Clavia Nord Modular

Price Paid: N/A

Ease of Use: 10
Version 3.03
Patching is very cool and can get very complex....
I usualy work with 4 patches to create a piece of sound

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
Realistic... who cares... GREAT SOUND
It for creating new noises sounds and everiting.
It sound a bit "arsh", but i very much like it.

For onboard fx, Chorus etc... ok...
It as 2in 4out so you can include external fx in your patches, or use it to process sound....

Reliability: 10
Great and realy stable...
The knobs are a little bit fragile for my style of play
I gig with it very often, never had a back up... (only have one NM)

Customer Support: 10
By e-mail, very cool

Overall Rating: 10
If stolen or lost, i'll get another one used, just to have access to all the patches i've made.
The prices are very low these day (600$ expanded), so i'm looking to buy another one...
I'll buy a G2 soon to....

Submitted by Tonio at 01/24/2006 08:33

Price Paid: 900 (€) used

Ease of Use: 7
I have owned Nord Modular Rack for few years ago and I have to admit that I have made only few sounds with it. I really hate using PC for editing and there should faster port for it, not MIDI. WORKING usb2 would be nice, but this is "old" synth so I should buy the newer Modular. When I at the same time had Nord Lead 2, I was going to sell Modular but then I thought to keep it and let NL2 go (great machine though). I use it in every song and I would buy Modular keyboard right away if it had that cool wooden pitch-stick as NL and new G2 has. I don't know why they didn't include it. Patches are ok. Few times I have read the BIG manual. Ease of use is 7 because it can be very complex (as you want) and you have to use editor.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
Full ten points. Clavia tone is hard and can be nasty and a bit Obey -sounding(oberheim pads/brass). I have used it for electric piano sounds (listen "Silently"), pads, fx, bass sounds (usually use analogs for bass/leads) and wide variety other sounds. I play it thru effect unit for a bit reverb/delay. I have also tried some vocoder stuff and they are fun and few times played bass thru the effects and filters - lot's of fun.

Reliability: N/A
Works fine. Maybe some problems with editor but it works fine also..

Customer Support: 10
Great

Overall Rating: 9
If it were lost or stolen, I would buy G2 or maybe NL3. I really like Nord Lead interface, keyboard and controllers. But I would definitely buy Clavia -synths again. Feel free to contact.

Submitted by http://www.kase.fi/panusa at 01/17/2005 01:43

Price Paid: 500 (euro) used

Ease of Use: 9
There is already a lot of information about the modular hear so I'll try to fill up some missing opinion. i have over 32000 presets patches and altough some sound really good I found to be way more interestering to start from 0 and compose your own. It is really user friendly and easy to use, if you know anything about synths. I think the manual is not bad but it lacks some patching examples or tips and, even more important, it does not explain how to use the modules together nor it says how do the multi-stage envelopes really work. I Guess clavia suposes that if your buying a modular you already know a great deal about synth modules.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 9
The sounds are great. It is nord lead sound: it sounds very sharp and defined and, altought you can destroy it pretty well it will never sound dirty as a really analog synth. It will do for any type of music. Realisitc to analog synth emulation.

Reliability: 10
It fell on the floor and still works great. Any nord is very realiable. Good for gigs

Customer Support: 10
Clavia

Overall Rating: 9
I would beat the hell from the guy who stoled it. This synth is great. I have a nord lead 2 also and now that I have a modular I realy don't now if I should keep the NL 2. My little synth collection also includes: Korg MS-20, Oberheim OB 12, SID Station, Prophet VS and some drum machines synths

Submitted by oberman at 01/17/2004 10:03

Price Paid: US $50000 used

Ease of Use: 10
im using software version 6. the presets are good. editing patches is not so hard. a patch editor is there. manualis good

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
the instruments are very realistic, you wont get good analog sounds out of this box, but youll get very good pianos, sax, guitars, drums and flutes. it works perfectly for rock (those heavy e-guitar sounds) and for classical (all types of orchestral sounds). It doesnt work for dance, as there are no dance sounds on there.
it is not static

Reliability: 10
its very reliable, i use it in a rock band to replace all the instruments needed there (guitars, drums etc.) and it works very well

Customer Support: 10
very good customer support, they always mail me good, realistic guitar and piano patches

Overall Rating: 10
i would buy another one, if it was lost or stolen. I love the good rock and piano sounds on this box. i compared it to some other products, and they are not so good. It helps me a lot in my rock music.

Submitted by Moritz at 08/01/2003 06:53

Price Paid: US $1449.00

Ease of Use: 9
The Nord Modular is probably one of the most complicated synthesizers at the moment due to it being a modular synth. That said, it is extremely easy to create your own patches from scratch, provided you have a basic background in subtractive synthesis.

