Clavia Nord Modular

If you have some good overall knowledge of synths then you're already half way there it's just getting you head round the logic control routings and how the modules interact which isn't too hard to understand with the excellent manual.
The software editor is breeze to use and very stable when run in Win98 mode on XP, assigning knobs is also a doddle.
The only problem is that you find huge chunks of your life going missing when getting deep into this machine but I think that also goes to show how open the work flow is as soon as you get to grips with it.

It does have its limits but thats still way beyond most hardware synths out there even today. It has tons more features than any of the 'Leads'. No delay or reverb FX but I always use external units for this purpose anyway. The four morph control groups allow you to assign any parameter at any amount -/+ and is a very powerful feature almost like a global mod matrix.
The onboard sequencers and drum oscillators can also make this into a very decent electronic percussion module.
The NM covers most synthesis types (FM/Subtractive/VA/Addative/Vector/Percussion) but the ability to combine them however you like makes for an almost endless sound source. You can also use the NM as a custom sound processor with its audio in's, vocoding, multiband dynamics, ring mod, phaser it's all here in a totally modular environment.
I would like the polyphony expansion but they're hard to find these days and you might as well get another NM for double the knobs and more outputs.
I know this is a synth I won't get bored of in a hurry if at all.

I've never been a fan of the Nord sound and at first wasn't blown away with the NM either but I think this is because I always expect VA's to sound analogue but I've come to appreciate how the NM sounds, it's a refined good solid digital character that doesn't sound thin, overblown or excited like many other big brand names which are often drowned in onboard FX to hide their shortcommings.

The NM has far more sound variation then the Lead's with the many filter types and endless audio routings to achieve many unorthodox feedback effects and tones. If your into digital style experimental music like glitch/lo-fi or avant guard there's little else like this in the hardware world.

24bit outputs like the NL2 but you can easily make it sound like a NL1 with the bit reducer, some argue that the G1's have better outputs than the G2's but thats open for debate.

The software programmer has been 100% solid so far and the build quality (rack)is as good as it gets with solid silky smooth knobs and decent spring load buttons all housed in a sexy red metal case.

Sadly discontinued now but you can still download the programmer, manual and soundbanks from the Clavia site plus there's a huge NM community out there on the electro music forum who are very helpful.

Ok so why buy this when you might as well use a softsynth like Reaktor you may ask but for the price they go for 2nd hand next to a decent soundcard, MIDI control surface and modular softsynth then your still getting a bargain.
I can't think of any hardware synth that has the versatility of a decent software modular yet will integrate seamlessly into a hardware setup without having to deal with the pain of DAW latency or software crashes.
The G2 is still a beast but for around 25% of the cost you still get about 75% of the power in the G1.

Preset... not for that synth... the fun is in creating patches
A very rewarding synth... patching is easy but not as easy as the G2

It is not a traditional synth... so you built what you need using module like oscillators filters enveloppes etc...

Midi is minimal but ok... great stand alone machine if you dont need sample base stuff...

Sound is great, not for realistic stuff but great for exploring sound... It got it's own sound

For the time being never had trouble with it

Great machine, not realy for keyboardist but for sound experimentation...

Version 3.03
Patching is very cool and can get very complex....
I usualy work with 4 patches to create a piece of sound

Keyboard miss after touch, would love to replace those key by after touch sensible one (dont know if possible).
2oct is small but i realy like the size of this machine. If there was a NM g2 of that size i would buy it instantly.
Mine is expanded. For more noise making
Midi is minimal (use it for midi sync with a beatbox), no midi out module in the patching area... (g2 as)

Love the old style 16 step sequencer, it fit my musical style.

Realistic... who cares... GREAT SOUND
It for creating new noises sounds and everiting.
It sound a bit "arsh", but i very much like it.

For onboard fx, Chorus etc... ok...
It as 2in 4out so you can include external fx in your patches, or use it to process sound....

Great and realy stable...
The knobs are a little bit fragile for my style of play
I gig with it very often, never had a back up... (only have one NM)

By e-mail, very cool

If stolen or lost, i'll get another one used, just to have access to all the patches i've made.
The prices are very low these day (600$ expanded), so i'm looking to buy another one...
I'll buy a G2 soon to....

I have owned Nord Modular Rack for few years ago and I have to admit that I have made only few sounds with it. I really hate using PC for editing and there should faster port for it, not MIDI. WORKING usb2 would be nice, but this is "old" synth so I should buy the newer Modular. When I at the same time had Nord Lead 2, I was going to sell Modular but then I thought to keep it and let NL2 go (great machine though). I use it in every song and I would buy Modular keyboard right away if it had that cool wooden pitch-stick as NL and new G2 has. I don't know why they didn't include it. Patches are ok. Few times I have read the BIG manual. Ease of use is 7 because it can be very complex (as you want) and you have to use editor.

Polyphony is ok because I use only one voice out of it. I was going to sell it few times and tried to trade it for other synth many times but nobody wasn't interested. So I think it's a bit underrated synth(?) There is tons of features.

