Clavia Nord Micromodular

First off, I have been using this synth for a whole 10 years now! Last year I sold almost all of my gear including several analog synths and many effect, but when deciding what stays and what goes, the fact that this could cover so many bases meant it would stay.

I am using the nord os version 3. The presets are fine, though I never really used them. You don't buy a modular synth for the presets!

Editing is surprisingly easy for how complex this synth can get. You need the patch editor - there is no way to make patches on the nord without it. That is the only drawback of this synth is the need for a computer to edit it - but you know that going into it.

ALSO, I just discovered Nomad, which is an open source nord modular patch editor. It has a LOT of cool features added to the regular features of the clavia editor, and makes running the editor in modern operating systems easier... yet to mess around with it a lot, but looks promising.

The manual is great - all aspects of the modules are explained in easy to understand language. In fact the manual itself serves as a good introduction to various types of synthesis.

I give this a 7 because it is relatively easy to use, but it will not be easy for people who know nothing about synthesis or signal routing.

If you think of this synth in comparison to old analog modulars (which is what it is most similar to), then you don't really think in terms of polyphony in the common sense as it is with digital synths - you can get a lot of "polyphony" and even multitimbrality out of just one patch that is technically "monophonic." This is how I have always used this synth and have not really concerned myself with how many keys I can play at one time.

It can be limited - sometimes I want to fit more modules into a patch, but that is part of the fun of using the nord micromodular - seeing what you can pack into one patch.

I have some patches that are converting each of the external inputs into synth-like voices (one input for guitar, one for mic), and also an internal synth voice which can be played by a keyboard - so that is like three instruments I am milking out of just one patch.

If you get to know the modules well, you can figure out how to do the things you are thinking of while using minimum patch space.

Other times I have made whole songs out of just a single patch with different parts interacting with each other and internal step sequencers dictating the whole show.

What I love is that I can think of an idea of something I want to do, and then try to figure out how to get it using the modules in the nord... like for example, I wanted to make an arpeggigator that plays the arpeggio of chords I commonly use, with each mapped to a corresponding key on the keyboard, and all the tools are there to do it.

I also build analog effects circuits, but using the nord has actually cut into that, because a lot of the ideas of things that can be made with circuitry can be assembled pretty quickly in the nord.

Where to even begin about sounds? The possibilities are really infinite. It has a "Nord" character to the sound, for sure, but it is possible to avoid that character as well.

The filters don't exactly sound like analog filters - they have a sort of strange plastic/rubbery sound to them (hard to describe these qualities), BUT it has its own sound which is great... different from actual analogs (I have owned quite a few).

There are always ways to manipulate the sound. If it is too clean, there is always a way to dirty it up, add some randomness and noise to it. You imagine the sound and then you figure out how to get it. It is a fun game.

I have toured extensively with my micro - it has seen probably around 100 shows on the road, and many others locally, in non-ideal situations to say the least. No backup, and never had a concern. The case on mine is pretty scratched up from traveling in a case with other electronics, but the case itself is very tough, steel I think, the jacks have never flaked, and the knobs seem very substantial.

I wouldn't dump any liquids on it, but other than that, would not worry about it at all.

I bought a display unit for a discounted price, but it included a full warranty. After a short while, it developed a distortion in one side of the audio outputs. I sent it to Clavia and they sent me a brand new replacement Micromodular. Awesome. I've never had a problem or any contact with them since.

My original wallwart died as many others have, but I replaced it with a standard wallwart.

My use of this synth comes and goes, but if it was gone I would miss it for sure. It has so many uses that despite many different projects, it always finds a place somehow, whatever it is.

Software version 3.03, get the latest and update it, it's worth it.

it's easy to plug the thing in a get a sound, but there is a learning curve to learn it.

Low polyphony, often a complex sound will mean 1 or two notes max, but dont let low polyphony put you off. The Minimoog or the sax or the human voice are just a few examples of very expressive instruments limited t only on note. i usually get 1-4 notes per patch, but you get more (usually very simple thin sounds though)

The modules available mean this is highly featured and very flexible: 10 out of 10

very expressive, great sounding. sometimes analogue sounding, sometimes digital. it's up to you how you want it to sound. i actually wish it had a more limited definite sound in some ways, but that's just my own strange personal preference. Sometime limitation are a good thing.

anyway, it sounds great.

dropped it on the road, scratched up toured aaround, still works great, solid little unit

clavia are a small team, they do a good job most of the time. the mac osx beta editor is ery useable with two small bugs, would've been nice if they had just finished off the beta editor to a completely stable version. anyway, works well.

love it. i'm always dreaming of new possibilities with it, and it's a great way to learn about synthesis. sounds really good, flexibility as a synth, drum machine and weird SFX generator is really without match at this price point. tons of fun, would get it again in a heart beat.

