Clavia Nord Lead 2

Great thing about nord is that you will barely use presets,it just calls you to tweak it,with so many knobs...anyway,it is not easiest to understand,but you should read manual and understand how things work!Then you will be making great sounds.

I have (and had) all best workstations on eart available,but none can came close to nord in terms of synth sounds.Best sound that I heard !

built like a tank !

just great

Nord has the best interface. Editing couldn't be more simple!
Manual is good.

Nord Lead 2 has the worst keys/keyboard action i ever came across.
No effects, why $1300?
Midi capabilities are excellent and many!

Action is crap(subjective)
It tends to sound too metalic/cold/sterill for my taste.
I've only used it for a couple of pad sounds and various clicks/noises, one bass sound(none of preset basses satisfied me).

Well made... except keys(they move sideways), and crap paint, the blue paint started to come off after one year(no gigs).

This instrument can be great for some, but not for some :)
I sold it(to get an acoustic guitar) Now i only have Korg z1 and e-mu pk6. I'll be saving money for PolyEvolver or Virus TI, Nord can give a better first impression, but...
I do miss a couple of sounds from it, but i am ok with Pro53,Z1,pk6 and Absynth 3.

I've had a Nord for over 3 years, the presets are good.
Editing the patches is not as easy as you think, as with all analog or VA's you have to get to know how the controls interact, once you have sorted that out you will discover all sorts of interesting sounds. The manual is good and there are loads of patches on the Clavia web site even though I prefer to create my own.
Strangely I like working in the manual mode as the settings on the synth are all visible, if you know what I mean

Mine is the 16 voice version which is more than adequate for what I do.
This keyboard doesn't need effects to sound good but a cheap box will increase the sonic potential of your set up. It's kind of nice to be given the freedom to enhance the synth's sound using an effects you choose. The MIDI facilities are good.
I must admit I don't feel comfortable with the keyboard action, not quite firm enough for me.

This is were the Nord 2 really scores, when you hear the sounds in your mix they really sit well. I do like the way the sounds respond to velocity. You have to careful how you use the resonance parameter as the sound seems to thin out very quickly as you advance the control. Theres something about the sounds you get from this keyboard, it doesn't to my ear sound like anything else, you have to work with it and the results will not disappoint but will often suprise you.

It has never let me down but like all precision instruments you have to take care of it. Just because it is in a steel case doesn't mean you should thow it around.
I would like a spare but only because I could see myself using more than one of these.

Never needed to deal with them and hope I never will.

Will definitely keep this unit and replace if lost or stolen.

keyboard is shit, as you all know.
the rest is nice. LFO sync is missing. That's bad.

After owning a Nord Lead 2 for about 8 years it is time to clarify some things ...

1.

Is it only me who thinks that the filter with its resonance in this unit is more or less shit? Using 24 dB lowpass with any patch, turning reso up just half or even less of full amount thins the sound out and produces crap sounds for 90% of all cases. Do you experience the same or is it only on my unit? Reso is hardly usable in this machine, because it cuts in too heavily.

2.

Try to make a really punchy sound able to compete with analogue classics ... You cannot do it? Welcome in the club.

3. Take a Juno 6 for 15% of the value of a Nord and program
some simple patches. You are surprised? Well, your reaction is no surprise for me ...

potis start to get worse with the years

good synth, it was my first. But bad if its the only one.
You need more synths for real production, especially some
really analogue stuff. It sounds cool, but digital. Shit Resonance
as I mentioned before. You think I am a loser who doesn't know
how to use it. Then write a review.

Very intuitive, as long as you know your way around subtractive style synthesizers it's a walk in the park. There's virtually nothing hidden away in submenus, everything parameter is there to see and tweak at your lesiure. It's so much fun just to sit down and tweak the damn thing!

My only ease of use complaint is the lack of a large screen so you could name your patches, scrolling around patches (trying to find the one you want) is hard unless you have a very good memory. It would be cool to be able to name your patches intead of just referring to them as "2.19" etc, but hey you can't win them all can you.

The poly is 16, which isn't bad for a VA (especially one which came out in 97), compare it to the MS2000 which has 4! I still occasionally run out of voices, especially when doing thick pads with the unison on, it eats up the poly! It's not generally a problem though, I use the lead for bass&lead (i.e. monophonic) sounds most of the time, that's its forte IMO, but more on that later.
There are no effects, I'm sure everyone knows this now. I kinda wish there were some sometimes, especially reverb, but then again an in built reverb is likely to be quite low quality (very intensive on the processor) and would compromise the quality of the whole synth. The nord is good at what it does.
People who complain that there's no onboard FX, buy a rack processor like a lexicon or TCelectronic. This way you have a top notch synth and top notch effects instead of sub-standard alternatives.

