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Nord Lead 1 vs Nord Lead 3

Anyone who has used both of these could you please tell me if the NL1 is worth buying, or should I save up and go straight for the NL3?

nl3 aint avaliable anymore, but what you should do is considering 2x! it has the awesome oscs from NL1/2 pluss better dacs and more ployphony and memory pluss better presets (even good drummaps presets). Unfortunately it does knot have the endless rotarys and FM from NL3, but do you really need that? its almost half the price too. Get the 2x imo! Listen to the demos and ull understand why. Such dry distinct and powerfull sound you would be looking long for. add some analog reverb/delay device and u have the best leads in the world.

Well I'm buying second hand and I can pick up an original NL rack for a steal. My main question is do they sound much different?

yes. NL1 sounds very much like the NL2 which is better than the NL3 imo (note imo, some like the unison and FM on NL3 so much that they just cant live without it). NL3 is about functions more than pure sound i think. Function wise i really dont know whats the differense between NL1 and 2 are, probably more poly and multitimbral and better dacs. Id look for the 2x second hand anyway though. Others might have other opinions wait for them.

btw looked at NL1 specs abit. seems to have very little poly and limited filters pluss only one part and single stereo outs, almost like an old analog synth. no arpegiator it seems. NL2 have more filter options, arpegiator, two parts, four outputs, more memory, 16 poly (i think, 2x have 20), and in general the 1 looks very limited. though with good sound.

The voices can be expanded right? Really I just want something hands on that sounds good and I love the Nord sound.

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Originally posted by Zild Well I'm buying second hand and I can pick up an original NL rack for a steal. My main question is do they sound much different?

I've owned the NL1, NL2, NL2X, and now have an NL3. I loved my NL2X and was hesitant to go to the NL3 because it is a somewhat different sounding synth from the earlier Leads, but now that I have it, wouldn't give up my NL3 for anything.

The NL1, 2, and 2X all have a similar sound to them, with a few more features and/or voices added with each new version, but the NL3 has some major improvements and a more diverse sound IMO. I particularly like having the screen on the NL3 - the 2-digit display on the earlier models are a PITA. I also love having the rotaries with the LEDs on the NL3 to see at a glance exactly what each parameter's are set at. I'd say if you can get the NL1 at a steal (i.e., at a price that you're sure you can sell if for a profit later on), then it's worth the investment. If not, I'd say save for an NL3.

dont think u can do anything with NL1 man. Its a synth from 1995!

btw heres some audiosamples of NL2X:
http://www.nordkeyboards.com/main.a...nlm=Information

if i ever get a hardware synth again it will be that one. i had the NL3 and seriously got tired of its sound.

Are you sure because I see a nord voice expansion pack on ebay and I see a rack that says it is fully expanded. Maybe that is only for the NL2?

I'm not sure you would want the Nord Lead/Rack 1 when comparing to the 2/2x, as it is missing a number of useful features, such as an OSC model and polyphony. Here are some useful links for comparison:

Nord 2:
http://www.planet-groove.com/clavia/nordlead2.html

Nord 1:
http://www.planet-groove.com/clavia/nordlead1.html

But, like all synths, it's what you can do with it that counts most. I personally would not get the 1 when the 2 is available, and the 3 has even more versatility. But, I think the 1 and 2 are pretty similar in sound, and the 3 sounds a bit different overall (I can't really qualify this statement too well since it's been a while since I played a 3). Either the 2 or 3 are good buys though.

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik I've owned the NL1, NL2, NL2X, and now have an NL3. I loved my NL2X and was hesitant to go to the NL3 because it is a somewhat different sounding synth from the earlier Leads, but now that I have it, wouldn't give up my NL3 for anything.

My post overlaps, but exactly my sentiment! It is a bit different sounding. Perhaps the 1/2 are a bit more "raw" in their sound, and the 3 is more polished and diverse? Again, it's been a while since I played a 3...

NL3 sounds like software imo, except the unison sounds very warm, ull get tired of it though. Older models sounds much rawer phatter stronger more dynamic, distinct i dont know more positive words for sound but its just phatt. as i stated early id get 2x. it has better dacs too allowing more dynamics/bigger signal noise-ratio and better samplerate for recording.

As said, NL3 sounds good. Although it is no better than any softsynth and also has a weak sound compared with earilier nord leads. The main reason i bought my nl3 was for the hands on approach. It has the best interface ever built into a synthesizer. The rotary encoders are amazing. I personally dont like the unison, it sounds very thin and weak, but love the nl3's fm capabilities and filter options! so many of them.

The Morph groups on the nl3 are wicked as well and can be used to create ridiculously amazing evolving pads etc.