Considering the power of the synth, the editor is an absolute breeze to use, especially if used in concert with the excellent manual- probably the best synth manual I have!

Using the editor with Windows XP requires that you enable windows 98 compatibility mode or MIDI interfaces (ar mine at least) won't be recognised- a minor headache but one I feel needs to be mentioned.

this is without question the most versatile piece of musical equipment I own- I use it not only as a synth, a drum machine and an effects processor, but also to trigger synth lines from drum triggers using the basic but entirely functional in-built sequencer (a holy grail for a lot of musicians I know as it means you can have a sequence playing along with a drummer rather than vice versa), as a noise gate for a noisy string synth and guitar amp combo for live performance, and I expect that I'll find lots more uses for it in the future.

polyphony is a bit annoying (realistically between 1 and 4 voices), but with careful planning it can be worked around. and there's always the nord modular proper if you really *need* the extra!

for the money this is more or less unbeatable.

as plenty of people have said, it does sound very 'nord'- creating a convincing moog or juno patch is not going to happen as it just doesn't possess the graininess or depth of a real analogue synth, but then if you expect it to you're a damn fool.

the intrinsic sound of the instrument is really very nice, (if you've not heard a nord then 'smooth, warm and clean' is probably the best description I can come up with) and basses, pads, leads, percussive sounds are all excellent and higly usable. I find that the clean, clear nature of the sound makes it possible to make some very complex, messy sounds which are much more controllable than their real analogue equivalents, and thus fit much better into a mix (and also don't require the room full of expensive leads and boxes that recreating them would require with a real modular)

it's very flexible style-wise. possibly your nu-metal aficionados won't enjoy it, but I could see it finding a home doing its bit in anything from country-rock to extreme noise music with aplomb.

The unit itself is rock-solid, with a nice metal case. Done plenty of gigs with it It's really not likely to get damaged unless you're really stupid with it.

The only weakness of the unit is the 'wall-wart' power supply, which I think most gigging musicians would agree is a pain! The one that came with my unit has long since died. Luckily you can use the unit with a standard maplin replacement convertor so it's not all bad.

Not dealt with clavia so I couldn't say!

If lost or stolen I'd buy either this or one of its bigger brethren like a shot.

I've been playing about 10 years and own a LOT of other gear including 6 other synths, and I have to say that this piece of kit is probably up there with my '75 fender jazz bass and my '62 Gibson EB3 in terms of how much I love it.

I wish it had some RAM for delay and reverb- the modular G2 has this I know, so I'll have to get one of those eventually....

all I can say is- JUST BUY ONE. if you have the least amount of creativity in your body you will find more uses for it than you can shake a stick at.

I am using version 3.0, I have had no problems at all when interfacing with Mac OSX, OS9, or Windows. The unit runs rock solid and the editor software, once you get sorted out with a dedicated laptop, works great. I would highly recommend buying a separate PC or Mac from your main sequencing workstation because this will eliminate any hassles with using midi both to control other synths and to communicate with the Nord. Any old cheap laptop or computer can run the editor, so it's not an expensive proposition.
Presets that come loaded are very retro-electro, and most users will wipe them before too much time. I have located over 40,000 Nord patches on the internet and while most are pretty boring there are many gems. You can use the ones you like to hack up and learn how other people's approaches work or don't work.
If you are new to modular synthesis, using the Nord Micro may seem daunting at first but in actuality it is the best education because it is so flexible. I would only warn away people who are absolute beginners to synthesis in general.
The manual is excellent and huge. Why are Swedish synths so well-documented? Elektron is the same way.

Polyphony is very limited on the micro, so this won't be your main pad synth. But for around $500 you will not find anything that even comes close to the amount of flexibility of tone generation outside of software. There are sequencing tools, audio effects like distortion and bitcrushing, but these are used as audio processing elements within the patch as opposed to an FX bus like you'd find in a workstation.
It's a synth, and an awesome one.

The sounds are typical of a modular synth in that you have an immense range of tones you can get from this machine. Anything from spiky FM basses to weird effects, drums, percussive bells, thick analog basses and leads, airy atmospheric sounds... really anything. There are many different synthesis methods available including subractive, FM, additive, even self-oscillating LFOs and noise generators. Add in numerous effects like ring modulators, filters, bitreducers and the like and this adds up to a large pile of goodness.
Nord synths have a distinctive sound to them, and the Nord Micro is no exception. It always stands out in the track.

