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Nord Lead 3 Review
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psychoacoustix
Started Topics :
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1
Posted : Nov 28, 2006 08:19
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Hi, I have been using the Nord Lead 3 for about an year now. When I first got it, I was very excited but after playing with it for a while, I must say that I am a bit disappointed. Personally, I find the presets very uninspiring for producing trance. I think this is my main disappointment. The functionality is great. After playing with this synth for a year, I had a try playing around on a Nord Lead 2X that a friend had. I found myself coming up with cool sounds in minutes. I think this is all due to the differences in presets that are offered by the two models.
If there are any more people out there who have been using Nord Lead 3 for PsyTrance production, please post us your personal experiences with this synth.
  Bom Shankar! |
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TuK
TuK
Started Topics :
41
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228
Posted : Nov 28, 2006 09:08
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i dont use it but i heard they stoped manufacturing it. |
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SoundofMind
Started Topics :
7
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28
Posted : Nov 28, 2006 09:12
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On 2006-11-28 09:08, dj tuK wrote:
i dont use it but i heard they stoped manufacturing it.
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Really? Where did you heard this? |
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Axolotyl
Started Topics :
9
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96
Posted : Nov 28, 2006 11:32
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hehe... funny you post this up, I just bought one. I was tossing up between it and a nord 2. Seems a lot of people are troubled by this synth.
To be honest, I find the presets a lot more usable than what came on my virus b?? Thats not to say they are terribly impressive though. I find most synth presets are bordering on useless and designed to appeal to a wide range of producers, not just psy heads  Personally I'm happier starting a sound from scratch and dont really rely on presets much.
First impression though... incredibly detailed and precise oscillators that give a very clean (?? some have said thin compared to 2X??) sound. Personally I like the digital sound and it kinda reminds me of waldorf microQ infact, but not as raw and a lot easier to program. For dirt and raw squelch I tend to turn to virus anyway, so clean is what I'm after.
I think its good that it doesnt sound exactly like a Nord 2. If you want that sound, buy that synth, I think the 3 will be around for a while yet though.
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-dudi-
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
41
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277
Posted : Nov 28, 2006 13:09
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you shud check out the virus ti ,, it has great presets designed by howard scarr !! truly inspiring
no psyhead will be dissapointed for sure 
cannot say n e thing about nord 3 cuz i hvnt played around with it yet but the i quite liked the nordlead2 ,,, easy to use so presets dont really matter in clavia synths i think ,, cuz they r simple to programme,,, but if u dont know ur programming basics then ur in trouble !!
bomski |
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pants!
Started Topics :
1
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79
Posted : Nov 28, 2006 14:15
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On 2006-11-28 08:19, psychoacoustix wrote:
After playing with this synth for a year, I had a try playing around on a Nord Lead 2X that a friend had. I found myself coming up with cool sounds in minutes.
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I kinda agree with this. I think if you're going to the expense of buying hardware, you should go and play with synths in a store and pick the one that leaves you brimming with ideas. It's a creative tool and you should find it inspiring to work with.
I have an NL3 and it has a very harsh sound, im yet to make a patch that is nice and warm. i dont really write warm and happy music, but sometimes you need sounds like that for contrast. I have written some tracks with it, and made some patches with it that i use in nearly every track, but since ive got a virus ti i find its what i go for first. Everytime i sit and play with making patches on the virus i come up with new ideas for stuff, and this didnt really happen with the nord. there could be time/personal issues behind that too. I'm yet to play with a NL2 so cant offer much comparison.
the simplicity of the nord is both a strength and a weakness, it is very quick and easy to program as nearly everything you need is accessible via a knob, theres no menus to flick through.
i think to an extent it is personal preference, but i find the virus more expressive, and more suited to the music i want to make. it is a personal thing though. thats why i think its important to go and play with a number of synths to find the one that suits you and your style. |
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psylevation
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
52
Posts :
841
Posted : Nov 28, 2006 16:16
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can it load norlead 2 patches? |
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tokolosxi
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
15
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117
Posted : Nov 28, 2006 19:57
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The fun really starts when you start learning more about synthesis.....you'll quickly forget about any presets and start admiring every individual synth for its unique sound.
Happy Days! |
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AvS
Started Topics :
9
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464
Posted : Nov 28, 2006 23:12
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I really dont get the point of spending that much money on a synth and then complain about the presets. If you dont know how to program a synth, or are to lazy to learn, then why not buy a sample cd instead???
IMO the NL3 has a warm sound. I have the NL2. I love it. It can be really harsh but if you want it to be warm then i can be warm to.
What i really like about the nords are that they have this really special glass like sound character even when you would suspect it to sound ugly. I mean i would suspect an fm sound played at a high note to sound kinda harsh but it just sounds soft and smooth with the nords. Especailly with the NL3 imo. |
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Witchery Whistle
Started Topics :
1
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64
Posted : Nov 29, 2006 00:40
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I'm tweaking it for about a year too and though i'm not much into programming it comes easier to me to tweak trance sounds i like on other synth and even groove boxes. So it's not always all about your synthesing knowledge base imho. Anyway many things become intuitive with time when you tweak synths for years even without ever reading about where signal comes from. And besides theory of synthising whitout practise wouldn't help you much, aren't you agree?
Another moment is what the sounds you need are personally for you. I mean one likes one kind of sounds another one some other sounds...
Still i'm using it for my projects right now actively, have made tracks made fully on its sounds. What i like about it is its quality and the most friendly interface i met using hardware (i didn't use much of it but still).
You not always have a possibility to come to store and tweak a synth and choose to buy it or not. For example in my country the equipment bought by budget-home-studios musicians is usually bought after reading in internet about its characteristics and after collecting opinions at musicmakers forums... well, not the best way to find your synth quickly but there're just few stores in the capital where you can tweak only a few of them and no such stores at all in other towns.
I think it can sound great with effects put on audiotracks afterwards, recorded with NL-3.
BTW, can you recommend me some good soft effects (i have used only the standard Cubase effects and some of WAVES) that won't spoil NL-3s sound? hehe |
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Axolotyl
Started Topics :
9
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96
Posted : Nov 29, 2006 08:55
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I think it can sound great with effects put on audiotracks afterwards, recorded with NL-3.
BTW, can you recommend me some good soft effects (i have used only the standard Cubase effects and some of WAVES) that won't spoil NL-3s sound? hehe
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Try Kjaerhus Golden Modulator. Its a weapon when trying to fit harsh leads into mixes without softening their impact
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pants!
Started Topics :
1
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79
Posted : Nov 29, 2006 10:20
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glass is a great word to describe the NL sound. its hard and clear and cutting |
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TuK
TuK
Started Topics :
41
Posts :
228
Posted : Nov 29, 2006 14:41
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Quote:
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On 2006-11-28 09:12, SoundofMind wrote:
Quote:
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On 2006-11-28 09:08, dj tuK wrote:
i dont use it but i heard they stoped manufacturing it.
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Really? Where did you heard this?
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from the store that sells it in israel |
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psychoacoustix
Started Topics :
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1
Posted : Nov 30, 2006 05:08
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On 2006-11-28 16:16, psylevation wrote:
can it load norlead 2 patches?
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No unfortunatly not. You cannot load patches from a Nord 2 to a Nord 3. |
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element
Started Topics :
3
Posts :
43
Posted : Nov 30, 2006 08:50
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[quote]
On 2006-11-28 19:57, tokolosxi wrote:
The fun really starts when you start learning more about synthesis.....you'll quickly forget about any presets and start admiring every individual synth for its unique sound.
thats it |
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