Differences between Nord Lead models and A1

[Spider]

Hi Spider,

For Windows, use MIDI-OX. There's also Bome's.

Bless,

Pablo

[Spider]

Thanks everybody!
So excited to start exploring a new continent of the Nord planet!!!


(btw, I'm already GASsing for a Wave and a A1... damn, Marlowes must be contagious!!!)

[Spider]

Hi guys, always exploring my new 2X and the Lead world in general, and was wondering...

...I see very little love around for the Lead 3, and I'm quite surprised by that.
I went through the specs in the "legacy" product page, and on paper it looked like a revolutionary synth for Nord: extended polyphonic capabilities (great polyphony, poliphonic glides and legato), great arpeggiator, chord/stack functions, mute function... and of course the all-LED control panel with full-size LCD screen, giving unprecedent control and user-friendliness.

While many features where later inherited by other products, the whole package died with the Lead3: the 4 and A1 went back to a more traditional "Lead" architecture, and the Wave was a different beast altogether.

Those of you who "were there" and witnessed the whole history of the Lead series, any hint why this happened?
Was the Lead3 too expensive, too complicated, unreliable, didn't sound as good as the iconic Lead1-2-2X?

Or maybe it was just too expensive to produce and not profitable enough, like the Modular and Wave concepts?

[curvebender]

Unless you're working for Nord Keyboards, any comments on profit are guesses.

It was an expensive instrument, but for me personally (I've owned it twice over the years) the biggest drawback is that small detail called sound..

Severe lack of bass, as if a high pass filter was applied to the outputs, killing everything below 200 Hz.

Having said that, I love the interface and the approach to synthesis the Nord Lead 3 has.

[curvebender]

And the same goes for the G2X, had it twice over the years as well!

Supreme idea, great interface, no bass.. Damn it!!

[curvebender]

Ok, forgot the most important bit: The NL4, and more so the A1 don't suffer from this, they sound much fuller and richer.

There you go!

[RedLeo]

Actually, there's plenty of love for the Lead 3. Unfortunately it seems that musicians just didn't "get it" at the time. Now they do, but it's too late. Clear reasons why the Lead 3 wan'st successful are hard to come by. I don't think the fact that it sounded a bit different from the previous Leads is enough by itself to explain why it didn't sell. Some people prefer the sound of the Lead 2/x, but there are plenty who do like the sound of the 3. And sound isn't everything - I've never really liked the sound of my Triton, but it's still my main instrument because it just does everything I need. The Lead 3's failure is probably for a number of reasons that boil down to "the wrong thing at the wrong time". Perhaps it was too expensive. I do know that a lot of people - including myself - now regard it as one of the all-time greats. It's a real shame. Given the subsequent explosion in popularity of VA and analog synths, who knows, had it been released a few years later it might have been a different story.

[elektromin]

If you find an NL2, I'd take that even over the NL2x, but both are great regardless.

So you would prefer a NL2 over a NL2X? Why? I always thought that the NL2X was superior, so what am I missing?
/Anders

[pablomastodon]

And the same goes for the G2X, had it twice over the years as well!

Supreme idea, great interface, no bass.. Damn it!!

I have to take exception to that. Plenty of bass to be found in both NL3 and G2. I frequently use G2E for bass duties and play extremely bass-heavy reggae music through extremely bass-capable sound system (Bag End speakers). My main bass unit is Micro Modular, mainly for the simplicity of having one unit handle most all bass duties, but G2 is every bit as strong at producing bass sound when programmed to do so.

Bless,

Pablo

[RedLeo]

So you would prefer a NL2 over a NL2X? Why? I always thought that the NL2X was superior, so what am I missing?

You're not missing anything. One of the great internet keyboard myths is that the 2 sounds better than the 2X, because of, you know, converters, or magic or something. They actually sound exactly the same.