Mine had a failed power adapter, but I trust it now. I do gig with it and it is reliable.

Customer support is very responsive (listen up, Native Instruments), and that is why I will continue to buy Nord products.

It is worth far more than the $500 I paid for it. Despite the limited polyphony, I love this synth and it finds a home in every track I work on. The fact that it can do so much makes it an indispensible sound source. I have a drum kit patch that I use in almost every song-and it never sounds like the same instrument. Having access to every single sound parameter and patching things on the fly makes it incredibly useful. Highest recommendation!

If you understand synthesis no problem whatsoever.
So easy to use.

4 outs, audio in/through, midi in/out, PC control in/out.
Expandable.

on-board sequencers very easy to use.
Very flexible and easy to use.

It's limits are only set my the user.
Perfect for any form of audio.

Run over it if you want, very sturdy.
I use it live 2 or 3 times a month, never had a problem.

Never had a single problem, used it since they hit the shelves, now 2005.

I love this unit, I have it's little brother the micro-modular as well, together they are fabulouse.
Being able to run an audio signal throug it is also amazing, from the filters, to vocoding etc, it is pure genius.

No idea about presets as I bought this used, they're not something to fret about if you know how to program your own gear.

Patch editing is pretty easy once you get into it, though sometimes you need to refer to the manual for a reminder of how to do things or which type of module you need. I could imagine it being difficult if you didn't understand the underlying principles of synthesis.

The manual is pretty comprehensive.

Polyphony is either 4/3/2 or 1 voices depending on how much processing power your patch uses. Sometimes it's not too bad to end up with a monophonic patch if you're working on a thick bass or effect sound. Other times it's trickier to wittle down pads and things so that you can get them 3 voice for playing chords.

There are built in effects, including a delay that can be used to produce reverb or flange effects, as well as chorus, phaser and some pretty erudite modules like diode processing and signal quantising/digitising. As effects can be quite expensive on processing time, one might be inclined to look at using an offboard unit to free up the Micromodular for really clever stuff.

Velocity can be used to modulate pretty much anything that you can think of, and there's extensive capabilities for other MIDI parameters to control the patch's parameters.

There are modules that emulate vintage step time and event sequencers. Probably more use now for setting up complex modulation patterns than for sequencing your music.

This is not a module that you'd use to emulate actual instruments.

IMO this is one of the best synths going for experimental electronic music, at a push I think it would be ok for anyone that wants a good vintage synth sound, as long as the polyphony is not an issue.

Seems like a pretty sturdy little module. It's never crashed on me or anything, so I wouldn't be too worried about using it live if I needed to.

If it were lost I'd almost certainly get another, or think about getting it's big brother for better polyphony.

I like this module because you can do almost anything with it. I also own a Novation Nova, Korg Wavestation and Korg SP100 piano. The Micromodular is a good complement for them as it has capabilities that none of my other kit possesses. The other synths can deal with anything that needs lots of polyphony, leaving the Micromodular to make it's stange and complex sounds:)

Anything I wish it had? LOL maybe about 10 times the DSP power, but then it wouldn't be the micromodular anymore!

software- V3.03
:) Fuck the presets, build your own sounds and filters
Editting an extisting one real hard , building a new one piece of cake :P
The manual is enough to understand the basics, building patches will learn you understand sound itself.

The polyphony sucks, although one note can sound fat enough.
No reverb, but a nice filters, phaser, chorus and eq's.
Midi-acces for everything you can think off, easy to assign parameters and knobs to it.

a small shit onbord sequencer, never used it, but it's an option.

I don't imitate existing instrument, I only use new sounds. Sounds that would have scared the hell out of me, if I heard em comming out of the toilet.
Playing :S ,... I only sequence it...

I would give my life for it. :P

No idea, it never failed on me.

FAT FAT FAT, I couldn't live without it :D

Using software v. 3.03 (packaged), the orignal presets are OK. They give you the low-down. I recomend heading to the Clavia website and downloading the 2000 or so patches they have. Also, search the web, there are a few places with patches made to replicate other synths (TB-303 for instance).

Editing was little tricky at first, even with some experience with VA's. But a word of advice, if you find yourself at a loss, download several patches, crack open the manual, and mess around. anything you can't understand, refer to the manual, this way, i was able to start creating completely original patches in a week.

The manual was pretty huge, but i use it mainly for referance. I've never been a big manual reader, but considering the amount stuff packed into this little box, I think the manual does justice.

