Clavia Nord Rack 2

easy

loads - read below

In a word or 2 the Nord lead 1 is by far the most organic and analogue of the 3 nord leads.
Its sound is a bit rougher round the edges and its functions are a perfect balance.I owned
the nord lead 2 and prefer the Nord lead 1 for its simplicity but above all for its character
.Slowly clavia have lost this with more and more 'perfect ' digital engineering.The Nord lead one
has those quirks you love in stuff . . . the same audio / character /quirk you find in the
ppg as oppoed to the xt , the same quirks analogue has . . . the Nord lead 1 is also some days
a bit like an old sidstation . . . its an odd and slightly rough around the edges synth that i
feel was superseded by less and less character and more and more 'clean ' and ' perfect ' sound
character.Dont get me wrong - the Nord lead 2 and 3 are nice synths but REALLY different character
at times to the Nord 1.If your looking for grainy , bitty , and almost sidstation like sounds
or for a bad (but good ) emulation of analogue then buy the mk1 . . .its a very cool and classic
synth . . . Ive used countless analogue and digital synths (in the region of 40-50 over nearly 20 years)
and if i had a choice for both chilled and edgy sounds i would buy the Mk 1 !i wuld own the mk3 of course . . .
the mk2 feels a bit redundant to my ears now . . . . the nord 2 x ??? well i think they did even more'cleaning up ' of the signal and digi math and so lost even more of the 'character ' which flaws in design create and whick ' make ' a synths personality . . .trust me - ab the mk 1 , 2 , 2x and 3 - you will be see what i mean. . .

good but ..........

Very easy to use, you don't even need the manual...
Presets are boring but who cares ? I like to create my own patches!

16 Voice polyphony is enough for an analog stuff.
i don't miss the effects. It sounds PURE.
Midi is o.k.

Does not sound exactly like the old analogues (Moog, Oberheim etc.)
It has a sound on it's own. NORD !
I will keep this instrument forever. No Aftertouch, but who needs it ?

Built like a tank.

i did not need any support till now.
Homepage is very well organised.

For the price it was a bargain.
It is a very very inspiring instrument.
Besides that I also own a Nord electro keyboard.
Clavia has very good products !

Not sure what OS it's on, but I've never had any bugs or glitches with it. Alot of presets are excellent, and it's so easy to roll your own sounds, the interface is very immediate, very little paging. The manual is very good, especially when it comes to midi implementation, multimbrality, etc, this really helps you get the most out of your Nord.

16 note poly, 4 multimbral, an output for each timbre, this is a very professional piece of gear. It doesn't give you as many bells and whistles as the Virus, Waldorfs, etc, but it makes up for it in sound quality and immediacy. No effects, it doesn't NEED to hide behind effects! The Nords sound amazing, effected or uneffected. I hardly ever need compression like I do on lesser synths, the Nord is so punchy as is. Clavia has tons of patches available for download, but I've honestly never needed them. There is an option to use a pcmcia card to expand your user slots, but I haven't taken advantage of this yet. I would've liked a little more cross-mod ability, but that would make using it more time consuming. Don't waste your money on some unreliable old analog synth, especially if you're doing hard electronic or industrial music, the Nord 2R is a good workhorse and available for $400-$500 on the used market.

Raw. Biting. Digital, yet a strange warmth and organic quality. These synths really cut through a mix like nothing else. It's a versatile synth, good for whatever your imagination deems it useful for: It reacts to velocity, aftrtouch, and midi commands like a pro.

I would depend on it and would trust it live. It's constructed very well, just try to keep it safe and don' t let the AC cord get twisted too much.

Never needed fortunately. Don't feel like making a trip to Sweden. :) They have a great website though. Props there.

If I needed to get another, I would probably go for the NL2 for the excellent keys or the NL2x for the bonuses like headroom, extra patch banks, and such. I can't really compare it to other synths, it has a very griity and pleasing characteristic that is indicative of the Nord stuff up to the NL3 and G2. You can hear it in alot of modern music, anything from Shania Twain (lead sound in "That Don't Impress Me") to The Faint (intro to "Glass Dance").

Very easy to use and program. The manual is simple but good.

It's a very basic synth with standard features. i believe it has 16 voices wich is good for the job.

I have a lot analog synths and never really liked v.a's I must say that this synth really has a character of it's own. The filter is very nice and the sounds are very bright and metallic. It can make a wide variety of sounds. Very nice for vox imitations and other combo organs and it's good at leads and bass sounds. Lfo's could have been more flexible in my opinion.

Very well built and it feels really nice.

