Clavia Nord Modular

Price Paid: N/A

Ease of Use: 10

Expressiveness/Sounds: 9

Reliability: 7
The MIDI interface to the computer for the editor can sometimes be a bit of a pain.

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: 9
A wonderful synth! I wish Clavia would develop more modules!

Submitted by Todd at 02/27/2001 15:10

Price Paid: US $1200

Ease of Use: 10
using the rack version 3.03. it's a real modular synth so it's as easy and as hard as you want to make it. the interface design is flat out gorgeous - even if you just want to download the over 6000 presets available on line and tweak around with them - you'll end up patching your own synths inside of a month. it's totally addictive and once you start down the path 'prewired' synths start to seem like a rip-off.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
i was going to buy a nord lead 2 which i'd heard and loved, and then someone told me that the modular has a patch called nord lead 2. so it doesn't take a genius to figure out that for the same price as a nl2 - everything else in this box is gravy. so instead of the nord lead - i now have a minimoog, an arp2600, a DX7, a TB303, an MS20....(insert list of every vintage synth here) plus all the audio in effects you can think of (phaser, chorus, flanger, vocoder) there's not really much of delay due to the lack of memory but you can fake it really well - ditto for reverb but believe me, you'll want to hook this thing up to a sweet external reverb unit.

the filters are definitely on the bright side and people have mentioned that it has that classic nord sound i.e. very clean and a little cold. i personally like it and find that i can dirty it up with stomp boxes and software to my hearts content.

Reliability: 10
built like a tank - solid metal, knobs have great feel (a little tight) never used the keyboard version but the rack sits right in front of my pc keyboard for easy access. never gigged with it but i would.

Customer Support: N/A
never dealt with them but the news groups are unbelievably helpful. join the wizoo nord modular mailing list if you're thinking of buying one. they'll convince you.

Overall Rating: 10
i'd get it again immediately. no question. in fact, i'd like to get a micro modular just for the office.

Submitted by Anonymous at 12/18/2000 12:14

Price Paid: AUD$3000 (Australian Dollars)

Ease of Use: 10
Version 3.03 for Macintosh. Once you sort out the MIDI interfacing using OMS (mildly hard) the software editing is slick and ergonomic very very easy. As you build your virtual synth the sounds (or noises if like me you are experimenting in unknown territory) are playable as you edit. easy. You can assign most of the virtual parameters such as oscillator frequencies or filter cutoffs to one of the 18 front panel knobs with 1 mouse click and there you have instant hands on real time tweaking, easy.
You have to have some idea of what you are trying to achieve, (hard). With infinite possibilities some discipline is needed and this machine requires you have to have some background knowledge about synthesis - mildly hard, however this is more a comment about the nature of doing modular synthesis - the machine itself makes it as easy as could be imaginened.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 9
No not at all realistic if by that is meant sounding like piano, harp, french horn, tuba. This is a synthetic sound source. If I want more "realism" in the conventional sense I have got pleasing results by feeding sampled sounds through the device to get the sample based attacks for instance. Overall intrinsic sounds are broadly in analogue territory as distinct from say Sand S or FM. I cant really comment on how close to the "real thing" a moog or ARP2600 recreation is for example, but I have compared my virtual juno 106 to my own and have to report that its pretty close missing only the dirty noisy bits, Because you can moduate just about anything with anything else the sounds step outside the boundaries imposed by the architecture of non-modular synths. You can do say "additive synthesis" by using multi oscillators through a mixer however the CNM is not set up say like the Kawai K5ooos to control 128 bands of harmonics.

In terms of sound the modular doesnt quite have that sparkling clear ethereal metallic sound quality of the Kawai K5000S or the delicacy of a Waldorf XT in my humble opinion, so whilst it sounds great I don,t feel it is "outstanding" hence the "9" rating. However, I would give a "10" for expressiveness in the sense that you can express yourself a lot through this instrument in the mind boggling variety of sounds you can create. The fun lies in the lack of boundaries of this machine within the limits of processing power and good taste (or bad taste if you are that way inclined) You can reshape a given sound in a larger variety of ways than on a non modular setup so the scope for expression is as much about how you build your virtual synths and the sounds you put through the CNM as much as any intrinsic quality of the instrument inself.

Reliability: N/A
The software and synth work fine, no glithches so far in 4 months of daily use. However I do have occasional gltches with the MIDI interfacing and OMS more than anything when this happens my Mac cant see the CNM. I use it live just disconnect it from the Mac first!

Customer Support: 4
Never had to deal with the company. Support over the web is great with user forums and 1000s of patches online and various books written on how to program the beastie.

