Clavia Nord Lead 2X

Extremely easy to use...a knob for each function. Some presets are amazing, and some are just OK (as with any other synth). But the beauty of synths like this is what you can easily create (or tweak). Very analog sounding for a VA. One big bonus is all of the Sequential Prophet-5 original 40 patches included and NAILED.

Polyphony is 20 note. There are no built-in effects, although slick programming makes it sound like it has. No expansion capabilities on this synth...it differs from the Nord Lead 2 in that it already comes expanded with 10 banks of 99 sounds each...that's 999 sounds, plus 40 Percussion kits. Splits and layers on the fly are a piece of cake. One glaring omission (because it is, after all, an updated NL2) is the inability to group preset sounds into groups, such as favorites, and no text labeling. Then again, most of the analog synths that it emulates (Prophet-5, Oberheim OBX, etc) lacked this feature as well.

Sounds are fabulous...but remember, this is not a sampler/ROMpler/workstation...it does synthesizers. Keyboard is very light and responds to velocity only, not aftertouch. There again, early analogs did not even respond to velocity. A place for this instrument could be found in virtually any type of music.

I have owned every Clavia keyboard made at one time (most I still own). They are all ULTRA DEPENDABLE...I have never had a problem with a single one. I would definitely not be afraid to gig this without a backup.

I have contacted Clavia several times over the years, and they always respond, albeit after a day (due to time differences between Sweden and the U.S.). The website OS updates provided by them on their website are exemplary.

If it were stolen, I would replace it immediately with another. I paid $899 for mine brand new, with the Clavia soft case thrown in for free...that deal was a STEAL !! In fact, it is easily worth twice that, in my opinion. I am a gear junkie with G.A.S., and have owned just about every analog and VA synth made at one point. I try to keep a piece for a period of time, and if it doesn't "work" for me, then it goes on eBay. Three pieces of gear that have come on a one-way trip are my Minimoog Voyager, my DSI Prophet '08 Anniversary, and my Nord Lead 2X. It, like all my Clavia gear, is built like a rock, with metal casing as opposed to the plastic that seems to be the norm. I understand that they no longer import the NL2x to the U.S.(???????), but I see that you can have one shipped from the U.K. for $1799 (twice what I paid). Other than my small niggles with the memory and display issues, I can not think of what I would do to improve this synth...maybe putting on a velocity/aftertouch responsive keyboard. Still, it is what it is...not perfect, but awesome just the same.

This is probably about as easy as it gets. Every function of the Lead 2X has a knob or a button. There are no menus to navigate and the user interface is laid out very logically. Once you understand how the different parameters affect the Nord's sound, programming becomes easy. I quickly learned how to shape a sound to my own specifications.
The manual is very helpful, especially for someone like me who is new to synthesis. It covers not only the functions of the synth, but also the basic principles of synthesis.

The 2X has 20 voice polyphony, which I find to be more than enough for my purposes. The keyboard feels good to me, but then again, I'm not very particular. The pitch stick is incredible. It really is comparable to bending a guitar string.
There are no on-board effects, but I find this to be a positive point. The lack of effects forces me to be certain that I like the basic qualities of a particular patch before I try to enhance it with extra processing.
There are midi ins and outs for use with midi gear.
I would have like a third oscillator, but that's hardly a complaint, since with two oscillators and two lfo's, it's very easy to create monstrous sounds.
Aftertouch would have been a welcome addition. The lack of aftertouch is the only reason I give the features a nine instead of a ten. Aftertouch seems to be almost a given on synthesizers of this class.

The sounds are unbelievable. I've not ever played an analog synthesizer, so I can't speak to the Nord's analog emulation capabilities, but that's beside the point. The sounds you can coax from this thing are extremely rich and complex, and completely usable. My advice to prospective buyers: don't worry about the analog vs. digital debate; this thing sounds amazing.
Some people have noted that turning up the resonance control really decreases the bass response, but I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. Turning the resonance up certainly yields some cool and usable sounds.
Velocity works very well. You can route it to several parameters on the Nord and it's easy to set how those parameters react to your playing.

The knobs are sturdy and the construction seems very good. I have had no problems so far. But since I've only had it for a short time, I will not rate the reliability, though the machine seems quite dependable.

I haven't had to deal with customer support, and I hope I never have to.

