The Nord Modular is Clavia's Nord synth with modular abilities using virtual sound modeling. The keyboard itself is small and compact. It houses the synth engine and all DSP processors. However, the Nord Modular must be connected to a Pentium PC with Windows 95 or a PowerMac. Be sure to get the latest OS version which is v3.03.

The software is the Nord Modular Editor. It is simply an editor, but a powerful one that graphically shows you a the modules you want and is where you graphically make patches between modules and synthesize a sound. It features over 100 modules! It's true modular synthesis meets computer synthesis. It sounds awesome too! The keyboard still has MIDI to be controlled and sequenced from your standard sequencer. The programs you create in the editor can be stored on the computer or in one of the 100 memories in the keyboard. Once you've created a sound you can quit the editor program and use the keyboard controller stand-alone.

The keyboard has multiple outputs, pedal input, has a very easy and intuitive layout and a nice LCD screen. It also features a very good sequencer! The Nord Modular system is expensive but it's like a Nord Lead 2 on steroids and without limits! If you're not interested in the keyboard, a desktop/rack-mount version was also available.

Software version 2.1 adds many new features including a Ring Modulator, 14-Band FilterBank, Vocal Filter, FM Sine wave, Digitizer (bare-bones sampling) and many more tricks. The latest OS is version 3 and adds more features such as a 16-band vocoder and Mac compatibility. The Nord Modular is already being used by Astral Projection, Autechre, BT, The Chemical Brothers, Somatic Responses, The Crystal Method, Junkie XL, Mouse on Mars, and Nine Inch Nails.

ionnoizer

March 1, 2011 @ 9:18 am

Hi all. If you wanna buy a new one ( NM keyboard ) I live in Barcelona near from music store UME and I saw one of them, time ago the was a FIZMO !!! so here you can find it
they sell one for 630 or 640 euros

http://maps.google.es/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=es&geocode=&q=princ ep+d%C3%A1sturies&aq=&sll=41.387917,2.169919&sspn=0.319396,0.647507& amp;ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Avinguda+del+Pr%C3%ADncep+d%27Ast%C3%BAries,+Barce lona,+Catalu%C3%B1a&ll=41.402102,2.150708&spn=0.000624,0.001265&t=h& amp;z=20&layer=c&cbll=41.402181,2.150648&panoid=6KigIxbunroAl9XC0qjr xA&cbp=12,70.06,,0,6.03

ratfink

November 10, 2010 @ 10:13 am

A couple of other clarifications:

The editor: Yes the Mac OSX version is a PPC beta, but it works flawlessly on my intel Mac Pro and MacBook Air running 10.6.4. The open source nmedit will be nice for long term compatibility, but I haven't tried it yet.

Polyphony: The note about polyphony is misleading as it depends entirely on the complexity of the module setup you have created. There is a guaranteed 4 notes of polyphony, but there could be many more. That is because there are 4 DSP chips on a standard modular (8 on an expanded modular, and 1 on a micro). Each module you use eats a bit of DSP, but the complexity of your setup can't exceed the power of a single DSP chip. So a setup that uses 98% of one DSP will have a polyphony of 4 on a standard modular, while a simpler setup using only 25% of a single DSP chip will achieve 16 notes of polyphony. In real world, most setups manage around 8 notes.

ratfink

November 10, 2010 @ 10:05 am

To clarify a little of what is said below--yes, this synth requires a software editor to build actual modular setups. There is no true editing of the modular setups from the front panel. But, once you build a setup you can assign a front panel knob to one of the virtual knobs on you model, so within the context of an existing model, you can tweak the sound quite a bit. But if you want to add modules, or change patches, this must be done from the PC/Mac editing software.

However, unlike modular soft-synths like reaktor, once the module is saved into the memory of the Nord, you can power everything down, disconnect the keyboard from your PC and take it to a gig or anywhere else without needing your computer around. If you are only a studio musician, this isn't that big a deal, but if you play live, this is much simple and more stable than a soft-synth.

6581R4

August 29, 2010 @ 10:31 am

i'm gonna cry man! i had to sell mine -emergency. Matt below said it all (actually, notice that no one has a bad word against it?) 'you will not be satisfied ever again' and he's SO right. for my style, sidstation and NMG1 (and maybe the lead1) is all i need to be happy. WHY THE HECK cant Clavia keep making them NEW!!!???

Daniel

October 27, 2009 @ 10:07 am

I realy like this synth for creating new sound... it is like a chest in which you can always find new thing to do... I do not agree with Jim, It might be a 10 year old synth.... but the sound you can get with it are not so dated... you need more than a few month usage of a synth like that to realy appreciate it... This synth as no FX but it has audio in so you can include almost any FX you think might be suited... Remember Reaktor is a soft synth, this is hardware... very sturdy with a boot up time very short... I do not compare soft synth with stand alone hardware ... In live condition i had a bit of trouble with soft synth... Saying an instrument is old is like saying a guitar is old... Use the Nord Modular for what it is not for what it is not...

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