Overall Rating: 10
If it were lost or stolen I would replace it if I could afford it again. What I love about this machine is that it such an education more than just an instrument. By building up your own synths switching modules and routings around, testing the sounds as you go you get a deeper understanding for how sounds are created and how they are percieved I know this is true of any synth but with this synth the satisfaction is deep. I can hear what each component does to the sound as I add it. So its a sort of virtual electronics kit which happens to generate sounds as well. If you get satisfaction out of creating (or trying to in my case) raw sounds from scratch you will have a lot of fun with this machine. This quality has a downside in that I sometimes go off on tangents of sonic exploration as an end in itself. Some of these patches end up being used musically so I guess by keeping my palette of sounds fresh this thing helps me to make music.
I compared this at the time I was buying it with the Waldorf XT which sounded great and was very intuitive to program, but the scientist in the white lab coat in me won out and the virtual electronics tool kit aspect of the CNM tipped the balance.
I have been following mostly electronic dance music for some 15 years now "hip-hop, house, techno", but have only discovered the joy of making it in the last three years. I also own a number of conventional synths representative of different types of synthesis such as a FM DX100 and a Kawai K5000S as well as an expanded Roland JV1080 for my "conventional" sounds.
If you arent into programming there are tons of patches on the net but in that case maybe you should just borrow a CNM from time to time and sample it.

Submitted by Anonymous at 10/20/2000 02:08

Price Paid: 13500 (SEK)

Ease of Use: 10
Well, using a Nord Modular is no trivial task. Why? Because it's incredibly complex. Why? It's a modular synthesizer. This mainly means that you BUILD your own synthesizer. You need to know how sound generation works. If you don't, programming this synthesizer will be daunting. But since you program it via a computer program (PC or Mac) doing this is a breeze. SO you need to understand what you are doing, but then it is a breeze!

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
The only thing the Nord Modular doesn't do is things that require a lot of internal memory, like sampling, reverbs, delays, pitch shift and other "digital" type of sound effects. So as you realize, you will be hardpressed to get realistic sounds out of it. But any analog-type of sound is possible to get, and it sounds great too. The keyboard is velocity sensitive, and you can assign aftertouch or any other controller to exactly anything you like!

Reliability: 10
I have never had any problems, and the steel casing feels very sturdy. Clavia has made stuff for a long time and is known to make realiable stuff.

Customer Support: N/A
I've talked to them, and visited them. Really nice guys, and very friendly. But I haven't had any problems, so I can't answer for the customer support...

Overall Rating: 10
This is the best piece of equipment I have, and I love everything about it. There are of course room for improvements, and I'm sure Clavia is thinking up new modules to include in future softwares,
but there is so far nothing I have wanted to do that I haven't been able to do. The greatest limitation is that you only have two analog inputs. With four simultaneous voices, you would be able to use eight of them. But if I would ever need more analog inputs, I'll buy a Micro Modular, which is basically a quarter of a modular, i.e. only one sound at a time.

Submitted by Lennart Regebro at 10/16/2000 07:27

Price Paid: N/A

Ease of Use: 10
I never worked with a modular synth before so I decided the nord modular is a nice small package. currently using version 3.0 of the os the presets are very useful and out of the box you can make music. the best part though is the editing software, basically its like having a lego building block set for sound. very easy to visualize what you want to do and its fun to tinker with the different modules. This is the ultimate classroom synth I recommend this to schools teaching synthesis. great manual and excellent resources on the net.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
the nord modular has some shitty grand piano sounds, very unrealistic piano :) seriously buy a piano if you want piano sounds for 999 you can get a real true upright piano. if you want sounds that are out of this world then the nord modular is it. I have heard sounds come out of that synth that cannot be described only heard to believed. I honestly believe any real studio should atleast have 1 nord modular. Excellent for movie scoring and electronic and experimental music. the sounds on they unit cannot be duplicated elsewhere trust me I have lots of stuff in our studio and everyone is amazed by this synth

Reliability: 10
Excellent construction, steel and laquer paint. remember the 1950's studebaker or other classic cars. the paint on this keyboard is amazing, it is hefty and feels hand crafted (are they???) this is the volvo of keyboards.

Customer Support: 10
excellent support, I get quick replys to my email from the actual developers of the keyboard. they take pride in keeping the synth up to date with software features and excellent user resources. who everthought you can get newer versions of software with more functionality for free. imagine buying logic audio 4.0 and getting the new versions for free as opposed to (paying for upgrades)
Clavia in my opinion sets the standards for other keyboard companies and I will sure keep buying thier products

Overall Rating: 10
Im going to purchase another one, its that useful its been almost 2 years of working with this product and I use it on a day to day basis with my other studio equipment. It has been an asset to my scoring and basically there is no competition to it. Get one if you can there are thousands of presets so you can use it right out of the box and then when you are ready to create your own you can.

Submitted by benny at 06/29/2000 17:36

Price Paid: US $1350.