In short the n2 and n3 are completely different synths. its like comparing a korg ms2000 to a nord lead 1! They have a completely different character so i would listen to audio demos before you make a decision. I have owned a n2 and n3 for years and wouldn't sell either of them

quote:

Originally posted by palm NL3 sounds like software imo, except the unison sounds very warm, ull get tired of it though.

How can you be sure that everyone is the same as you, and will get tired of an NL3? What about people who have used NL3s for years and still love their sound? Are they just ignorant?

(edit) or are you saying that you got tired of the unison? How do you mean? It's not designed to be used all the time, but it is a nice effect which sounds great in the right place.

Regarding the "sounds like software", which software synth in particular? All the Nord Leads are virtual analog, so are all basically "software". Are you saying there's a software emulation which sounds like a NL3, but they haven't yet created a software emulation of the NL2X?

I want a nordlead 2x

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll have to really think about it since I can get the NL1 for about $600 where the NL3 is quite a bit more.

quote:

Originally posted by Zild Thanks for the advice guys. I'll have to really think about it since I can get the NL1 for about $600...

Is that the keyboard version?

I noticed in the user comments for Nord Lead 1 on vintagesynth, there are a number of people who say the 1 sounds the best, who say that later Nords sound a lot more digital/cheap.

Everyone's going to have their own opinion. It also depends massively on your particular style. No matter how good a synth is, if it's wrong for your style, you're not going to get much out of it.

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik Is that the keyboard version?

Yes

quote:

Originally posted by palm dont think u can do anything with NL1 man. Its a synth from 1995!

post '95 synths generally suck. pre 80's is the best. Nords are emulations of a 70's analogue synth the Prophet 05. I have a nordlead2x, it's nice, the closest you can get without the real thing, but it isn't the real deal.

I think the nord 1 is a bit limited, the sound is going to be similar to the 2/2x, but you're going to have very limited polyphony, which will suck. I'd go a used 2x over the 1, since I dont' think you can expand a 1, and the 2x is pretty cheap on ebay from what I remember. Whether you go for a 2x or a 3 is a matter of taste.

nord 2x vs nord 3 arguments are nearly as virulent as mac vs PC or VST vs hardware on these forums, and the answers come out similar. The 3's sound is smoother and less raw, but a lot of people (myself included) like that about it.

Just get Discovery Pro from Discodsp - It has all the Nord patches and they're even interchangeable with the actual hardware unit. That's how closely emulated it is. There's a lot of other banks out there as well with some really nice sounds. It sounds great. 64 voices, 2x oversampling...just a great VST. It's 1 of my main 3. The sounds that come out of it are really well and require very little FX processing.

I'm good with Logic's ES2 for software. I really want a Pulse and a Juno 60. Might skip out on the Nord for now.

quote:

Originally posted by derail How can you be sure that everyone is the same as you, and will get tired of an NL3? What about people who have used NL3s for years and still love their sound? Are they just ignorant? (edit) or are you saying that you got tired of the unison? How do you mean? It's not designed to be used all the time, but it is a nice effect which sounds great in the right place. Regarding the "sounds like software", which software synth in particular? All the Nord Leads are virtual analog, so are all basically "software". Are you saying there's a software emulation which sounds like a NL3, but they haven't yet created a software emulation of the NL2X?

1. I did not get tired of NL3 in general, I loved the filters and the distortion on it and those are the things that makes people love the synth i think (pluss ofcourse the interface). I didnt mean to offend anyone though lol, i just said my opinion which i know many share with me. To compare i loved NL3 ALOT more than virus and JP8080.

2. yes, i got tired of the unison, and i think most people will be too as it is very limited. if it had a dry/wet knob it would have been alot better. Also the FM sound is abit limited imo. Note imo!

3. the closest thing u get to nords in VST is synth1, an amazing simple VST based on NL1/2. A pure saw or square from that one sounds almost better than a pure one from NL3 imo, but not as good as from a 2x. To bad its PC only. It does not have all the functions as NL3 though.



to the original poster; id never pay 600USD for nord1 when a brand new nord2x is like 999 (rack though). u can also look at the nord lead anniversary synth which is a 2x inside. theres only 299 items of that one so its really a collectors item, and might be more worth in time.

quote:

Originally posted by Zild I'm good with Logic's ES2 for software. I really want a Pulse and a Juno 60. Might skip out on the Nord for now.

There's no MIDI on the Juno 60, but you can get a converter for it for about $100. The nice thing about the J60 is that it has the same filter as the Jupiter 8. But only one osc per voice...

The Pulse is a great machine.

As for the Nords, just get both a NL3 and NL1. What might be cool is the Nord Micro Modular. It's pretty cheap and has the same sound engine as the original NL1. Lots of fun modular possibilities, too. I have an NL3 now and may get a Nord Micro Modular in the future ...

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