Stephen Fortner Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 I just got a Nord Wave, which I'm writing a review of for the March issue. Quite a potent little synth - it's got analog modeling, FM, single-cycle wavetables, and sample-playback. The big deal about it is that you can import your own samples, then use them as oscillator waveforms for patches that are fully tweakable with the rest of the synthesis engine. So if anyone's had any burning questions, fire away. I'll answer all I can here in addition to incorporating them into the review. Stephen Fortner Principal, Fortner Media Former Editor in Chief, Keyboard Magazine Digital Piano Consultant, Piano Buyer Magazine Industry affiliations: Antares, Arturia, Giles Communications, MS Media, Polyverse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richwhite9 Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 There are several softsynths that do the same. I'd like to know if the hardware sounds better. I'd be interested in the loading time to swap out a full set of waves and presets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 How's the action as compared to the Nord Leads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moog_Man Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 There seems to be a lot of question whether the wave is really worth the price. How would compare it to the V-Synth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 My biggest question, due to my theft last year, is whether it can import Nord Lead 3 patches and performances (four-part multis) or not. Originally it sounded like it could. Now I'm not sure. Thanks. Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 I am curious how much in the way of wavesequencing/wavetable techniques you can do with it. Samples are fine ... but I am eager to know what if anything propels it beyond a rompler + va combo. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Nova Musik just posted some demos for the Nord Wave, and they are extremely thin and one-dimensional. Surely it's a better instrument than those demos indicate, but it sounds not very versatile and aimed primarily at Euro-trends. What a contrast with the new Prophet '08 demos Nova Musik posted today! Practically enough for me to ignore my bank balance and rush out and get one right away! P-H-A-T! Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carbon111 Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 I am curious how much in the way of wavesequencing/wavetable techniques you can do with it. None. Clavia uses the term "wavetable" to mean static single-cycle waves, not a table of scannable waves like PPG/Waldorf/Access/NI, etc...It really saddens me to see this misnomer perpetuated. My Nord Stage has "wavetables" too. I'm a huge fan of Clavia's gear and have owned everything except for the Wave but the price seems rather dear for what it does - I just purchased a brand-new Nord Stage 76 for considerably less than what the Nord Wave streets at. Maybe I'll bite when they hit the used market...or when the dollar is actually worth something again The Mellotron samples make it more than a little attractive... I'm eager to get Stephen's take on it! Best Regards, James -- http://cdbaby.com/cd/carbon1112 http://www.carbon111.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Analogaddict Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 I tried one that belongs to a friend briefly. The action is really good, playing the samples is a breeze and the Midi velocity is great - somthing that really bugged me about NL2 and 3 was the crappy midi vel. It will not be able to do NL3 multis since it's 2-part multitimbral (true multitimbrality unlike, say, the P'08 ). Just like many of Clavia's products, what strikes you is not the specs or the gazillion things you can do with it, but rather how musical it is and how well it works in a context and blends with other instruments. I wasn't planning on getting one based on the specifications, but trying it really got me GASing. If I get anything at all (which is highly unlikely) it will probably be a P'08 or Adam A7 monitors, but then again the Mod G2 gives me all the Clavia synthesizm I need for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yaakp Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Is the VA sound more close to the first leads (1&2) or to the "thinner" NL3? Are the VA capabilities equal/similar to NL2X's or it's not as powerful? Do the onboard effects somehow supply to the absence of slots 3&4 (only 2-part multitimbral)? All in all, is it really like a Lead + all the new features or - if you're looking mostly for VA - the NL2X is still a better choice? Thank you very much in advance, Stephen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carbon111 Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 Is the VA sound more close to the first leads (1&2) or to the "thinner" NL3? I'm curious about this too as all the demos I've heard are sample-heavy. I loved the sound of the Nord Lead 2/2X but never got on with the 3 at all. Best Regards, James -- http://cdbaby.com/cd/carbon1112 http://www.carbon111.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYKeys Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 Please make some demos that give us a taste of the wave with different styles of music not just Electronica, progressive or drum and bass. MY Toys - Kurzweil PC1X, Roland A-90, Yamaha KX88, Yamaha CS1x, Novation 49SL MkII, Presonus Studiolive 16.4.2, JBL PRX615M My Music Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjmilian Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Is the VA sound more close to the first leads (1&2) or to the "thinner" NL3? I'm curious about this too as all the demos I've heard are sample-heavy. I loved the sound of the Nord Lead 2/2X but never got on with the 3 at all. This is what I'm most curious about. Does the Nord Wave have the aggressive sound of the NL2? How about the filters? How close to the NL2 sound can you get with the Wave? Also, how good are the Mellotron sounds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carbon111 Posted November 4, 2008 Share Posted November 4, 2008 Thanks Stephen for the review. It was instrumental in helping me decide to add a Nord Wave to my studio. I was lucky enough to find an "open box" one with full warranty $700 off the street price. The overall VA timbres are closer to the NL2 than the 3 which I never really got on with. Very flexible engine. Very playable! Best Regards, James -- http://cdbaby.com/cd/carbon1112 http://www.carbon111.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mú Carvalho Posted November 6, 2008 Share Posted November 6, 2008 so many questions....and no answer at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moog_Man Posted November 6, 2008 Share Posted November 6, 2008 so many questions....and no answer at all. Easy man he's a busy guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mú Carvalho Posted November 6, 2008 Share Posted November 6, 2008 or maybe he is still reading the manual.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carbon111 Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Hey Guys! I made a little Nord Wave webpage with a demo MP3: http://carbon111.com/nordwave.html http://www.carbon111.com/photos/nordwave1.jpg ...and FWIW Stephen pretty much addressed people's questions in the published review: http://www.keyboardmag.com/article/clavia-nord-wave/mar-08/33947 I'm just really loving this synth! Best Regards, James -- http://cdbaby.com/cd/carbon1112 http://www.carbon111.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Schmieder Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Now that the NL2 vs. NL3 comparison has been made regarding the Nord Wave, how does it compare to the Yamaha AN1x/PLG150-AN? Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1, Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.