The keyboard action is rubbish! Cheap plastic keys with a light springy feel to them, it's a bit of a shame on such a quality instrument Clavia decided to put such awful keys on. They are however made up for by the innovative pitch stick and mod-wheel. If it wasn't for these I wouldnt' say there was any point getting the keyboard version. The keys are also somewhat over-velocity sensitive, so not advised for playing reaslistic instrument sounds with, eg. as a midi controller for a piano patch.. the velocities become very erratic and unexpected

The patch memory is poor, only 40 slots. I bought PCM card (although they prove to be quite elusive!) and got an extra 300 (or so). Now I've got loads of space, but finding patches is a mission and a half due to lack of screen. I generally put all my basses/leads on 1-100, pads and keys 100-200 and everything else 200-300, you get used to it.

It's also got an arpeggiator, which is nice. It's meant to be quite basic, but I never use it except for quirky mario stylee computer arcade noises. Arpeggiators are for cissies really :p

THE SOUNDS! This is where the NL stands out. The Nord Leads are renowned for being a good quality synth. I bought one purely because of their reputation, they're a good safe buy if you want a synth, you really can't go wrong with them. I've played novation and korg VA's, they all sound thin and flat compared to the nord. On first listen alot of them sound ok because the sounds are caked with effects, but take them away and there's not much underneath... (wonderbra effect)
I don't care how much the nord manages to imitate an analogue synth, it's got it's own sound. It's got an extremely raw sound, very gritty. You can make some nice round basses and some screaming leads (literally!). I use it also to make quirky odball noises (watch your speakers though)
Add a reverb and it makes the pads sound nice too. It does some very rich warm sounding analogue style pads, but I wouldnt say much else. I can't get epic spacey type pads out of it, maybe i'm not trying hard enough...

Expressiveness: If you pretend the nasty keys don't exist, the NL is incredibly expressive for a synthesizer. I LOVE the pitch stick, a true innovation. They should put this on all synths when the patent runs out, it's just so much better than that horrible mechanical lever you get on most synths... It encourages you to play the synth like the instrument it is. Keyboardists are so lazy: they want vibrato? they assign the modwheel to an LFO and move the wheel. CHEAT! Well on the nord you can play your own vibrato, there's no "dead zone" in the middle of the stick. The stick's also a nice wood material (maybe to give the impression of a wooden fingerboard a la violin for when playing vibrato?) very nice

It's been okay to me. It's not very new anymore, about 8 years old now I think. It hasn't shut down on me or crashed before, although once it scrambled up some of my patches, although I turned the unit off/on again and it was all fine... something to do with the PCM card.
It's very ruggedly built, nice metal construction, although I'm scared of denting it.

never dealt with them

My favourite synth. nuff said. It's a real workhorse. I've heard the NL2 is the 'best' sound wise out of all the leads. The NL3 has an incredible interface, and I was tempted for a while, but apparently it's thinner than the lead 2.

Easy as.....couldnt be more easy to use!! you really have to be stupid to find any of the fucktions hard to use

well its hasn`t got alot of FXs really !! and that was the whole point of buying the nord really...i love that it doesnt have all the nomaly crapy FXs on it ...its all pure baby:) (i use all hardware Rack Fxs anyways so i never really find the use for them..

or though Vst`s do a damn nice job these days!!

i was thinking of buying the virus kc/microQ but i didnt cause almost all the persets had some kind of cheap Fx on them ...besides the virus filters just sound so digital( no need ) sry to say:)

and to all the people who go blah blah about the missing FXs/Features well i can see your point/but i dont use this for live gigs..only for studio use.... (but if you dont) well then i guess you just dont really use this beast in the same way as i do !!

......best sounding virtual analog sound around.........

no probs yet

never had to use!!

All in all i think this is a DAMN NICE SYNTH...but then again i can see why some people dont see that ...but for all you people who just want a pure sound that you can tweak the hell out of, with external Fxs or plug-ins Ect...( this is the synth for you )

Damn nice for making eletronik/Dark Trance/House/DNB.. Ect

I bought this Nord Lead 2x see, and since then my wife has come tither to the notion of synthesis. I told my wife that I could synthesizer the dinner, but she didnt believe me. The grapes and vegetables are so nice this time in the Swedish calender.

