NordLead 4 vs A1 for my next purchase.. HELP

[starkaudio]

I've had an A1 for about two weeks now and I find programming it to be more enjoyable than the Lead 4, not that the Lead 4 isn't fun...but there's something in having a few constraints to force you to stretch your ideas a bit. It definitely feels (subjective opinion) that I arrive at sounds I'm happy with more quickly on the A1.

[Muziksculp]

I've had an A1 for about two weeks now and I find programming it to be more enjoyable than the Lead 4, not that the Lead 4 isn't fun...but there's something in having a few constraints to force you to stretch your ideas a bit. It definitely feels (subjective opinion) that I arrive at sounds I'm happy with more quickly on the A1.

Clavia mentioned that one of the strengths of the NL A1 is that it is fast to program, and get the sound you are after.

I also feel that the A1 effects are a better choice (I wish the NL4 had the same effects as the NLA1).

Programming the NL4 takes a lot of time to achieve the sound I want to hear. I also have the A1 but have not used it yet, I think it will be easier, and faster to program than the NL4. Although I feel the NL4 can produce more diverse textures than the A1, given it has more sophisticated synthesis options. For example, creating a warm, lush pad sound is not the easiest thing to program on the NL4, I think it would be much easier, and faster to create warm, lush pads on the NL1. The NL4 is great for plucky, and metallic sounds, that is one of the strengths of the NL4. Also great for fat Leads ! The NL4's envelopes are very fast, and punchy, great for percussive sounds.

So.. My early conclusion is the NL4 and NL A1 complement each other, they are different synths, and are not meant to be duplicates, with one being a watered down version, they are quite a bit different, which is a good thing. Having both makes sense to me. That's why I got both.

Cheers,
Muziksculp

[JonathanB]

Elpiulas, what books and videos have you found to help you with programming the A1? I have one of the first sent to the US (according to the dealer and A1 rep) and have not been able to find that many helpful tutorials out there for it. I've just had to dig in for myself... and for those considering the purchase, it's a great synthesizer with a great deal of capabilities to tweak the sounds how you like them. I would love to get my hands on a complete tutorial though.

[elpiulas]

Hey JonathanB, I received my A1 today!!! Waiting for a month and today I have received at home. One Month !!!! So I am now testing it and reading the User Manual. I don't have any book or tutorial specific for the A1... Yo can read the User Manual of the NordLead4 that there is a Synthesis Basics chapter... very helpful.

Yo also can search youtube for tutorials on NordLead synthesizers and for general subtractive synthesis !!!

Good Luck !!

[skintechnician]

Hello! I recorded this video today using my A1, learnig to set splits, performances, arpeggiaror, mutator, etc. I also used the Volca Beats for some rythm parts. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to comment!

Thanks.

[Hertzi]

elpiulas, between the A1 & NL4, I definitely think you got the right synth for the job. I don't think you would have been totally blown away with the NL4's pad capabilities, unless you want cold or metallic.

I also agree with what Muziksculp has said i.e. the NL4 and the A1 are different tools for different jobs, rather than the A1 being a stripped down version of the NL4 (which is what many were thinking at first, myself included. I have now seen the light). Also firmly agree that the NL4's strength seems to be in it's plucky, fast leads, and ability to sync the LFO's, etc, for crazy shape-shifting arps. Although it can do pads, after an extensive play around, I now feel that there are more suitable alternatives out there for versatile pad creation.

Some additional thoughts in regards to the NL4...

Still cannot get any sounds that I would consider "warm" out of the NL4. I decided to jot down descriptions of the sonic timbre as I was listening to the presets and creating my own patches. So far these are...

Metallic, industrial, sterile, cold, raw, gritty, crispy, thin, hollow, hygienic, fat, damp, dreary.

I know the whole sound thing is subjective, but these descriptors may be of some help to someone...

Possibly...

Then again, maybe not, but I've listed them anyway.

Not a huge fan of the FM implementation on the NL4 either. It seems to act more as a little "add-on" rather than something you can go to town and warp the sonic landscape with. I don't feel it's anywhere near as flexible as the NL3 or the Waves FM abilities.

Still testing the water, so currently scrapping pad creation and going to concentrate on some custom lead patches.

[ricard]

I also agree that the NL4 has an 'aggressive' edge to it. It's still a fun machine to play, but it's hard to get anything warm out of it

The filter on the A1 is great, and it sounds more analog than any Nord before it, but I find the oscillator configuration section confusing and limiting, and I also miss the sustain parameter on the envelopes.

So if you're getting into a synth for the first time, and looking for analog-ish string, pad or bass sounds, then I'd go for the A1. If you're looking for something playable that will stick out in a mix, go for the NL4.

As for me, I feel left with a feel of longing for a crossover: give me the A1 filter, but keep the standard two oscillator concept. As a matter of fact, thinking about it, what would be really nice would be an NL2X with some of the features of the A1 added in - the effect section, the A1 filter modes and the morph leds. As it is now, I find myself not really liking either of the A1 or NL4.

[SocProf]

Is there any chance the NL4 will get the new A1 filters via a firmware upgrade? Or is Clavia trying to differentiate the sounds of the two? I also want a synth that sounds "warm" and "vintage analog" with the flexible programming of the NL4.

[Hertzi]

An update for the NL4 is in the works apparently (there's a thread about it on this forum somewhere). No mention of what the actual update consists of though.

A1 still seems the best choice if you want warm/vintage.

Curious though, should the A1 F/X section make it over to the NL4; I am wondering if it will actually sound anywhere near as nice or convincing as the dedicated A1, because as far as I am aware, the engine on both machines are different. The NL4's modern engine with the A1 F/X might still sound a little off in comparison...

[ricard]

Is there any chance the NL4 will get the new A1 filters via a firmware upgrade? Or is Clavia trying to differentiate the sounds of the two? I also want a synth that sounds "warm" and "vintage analog" with the flexible programming of the NL4.

From what I've been able to ascertain from postings in other forums, the filter section in the A1 and NL4 are almost identical, however, the oscillator algorithms were completely rewritten for the A1. I don't know if it's actually the difference in the oscillators that is the key difference in the sound though, but it could well be. If that is in fact the case I don't think it will make it to the NL4 as the oscillator structure is completely different on that machine.

As for the effects section, again pure speculation, but the fact that they haven't got reverb and delay at the same time I'm suspecting is because of some limitation in the NL4 hardware, such as available DSP memory for the effects algorithms, in which case again it would not be possible to get the A1 effects section in the NL4 with just a software upgrade.

I think Clavia have positioned the machines to reach slightly different market segments, but I'm not convinced that the more 'analog sound' in the A1 is part of that differentiation, it's more a result of the wish to create a simpler oscillator setup (although I'm personally not convinced that they've actually reached that goal) that has forced a rewrite of the oscillator algorithms, and in doing so they've aimed for a more analog sound.