4 in my opinion. I later hooked up an old Boss DC-2 Dimension Chorus that I had to the Nord Lead 4 and that warmed it up really good. I know Nord probably intended to make two different products, but honestly I can't see the Nord Lead 4 moving onto an NL5. I think the A1 is where it's at now and I must say the A1 is getting used far more than the Nord Lead 4. I will keep the NL4 and if lucky, maybe Clavia will sneak a chorus into the NL4. Wishful thinking perhaps, but again if the NL4 had the effects pallet of the A1 it would rock. Which do I recommend? The Nord Lead A1 hands down. Enjoy!

Hi Ricoche,

I totally agree with everything you wrote regarding the NL4 and NLA1 . ( I own both NL4 and NLA1 in Rack versions).

The NL4 presets don't do it justice. It is a more demanding Synth to program, and get it to sound the way you want, but with a good amount of experience programming the NL4, lots of great sounds can be produced, it is very flexible, and versatile as far as the variety of sounds it can produce. I feel Clavia should at least offer an OS update for the NL4, but I'm not sure what they can do to improve it from a technical point that will improve it 'Sonically' . I wonder when they will update the OS. Since they did confirm to me via email that they are working on an OS update. (No time table given). So.. It could be 2020 or later

Cheers,
Muziksculp

[combathook]

Same here! I live in Tokyo and I picked up a new Nord Lead 4 Rack for just under 140,000 yen.

[Ricoche]

Same here! I live in Tokyo and I picked up a new Nord Lead 4 Rack for just under 140,000 yen.

Congrats on your new Nord Lead 4 Rack. Awesome!

Yes, many of the major music stores in Japan are selling their floor models and B-stock Nord Lead NL4 and A1 synths at fantastic prices. New prices haven't gone down quite yet, but I feel that will happen soon especially with the Holidays now here. From my experience when the floor models go, it's because either a new product release is imminent OR they are having trouble selling the product and it has to go. Stores are small and these synths are all competing for floor space. I don't have any evidence, but my gut feeling and experience in Japan tells me the new Nord Leads are not selling well. Why? THE PRICE! They are just way too expensive compared to the new alternatives offered by other brands like Yamaha, Roland, and Korg. On a side note, I've noticed a huge increase in the number of used NL2 and NL2x synths for sale. I also wouldn't be too quick in saying they are going for the NL4 or A1. The price gap is huge. My sense tells me they are shopping around.

[ricard]

I agree that Clavia equipment is rather pricey, but I hesitate to say expensive. I've had some experience with the Waldorf Blofeld, which in a sense is comparable to a Nord Lead. For half the price of an A1 you get a sturdy metal case, weighted four octave keyboard with aftertouch, 16-part multitimbral, 25 voices, a real display with graphic display of oscillator, LFO and envelope waveforms, analog modeling oscillators as well as wavetable modes and sample playback, two filters, three LFO's and four envelopes per voice, in addition to a 16-channel modulation matrix and a few other goodies.

On the other hand, the Blofeld is sadly lacking in the knob area, also, there have been lots of problems with the incrementors wearing out, causing jittery response.

And software-wise the Blofeld is far from the same league as the Nord Lead. Apart from the fact that the voice count drops in unspecified ways depending on the number of oscillators and effects you use, there have been numerous bugs, some of which cause the machine to lock up while emitting sound at full volume. Even with the latest software (after some 6 years of being on the market; the first versions didn't even have storage of multi patches) you can't change the patch of one of the parts in a multi setup without getting clicks in the output, not to mention that LFO's and arpeggiators fall out of sync in that situation too.

In contrast, a Nord Lead is rock steady and fully featured from day one, the voice count is fixed no matter what you turn on and off so you know how many voices it will be using, the user interface is lightening fast and intuitive, and parts seldom break. Changing patches in one slot does not cause other slots to misbehave. I wouldn't hesitate to bring my Nord Lead 2 to a live gig, but I'd have second thoughts about the Blofeld.

In the store, they both look fabulous but under the hood there are differences which are not immediately obvious. In essence, you get what you pay for, but it's not always obvious exactly what that is. Of course, in this quick-and-easy world we live in today, Clavia are probably having a hard time competing, as there are possibly fewer and fewer who appreciate what they have to offer.