One of the most incredible new synths available. It re-defines analog synthesis in a modern synth. Using Virtual Sound Modeling technology the intricate nuances and character of analog synth sounds are beautifully recreated on this amazingly flexible synth.

First of all, it can sound like them all, an ARP 2600 or a Minimoog or a Roland Jupiter. This synth is polyphonic and multitimbral, it has a very flexible filter, LFO and Envelope control, portamento/legato, a great arpeggiator and analog-like dedicated knobs for quick and easy synthesizing!

Everything is MIDI'd up and controllable, there's a great pitch bender and a 'morphing' feature. A performance mode allows certain parameters to be stored with a sound such as unison or poly modes, legato and portamento. It is available as a Keyboard, a Rackmount module and as Virtual PC Software.

This synth is currently in use by lots of artists including Ken Ishii, The Crystal Method, Fatboy Slim, Cirrus, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Deftones, Mouse on Mars, Maroon 5, Dr. Dre, Laurent Garnier, ATB, The Prodigy, Autechre, Astral Projection, Boom Boom Satellites, Fluke, Front Line Assembly, KMFDM and Underworld.

Jim Wicked

February 26, 2009 @ 10:58 am

I have a very polarized love/hate relationship with this thing. On the one hand, it's super easy to use and program. I wish more synths were designed like this. Even a few classic analogs could have learned something from the Lead's design. You can sit down with this thing and in five minutes have about twenty usable sounds. On the other hand, it sounds terrible. Thin, weak, and brittle. One of the worst sounding synths ever made, really. The only thing that makes it usable is a design flaw: the gain tops out about halfway through the gain knob's full rotation, and starts clipping after that. Even this is a downfall though as it only sounds pleasant for about half the sounds you'd think it would.

dav

February 11, 2009 @ 3:12 pm

The Nord Lead was never released as 'Virtual PC Software' as this states... was it....?

wt

February 9, 2009 @ 3:27 pm

Do not listen to bill, because the nl 1 is a great synth ;-)

bill

February 8, 2009 @ 10:42 pm

biggest dissapointment of all time.
crap.

InfoMatt

January 26, 2009 @ 11:26 am

In response to the MK II being thinner and weaker sounding how have you come to this conclusion? I do not own either one, yet. I can't make that same conclusion because the sound samples that are posted on this website aren't the same.

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