yeah, and their present ones are good too. but somehow people dont talk about them as much. it seems they even fall off the radar some due to this. it happened to me. I came back to them again while searching for a different synth.
like I said, was just wondering. might be a marketing thing
I only had the 2x and loved it. great immediate interface and top sound.
Bet the A1 is also great. Didn‘t find good demos of it unfortunately, mostly vintage pads bladerunner style playing, which bores me…
shame that they got rid of the drum mode of the first leads
my use of these machines would be leads, stabs, chords, maybe some pads. I think they really shine at doing those
the 2x was pretty much a allrounder. And it was really good for punchy drums as well
This is why (in addition to cost) they probably don’t get mentioned much is because they do everything really well, but don’t do analog as good as analog, fm as good as fm, Wave table as good as wave table, etc. that said, my nl4 is the only synth I own for that very reason (it can do everything pretty well vs owning a bunch of synths)
A1 is brighter than the 4.
A1 has the OSC ‘shape mod’, 4 doesn’t.
A1 is a bastard to patch, the 4 is classic layout.
A1 has better effects, the 4 is really basic.
Sold my 4R, and still trying to get rid of the A1, but everyone is favouring the Prophet Rev2 now over these “cheaper” Nords.
Have an A1 here and it’s something of an all-rounder synth for me too. Super easy to dial in a sound that just works for whatever I’m trying to do. I’d say it does lean towards more vintage sounds but I’ve gotten some cool, but still musical, things out of the FM configs.
What I really love is the properly beat synced arps and layering. It’s the only multi-timbral synth that I’ve really clicked with.
Agree with most of that but I found the A1 just about the easiest thing I’ve ever patched / programmed.
FWIW, my two most used polys are the A1 and a Prophet Rev2. Warmth from the A1 and colder from the Rev2. 
Wow, I thought the opposite. But hey, we probably use completely different sounds 
or maybe you guys live on different sides of the equator? warm and cold are upside down that way. you probably mean the same haha 
I wouldnt be looking for deep patches with a nord. more for sounds that cut through a mix.
Definitely will. Both will. You’d be pleased with either A1 or the 4.
Hehe. Such is the joy of programmable synths!
To be fair, it’s not really as cut and dried as I made out but the two do contrast very well with each other. The Rev2’s filter is quite unlike any of the A1 filters. I enjoy them both equally for what they give me.
really miss my 2X, the pitch stick keeps me up at night…
I’ve heard 2X too…
The Nords (1 2 and 2x) are studio classics machine.
They are pretty much in every studio of the world
I have 2x and I love it- as soon soon you put effects it sounds amazing- but even with no effects it is a beauty of synth
Everything NL2
cruelest trick ever played on mankind was clavia not putting the pitch stick and mod wheel on the modular g1 keyboard.
I have the chance to buy either a Nord lead 4r or a 2x rack. I know all about the technical differences but I was wondering if anyone had had both to compare. I’m just after a bread and butter synth for quick programming. Although the fx of the 4 are a bonus I will be recording into a DAW so they are not a dealbreaker. Price difference is €200 more for the 4. Any comments on he raw sound of them both?
@Grate_expectations I’ve owned both. The 2x has a nice raw “classic”characteristic and super fun when making drum sounds. The 4 has a much broader palette plus impulse morph is crazy fun but maybe a bit more sterile/digital/cold “modern” sounding. Can’t go wrong with either but given the choice (and relatively similar price) I’d probably go with the 4. All Nords sound great, still have my A1 and Nord Drum 2.
To be honest I would not buy any Nord for supersaws - and I love, love, love the Nord lead. I might even admit to loving supersaws. None of the leads really excel at it. Esp. when you have the virus and (even better) jp80x0 with purpose-built oscillators for this.
Having said that, the leads are great instruments. I think the “more analog” tagging of the A1 is actually down to one thing - it has a chorus. It may sound silly but it adds a lot. Especially if you are just browsing presets you may not realize that the beautiful analog patch you love is really just 1 saw osc and chorus. The Lead 4 strangely does not have chorus. The other leads have no effects at all. I have a Lead 1, 2, 3, 4 and wave. All great in their own way. If only they would keep the drum mode on the new ones.