HI guys! I have lots of characterful monos, but thinking about getting the NL A1 just for chords, pads and other poly sounds.
Do you think is it woth for just that? (Only from owners please!)
Thanks a lot!
Yes. It’s multitimbral and you can have 4 individual parts, or stack those 4 parts on top of each other and that affords you the ability to make some really big and evolving sounds. It’s been stripped down when compared to older units, and this makes patch creation really quick. I really did mine, the only reason I’d get rid of it is for a desktop module, as I’ve got too many keyboards. Sorry for saying the obvious, check some sound samples if you haven’t.
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Yes.
It’s a pad machine.
Check out their bundles, free,
https://www.nordkeyboards.com/sound-libraries/product-libraries/synthesizers/nord-lead-a1/kroffe-bank
If you’re in Australia I’ve got mine up for trade/sale
Also the onboard FX are pretty damn good. The reverbs and Ensemble fxs are pad perfect.
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Consider the Nord Lead 2, 3 or rack versions as well. Also multitimbral. In the case of the NL2Rack, you can still find them for peanuts.
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No way, It’s called “Lead”. You start pulling bass lines or pads out of that thing and Nord will know the gig is up.
It’s a nice box , has fx too … or try nord lead 4 or access virus desktop / modules , blofeld
Nord 2,3 I don’t think have fx built in
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After testing lots of polysynths I arrived at the conclusion (right or wrong) that A1 has a certain presence that makes it stand out.
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I really like the Nords for brighter piano, organ and brass type sounds. If I didn’t already have an Oberheim, it would be on my wish list. It’s like polar opposite of the dark Virus sound.
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The Nord Lead series are different to the Stage/Piano series. They’re definitely closer to the Virus in terms of being able to go into more synthetic territory. Nord Lead is all over late 90s Autechre and NIN releases, for example.
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Too bad they didn’t use the features from NL4 
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Imo nord lead synths are still among the best sounding digital synths ever made; im waiting to see if they will release an NL5 or NLA2, will probably buy either one
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I doubt it… but who knows…
that and a new Nord Drum
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Ugh, want an A1R so bad but they’re rare. Love the nord sound and the 4x multitimbrality + different filter models + effects per layer look really fun for live performance.
I’d gladly pay 1k€ for one, or trade a Novation Peak plus a few €… but locally they seem to go for 1300€ or more, and I don’t think they’re worth that much.
For now, I just bought an SH-4D, since on paper it does a lot more for half the price;)
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Saw one yesterday on ebay
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update - snagged one on Reverb for about 1k€! overall loving it.
- the limitations can be annoying - really wish at least detune or sub osc were separately configurable from the single osc config thing, and that the osc config were bipolar not unipolar! having to choose between detune OR waveshaping/FM feels weird.
- sweet spots are everywhere. this synth oozes character.
- different filters sound good and offer a lot of flexibility. my main complaint with the Peak was the mod matrix sucked to edit and the filter wasn’t to my liking.
- the organ and digital wave forms with a touch of FM = gorgeous for keys and pads
- effects are serviceable, not great. not super adjustable. fine for a jam, but i’d rather add effects ITB
when i treat the constraints as “liberating” for being in the flow (e.g. think of the synth in comparison to a prophet 5, not a hydrasynth or peak) i think the A1 delivers. super fast workflow and a great core sound. it’s not a sit and tweak for hours synth, it’s a “dial it in, enjoy, and move on” synth.
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How would you compare it to SH-4d?
Much better sound in my oppinion.
Yeah agree with Shinobi, I find the sound nicer to my ears. Still sh4d sounds good in its own way. Roland vs Nord. It’s a bit of an apples to oranges:)
SH4D is a great concept on paper but fell so far short on workflow that it killed it for me - I’m kinda a UI geek. Some bad UIs are tolerable- like setting up kits on a TR8s, since the rest of the interface is solid. sh4d sounds good in a clinical Roland way, but sound design was a chore not a fun experiment. For how knobby it is, the interesting parameters are buried in menus and only editable one at a time.
I think it would reward someone patient enough to learn it’s quirks and do detailed sound design in menus (all the interesting parameters are buried there). And sequencing externally to avoid the patterns/sound saving mess. The parts didn’t add up to a whole for me.
A1 is super simple and limited in what you can do (without layering timbres.) But damn do those limited options sound good. It’s very immediate to dial in a sound. And the Nord oscs and different filter types add a lot of excellent sounding variety. Also fits superb in any mix.
A1 has some annoyancss:
- modulation of osc or filter etc is only unipolar positive
- no knob takeover or pickup
- limited parameters in osc and fx shaping. Eg delay is just feedback, dry wet, and time.
- lfo only routes to filter or osc mod. However can get around this with the easy to program mod wheel and or external LFOs
- you have to choose between sub, 2nd osc, detune, waveshaping, or noise. No combining without layering. But I think there is a control all feature for making that easy. Just haven’t tried it yet.
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Thanks for the feedback! I’ve recently watched Andertons video on A1 and was quite impressed about how flexible and immediate is the interface. Really cleverly designed and looks way more limited than it actually is.
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