There are a lot of presets that come with it. However, I found that I quickly started making my own instead of modifying the old ones. However, if you don't like doing this, there are literally thousands of patches on the internet - I have around 15,000.

The manual is extremely well written. It provides basic tutorials on subtractive synthesis as well as giving detailed descriptions of what every module can do. Despite this, I found that I did not really need the manual as the Modular Editor was so easy to use.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
The sounds are what makes the Nord Modular such a great instrument. It sounds great! While the presets are good, I'm sure most people will find that they can get any kind of electronic sound out it.

Sounds that I have found that Nord Modular can do especially well are bass, strings, pads, leads, fx and long evolving sequences and sounds.

I make mostly ambient, industrial and rock (like Sigur Ros, Labradford) music so I find that the sounds it produces are perfect for these. However, I could also see it being used in dance, pop, hip-hop, soundtracks, Vangelis type music and even classical (like Switched On Bach).

Reliability: 10
I have never played with it live. However, I don't think that I would hesitate playing it without a backup as it has always worked without any problems.

Customer Support: 10
Clavia are extremely friendly. I have sent them a few e-mails asking mostly stupid questions and quickly received replies with useful information. Because of this, I would not hesitate to buy more equipment from Clavia.

Overall Rating: 10
It it got stolen, I would be extremely unhappy as it is my favorite piece of equipment. It is definately worth what I paid for it. The only things that I wished it had were a larger keyboard and pitch and mod wheels, however, these are minor problems considering what you get.

Submitted by Anonymous at 06/16/2002 03:58

Price Paid: US $1400

Ease of Use: 10
It is extremly easy to edit the sounds of this synth. Couldn't be better!

Sound Quality: 10
Every unit in this synth sound better than any other digital synth on this planet today! You can use it as an external effect if you want. Two line-inputs lets you connect any source. Phaser, Chorus, Many Filters, Vocoder, Distortion, Bit-Crusher and much more...

Reliability: 10
I have used it both in studio and live for about 3 years and no problems whatever so far!

Customer Support: N/A
You probably never need to contact them but I've heard that they are nice.

Overall Rating: 10
I play complex electronic music, like Stockhausen. I have used electronic-equipments for 15 years. The Nord Modular is better than I am!

Submitted by Anonymous at 01/29/2002 14:35

Price Paid: 1070.00 (UK pounds)

Ease of Use: 10
If you have at least a basic knowlegde of modular synthesis, this synth is easy to get into straight away - if you don't, then you have some reading to do, and the in-depth manual is a good place to start. The extent of your interactivity with the editor (current V3.03) is up to your patience and creativity.

You could survive using presets - there are hundreds provided on the accompanying CD, let alone the internet resources available - but where's the fun in that? If you don't want to build your own sounds, then this isn't the synth for you. It would be pointless just using presets with this machine, considering its main advantage is in its incredible editing interface.

Once you get into the editor, you start to realise the massive potential of the software.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
This synth can do pretty much everything, and it does it all very well indeed.

Reliability: 10
No problems. I've used it for gigs with no worries.

Customer Support: N/A
N/A (see reliability)

Overall Rating: 10
This is an amazing machine. I had some reservations, until I got the extra reverb, now I wouldn't part with it for love or money. Unless it was alot of money. Then I'd buy another one.

Submitted by Dan Bibby at 12/15/2001 19:30

Price Paid: US $1445

Ease of Use: 10
Version 3.03 software. I am eagerly awaiting the new OS update which should add some new killer modules for this beast. The presets are AWESOME. Really shows off the potential for the synth. Let's see here, editing patches. It's actually surprisingly easy. Just drag and drop modules into the workspace and wire them together. I don't reccomend it for beginners though, modular synthesis is a bit hard if you don't already know some basics. The manual is easy to read, complete, and very helpful. There is also a book by Wizoo that gives you some excellent tips and tricks, and it usually ships new with the modular if you buy from a major retailer like Sweetwater.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
The nords have the BEST Virtual Analog sound, period. Couple this with the fact that it's modular, and you can create ANY synth you want, and the possibilites are literally limitless. Go to a store, play with it. Download sound samples. Nothing can beat its raw power, its punch, its completely wicked sound. I use it for all of my projects, not only for synth sounds, but to process my other synths. As far as I am concerned, it's the best sounding (digital) synth on the planet right now.

Reliability: 8
Depending on what kind of computer you have, I do have some problems with the synth losing contact with the editor. I personally attribute it to Windows, but you never know.

Customer Support: N/A
Never dealt with Clavia, but they have a great website and it's a small company, as far as I know, and they stand behind their products.

