Nord User Forum

I recently came across the sound card from the Nord Lead I owned in the 90s. Sadly, the keyboard itself is long gone. But I would love to be able to use these sounds somehow, since my band at the time created loads of custom patches. I can't really afford a Nord kb; is there a way I can dl these sounds and use then in say, Logic Pro X? Would I need a Nord Lead 1 to hear them? or is the sound card compatible with something else? Sorry if this is a dumb question! TIA

hrtavel wrote:? Would I need a Nord Lead 1 to hear them? or is the sound card compatible with something else? Sorry if this is a dumb question! TIA

The data on the card is specific to the NL1,it would have been formatted on the NL1 itself so it can be used only with that model.

PCMCIA cards are used by allsorts of devices for storing files,and you could maybe read the Files on it,on a computer,but the Sounds for the NL on that card can only be replicated by that Keyboard/Rack model.

hrtavel wrote:I recently came across the sound card from the Nord Lead I owned in the 90s. Sadly, the keyboard itself is long gone. But I would love to be able to use these sounds somehow, since my band at the time created loads of custom patches. I can't really afford a Nord kb; is there a way I can dl these sounds and use then in say, Logic Pro X? Would I need a Nord Lead 1 to hear them? or is the sound card compatible with something else? Sorry if this is a dumb question! TIA

I own a Nord Lead, and I’d be happy to at least copy the patches off the card for you and email them to you, so you have them in a format you can store on your computer (and there might be a Nord Lead softsynth you can plug them into?)

PM me.

Hi!

I know it's a long shot, but any chance you still have that sound card?

oktology, do you know of anywhere that I can find a nord lead sound card? I suck at the internet, apparently.

temmerling wrote: ↑02 Feb 2025, 08:17 oktology, do you know of anywhere that I can find a nord lead sound card? I suck at the internet, apparently.

As several users here will attest, memory cards for the NL1 and 2 are hard to find. There are are some equivalents that are said to work (I didn't test them). I'll compress the info I've gathered recently, after having to revive the quest myself - and my forum presence :

• Original manufacturer: Kingmax type MPN (= P/N): SJA-064K5C. 064 = 64kb, that'd be the minimum size you'd need. According to this spec sheet http://www.psism.com/sramsp.htm the last C = "Without Attribute Memory, CIS Access Common Memory. If it's a W = With 2KB EEPROM Attribute Memory (Re-Programmable), I suppose that might also work.

• By all means, you need PCMCIA SRAM Type I (the "form factor", 68 pin, 3.3 mm thick card). NOT a Flash or Compact Flash (CF) card (I tried, using an adapter), NOT an ATA card.

• Before 2017, cards were made that auto switched between 8 and 16bit, afterwards PRETEC (which I think has been the main producing company behind several relabelers) produced only 8, or only 16bit. Post-2017 serials are like SN6xxx-08 or -16 (exchange xxx for size, eg 256kb). I'm not 100% sure, but one source told me the 8bit ones will work with the NLs. On the other hand, I've recently seen an ad for an NL2 rack including a supposedly working card with serial SN5064 - which, according to PRETEC's naming and product change, suggests a pre-2017 serial without attribute memory. So maybe it doesn't matter.

• PCMCIA SRAM cards keep their memory up by battery (other than flash cards). You'll need a BR2325 button type battery for this, they last longer than a typical CR2325. There's a second small onboard capacitor on board that keeps power for ~15 minutes when you'd exchange the battery. In my case, both will have died in their sleep well before 2015.

Now go and train yourselves on the interwebs, before the bots finally take over and make crap music