Very easy to use, maybe too easy but thats a good thing for country bumpkins like me.

I rate this section a realistic 9 out of 10

Now the features are what my wife keeps on about. When I told her I had a Red Nord being delivered....the silly las thought I said weve got a Ferrari F49 being delivered. I dont know how she came to this conclusion because I work in the local factory making screws for washing machines and other non branded house hold appliances. Well anyways this Nord 2 is veryh powerful. It has a nob for every function and it seems pretty well lubed for long term enjoyment. THe buttons are squigdy but pose no threat to my marriage.
ourf 10
I rate this section 8

Screams likea bastard.

good

good. The clavia people are still in business so they must be doing something right!

Perfect synth for Pro-s and newbies into sound design

Version 1.00. NordLead 2X.
Some presets are awesome - keepers, some truly awfull. Last four banks are waste of space imho. Editing is as easy as it gets. No menus, just hands-on control. All the controls are nicely laid out, especially left hand controls (mod-wheel, pitch stick, oct.up/down, patch select, slots,...)- you dont have to even move your arm. Perfect! The synthesis part of the front panel is layed out well, too.

Polyphony is 20 voices. Enough even for layered unison patches. Keyboard action is not the best not the worst either. It's just that it's a bit cheap feeling when you play patches that use velocity. Effects??? Effects??? NO! Thank GOD! The only thing that Nord needs is a touch of good quality vintage delay and that's it. Well, ofcourse EQing and some compression, because the sound is totaly DRY, but WHAT A DRY SOUND! The oscilators are very punchy, sharp, present...unlike on any other synth I've played. But more on this later.... No sequencer, just a simple arpeggiator and that's fine. But it sure would kick a** with Doepfer stepsequencer!

Oh yeah! This INSTRUMENT is very expressive. You can assign velocity to all continuous parameters. The same with mod-wheel and expression pedal. Great! There are no realistic sounds except some great hammond emulations. It's all about synthetic sounds that just jump out of speakers, have a beautifull sparkling high end when you boost the resonance just a bit,....and have a really sharp and many times metallic quality. It can be tamed, don't worry :) In fact it can sound VERY 70's mellow. Aliasing is extremely low, almost non-existant, and oscilators sound very clean. The quality of the raw sound is incredible! The only a bit week point are basses as it lacks low end (but ofcourse this is raw sound and you can add some low end via external processing). FM is very musical and easy to use. You can get great DX like sounds in few minutes. Syncable noise really does the job at harsh, cutting FM leads and FX. But the best part are leads, electric harpiscords, PWM pads, STRINGS!, and all kinds of nasty, shimmering, plucky kind of things,...YEAH!!!! I even emulate Commodore 64 on this thing! Not to mention oldskool arpeggiated triangle blips,... Just put it through a quality EQ and a bit of delay and you can get tremendous results.

My unit has a problem with mod-wheel. Sometimes when I select a patch it sounds as if mod-wheel has been turned up, but it hasn't been. I wrote clavia and they said it's a hardware problem and it is very easy to fix it, so I'll probalby take it to the dealer and they'll fix it. I haven't found any software bugs, yet. And I've used it extensively for 2 weeks. The build quality is superb, so I WOULD gig without backup.

Great. Responded in 1 day. Very friendly also.

Lost? Stolen? I really hope not! I bought it as my last and only synth. I intend to use it for at least 3 years in future. In past I've used:
Korg Poly 800
Roland Alpha Juno 1
Akai S3000
Roland JX-305
Elektron SIDSTATION
Roland JX-8P
Yamaha SY-1
Yamaha TG-77
Quasimidi SIRIUS
Oberheim OB-12
Kawai XD-5
also lots of softsynths.

This is the best synth to date if we speak of overall useability and sound.

Go and check it out!

Version 1.06. Editing can hardly be easier.No need for software editor.
Manual is very good.

Polyphony is 12, which is enough for me. Keyboard is ok, not the best, but not too bad. Very midi capabile, all knobs trasmit midi, i use it to even control other synths.

Sounds great! Simply the best for lead, pads, basses, noises, clicks and i like the percussion kits a lot. No effecs, although delay can be achived with the arrpeggiator, and chorus like sound with unison. No VA sounds this good dry. Mod wheel and pitch stick are great, placed so that they can be manipulated at the same time, very expressive.

I've had it for about 4 years with no problems.
I see it on stage all the time, so many people gig with it.

Clavia has a lot of patches on their web site.