It's a nice but basic synth. I wish it had some more modulation capabilities but you can't have everything right:)
I think this is one of the few midithings i own that will stay here for quite a while:D

I think only JP-8080 can compete with this category (which I own). Only MIDI/ouput -setup takes few seconds, other is just joy. Presets are quite weak, I didn't like at all. No patch editor needed. I had to check few MIDI-channel/output things from manual.

Features are not even close to other synths, like Waldorf Micro Q I bought after I sold Nord Rack 2. It's years ago when I did it. I sold NR 2 because I needed stuff Micro Q could offer. Now I have Modular Rack to fill the hole Nord Rack left. I really liked the tone and sound of oscillators. It sounds so raw and... quite analog compared to other VA's (much better emulation than Micro Q). Filter are really great sounding. Ok, so polyphony is 16 and easily cutted down to 8 using unison. Unison -mode is must for "fat" sounds. 2 VA oscillators alone can't offer thick tones since there is no even sub-osc. There is no effects and I missed just simple delay. Fortunately there is separate outputs to make it sounds you want.

Sound is raw and 'fresh'. It don't try to sound like every other VA's with super saws etc. I'm quite sure everyone in young trance-crowd wouldn't be happy with this synth. There is no thousands of preset sounds aimed straight to the scene (check the Virus), tons of effects... I think the most of the analogue fans would be happy to add this to their arsenal or just use it at the gigs and leave the unreliable old analogs to studio.

I think if I wouldn't have Nord Modular I'd buy the NL 2 keyboard or new 2x (probably that). When I had Nord Rack 2 I had rather "weak" setup (if I remember right): Yamaha AN1x, Roland JV-1080, Waldorf Microwave XT, Waldorf Pulse. If you want reliable analog-type sound with knobs and MIDI, you couldn't get much better.

Pretty easy to use if you know synthesizer basics. Still some functions are pretty hard to get to understand, but after a while you'll get acostumed to them.

Ok, there are no freaking effect (except distortion). It sound really really dry if you don't apply any effects. I might even say it sounds bad. Full Midi implimentation. Polyphony is ok, because I just use it for basses.

Ok, this instrument sounds really bad if you are looking for strings/pads etc. You should get a Solina String Ensemble if you need those. But for aggressive basses I think there is no equal. I have heard about anything and I must say if you are looking for basses type electro this is IT. You need not to look further. I would only use this for electro/techno, for other types of music this thing really means nothing.

It's so solid. I would even let Billy Turf sit on it

No problems yet

Maybe if it were stolen I would probably buy a real analog synth (with midi, like maybe a juno 106) that you can get for the same price. But if I wouldn't find an analog I would buy a Nord again.

It's pretty unique for electro-basses though

I am using software version 1.06. The presets sound pretty dull, a lot of string sounds and long sweeps. The Nr2 is not difficult to understand. I found a patch editor to use with my computer, but I'm affraid to use it. Maybe I will lose my presets on which I worked so hard to get. The manual is nicely written and is not 200 pages big... (which I like)

The NR2 is 4 parts multi-timbral and 16 notes polyphonic. It doesn't have any FX like reverb or delay (some say they are happy with that, but I wouldn't mind to have someting X-tra). All the knobs respond to midi perfectly. The unison mode is awesome! I also like the units colour and size. It nearly takes up any space!! But it's not all ice-cream here buddies.... In order to save perfomances you need to buy a PCMCIA card which is very expansive. The guy that decided to build it like that should be shot, no excuses...

I once had a Nordrack 1 and sold it to get the Nordrack 2. I really surprised me how totaly different the 2 sound. The NR2 sounds 5 X better in my opinion!!! The filters are really nice. The only thing that dissapointed me were the poor presets. They all sound alike and don't show the awesome power of this beast! You can only benefit from it's awesome power if you know how VA's work. I heard the Nordlead 2 in a pro studio once and they used it for very deep and full sounding basslines. They used it with a alesis 3630 compressor and it was mindblowing. I tried to get nearly the same sound when I got my NR2 but I didn't even come close!! (and I also have the alesis 3630). That indicates that you must have some knowledge of synthesis to make exactly what you want. I only have mine about 3 weeks and I will spend a lot of time on it, because I know what it can do....