Overall Rating: 10
I don't think the modular got really that popular because of its interface. People would rather just twist knobs, I suppose. But even if you NEVER made your own patches, and you NEVER even edited a patch at all, there are literally hundreds of thousands of sounds you can download from the net for this monster. With a mailing list that has sometimes 60+ messages a day with people sharing patches and techniques, you would have to be an idiot to NOT WANT THIS SYNTH! Heheh. If you have the rescources, GET IT. If it even crossed your mind to purchase one, GET IT. If it was stolen, I would cry like a little girl. Like I said before, I use it for every project I do in some way. In all honesty, it's probably the most powerful synth on the market today aside from somthing ungodly expensive like a KYMA.

Submitted by QD at 10/14/2001 10:19

Price Paid: N/A

Ease of Use: N/A
well, here you can act in a lot of ways: just download thousands of patches from the net, listen to them, maybe change something in some sound with the editor and just load them into the unit; or the extreme opposite option: create a sound completely from the beginning, chaining together an oscillaor, an envelope etc etc etc, ....too much to mention....
it can also be a bit confusionary
i'll use now about 15% of the potentiality of the beast, and think i won't ever dicover all the sound souces it can create, so i don't give avote to this cathegory: it's a future synth.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
the sounds are to die for; you can create from extreme noise to the best pads and leads i've ever listened; this unit is PERFECT for industrial (remember that NIN, all people under Warp abuse of this beast).
anyway, you recognize that it's a nord....it has that tipical fm edge when you work a bit ona sound.
this synth screams AUTECHRE, AFX, NIN each time you switch it on, even if it's the first time and you use all presets.
the only thing that can make someone a bit disappointed: this synth, even if it can recreates really all old analogues (best of all the Arp and Moogs, it's incredible!), has an hard character, absolutely hard, so, maybe, someone (difficult) could be more satisfied with, for example,a Supernova if he/she wants to make trance....
i do hard break, hardtekno, warp style things, xperimental and noise;
it's perfect for me, and i see it's used by everyone, from rock bands to masters of electronica.

Reliability: 10
i depend on it, yes!
i need this hard edge on my synths sounds, i love it to death, even if i know perfectly it's easier any other synth with the fucking arpeggiator button in front of you

Customer Support: 8
you have to wait a bit, but after you'll get what you need.
never had to get repared....

Overall Rating: 10
i suggest this unit, absolutely.
i raved a lot on a Korg MS2000R, and i like it a lot, but i needed this, so i sold the korg and got the nord.
it has everything i need, ...i had also a thought of taking also a Micromodular....guys this things makes addiction
the main factor is the base of sound: this one can generate THOSE sounds i'm crazy for, that are Warp like ones, old thing revisited to modern, FM touch, pure techno as pure electro as pure long dreamy pads...
so, as always, it's personal taste, but for me it's the most powerful thing ever created on earth, and i don't work for clavia,...this unit is fucking expensive!!!

Submitted by synthe.labo at 08/31/2001 18:29

Price Paid: US $1299

Ease of Use: 9
I have the latest version, 3.03 i think. Once you get a handle on loading patches before you can use them, this keyboard is very cool.
The presets are ok, once again they do not show you the true power of the synth. I think the only keyboard i did buy that the presets ruled was the access virus b. I mean sure the presets arent important, especially for the modular, but they should make some cool ones, its not like you can make your own sounds in the store.
Editing is very easy, once you understand modular synthesis, the editor is very helpful and easy to use. just wish my screen was bigger. The manual, is huge, i also have the wizoo book. Man i hate manuals.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
Hmm the piano sound doesnt sound like a piano....doh! oh yeh this keyboard was made for you to make your own non realistic sounds. which it is unstoppable. good pads, basses, almost blew my speakers out. every sound you can think of or not think of.
id say this keyboard works with most styles, especially when you use it creatively. No effects, save a delay and distortion, and you should get a outboard reverb...blah. yeh it reacts to my playing, when i push c5 it plays c5, and so on. i think it has velocity ..seems like it.

Reliability: 9
Yeh i could use it for a show, i would use a backup if i could afford one, then .... i would have two modulars mwuahahahahahaha (evil villain laugh)

Customer Support: 10
Clavia rules, very cool company, im very confident they will help me out if i need it, you know hook me up with chicks, bail me out of jail.

Overall Rating: 10
If it were lost or stolen id go postal, then id buy another. Ive been playing for 8 yrs. I also own a kawai k5000s, yamaha a3000v2, waldorf xtk, and i have a S.E. omega 8 coming soon.
I love the power of this machine, i hate that its red so people who know nord will steal it at a show.
Compared to a novation the nord is red and small, and the novation is blue. hehe you cant compare them, very different beasts. Overall killer machine, my drunken review wont help, play with one.

Submitted by nathan kaines at 04/30/2001 21:34