It was priced a little high when i bought it, but other synths just didn't turn me on as much. I was looking at jp8000, ms2000, and NL2, and i made up my mind as soon as i tried Nord Lead 2, i liked it even better then more expansive Virus, Novation and ob12. All i wished for NL2 - NL3 has now, but i can't afford Nord 3, so i'm keeping mine.

Easy, just like the old analogs, and fun..

Nice features, and the layout, the color, the keys implore you to play the damn thing, use it..

Very warm, analogish sounds, despite the silly rhetoric and criticism just for criticism's sake sake from some reviewers. Nothing other than Waldorf matches it for sound quality amongst the current crop-Roland's are too plastic/lite, the Novation's have the cheese factor, etc. No, the Nord has the pro sound - not quite the weight of the analogs, but lots of character and immenently inspirational for bass, chords, leads..

Very good for today, right there with the Waldorfs.

if you have trouble using this synth, you need to find a different hobby.

crappy keyboard. no aftertouch. no release velocity.
horrid little display. no fx. limited modualtion routings.
40 user slots. pcmia card sucks.

to be fair, there are some things i liked - feels sturdy, liked the size and feel of the knobs (some think they're too small), also liked the pitch stick and mod wheel. morph function is cool if you don't use extremely different parameter settings.

along with yamaha's AN system, i think the nord has the best raw, unprocessed sound.
you only run into trouble when trying to do pads because of the limited routings.
an extra oscillator would help, along with being able to use aftertouch.

no problems in the time i had it.

never had to use.

i used this board as a partial trade for a virus c keyboard.
despite its shortcomings, i am considering getting a 2X rack (i have absolutely no use for those keys).
however, it's a tough call between the nord and the alesis ion.
i like the sound of the nord better, but when it comes to features (except for polyphony), the ion absolutely blows the nord out of the water.
still deciding.

Can't be easyer then NL2. Editing is super easy.Presets are very good.

Poly is enough for me. Keyboard action isn't the best.No effects, but dry it sounds better then Viruses, or other VA's.
MIDI capabilities are great.

Sounds great, as i said Virus sounds like crap next to Nord.

Can depend on it.

I'd guess it should be fine.

Basicly other synths can't compete with it, ION sounds very good, but suffers from Alesis quality, JP sounds nice ,but too "Roland", Virus is more expansive and washed-out with effects, Waldorf is too expansive and is no more, MS2000 is built too cheaply and short on polyphony.I wish it had basic chorus/delay thing, and maybe some other type of mamory(not pcmcia).

Difficult to use and difficult to warm to. Accessing and storing programs, assigning midi functions and understanding sound modulation are all unintuative. An analog synth is about not having a barrier between the player and the sound creativity, and the nord lead user interface is one big barrier to an otherwise capable sound egine

Reasonable features for a virtual analog synth

Capable of many sounds but utterly unexpressive, from a players perspective

No issues other than a substantial hum from the power supply

Dreadful. I bought mine new from TURNKEY in london. I live in ireland. it arrived without the manual! I informed Clavia and asked if I could be sent a boutn manual. they didn't care that one of their distributers were so shoddy and didn't send a manual. They told me it was available on the web. i did print it off but its not the same - its not bound and i cant conveniently read it at my keyoard. A disgrace for a 'professional' company. This aloone will ensure my studio will never purchase another clavia product. i can't trust clavia

A waste of money. My studio posesses many synthesizers. Clavia's nord lead is bland. It's prophet emulations are an utter joke - they sound absolutely nothing like a prophet (i have experience with Prophet 5 and own a Prophet T8). Its false advertisment. the lack of vocoder makes this synth not worth it any more. Completely over rated. Don't buy one.

The Nord Lead 2 has the most character to its sound as compared to other VA synths.
I have sold all the VA's I used to own (JP, MS, Prophecy, K5000) without noticing any considerable loss.
Software synthesizers can pretty much emulate any of those boards.

I even got rid of basically all of my analog Roland MKS modules because they were not that outstanding (I am keeping my Juno 106 and the TB303 - can't live without those)

But the Nord Lead is raw, gritty and in-your-face unlike other VA synths.
The lack of effects is a professional touch really which makes it belong in a pro environment.
My one and a half cents.

As I'm sure you've heard from every reviewer of this synth, SIMPLE TO USE. I compare the ease of use to a Korg Polysix- There are no complex menus or semitones to click through. This is true analog control- every single parameter is controlled by a knob- with the push of 2 buttons you can save a tone, and when you dial back to it, your knob settings remain the same, regardless of the position of the knobs until you turn them. This synth is to analog as, say, a Macintosh is to computers- STUPIDLY SIMPLE.