It is really solid, but I wouldn't drop it though... It's pretty heavy and would make a hole in your floor. I once read a review on the internet that the red colour can be pealed of easily and would reduce the value of the unit for a resale. I also like the "Panic" button that cuts all notes when the unit hangs. I also have a Alpha Juno 2 and that thing also hangs and the Juno doesn't have that luxury,

Never dealt with Clavia.... I like it to stay that way

I only got the NR2 for a few weeks now and I am very happy with it. I think this will be a piece of gear I won't sell in the near future. I had some gear that I didn't like which I sold :

* MC-505
* Access Virus A
* Roland JP-8000

But the Nordrack 2 is not leaving my territory!! I really like this VA a lot! It sounds amazingly good and with release of the Nordlead/rack 3 chanches are you can get a great 2nd hand deal!
This unit is definately worth checking out.

Why I like this unit:

Great sounds!
Great midi implementation
Nice red, small unit
(now)very cheap used
nice filters
very easy to understand
KNOBS, which I like to call "nipples" >;p (and no crummy menus and that kind of crap)

The things I don't like are :

The crappy presets (who the hell makes those things...!?)
The lack of FX
Maybe an audio in and out so the FX could be routed
A vocoder
The need for an expensive PCMCIA Card

You can read all the reviews you like (and I know, cause I read them ALL!!) but you just have to listen to it to give your opinion. This is the golden rule for buying gear. Everyone has a different taste. Some friends of mine damned me to hell when I said I sold my Virus, but I don't care. In my ears the NR2 sounds better

Using Nord 2 is as easy as using a synth can be. Even though I haven't programmed any synth before I bought the Nord, I was able to start progrimming immediately I got it out of the box (I just used to adjust some basic parameters, like effects and cutoff of preset sounds). Ofcourse I didn't knew what will exactly happen when I twist a knob (plenty of them), but that's where the manual comes in. The manual is very good and covers all functions and some basics of physical modelling. When I bought the Nord, I was aware of the fact that it battles in its own league (still do), so I wasn't surprised when it turned out it sounds amazing in my home also. Preset sounds are OK, and if you don't like them, just grab a knob and twist it sister. In another words; presets don't matter in Nord at all, but they show some of Nord's potential. I don't have any presets in my RAM any more.

I'm using software version 1.06.

Features are near to perfection, if you aren't one of those people, who thinks that every synth must have their own effects. (which is stupid, 'couse you always turn them of anyway when recording, performing etc.) Besides Nord sounds amazing without effects, and absolutely amazing when you add effects. (due to fact that you first program a killer sound which sounds spectacular, then add efffects later and you're ready to orgasmic symptoms). Nord is 16 note polyphonic, wich is enough for this kind of synth. It has two operation modes; program and performance. In performance mode you can layer max 4 progs. One of options that make Nord so great sounding synth is its unison function. It makes sounds way fatter than for example in Nova12 (same price). Everything that you can press or turn sends MIDI messages and Nord responds to all usual MIDI messages. Nord has 2 pedal inputs, hold and control(filter, morphing, Osc 1&2, FM), no audio inputs. You can expand Nord with memory cards for sound storing (PCMCIA).

With vocoder and audio input it would be 10.

This is not a big band synth. No brass section or any annoying GM shit. If you want to play piano, buy another synth. If you so desire, you can program nice flute and string sounds though. Bass, lead, pad, and effect sounds are what this synth does best. Nord shines in the pop(Madonna's Music CD)/dance scene, but can add vintage sounds and flavors to contemporary rock/jazz songs also (Nord comes loaded with vintage organ sounds). Still no effects in this red one. Responds to aftertouch and velocity fine.

Nord is solid rock. It's made for touring.

Good web site. I don't have any more experience of Clavia's service.

I would buy a new one if my Nord would disappear and it is worth of every penny. I've been playing Piano for about 18 years and own synth for six years. Most of all I love Nord becouse of its sound. It's kind of unique, but reminds me of great analogues.

When I was buying Nord, I obviously compared it to its competitors( Virus B, Nova 12, Korg MS2000,) but they couldn't have a fair fight with Nord.

Audio input and a vocoder would be a nice addition, but they are not included to the third generation of Nord lead either.

Nord releases your creativity, unless you compose classic music.

I'm very pleased, happy and everything else towards my Nord Rack 2, and I recommend that everyone should atleast try it in a music store.

It does not get any easier. It's all right in front of you. Knobs/buttons>>>>>>>>> need I say more.

The polyphony is 16 voice ouch-y. 4 part multi timbral-double-ouch. Effects are distortion-yeee haaaa. It's feature are ok but for the money I spend, I think they should be a lot better. What is this 16 voice/4 part shit. It seem to be a trend with V.A. to have zero polyphony. Just because it
a V.A. does mean you have to mimic analogs limitations. I can eat 64 voice polyphony in 4 tracks and on the Nord 2 I was pretty much finished
in 1 ta 2 tracks....Game over...I do have to say the LFO's are a hoot, but still 4 part/16 voice?!