You can do ANYTHING on this synth, at least, I can do everything i expected to do. People have complained about polyphony (which is stated as being 4, this is not true however), which it is a tad bit low on, but there are ways around it. Hell, I made a 14 voice patch with this thing (try using LFO's as OSC, it's a little weird looking at first, but it works very well). With smart patching, you can get an average of 1 voice for really complex sounds, 3-5 on moderatly complex sounds, and up to about 10-14 on simple sounds.

Factor in the fact that you can create just about anything, and its price, thats a whole hell of a lot of features.

As far as effects, I havent tried the vocoder, but I hear it's great. No reverb or delays (that would have been nice), but reverb is easily faked, an delays are better done with external hardware anyway. The other effects are quite good, Stereo Chorus esspecially, however, there are ways to recreate the effects using much less DSP power, which I try to do. (Useing an LFO to modulate pitch on the OSC is a nice way of creating faux-chorus).

Everythign is Midi-compatable, which is great. I still cant figure out how to use the Group Morph Knob, but otherwise, great stuff, with an external Midi Knob box (or something like the Oxygen) you have a lot of control at your finger tips, however, if you were going to pick that up just for the MM, I woudl suggest just picking up the Nord Modular instead for roughly the same price.

Indeed, it has onboard sequencers, but I wouldnt use them to create songs or anything like that. Mostly just for modulation or loop (think TB303 style) stuff.

Amazing!!! Along with my MS2000, Alpha Juno, and TG55, I'm able to create the sounds I want. Best of all, it allows you to create sounds you didnt know you wanted, and further more, they all sound fan-f**kin'-tastic!!! I always loved the idea of Soft-synths and how they sounded, but I always had problems with hardware and things like that. This is the perfect soution for me. It can be anything you want it to be, and along with a few other synths, is a great compliment to any studio/musician.

The only problem I have had so far was that Output jack 2 cracked. it's still functional, and I suspect it wasnt handled very well whiel in the store (it was on the shelf for 2 years before i finally purchased it). Other than that, software has never failed, even on my terrible Windows 98 system.

never Dealt with them, but the site is still up, and they have TONS of patches for download.

Definetly one of my best purcheses. It was the last major peice to my studio, and damn what a peice it was. By far the most powerful and intuitive tool I've ever owned. The week I bought it, I was averaging about 6 hours a night with it (ususallt in a single shift).

If it was lost/stolen but still manufactured, for sure I would repurches it. For the price point, a phenominal buy. However, if I had the cash, I would probably Opt to purchas its Bigger brother.

Compaired to other synths (which is not many really) It was the best choice for me. The other synths i looked at were the Waldorf Micro Q, Technosarus Micron, Roland JP8080, Yamaha DX7mk2 and a bunch of others. I was searching for a good deal on another synth to add to my set up, but after finding the Micro Mod's, I immideatly jumped on it. While some of the other synths I looked at had more sentimental value (DX7 and Micron) this was definetly the best choice for me and worth every penny.

I've been playing for about 8 years, the last 3 a little more seriously (not many gig's though). I already own a Korg MS2000, a Roland Alpha Juno1, a yamaha TG55 and an Akai MPC 2000xl. Everything is sequenced and recorded on a Power Mac G4 through a MOTU 828mk2 on DP, all synths are edited on a HP PC.

I bought my MM for about two months ago. First before I bought it I thought of buying an analogue vintage synthesizer for a very low price, because I don't have much cash. Anyway, I thought of a Korg MS-10 or anything similar. Then I went to my local music store and in confusion testing the synthesizers. So expensive! I can never ever afford any one of these! Then I found this little red box in a corner of the shop and went to test it out. At first sight of the designand size, I thought it couldn't do better than sounds of toy keyboards. But when I tested it: oh GOD I was wrong! For just $200 you can create your very own sounds as a modular synthesizer! I saved money for a while and later I bought it. I put it in my home studio and tested it right away. It wasn't hard to install and it took just a few minutes.

The 100 original sounds that comes with the MM are very groovy. They made me fall for this synthesizer. It has a sequencer, vocal filter, vocoder, stereo chorus, phaser; all you'll ever need! Because of the reason I knew analogue synthesis even before I bought the MM, it was quite easy for me to start patching, but though I remember how tricky it was to learn from the beginning, but the manual tells everything how to do. I was right away ready to patch!

For beginners, proffesionals; everybody, this synthesizer is an affordable synthesizer with so much capability I haven't tested it all yet!