The Nord Lead 2 is a 16 voice synthesizer. It has full MIDI control, but only 4(?) channels. No effects, a basic arpeggiator, and PCMCIA memory expansion. It's very simple, very minimalistic, and sometimes that turns people off.

I have found that for the current money (about 550-600.00), you cannot find a more "analog synth" unless you brave the world of true analog (in which case you better get out your chromatic tuner every other day).

I'd say the immediate competetors to the Nord Lead 2 are 1) Korg MS2000 2) Roland JP8000 3) Novation KS4 4) Quasimidi Sirius 5) Access Virus A. There is a LARGE inherant difference between these five synths and the Nord Lead. Many musicians are turned on to the afformentioned competetor units mainly because they seem twice as feature-packed as the Nord Lead. All of the above have full MIDI, vocoders, effects units, sequencers, etc. In my opinion, however, the Nord Lead is the only one of the lot that actually recreates the sound of the great analog synths. You can make the Nord Sound like a grungy Access Virus, or a detuned Oberheim OBxa. It can do strings, but it can do funky fusion basslines as well. It can be a Juno 106, and an Arp 2600. While other synths may impress you with the addons they seem to have, hte Nord will amaze you with the fatness, reality, expressiveness, and multi-functionality of it's tiny board.

The Nord Lead stands out from the above competing synthesizers because you are buying an analog synth in all respects. It is no-frills, just sound and is not pre-set to be used in a dance genre. The MS2000 and the JP8000 are old time favorites, but are all VERY electronica-minded synthesizers, and while they are all very good keyboards, they are really only fit in a techno-based setting. The The Access Virus and the Quasimidi Sirius output harsh, stabbing sounds that are perfect for industrial music, but wouldn't really work in an 80's Van Halen setting. Basically, the Nord Lead can be used ANYWHERE an analog synth needs to be- rock, indy, jazz, trance, industrial, trip-hop, fusion, etc. It is a true genre-less analog synth, the only one made currently that is home in multiple musical setups.

This keyboard can really do it all. I have owned a great number of analong, digital, and old hybrid synths from the 80's. I'm selling them off, one at a time as I am able to recreate their sounds perfectly on a Nord Lead. If you want a gritty DX7 synth, than you can easily create one. If, however, you need lush, ghostly strings, you can pull that off as well. The saw wave on this board is perfect for those stabbing lead synths used everywhere from Nine Inch Nails to euro trance, to Van Halen, to "Forever Young".

I base my perfect rating for this synth on the fact that it is a modern analog synth that, unlike other units, can be used outside of the electronica genre. That, in my opinion is a very important factor as most DSP analog modeling units today are all about the trance.

It's ALL metal. I have a hard case for it because I'm picky and freak out if any of my synths get dented or beat up on the road, but the Nord is very sturdy, very compact, and extremel light.

I've never dealt with the crazy Swedes at Clavia.

I would absolutely buy another. I *might* get a Nord Lead 1- having played this older revision, it's not that much different (half the polyphony) or as cheap as 300.00 US! If you're looking toi get into virtual analog, you can't do better than the Nord Lead for under 1000.00.

1.06

Presets are average but easily edited. Since I owned Nord Rack 2 few years ago and wasn't so impressed but now after many synths I think NL2 sounds great. It has most "analog" tone I have heard coming from DSP synth... and all those knobs. I think Virus has more "analogue" sounding filters but still NL sounds far better because good sounding oscillators. Editing patches couldn't be any easier, all synths should be like this (and JP-8000). Didn't have manual and didn't miss it.

This is where it lacks badly but then, it wouldn't be SO easy to use and would cost much more. Polyphony is 16, but mostly 8 using unison. No effects but you can use LFO2 for some echo... feed your old effect unit with this. Good MIDi but keyboard doesn't have aftertouch, would like one. There is nothing "new" with synthesis except Morph-function.

Straight analog-sounds: basses, leads, pads, FX, noise, sweep, etc, etc. Need the most analogue-sounding VA but still keep it simple -> get NL2/NL2x. Also some "cool" organ/e-piano patches but better use some other synths for those...

No problems...

Haven't used.

I love the pitch-stick, interface and keyboard which is fast to play and good for my taste. Synth itself sounds great. If I would hunt one, I maybe bought 2x. Since I don't have NL2 anymore, I use Nord Modular for those sounds and it does it well. If Modular would get lost, I bought the NL2 or NL2x.