Ease of Use: 7
I am using OS 3.03. I've had the modular for about 2 weeks and the more I explore it the more I am completely blown away-I think I will be selling some synths that I thought i would never sell, this thing has made them seem practically useless ! The presets are excellent with some of the most novel sounds and sequences I have ever heard- as well as the classics- it is all here- . The PC editor is like rebirth on steroids and, unlike rebirth- you will probably spend years learning from the modular. Let this be your master. The computer editor makes editing the patches a breeze- in fact the whole approach to editing and programming is through the pc. The manual is superb- explains everything- it is a very large and dense spiral bound manual with great printing. like any machine, as you learn to use the mod it will get less and less intimidating but it is very imposing at first- don't be afraid. It's only as complex as you want it to be.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
Absoultely prstine sound quality when removed from the pc. When hooked to the pc i get some noise associated with the computer- its minor. When you remove it from the pc though the thing is fat, punchy deep, liquidy everything analog is- but better- what can I say to convince you this thing has any other synth beat hands down. Suffice to say this thing has killed my craving for any other synth and I am in the process of selling all my old analog "crap" for the expansion and a micromodular!! I am sold 100% and the only reason I am giving this review is so that the people who created this thing get filthy rich! they deserve it- this is the greatest thing since the minimoog-it will innovate music as we know it! it is the closest thing to "god" that i can think of. BUY it buy it buy it buy it buy it!!!

Reliability: 10
ULTRA RELIABLE UNLIKE ANALOG IT WILL STAY IN TUNE and clavia will fix it for you since there is no lack of parts.

Customer Support: 10
I never had to deal with this small Swedish company but I hear its the best- user downloadable OS revisions are regulaly posted to their website and they offer thousands of patches which will keep you snowed in for years- I am serious!

Overall Rating: 10
This is one of the best pieces of gear I've ever owned- I love it- and would buy it again if It were somehow destroyed- the only thing it needs are a few sliders ala roland jp80-80.

Submitted by Anonymous at 05/12/2000 22:42

Price Paid: N/A

Ease of Use: N/A

Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
Just a quick addendum to my previous posting: recently, after working with the Modular for extended periods, I've noted that many sounds have a slightly metalic edge when "fading out". Also, if you're after FAT analog emulation, this one's not really the ticket - I managed to get some nice strings out of it, but the real analog fat is missing. If you want a virtual analog for fatness, try the Yamaha AN1-X or the Novation (Super)Nova.

For experimental sounds, this thing is still untouched in HARDWARE (some software really beats it at the modular game). Currently I'm creating models of acoustic instruments - that is, I'm modelling acoustic instruments using the Modular, itself a model of an analog, modular synth.... These sounds are produced by a resonator and a 'tube' (a delay of between 4 and 16ms works great); at the moment I'm using noise to feed the 'feedback-circuit', because the modular won't create sound from feedback unless you're feeding some signal in (probably a treshold 'problem').

Freaky stuff.

Reliability: N/A

Customer Support: N/A

Overall Rating: N/A

Submitted by Richard Knijnenburg at 02/08/2000 09:28

Price Paid: US $2250

Ease of Use: 10
Using the last version before 3.0 arrives (2.01 I think). The software-interface is the best ever.

Expressiveness/Sounds: 9
This is for experimental music and any analog/fm sounds. Makes very aggresive bass-sounds for dnb and techno, strings (with fat chorussing) and fat analog drums, although I haven't found a way to get really TIGHT kickdrums - dunno why, some small internal delays. Something like the Jomox XBase 09 walks all over it for hard-edged drums. The vocal-filter and quantiser modules are particular favorites

Reliability: 10
Sure.

Customer Support: 10
Incredible software-updates. Quick response to e-mail.

Overall Rating: 10
Would buy it again - nothing else in it's league, not even the new modulars (although I'd buy them as well!). Had it for about a year now. What I DON'T LIKE: its output is, well, noise, maybe even VERY noisy. Haven't noticed noise-levels like this before on digital synths. For really clean recordings you're going to need a good noise-gate.

Submitted by Richard Knijnenburg at 09/02/1999 08:44

Price Paid: SEK 13900

Ease of Use: 8
Dont forget that this virtual (synth) system can also be used as a great effects processor. With its 2 inputs (4 out)and the 19" housing it can be mounted in a rack, featuring 18 assignable knobs.
See "Clavia Modular" in the Synth Database.

Sound Quality: 10
Its modules can be patched (with a PC editor) to really strange sound processing "sculptures". Cant describe them... If you need/want this kind of "obvious", unusual effects, that are offered for example by the TC Fireworx, you have to really think about Clavia Modular. It's flexible (a synth too of course...), user friendly (editing on PC screen) and even a bit cheaper than the TC and similars. Interesting modules for sound processing: vocoder, filters, dynamic processors, phaser, distorsions, sequencers, envelope follower. And of course all the rest like oscillators, LFOs, EGs, logic processing. New modules announced.
See "Clavia Modular" in the Synth Database. "Sound quality" is same as "Nordlead 2" in the Synth Database (Almost the same algorithms, but of course more of them in the Modular)

Reliability: N/A
Studio use. So far no problems.

Customer Support: N/A
? A very little (~10 pers.) company located in Stockholm, Sweden. Are said to be cool but I never met/phoned them.

Overall Rating: 10
Take a look at it - then you'll know why you need it ;)

Submitted by Robert at 09/04/1998 04:48