The synthesizer uses DSP and its DSP-card is a little limited. If you create sounds that require much DSP-power, you'll have to sink the polyphony. The polyphony is dependable of the using of DSP.
The MM has no expansion capabilities as his big brother Modular has, but it's great anyway. The MM has many special effects and modules: vocoder, digitizer, vocal filter, drum synth, percussion synth, overdrive, phaser, ring modulator, compressor, stereo chorus, note and event sequencer etc. The MM is completely MIDI, so if you're tired of just having the three knobs to tweak with, you can always plug a MIDI interface in it.

Many modules, which gives great possibilities of creativity and that's why I rate the MM high, but the limited DSP-power is a minus.

You create all the sound by yourself, so you are the one to tell if they fit in to the genre you play in. I prefer using the MM for synthetic music. It's great for trance, dance, techno, synth and effects. The MIDI latency is so low, it's almost zero and it reacts to velocity and aftertouch very well.

When I bought my MM, I was very excited of trying the vocoder out. When I tested it, it went out to be very good. Though I'm worthless at patching with the vocoder, it still sounds great. The vocal filter is very good, but I don't prefer using it. The sound quality is fantastic and the sounds are great.

You can always rely on the MM. I would love it as a live instrument, 'cause it's fast, and easy to program. The MM can store 100 patches in internal memory, but if you save your patches on your computer, it's almost unlimited. I don't think you'll use more than 100 sounds when playing live, so it's enough.

I have never contacted support or had any problems with my MM, so I do not know how it is. I think it's good. The most of it is performed via the internet, so it's quick and handy.

In my opinion, this is the only synthesizer you'll ever need! It's full of modules with great a sound quality and effects for both external and internal sound processing. I use an Ensoniq EPS as a MIDI keyboard for the MM, and as the MM is very MIDI-flexible, I can even use the Mod Wheel on the EPS as a MIDI controller for the MM. I compared the MM with several other synthesizers, especially analogue and vintage synthesizers and I found out that it's even more flexible than (modular and semi-modular as I often compared) synthesizers for $500-2000! I just love the MM! Its only weakness is that it only has three knobs on it and the DSP power is kinda limited. It's a great machine. I recommend it to everbody who loves the analogue sound and wants it too for an affordable price. For its $200, it's a wonder!

When I open package, it was 2.10 editor on diskettes. But I have upgrade it to 3.03 ver.Presets are ok in my opinion, it gives you overall view of its sonic posibilities.How hard is editing patches? This is modular synth man, its hard if you are new to this stuff like me.If you don't want programming buy some crapy "grooveee" boxes from roland, which are overpriced.Does a patch editor make a big difference? If compared to older 2.10 ver. it does...,3.03 ver. is realy much more nice to looking at than 2.10, and provide some new features.Manual that come with package is for 2.10 ver.Overall is very good, but its not so much for beginners.It provide you only general information about modules, you need to buy other books about analog synthesis, if you want to know better understanding of something like lets say, what is filter, osc.,why I need envelope...

Polyphony is 4 voice, but with smart programming you can get more. No expansion capabilities. You get what you pay. It's modular, you have sequence modules in editor.It have Midi in and out. And separated midi connectors for PC (in&out).2 audio ins and outs, phones. And i like outside adapter solution, because that way is cooler inside modular case.

This is VA modular synth, don't expect some realistic sounds(G2 modular is different story). Like all modulars, it's best for experimental music, and all other of electronic music.But of course you can use it like FX box.

It's very reliable. I wouldn't use any of soft synths on stage. Maybe only some sequencer on PC,or something like yamaha rm1x. You can make the same thing with NI generator/reaktor, or VAZ modular or Buzz. But with soft synths it's allways some latency, crashes...You need very good sound card.Listen JazzYea.ens for generator, there is also factory patch in micro with same name and sounding. Of course, micro sound is better, than my SB live/generator combination.

I don't need it. I think the best support have waldorf, they promptly reply to your questions. Unfortunately editor 3.03 is last version, Clavia is now on their G2 modular project, and I think they will not have further developement for Nord micro/modular family.But again, this not so latest update is great.

I can't lost it :),stolen? hm,don't say this.
It's worth for money. In this price range you can't buy anything better, maybe a-station?, no sir.I don't want anything else in this synth, because I know it is built in this way as its meant to be. if I want some fetures than it will became Nord modular,if you know what I mean..,allright maybe 1 more knob and power on/off switch :). I was considering to buy something less than 500$ or euros. There was also a-station. It's great synth, but it doesn't provide so much like micro, because you can make much more with modular aproach. Sure, a-station is great instrument, but I will rather collect some money and buy micro Q instead.This nord micro modular synth is something like modular 303 for me :).