The Lead 2X is a great synth. After working with it for several weeks now, I can say that it would be a perfect synthesizer for both experts and beginners. It's pretty basic, and it's very easy to use. The Lead 2X only ever inspires me when I sit down to play it. I play, for lack of better terms, indie rock and ambient-ish music, and it works great for these styles. I'm certain it would work well for any other style of music as well.
If this synth were lost or stolen I'd definitely buy it again, especially since, if you find one used, you can get it for a pretty good price. In short, I'm thrilled with my purchase.

It couldn??t be any easier, you just need some days to figure out the interface and start tweaking your sounds from scratch.
There??s also no menu??s except for sync the LFO??s and ARP, but that kill almost all features.

NL2X doesn??t have to many features, all in all is very limited at features, the arp is cool but real poor compared to my other gear, LFO??s and also ARP are a pain to sync on every preset to your song.
The filter is very good and the oscilators can be very very clean and very dirty, a feature i really like.
If you want features, easy of use and the Nord Bit, get the NL3.

Man, NL2X sounds blow me away most of the times.
Sometimes you are out the night tweaking the machine and wow, you get a sound you aren??t looking for but you need to save it just to have there.
Also i still don??t know how a VA can sound so creamy and warm sometimes.
Tip: put the NL on a Valved preamp before recording it !
It can do Rods, Horns, trumphets, Moog leads, creamy leads, etc.
Ofcourse is not the best sounding, it??s still a VA, but any board have his soul and this is what i respect on VA??s, they don??t sound the same.
Also i don??t like the keyboard, it??s like crap, if have a good keyb get the rack version and save 200 bucks.

The only way to destruct it is if you want to. hehe
Very solid product.
But you need to have in mind, this is no china, is Sweden baybe.

Don??t like to much.

i have or had other synth??s like:

Virus Ti
Novation Supernova
Moog LP
Dave Evolver
Nord Lead 3
Korg Ms2000
Studio Electronics SE1X

You cannot compare to much this machines, all have theyr own sound, but if you??re looking for a cheap and good sounding board, with tons of sounds and want to learn synthesis the fastest way i recomend it.
If you want complex and effects stuff don??t get this.

While, as I said, there are ton of features here, it remains really easy to use. Storing patches is easy. Presets are cheesy, as with just about synth. Manual is great.

There's 20 notes of polyphony, and I haven't run out of voices yet. There aren't any built in effects, save an "echo" effect which, as the manual explains, is not an actual delay, but rather a simulation created by repeating a note you play at decreasing velocity. It's actually pretty interesting, and I'm glad they included it.

Arpeggitor is nice, a "random" pattern might have been nice.

Inclusion of basic FM is great. The ring mod on this thing is AWESOME.

Having 2 lfos is awesome, too.

To be honest, the oscillators themselves don't sound that great to me, but you can tweak so easily that you end up with astoundingly cool and original sounds really easily despite this.

I do wish there were two filters so I could have one highpass and one lowpass. I also don't like the filter, but, again, I'm coming off a ms20, which has some of the best filters around. Maybe I'll just get one of the frostwave ms20 filter boxes.

It's metal, which is really refreshing in the age of plastic toy-like keyboards.

Never dealt with them.

I would definitely buy one again if it were lost/ stolen.

This is my second synth, my first was a korg ms-20. Been playing various instruments for a dozen years, synths for 3 or 4. I demoed one of these in a Guitar Center, and after a few minutes was in love. Sold a Rickenbacker bass to get one.

This synth excels in features. There is sooo much stuff to mess around with, especially coming off a monosynth. Unison is nice.

Everything on the front panel! No menus, no all-in-one-ten-function-knobs, what you see is what you get ;) ease of use is the second biggest advantage of this synth after sound!

Compared to the latest VAs out there like the Viruses, Supernovas and the Nord Lead 3 it has less features, no modulation matrix, no fx, only 2 oscillators and one filter, but believe me you can get almost any vintage sound and modern trance-dance sound out of it!

Well this is the strongest point of that synth, it really sounds analog and stepless! Clavia put no fx on this machine but they made a monster sound wich sounds really huge by itself and not like other synths (thin sound and lot of fx on it). And i got all those psytrance sound from it i was looking for, all those squeaks that sound so organic, bleeps, synced noise leads and awesome dark pads.

It is like a panzer-tank! Steel shell, stone modwheel and solid wooden pitchstick. Indestructible! The only thing weak on the nords are the knobs.

Newer dealt with them and i think i will hawe no such need newer.

