Nord Modular vs Creamware Modular 2

algorhythm · Post by **algorhythm** » Wed Jul 17, 2002 8:57 am

Greetz Mod Headz -

Whilst our dearly beloved Modular 2 is great, I am courting 'the dark side' and am thinking about getting the Nord Modular Keyboard (well I guess Reaktor would be the real dark side, Nord is still DSP). I seek to augment Modular 2, not replace it, cuz nothing can do that.

Can anyone compare the two? I have checked out the Module list and editor, and the Nord seems to be quite similar to Mod2. I am interested in people's opinions who have used both. (I live in a small town and cannot try the Nord, I must buy it online). Sound charachteristics? Missing essential modules? etc. etc. etc.

Why I want the Nord - Its a small piece of kit that is very stable and freely configurable and will kick ass with my laptop rig for live performance, yet won't tax my computer resources at all, and I won't have to shell out $800 for a Magma box. (And I can finally off my old Yamaha CS2X to fund the venture!!)

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.:algorhythm:. shouldn't you be making music or something?

[ This Message was edited by: algorhythm on 2002-07-17 09:58 ]

subhuman · Post by **subhuman** » Wed Jul 17, 2002 11:35 am

You'll like it. It has a different sound which many people like - I'm not a huge nord-sound fan, but some of my favorite musicians ARE ... (Infected Mushroom, Symbiote, etc). I'd say it would be a fun change from the CS2X, go for it. The main thing is you'll need a dedicated MIDI I/O port for the beast, and the other advantage besides portability, is the interface is really fast, if not less colorful, than mod2.

Just do it, get a good deal on one, and trade it away if it doesn't quite suit you. But with your experiMental quirky style, I think it would be a really good match. And portable keys to boot!

algorhythm · Post by **algorhythm** » Wed Jul 17, 2002 12:06 pm

Sub - I know what you mean about "the nord sound" - I don't have a strong opinion on it, but can recognize it sometimes.

I have a dedicated MIDI I/O pair for it - just got a 'lil 2x2 MIDIsport for the laptop.

I don't figure that the Creamware ports would like the NordMod much, what with all the SYSEX problems people have. I figure I'll keep this beast separate on its own.

[I was looking into a Novation K-Station as a portable VA - but I am much more impressed by the Nord features and it seems to suit my style of music and working preferences much better (being quirky and experiMental

). Of course the Nord is 2x as expensive . . . ]

And yes, the Nord software IS UGLY!

Oh well, the interface looks useable, and it is the sound that matters at the end of the day, right?

Still looking for feedback if N E one else has got it to give, but I think I'll be picking up one of the little red tanks in the next months. . .

cheers peopz

_________________
.:algorhythm:. shouldn't you be making music or something?

[ This Message was edited by: algorhythm on 2002-07-17 13:07 ]

Thalamus · Post by **Thalamus** » Thu Jul 18, 2002 3:43 pm

Well, I have the Nord MICRO modular, and I like it a lot.

First of all I think it sounds great, really great infact, both as a synth and as an effects box.

I use it mainly for bass, drums and weird FX for vocal processing.

The cool factor is clearly that is is so small you can almost have in your innerpocket of your jacket.

You can upload 100 patches to it, and there are ALOT floating around the internet, ALOT

Check this link : http://www.simonlaven.com

Sadly i got my mod2 shortly after I got the Nord, so ofcouse the mod2 was way more nice using together with my computer setup, and have a VERY good sound too.

But if you do alot of live stuff, it is certently a nice synth. (every parameter can by midilearned). Anyway why don't you wait for NOAH.

_________________
Yours truely

Noah Laux

[ This Message was edited by: Thalamus on 2002-07-18 16:44 ]

algorhythm · Post by **algorhythm** » Thu Jul 18, 2002 11:42 pm

thanks for your reply. I am pretty sure I am going to get a NordModKeyboard version - very portable - I wish there were a mid version with 2 dsps - the full versions seems a tad more than I want, and the Micro is not quite enough.

Thalamus wrote:
Anyway why don't you wait for NOAH.

I have no interest in NOAH -
It is physically too big for what I am after.
The only synth that appeals to me is Lightwave, which I already have.
I am not into physical modeling (yet) and modeling acoustic instruments and organs does not interest me.
I assume it costs more than I have to spend.
If I were to buy another creamware product, it would be a SCOPE SRB.

algorhythm · Post by **algorhythm** » Fri Jul 19, 2002 12:30 am

On 2002-07-18 16:43, Thalamus wrote:
Check this link : http://www.simonlaven.com

what do chatterbots have to do with Nord and Creamware?

Thalamus · Post by **Thalamus** » Fri Jul 19, 2002 2:39 am

whaa, sorry wrong link (interresting though), here's the rigth one http://www.cim.mcgill.ca/~clark/nordmod ... amics.html

algorhythm · Post by **algorhythm** » Mon Jul 29, 2002 2:13 pm

GOT IT!

sweeeeeeeettttt.

I now officially have no social life (just in case that was not already obvious).

huffcw · Post by **huffcw** » Thu Nov 07, 2002 7:38 pm

NOAH would be a great hardware alternative to the Nord Modular if it can load the Modular III into it -

Creamware should also consider releasing a two-octave version for those who prefer a smaller keyboard setup.

I am very interested in what this new synth may be capable of. It is too bad Creamware is talking yet about the details.

kensuguro · Post by **kensuguro** » Fri Nov 08, 2002 6:58 am

Wasn't the comparison done befoe? (or is this an old thread) Anyway, I've got the nord mod. I got it before I got Pulsar. The nord mod kind of paved my way into Pulsar, which is cool. I've never tried using the 2 in conjunction.

Usually, I use Mod2 (and now ModIII) for everything I do at home, because I can get more instant results that way. With nord mod, the oscilators are more pure sounding, so you have to do lots of things before they start sounding fat. Not that hard since you know mod2 already.

I use nord mod for lives and also when I simply feel like playing the bass part on a 2 octave keyboard. (makes me feel really oldskool) Haven't used it much after I got Pulsar though.

Also, I should add that the sequencers in nord mod actually work. They're very usable, unlike mod2's. So that's a plus. (and you can input data with keyboard)

But I doubt you'll find anything in there that's new, since you've already got mod2. The logic procesing is a little more advanced, but it's still very troublesome to get one of those evolving drum patters going on. Signal routing is much more intuitive with nord mod. All you have are audio signals, and control signals, and logic signals. (they can all be converted) And being able to input filter cutoff frequencies in hertz is always a plus.

Dunno.. sounds like you don't need nord mod if you've already got mod2... but if you can get it really cheap, get it just to play around with it. The OS is much stable and responsive compared to mod2. You might be able to be more productive with nord mod.