NL4 Hum Noise From the Back Panel

[MattC]

My Nord Stage 2 has the same issue. I have reported this in other threads. I've also talked with my Dealer and the German Distributor and they said that there is nothing you can do against it. But also this is nothing you should worry about. It's annoying but I love the Stage anyway.

[nord lord]

I have the 2x and there's a faint hum, just a sort of 'hey! I'm on and ready' type hum. The 4x and the A1R though are ridiculous. In an age when digital studios are becoming as quiet as possible in the control room it seems a real backward step of Nord to release synths with this condition. If Nord continue with this they will lose a lot of studio players. If it needs to be 'built like a tank' and hum like a vacuum cleaner then I would rather have a external PSU with at least 10ft of cable so that I can put it well away from my workspace.

When you're working in a studio all day you need to keep things at a reasonable volume (at least until mix stage) to prevent fatigue, I don't want to have to increase volume to cover the sound of constant buzz!
I certainly don't want a synth module to be louder than my quiet pc (inaudible from 12inches)

The A1R sounded great but I was so annoyed and distracted by the loud humming (even when wearing headphones!) that I sent it back. The more of us that do the same may hopefully promote a change.

If we take the massive mistake that was the nord drum...a mono output! what where they thinking?!...sales flopped...nord then release V2 with a stereo out...yay! equipment for the modern era and not the 1960's.
We customers need to do the same here....don't buy the latest offerings, return them if not happy, inform others through user reviews, complain about it...and avoid Nord until this problem is resolved.

Nord seriously need to rethink this strategy of fobbing buyers off with excuses...'it's built like a tank, that's why it has the same decibel level as one!'..there is no other synth manufacturer that comes close to Nord in my opinion but this time they are taking the p*ss. To even consider releasing a synth/module in this condition is quite frankly a bit of an insult...especially considering the price...lets not forget the PRICE...they are not cheap or anywhere near it, so why should we put up with this.

In my 38 years of making music I have not had one synth that made this incessant humming noise...unless it was broken!

I will not purchase another Nord until they ressolve this issue.

[curvebender]

We customers need to do the same here....don't buy the latest offerings, return them if not happy, inform others through user reviews, complain about it...and avoid Nord until this problem is resolved.

No.

I'm not going to avoid Nord until YOUR problem is resolved. That's just ridiculous.

[nord lord]

Unfortunetly it's not just MY problem as a quick search will show you.

Mabybe I should've said 'we customers that are effected & annoyed by this and willing to take a stand'. Obviously there's going to be a few people that maybe aren't too bothered by it, don't care, make music in different circumstances, have bad hearing or are just sheep asleep and happy to be fed excuses.
There are many more people coming forward with this same issue on these two models, more complaints, more disatisfaction and disappointment.

There's a lot of other excellent synth manufacturers out there that don't & never have had this problem so why would people put up with something substandard especially at this price.
'oh! it's a fantastic new synth...it hums like an overhead biplane when you turn it on but don't worry it's entirely acoustic and isn't carried down the audio signal path'

If you're happy with yours then I'm happy for you but there are an increasing number of people becoming more vocal about this issue. I'm starting to hear reports from friends in top studios around the globe that won't even entertain purchasing the new range of Nords because of the backround working noise level. Word spreads quickly. If they want to maintain healthy sales, I'm pretty certain that future Nord products won't have this problem at all.

[RedLeo]

Ah yes, the old "if they don't fix this problem it will be the death of the company" argument. I'm not going to hold my breath...

[curvebender]

Hi Nord Lord,

In all honesty, it was more the general tone in your post that caught my attention, rather than the issue itself. Maybe that just shows how easy it is to get carried away when facing problems and writing about them, I know I've done that too many times..

I respect your quest for a quiet studio, because I am the same. I am extremely sensitive to unwanted noise. (That's why, for example, I keep my computer in an adjacent room.)

But, I've owned numerous Leads and Modulars over the years, and I've never experienced hum or noise on the level you're describing.

Could it have something to do with different voltages? (I'm in Sweden on 220.)

I hope your problems will be solved.

Thanks.

[duplabe]

...In all honesty, it was more the general tone in your post that caught my attention...

+1

Hi Nord Lord,

Calling other forum members / Nord owners (and complete strangers) sleeping sheep and/or suggesting that they are hack musicians with bad hearing is not the fastest route to winning friends and influencing people. Every once in a while someone like yourself comes a long with a clever idea roughly relating to inciting the masses to grab the torches and pitchforks and storm the castle. If you wish to "vote with your pocketbook" go right ahead, but kindly give others some modicum of respect. For the most part we're all big boys and girls here, perfectly capable of determining what we deem appropriate and/or inappropriate for ourselves. Insulting unknown others for their unwillingness to join your crusade is rude and ignorant.

Like Curvebender, I will confess to occasionally having my own moments of rudeness and ignorance, but I usually try to recognize them as quickly as possible and make amends where necessary.

Pablo