Full ten points. Clavia tone is hard and can be nasty and a bit Obey -sounding(oberheim pads/brass). I have used it for electric piano sounds (listen "Silently"), pads, fx, bass sounds (usually use analogs for bass/leads) and wide variety other sounds. I play it thru effect unit for a bit reverb/delay. I have also tried some vocoder stuff and they are fun and few times played bass thru the effects and filters - lot's of fun.

Works fine. Maybe some problems with editor but it works fine also..

Great

If it were lost or stolen, I would buy G2 or maybe NL3. I really like Nord Lead interface, keyboard and controllers. But I would definitely buy Clavia -synths again. Feel free to contact.

There is already a lot of information about the modular hear so I'll try to fill up some missing opinion. i have over 32000 presets patches and altough some sound really good I found to be way more interestering to start from 0 and compose your own. It is really user friendly and easy to use, if you know anything about synths. I think the manual is not bad but it lacks some patching examples or tips and, even more important, it does not explain how to use the modules together nor it says how do the multi-stage envelopes really work. I Guess clavia suposes that if your buying a modular you already know a great deal about synth modules.

If you do not have an expansion card for your polyphony you will have to learn how to patch using little load modules ( the salves). if you like very big polyphonic pads or whatever the nord modular (without the expansion) will quickly loose polyphony. It is not easy to make a complex patching and then request for more than 6 or 8 voices. The nord manages the it automatly...Midi is good, effects too, the possibilities are infinite. It is a very time consuming synth because you will be draged into it's world, just like a child. Some people say it should have one more octave keyboard, More audio inputs, bend, wheel and polyphony. i agree completly and so do clavia since they know issued the nord modular 2 with almost everything it was missing. So, the features of the nord modular, altough pretty good are know down rated by the new modular.

The sounds are great. It is nord lead sound: it sounds very sharp and defined and, altought you can destroy it pretty well it will never sound dirty as a really analog synth. It will do for any type of music. Realisitc to analog synth emulation.

It fell on the floor and still works great. Any nord is very realiable. Good for gigs

Clavia

I would beat the hell from the guy who stoled it. This synth is great. I have a nord lead 2 also and now that I have a modular I realy don't now if I should keep the NL 2. My little synth collection also includes: Korg MS-20, Oberheim OB 12, SID Station, Prophet VS and some drum machines synths

im using software version 6. the presets are good. editing patches is not so hard. a patch editor is there. manualis good

it has very much polyphony and a very good keyboard. some built in effects which are not so hard to use. it has expansion capabilities. there are lots of MIDI capabilities, good ones. it has an onboard sequencer.

the instruments are very realistic, you wont get good analog sounds out of this box, but youll get very good pianos, sax, guitars, drums and flutes. it works perfectly for rock (those heavy e-guitar sounds) and for classical (all types of orchestral sounds). It doesnt work for dance, as there are no dance sounds on there.
it is not static

its very reliable, i use it in a rock band to replace all the instruments needed there (guitars, drums etc.) and it works very well

very good customer support, they always mail me good, realistic guitar and piano patches

i would buy another one, if it was lost or stolen. I love the good rock and piano sounds on this box. i compared it to some other products, and they are not so good. It helps me a lot in my rock music.

The Nord Modular is probably one of the most complicated synthesizers at the moment due to it being a modular synth. That said, it is extremely easy to create your own patches from scratch, provided you have a basic background in subtractive synthesis.

There are a lot of presets that come with it. However, I found that I quickly started making my own instead of modifying the old ones. However, if you don't like doing this, there are literally thousands of patches on the internet - I have around 15,000.

The manual is extremely well written. It provides basic tutorials on subtractive synthesis as well as giving detailed descriptions of what every module can do. Despite this, I found that I did not really need the manual as the Modular Editor was so easy to use.

Feature-wise, the Nord Modular can do anything that you want it to do, except for sampling and (long) delays. You can create emulations of a Minimoog, ARP 2600, Nord Lead or you can create effects such as pitch-shifters, vocoders, etc.

The manual says that the Nord Modular can play up to 32 voices with 4 part multi-timbrality, however, you will never get 32 voices with 4 different sounds playing at the same time. Polyphony is confusing, however, you are carried 4 voices if you are only using one sound.

It does have a voice expansion card which doubles the polyphony, however, I do not have it so I cannot write anything about it.

It seems to have fairly extensive MIDI capabilities, however, I do not use most of them as I play everything live. I do know that you can assign any of the 18 freely assignable knobs to any MIDI number (?) and sequence knob movements in your sequencer.

The sounds are what makes the Nord Modular such a great instrument. It sounds great! While the presets are good, I'm sure most people will find that they can get any kind of electronic sound out it.

Sounds that I have found that Nord Modular can do especially well are bass, strings, pads, leads, fx and long evolving sequences and sounds.

I make mostly ambient, industrial and rock (like Sigur Ros, Labradford) music so I find that the sounds it produces are perfect for these. However, I could also see it being used in dance, pop, hip-hop, soundtracks, Vangelis type music and even classical (like Switched On Bach).

I have never played with it live. However, I don't think that I would hesitate playing it without a backup as it has always worked without any problems.