Many regard this synth as having a great user interface, however i found this synth incredibly difficult to program. The interface is tiny which means that each knob is assigned many roles, why they have to cram everything into the left i don't know.

People tend to bang on about the lack of effects, this doesn't bother me because the nord makes up for this with processing power. Why we all think that a good synth has built in effects is beyond me. One of the worst features about the nord 2 is its keyboad, clavia really do take the piss in this way, the action is no better than you would find on a cheap keyboard from a toy shop and that really is no lie.

The nord 2 came about the same tiem as the Roland JP8000 and many think the nord has the edge, why i will never know. I owned both once and found that the nord really is a one trick pony, in the sense that for lead and bass sounds its one of the best, but pad sounds were very frustrating to make, and really good ones are impossible.

Never had and issue with clavia, however that mod wheel made me a bit concerned.

Clavia are full of really nice people who from experience do their best to get in contact with you. They are also very knowledgeable!

The Nord 2 is very over rated and the Roland JP8000 is a far better synth both for programing and build quality. However we must remember that the Nord 2 looks great on any stand so if you buy it for any reason do it because of this.

Software 1.06.
Presets are ok.This synth must be the easyest one out there.

Poly is ok. No effects-sucks!PCMCIA-sucks!
Midi capabilities are good.
The worst thing about Nord is it's awful keyboard.

Keyboard is awful! Sound is good(considering it is dry).

I used to like it's wheel and pitch stick concept, but not so sure anymore, i am afraid it can ware out too soon.

Nice synth, very nice, BUT i wish i didn't have to pay $1200.
I would price it at about $800.
No mamory, no effects, crapy keys, no vocoder - doesn't sound like $1200 to me. I would think twice or more before getting Volvo.

This is in response to Ben regarding softsynths vs the Nord Lead:

While software developers are increasingly making more powerful soft-synths each and every year, they are no where near making software that can create the richness and fullness of dedicated hardware, especially a Nord Lead. And to make the claim that software synths do a better job than a Nordlead,youd have to find a soft-synth which is comparable or equal to in quality to the Nord Lead, of which at the moment there are none. Arguably, there are a few soft-synths currently on the market which sound pretty good (NI's FM7 and Vokator as well as Arturia's Moog Modular) but even if you were to process any sound coming from those synths using the latest and greatest plugins, youd still fall short of anything truly outstanding. Great maybe, but not over the top phenomenal. In defense, however, I have run certain soft-synths through a dedicated effects chain and an analog filter, and achieved some amazing results. But even as a savvy programmer, those results did not come without the use of dedicated hardware.

Ive owned and still own both a fair amount of hardware synthesizers (including a Nord Lead)and software synthesizers. And comparing both platforms can be fairly complicated, especially when it comes to deciding what to buy. They both have their pro's and con's. If youre looking for cost effectiveness, a laptop with a good soundcard and some software will get you pretty decent results. But if youre looking for strictly quality and money is not an issue, a dedicated hardware synth like the Nord Lead and a sequencer puts a laptop set up to shame.

For what its worth, its like comparing oranges to apples. Personally, Ive wrapped my head around more hardware and software synthesizers to an almost repulsive level. I dont hate one less or more than the other, and I think the best "sound" you'll ever get out of your work is when you can successfully integrate both hardware and software together. To say that only one kind of platform is best is just too limiting.

I submitted a review on the Nordlead 2 a couple of years ago, but feel the need to address you fine people again, because I've sold it. Reason why? There are now softsynths that do a much better job, and at a fraction of the cost. True, it's tricky bringing a computer to a gig, but I never used the Nord for performances anyway, as it wasn't versatile enough. The Nordlead concept was a great idea when it was first released ('95, I think), but it can no longer compete with its virtual competitors. Just thought you should know.

See above.

See above.

See above.

See above.

See above.

1.06,Presets are good enough and in seconds you have your won sound anyway. Manual as it should be.

16 voices, good enough to play,but I am tempted to "midi steal" some like the creamy 80% fat bass drum. Effects -who wants a radio in Ferrari or reverb in PRS guitar ? PCMCIA ext for more voices. Assignig anything you want to the keys sensitivity makes it superbly expressive. No sequenzer but super easy to hook it to my laptop.

The most inspiring synth sounds ever tried, enough of variety of high Q sounds to fit any style. No other synth is so responsive. I never liked aftertouch so its absence does not bother me

Had used Nordlead one for a week (sold it to get this one) it was lust like new. Probably my grand children will be using it. If there is reliable electronic instrument then this is the one.