This is a board for people that love the way a Nord sounds. If the Nord sound floats your boat, Buy one and grab your captains hat because
there
is no escaping the Nord sound. It's sounds great there is no argument there, but if you like pads or a sounds of another flavor,,,,well,,,your
screwed. Even the sine waves sound like a saw. It's a saw tooth factory.....Yes and seems that the high pass frequency likes to cut out at certain range 2...suck,suck,suck....slurp,slurp,slurp.....This is not a stand alone unit...

Solid.

I never dealt with Clavia.

A Nord sounds like a Nord. Once you have heard, it's not to hard of a sound to call (e.g. Autechre). I personally like more options as sound/
polyphony/and parts go, especially when I'm shelling that kinda money out. I can not say it sounds bad. I can say that I'm glad that I sold it and I plan on getting the Virus Indigo when it's released. Until then I'm going with the Waldorf MicroWaveXT 30 voice (yes expanded Clavia please
take notes). Both Waldorf and Access ( are they the same company? ) offer more polyphony, parts, filter, OSC, Mod, and range in sounds and EFXs for pretty
much the same cost. Once again if you like it's sound buy it, but if you want more of range go with Waldorf/Access. Hands down the take the
proverbial cake......Yes I finally got to use that word in a sentence!!!

Very easy to use, though there are some functions I haven't bothered to learn (Triggering envelopes from other tracks, Morphing!?!), It's all there in front of you. I actually learnt how to program a synth using this!

The polyphony is 16, which I have exceeded a few times. The Echo isn't worth my time. The Real niggle I have with the features (or lack of) is the second LFO being triangle only and only able to modulate Osc 1&2, Filter & Amp, and the 1st LFO unable to modulate Amplitude. The most annoying thing about the Nord (or my Nord) is that the paint on the front panel easily scratches off, rendering the unit ugly and minimizing your chances of a good resale value.

It's a very clean synth, The distortion isn't that good. I wish it could be a bit more gritty at times. The velocity is very good, and I use velocity alot. It still sounds very good, very punchy.

I wouldn't Gig any Instrument, but It is very reliable, I always get a good sound out of it.

N/A

If it were lost (no one would steal it, I live in a town full of whitetrash headbangers) I wouldn't buy another one because there is so much available these days that have superceded the Nord, I would buy a Novation Supernova, because it sounds mad, has more modulation, and has a good set of effects, But otherwise it is a rocking unit, I am not going to sell mine due to cosmetic damage preventing me getting a good price, It would make a good backup to another synth.
I'm now due for another piece of equipment soon and I am thinking of getting a 505 (which I have previously owned) So I can jam with both units together or a Creamware Pulsar to get into production, though, 24 bit sound isn't where I want it to be yet, I might hold the production side off for 12-18 months

Ease of use!? It does not get any easier than this! Knobs were created by man to be put on a synth such as this.. I like instruments that are so easy to use that you don't need to look at the manual. Although it has to be said that the manual is very well written (Unlike the Roland manuals of old!) Ease of use also means more time making music (Or just weird noises!) and no time wasted flicking through seemingly endless menu/edit pages. I'd give it 11 out of 10 if I could!

I have the Rack version, so naturally I can't comment on the keyboard action. But this aside.. The Nord Rack 2 has all the features you could realistically want. 16 note polyphony is not as much as a more regular synth or sampler, but it's still pretty good compared with many alternative "Virtual analog" synth's too. There are no effects apart from a simple echo, But anyone wanting to buy a synth of this stature is almost certain to already have an effects unit or two. Besides.. Built in effects just complicate things and would ruin the simplicity of this synth.
Although this synth has no sequencer, it does have a reasonable Arpegiator. It's pretty basic and not quite as good the arpegiator found on say, the Waldorf Pulse. But it still sounds pretty impressive when in use. I've not tried synching the arpgiator to a Midi clock yet (Again this is something that works well on the Waldorf Pulse) And a look in the manual confirms that this can be done. However... As far as I can tell, It is not possible to "Hard sync" the arpegiator, it is only possible to trigger the arpgiator at certain clocked intervals, so you still need to set the rate knob as close to the correct tempo as possible. This is one of my few minor gripes!
Midi capabilities as much as expected.. All knobs send and recieve midi controller data, so all your real time tweakings can be recorded into whatever sequencer you happen to favour. And it will be faithfully replayed back into your Nord, so should sound just as good as when you originally played it.