Clavia are extremely friendly. I have sent them a few e-mails asking mostly stupid questions and quickly received replies with useful information. Because of this, I would not hesitate to buy more equipment from Clavia.

It it got stolen, I would be extremely unhappy as it is my favorite piece of equipment. It is definately worth what I paid for it. The only things that I wished it had were a larger keyboard and pitch and mod wheels, however, these are minor problems considering what you get.

It is extremly easy to edit the sounds of this synth. Couldn't be better!

Every unit in this synth sound better than any other digital synth on this planet today! You can use it as an external effect if you want. Two line-inputs lets you connect any source. Phaser, Chorus, Many Filters, Vocoder, Distortion, Bit-Crusher and much more...

I have used it both in studio and live for about 3 years and no problems whatever so far!

You probably never need to contact them but I've heard that they are nice.

I play complex electronic music, like Stockhausen. I have used electronic-equipments for 15 years. The Nord Modular is better than I am!

If you have at least a basic knowlegde of modular synthesis, this synth is easy to get into straight away - if you don't, then you have some reading to do, and the in-depth manual is a good place to start. The extent of your interactivity with the editor (current V3.03) is up to your patience and creativity.

You could survive using presets - there are hundreds provided on the accompanying CD, let alone the internet resources available - but where's the fun in that? If you don't want to build your own sounds, then this isn't the synth for you. It would be pointless just using presets with this machine, considering its main advantage is in its incredible editing interface.

Once you get into the editor, you start to realise the massive potential of the software.

The keyboard, though small (2 octave) is wonderful to play. The keys feel of a high quality, and the knobs are sturdy. The buttons make satisfying clunks, too.

There are a ridiculous number of features, far too many to try and review, so just look at the spec page on the clavia website to see the facts. Suffice to say, there are a lot of options available, with pretty much everything being mappable to MIDI control, along with the 18 assignable knobs.

My only gripe is the lack of reverb. This can lead to a quite disapointing flatness to the sounds. A way around this is to emulate reverb with use of envolopes, but I found it better to buy a cheap FX unit (Zoom RFX-1000, for example). The addition of the external unit is definately worth the extra - it makes the synth sound much richer.

As I say though, thats the only problem. Everything else is of very high quality.

This synth can do pretty much everything, and it does it all very well indeed.

No problems. I've used it for gigs with no worries.

N/A (see reliability)

This is an amazing machine. I had some reservations, until I got the extra reverb, now I wouldn't part with it for love or money. Unless it was alot of money. Then I'd buy another one.

Version 3.03 software. I am eagerly awaiting the new OS update which should add some new killer modules for this beast. The presets are AWESOME. Really shows off the potential for the synth. Let's see here, editing patches. It's actually surprisingly easy. Just drag and drop modules into the workspace and wire them together. I don't reccomend it for beginners though, modular synthesis is a bit hard if you don't already know some basics. The manual is easy to read, complete, and very helpful. There is also a book by Wizoo that gives you some excellent tips and tricks, and it usually ships new with the modular if you buy from a major retailer like Sweetwater.

Dear God. Looking at the list of modules is impressive. Over a hundred. It seems rather daunting at first, everything you can do. You can even use AND and OR gates for basic logic processing of sound... it's that badass. Polyphony depends on your patch. You have 4 parts multitimbrality, so if you use 100% of the DSP power for 1 patch, and your not using any other parts, then you have 4 polyphony. Rarely though do you ever use 100%. There is a card you can get to double the polyphony, which gives you a max of like 32 voices. Effects? Just create your own. No conventional Reverb/Delay, but none of the Nords have that. Besides, you'll want to put this through an external effects unit anyway. 2 sets of midi ports; one for sequencing purposes, the other specifically for editing via computer. 4 outs, 2 ins, control/sustain pedal. Unfortunately no midi thru, but who cares.
Finally, its expandable by the OS. :) Can't wait for the new modules.

The nords have the BEST Virtual Analog sound, period. Couple this with the fact that it's modular, and you can create ANY synth you want, and the possibilites are literally limitless. Go to a store, play with it. Download sound samples. Nothing can beat its raw power, its punch, its completely wicked sound. I use it for all of my projects, not only for synth sounds, but to process my other synths. As far as I am concerned, it's the best sounding (digital) synth on the planet right now.

Depending on what kind of computer you have, I do have some problems with the synth losing contact with the editor. I personally attribute it to Windows, but you never know.

Never dealt with Clavia, but they have a great website and it's a small company, as far as I know, and they stand behind their products.

I don't think the modular got really that popular because of its interface. People would rather just twist knobs, I suppose. But even if you NEVER made your own patches, and you NEVER even edited a patch at all, there are literally hundreds of thousands of sounds you can download from the net for this monster. With a mailing list that has sometimes 60+ messages a day with people sharing patches and techniques, you would have to be an idiot to NOT WANT THIS SYNTH! Heheh. If you have the rescources, GET IT. If it even crossed your mind to purchase one, GET IT. If it was stolen, I would cry like a little girl. Like I said before, I use it for every project I do in some way. In all honesty, it's probably the most powerful synth on the market today aside from somthing ungodly expensive like a KYMA.