Met them on a trade fair,competent and friendly. Got response to few times over Email within 24 hours.

Having extra money would get NL3 and all other Clavia products. I am guitar player first and as producer used Yamahas, Korgs. I used them for productions but never liked to play them, hardly even listen others playing ( except Zawinul, Herbie and Jan Hammer) feeling digital synthesis destroyed most keybordists individuality. This one I really play and not only to check out ideas , I actually love it and its sounds inspire me. The only competition , to my ears is Virus. Too bad that they go for quantity ( of voices) rather the quality. Clavia is the only 24/96 resolution synth on the market. They do not compromise and I suspect this high resolution as one of the secrets of its increadible sounds. I will definitely get some more from Clavia like the Modular, hope they will make a drum machine some day.

Software Version 1.04. Presets are pretty average, I've got a PCMCIA card and all the libraries off the clavia site but often I will just make my own. Editing is a breeze, as is storing patches. Everything is clearly laid out with nothing in menus aside from a few functions that require the use of a shift key. Manual is good.

16 voice, 4 individual parts with an output for each (output configurations can be changed). As I mentioned above, memory can be expanded using a PCMCIA card. No midi thru which is a little annoying but I intend to get a new interface soon so it wont matter for me. All controls transmit midi. No full on fx processors as such but it does have distortion and ring modulation not to mention FM capabilities. Great pitch bend and mod wheel.

Typical VA sounds, I dont think they sound as thick as some other VAs but you have to remember that there are no chorus, reverbs etc. I find the NL2 has a real character of its own.

This thing is built like a tank. And with a four octave keyboard it is a great size to transport, I gig without a backup no problem

I emailed a query to Clavia in Sweden and the got back to me within 24 hours!

If it were lost or stolen I would buy it again (at the price I paid for it). Ive been playing for several years and programming for several more. My setup consists of - NL2, A-station, XP 10, heaps of software, fair bit of outboard. The nord definately fills a space in my studio, I tend do use the A station for the really searing basses and leads, but most of my pads, strings and little atmospherics come from the nord. I do wish it had a couple more parts, but i could say that for any synth. I make psy-trance mostly but i do mess around with techno, breakbeat, hip-hop and i play keys in a band.

A retarded left handed monkey can fire this baby up in two seconds flat. Quite simply one of the easiest synths in terms of use ever created. Plug it in , turn it on and go.

16 notes of polyphony, 4-part multitimbral, and has four separately addressable outputs. No built in effects, but you dont need them. Its almost an insult to suggest adding effects to the sounds coming out of this thing... theyre simply some of the richest, fullest sounds you will get from this type of synth.

The Nord Lead 2 has full midi capabilities and can be expanded via PCMCIA cards. This allows you to save an additional 3 banks of 297 total memory slots and 30 programmable percussion kit locations, plus 100 performances. I was surprised to find that there were programmed percussion kits that came with the factory settings. Ive given them a once over and although usable, Id have very little use for them for what Im currently doing, abstract drum & bass. I can get more out of some loops and a sampler in this case, although I wouldnt quite disregard the kits completely. I can think of alot of great uses for them especially for creating sounds for minimal techno and deep tech genres.

Sound editing is about as easy as it gets. Tons of knobs and buttons to create just about any sound you can think of. This isnt a Triton or a Motif. There are no "sampled" sounds. This synth was built with for sound programming, as in "make your own shit". I'll even admit that coming from a synth module mentality, its a bit hard to get used to the idea of creating your own sounds. But the satisfaction of creating something completely unique and apart from sound patches or presets that everyone and their mom is using, is pure bliss.

Prepare to wet your pants. For a virtual analog synth, this replicates that distinct analog sound like no other synth in its class. Hell, it even over 40 of the original factory sounds from the classic vintage Prophet 5 synth! Full, rich fat sound that slaps you on the face and calls you a bitch. Its the dope shit.

So far so good. The damn thing is heavy for such a small synth and made out of durable metal. The control knobs have the best feel out of any module/synth Ive ever had the pleasure of violating which is definitely reassuring of the fact that the thing is solid as a rock. The wooden pitch bend is a nice touch but personally, I would have rather had them add pitch bend withthe same rubbery feel as the control knobs instead. That goes the same for the stone modulation wheel.

Havent had the need to call or write, and hopefully I wont need to.

