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Nord Lead 3 or Virus TI?

I am considering getting a decent synth, which I would use for making both electro and trance. Which of these would you, or do any of you have? Looking for pros and cons really.

PC

Virus, because it can do much much more.

BOTH!

But if I had to choose one, I'd go with the Virus since it's a workhorse and can do pretty much everything. But the NL3 still sounds better which is why you need both.

Sorry about this, but am I right in thinking that you can plug the NL3 into your computer via USB like most MIDI keyboards? I'm new to production so forgive my noob questions.

quote:

Originally posted by neverforget Sorry about this, but am I right in thinking that you can plug the NL3 into your computer via USB like most MIDI keyboards? I'm new to production so forgive my noob questions.

No u cant with the NL3, but with the Virus you can.

quote:

Originally posted by Subtle No u cant with the NL3, but with the Virus you can.

How does The NL3 connect? I would go with a Virus but I would prefer the feel of keys as I play some Piano and also the TI Polar + Keyboard are too expensive.

quote:

Originally posted by neverforget How does The NL3 connect? I would go with a Virus but I would prefer the feel of keys as I play some Piano and also the TI Polar + Keyboard are too expensive.

MIDI to the audio interface and AUDIO to the audio interface too. MIDI for notes and stuff an AUDIO for the sound itself.

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Originally posted by pqpedroland MIDI to the audio interface and AUDIO to the audio interface too. MIDI for notes and stuff an AUDIO for the sound itself.

Great, thanks man!

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Originally posted by alanzo But if I had to choose one, I'd go with the Virus since it's a workhorse and can do pretty much everything.

+1. I will add that, if you decide to go with a Nord, consider the 2X as well because it sounds different (better IMO, but that's a subjective thing), has better DACs than the NL3, and is much cheaper. The NL1/2/2X have the distinctive Nord Lead "sound", but that sound was pretty much lost when Clavia introduced the NL3 and Wave. That's not to say that the NL3 doesn't sound incredible, just different.

i agree on the NL2X, it sound is just awesome. and its easy to use, no meny diving and shit. tho the virus is ofcourse more flexible and sound great too. i would go for NL2X caus many of the features in Virus can be found with VSTs imo. But the pure raw saw and pulse sounds from NL is almost like analog. imo...

To defend the NL3, it does sound 'different' but not completely different. It can do incredible FM sounds and the 'stack' capabilities are awesome, too.

I own both a nord lead 1 and a nord rack 3. The nord 3 is more versitile and has WAY more performance options and the interface is awesome. The nord lead 1 & 2 are completely different synthesizers to the nord 3 and sound nothing alike. I much prefer the sound of the nord 1 & 2, a lot thicker sound.

But if you're going to get a Nord Lead 1 /2, you're better off just getting a Prophet 08. The original Nord Lead was intended to be an emulation of the Prophet V and it just stemmed from there.

quote:

Originally posted by alanzo But if you're going to get a Nord Lead 1 /2, you're better off just getting a Prophet 08. The original Nord Lead was intended to be an emulation of the Prophet V and it just stemmed from there.

+1. The only "advantage" I can see of the NL over the P08 is that the Nords are multitimbral. But, for studio use, it's not that big an issue IMO.

Well, I guess one other advantage of the Nords would be the price tag.

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik Well, I guess one other advantage of the Nords would be the price tag.

Welll.. if you look at the price I paid for my P'08 rack, it was only $100 more than a Nord Rack 2x...

*cough* $960 in perfect condition *cough*

the nord racks are red tho

No contest for me. Had both the nord lead 2 and the virus. Tried them both for a week, went with the Virus and never looked back. It was one of the easiest calls I ever made. I still use the nord occasionally in a mate's studio and even he plans to trade it in for a virus. Honestly.. I can't see what all the hype is about. Nice color though.
Also when compared to discoDSP discovery - close enough.
Just my 2c..

I have the NL3 and Virus TI. To be totally honest I love the NL3. It's clean, simple.. every time I sit down with it I come up with a patch that sounds great and works well in mixes. It has power/punch and I find that it's range is very good from deep bases to way up the spectrum. It's FM capabilities are great and many wacky sounds can be produced with it. I would never sell it.

The TI... I bought it when it first came out, 3 years later(or however long it's been now) I still feel like I wasted my money. It's never worked properly.. the Virus Control plugin is a nice interface and great for editing, but when used in projects (I've tried thru both SX3 and my Logic/MAC setup) it's done nothing but cause trouble. The interface frequently slows down or the GUI no longer updates.. notes drop.. sometimes notes never trigger..(this is not a polyphony or processing load issue). After each update and another week of playing I revert back to midi/audio setup with it .. which is still rubbish.. timing is slack, arps are almost useless.. same note dropping or non triggering.. As for the sound.. I've always found the raw oscillators very weak and they sound rather aliased to me. You can get some great sounds out of the unit, but I always find that when used in conjunction with other synths they seem weak and don't blend well. Thats just my personal opinion. I know a lot of people swear by the TI, and a lot of others who got rid of them in disgust.

I'm not sure if it's not a situation of there being "GOOD" TI units, and bum ones..

I've found that Predator(AU/VST) has produced many similar sounds with a similar internal architecture to the TI only better.

theres my 1.5c worth

I have a NL2 and Virus TI, they make a decent combo. i think next i'll get something older than myself with 'Moog' written on it

Have you actually tried both a nord 1/2 and prophet 08 side by side?

They sound absolutely NOTHING alike. The prophet 5 and prophet 08 also dont sound alike. The prophet 08 is basically the analog part of the poly evolver synth.

The prophet 08 sounds way better for pads and some lead sounds. The nord 1/2 kills it for bass, blips etc. Both completely different beasts. The nord is way closer in sound to a virus than a prophet.

As for the virus. I owned a TI for a week, then sold it. Very versitile but once the effects were taken away, the sound was very thin and weedy in comparison to my other synths. I think the raw oscillators sound very cheap. Nord 2 is way fatter and much more of a workhorse IMO.

My other synths btw are:

Prophet 08
Nord 2
Nord 3
ARP Odyssey
Moog Voyager
Waldorf Pulse
Waldorf Microwave 1

To the original poster. Your best bet is to find someone who has both synths and audition them yourself as everyone, including myself will have very different opinions.

quote:

The only "advantage" I can see of the NL over the P08 is that the Nords are multitimbral. But, for studio use, it's not that big an issue IMO

The Prophet IS also multitimbral

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