Well my first synth was a Nord Rack 1, then i sold it to buy a Virus C, and then i felt like really missing the nord sound in my tracks and i bought a clavia product again! And hey, look at any psytrance live act, everyone has a nord!;)

I am using the latest version. I was not impressed with the presets intially, but diving into this beast is extremely rewarding. The manual is very well written. My only complaint about its ease of use is the lack of a larger display. Other than that it is extremely easy to program. Slot idea for layering multitimbral sounds is really helpful when creating huge performances.

It is a 20-polyphony synth which is okey for most cases. The only case where max polyphony seems insufficient is when layering sounds with unison. I wish its unison mode wouldn't eat up polyphony which is really a nice feature of its bigger brother Nord Lead 3. It has no onboard effects section, but actually there is no need for effects, because it already sounds fantastic. If you like you may process it thru a nice external fx unit. It has a memory more than enough for most musicians. The only problem is that you have to memorize the locations of your favorite sounds, because it has such a huge sound library.It doesn't have an onboard sequencer, but personally I don't find such sequencers practical for studio use. It has a medium keyboard, not a first class one but not the worst either.

This is the discipline where the Nord Lead 2X defies comparison with any other VA. It sounds superb in one word. No other VA can even come close to this machine. Sometimes I can't believe how a digital machine can sound so organic and live. Its tone is much more aggressive and bright than a Virus or any other thing. The more you dive into it, the better sounds you get out of it. I programmed some nice sounds and can play them for hours. I have many other VAs and soft synths at the moment, I can say that its sonic quality is unmatced. I definitely give it a 10 in the sonic department.

I use it in my home studio and I never faced with a problem. I hope I will keep it forever without any problem.

This is the category where Clavia is not as succesfull as its products. I emailed the guys in the support department a few times. They even didn't send me a reply. I hope I would never need their help and can solve my problems. I recommend the Nord Lead 2 Yahoo discussion group for some help as a support platform.

I would definitely buy 2X again. I think this is the optimal product from Clavia from sonic quality, price points of view.

Simplicity itself. All of the parameters are laid out right in front of you. The manual is well thought out and that little 3 digit LED display doesn't hamper the synths ease of use.

20 voices of polyphony with a 4 octave velocity sensitive keyboard. It has no effects and honestly doesn't need any. 396 RAM slots to put your own created sounds and full MIDI implementation. IMO the keybed could be better, but it's still slightly above others at this price point.

Excellent sound quality. The synth can cover many styles of music and again, no need for effects.

Brand new. No problems yet.

Haven't had to call them yet.

If it were lost or stolen, I would definately replace it. I bought this board to be a portable companion for my MC-909 and am more than satisfied with my purchase. It's lite, portable, adheres to the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) method, and sounds great. I had also considered an MS2000B and an ION, but the MS2000 didn't have enough polyphony and I hated the ION's flat panel ergonomics. A worthy synth to consider if your looking to buy a virtual analog.

Synths: Roland V-Synth, Roland MC-909, Access Virus C, Roland Fantom-S, Viscount/Oberheim OB-12, and Clavia Nord Lead 2X.

Software version is 1.0X, If you have owned VS synths then you will have no trouble getting to know this little red devil. It's too easy to use that I've never read the manual. editing patches are sooo easy.

The diffrence between the Nord2 and Nord2x is that the 2x is shipped with 20 polyphony and more programs due to it not having the need for the memory card. It also has a better sound than the Nord2. Midi is easy to use. Receives aftertouch but can not send it via midi. No sequencer or fx but I use outboard fx/sequencer and this baby sounds awesome with them.

HOT! Don't listen to the samples from the Clavia site because they don't give this baby the justice that it deserves. This synth sounds better than alot of other VS out there and for the price it is well worth it. If you're like me then you don't use presets so make up your own like I do, it only takes a few seconds to have your own sound.

I would gig with it. For one it's very lite and small. Also it is built like a brick house.

Have not had to use them yet.

If it were lost or stolen then my insurance would replace it and I'd go out and buy another one. I compared it to the Nord3 and was very close to getting the Nord3 but from what I hear the Nord2x sounds dirty and that's what I was looking for. Also so many artist use this baby and now I do too! :-) I also own the Korg Ms2000 and compared to the Nord the Ms2000 is almost there only because of it have a few built in fx and a cheesy sequencer. The Nord sounds better to me.