Id have to replace it if it where lost or stolen. Its a very unique piece of equipment and one that isnt easy to live without once youve owned one. There are plenty of synths out there which try to emulate but cant quite replicate this synth. There are even a few virtual analog softsynths available that arguably come close (Native Instruments FM7), but I would consider theyre sound quality mediocre at best compared to the Nord Lead. This is a rock solid synthesizer that cant be faded.

My God, I thought my Moog Rogue was easy to use. If you can't get up and writing your own patches after spending 5 minutes with the manual, then you might want to look into another arena. The way the manual is setup will first teach you about the synth, and then about synthesis in and of itself. Very easy read. Where I go, the manual goes, its just one of those things :)

If you've been reading the reviews of this board, you already know its poly, and all that other good stuff. One thing that should be noted about this board is that it has its own tonal character. The unison mode on this keyboard is really good to for fatting up your tones, and making spacing. Those of us who have not used FM synthesis before may find Clavias implementation of FM a little odd, but give it an hour and you'll go from thinking of sounds in your head to hearing them come out of your keyboard.

One area that this board definitly needs improvement in is its LFO2/ARP area. The ones they give you to me are ok at best. You can't set gates, slides, or anything like that, so you come out with these sub par sounding arps. Theres no way (that I know of, email and correct me if I'm wrong) to sync the LFO's to the ARP, nor is there anyway to see what BPM the ARP is running at. Would be an excellent option if the future OS's had this.

Also, most synths within this class and above have the ability to let the LFO modulate any perameter of the synth, but thats not the case here. With the LFO they give you, you can modulate the following

AMP
Filter
Pulse Width
OSC 1
OSC 2
OSC 1+2

This is ok, but I feel that Clavia could have done better in this department. No onboard fx, but they really are not needed. Keyboard action felt exactly the same as my moog rogue (note: there is none) and this is my first "real" synth, so I have nothing to base it off of. Only reason the NL2 doesn't get a 10 in this catagory is because of the arp/lfo sync deal.

You can create some of the creamest, lushes pads you've EVER heard or navigate into some of the darkest territory, all with simple twist of knobs. One of the coolest things (to me) that the nord can do is velocity mapping where you basically can apply velocity to any perameter, not just gain. This means that you can set the FM knob to be at 1 when you strike the lowest, and 8 when you strike the hardest. VERY good feature for getting those gooooshy, choclately sounds we all know and love.The drum sounds on here are great for those custom drum sounds, but you will still need good drum samples or a drum machine to fit the bill. I think this synth has a place in every genre of music out there, but thats just me.

Like everyone else has said earlier, this board is a tank. Not only that, it looks cool as hell (red, gotta love it :)

Haven't really had a chance to deal with them, but from the manual and the website alone, looks like that will never be an issue

If it were stolen, I would bring the pain and the hurt upon my tresspassers. I currently own a 12 string guitar, and Moog Rogue, I know it will fit in just right with everyone else. The flow of this synth is really logical and well thought out, all the knobs are where you would "expect" them to be (if you've worked with any analog gear before). I would really love to see this gear teamed up with something like a MPC2kXL or Supernova 2. This synth is here to stay within my aresonal of destruction and badassry :)

I bought a Nordlead 1 in '95. Bought a NL2 in '97 after I left the NL1 in the train to Paris. It's probably just my imagination, but the sound of the 2 never moved me the way the first one did, even though I have sys-exed all my old sounds into the newer model. good thing is the polyphony though, you really need those 16 voices. If you are a preset user don't buy the nordlead as its stock sounds are generally not very powerful and rich. do your own programming or -like me- get someone to program great analog-style bass and lead sounds. This will unveil the NL's potential as you get most of the fatness and characteristics of analog synthesis, but with digital control and reliability. Nice for the engineers, if I hold a note with one of my basspatches, the meters on the console will not move but stay at one fixed position. The NL bass really needs no compression or any other dynamics as it sits perfectly in the mix. Negatives? The wimpy keyboard action really make this synth much less fun to play. Also I find the sounds not very velocity-responsive, but i guess that comes with the analog-emulation territory. I really wouldn't trade this synth (not even for the 3, which i find way to expensive for what it offers), but I so do wish I still had my old Nordlead One, especially those swedish designer sawed-off edges.
Keyboardists, there are now a lot of alternatives for the Nordlead 2, some of them cheaper and offering much of the same functionality and even multi-FX, so be sure to check those out. But nothing quite sounds like this one, and only you can decide whether that is good or bad.

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Had them replace the power transformer once, because it started humming. They did the job nicely, and within a week.

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