With it's ease of use and excellent controllability.. This is one very expressive instrument! All those knobs mean that there is little excuse for a dull sound. It's very easy to be sceptical about the fact that this is actually a digital synth.. But it's does do an extremely good impression of an Analog synth. And obviously being digital.. It has virtually none of the drawbacks of a genuine analog synth. Yet with the Nord 2, you get the best of both worlds, If you want grainy, dirty digital sounds.. You can have those just as easily as a nice fat analog bass sound. The built in Ring Modulation and FM should provide enough digital colouration to anyone thats missing thier old DX7! or any other old digital synth of similar vintage. Personally, I think the only clue that gives the game away that it's not actually an analog synth, is the envelopes.. Although very good, It's when you cut a note off that you sometimes notice a "Digitalness" to the sound. But in reality, you would never notice this when the Nord was being used in a mix thats busy with other instruments.
The standard sounds that come with the Nord are pretty good and are a good showcase for what you can do with this instrument. And of course if you don't like what you hear, then it's very easy to tweak a sound till it's more to your liking. But if your super lazy, it's possible to expand on the sounds via the built in PCMCIA slot. But when it's so easy to create and tailor your own sounds.. Why would you want to import a load of someone elses!? However, the PCMCIA slot is still handy for people that want to back up thier patches etc.
The really good thing about the Nord 2, is that it is what you make it. You want warm & smooth? It can do that.. You want thin, sharp and gritty? you can have that too! This instrument is all about making YOUR OWN sounds. It can do almost anything, thats if you can play it well enough..

I've had the occasional stuck note and the odd warble emerge.. But I highly suspect this is not due to any problem with the Nord. Much mure likely that it's the computer/ Midi interface. Unlike most synth's, the Nord Rack 2 has a "Panic" feature.. So should you get any eroneous/ unintended noises emerge, you just press Shift/mod wheel & Panic/distortion (It's only 2 buttons)
If I was such a fantastic musician (I can dream!) then I would gladly take the Nord to a gig. I'm sure it would go the distance. And that nice red metal case should make this instrument pretty robust.

Not had to use it. And I doubt I ever will! If you need help to use a Nord 2, then you really do need help!

This instrument is certainly worth what I paid for it. They used to cost around #1300 here when they first came out. So #770 new is a bargain I recon! Cost aside.. This really is a great and very creative instrument. Perhaps a 3rd oscillator would have been nice, but this is a minor grumble. My other slight grumble being the arpegiator which I talked about earlier. Some people might also grumble about the fact that the Nord 2 does not have a "Proper" display, But it really does not need it. Over the last few years I have learnt that synths don't need LCD's the size of football fields to be useable. Some of my favorite machines that I use in my own studio have little or no display.
Ultimately though, this is a truely great sounding instrument. It's a breeze to use and program. And now thats it's been around a while, It's cheaper too! Yet it can still cut it with the newer, more modern alternatives. In fact.. I like it so much that I doubt I'll be using my Marion ProSynth any more.. Any offers!?

Have just purchased a Nord Rack2 on the 23/1/99, straight from the box, this synth was a breeze to use, everything is laid out on the front panel, so no multiple menus....the presets were awesome and within 10 mins of owning it I have procuded a lead sound to die for. The manual is easy to follow and presented well, but if you have an idea on how to program an analogue synth. you will only use it for reference.

The rack2 is 16 note polyphony with 4 part multi-timbral, with this power you can produce some excellent drum/bass/pad/lead songs and still have the rest of your gear doing nothing. There is no effects on this instrument which I think is a good thing as built in effects are usually basic and poor sounding on a lot of instruments, so using an external fx unit is a better option anyway.

The Sounds, what can I say that has'nt already been said! This thing can sound like all the big analogue names, oberheim, SQC, PPG,MOOG etc and the lead sounds are very very expressive, especially with some guitar fx thrown on top. Quality is superb.

The Rack is built like a tank, its an all metal monster!!!!!! Well suited for life on the road...Top marks..

Not needed to contact anybody, although early days. The Clavia web resources are good for support / advice, As is the various other sites based on clavia products.

The only word I can think of is AWESOME, an instrument to last a life time and an excellent partner for that sterile sample based setups. I thought of buying a JP8000, Z1, Supernova..none of them sounded as good to my ears than the Nord Rack2.The price was a steal at #700 which is well under half price of the original #1650. If you are looking for an inspirational instrument, and are fed up of samples, this Red Wonder will get you in the mood...