Impressions

Here are more or less interesting musical impressions, things and thoughts ...

Moog vs. Clavia/Nord - Analog vs. Virtual Analog

A quick comparison of a typical lead sound to show how similar the analog Moog Voyager and the virtual analog Nord Lead A1 are sounding. Clavia did a great job and the A1 makes a lot of fun.

Sounds: two-oscillator sawtooth, low pass filter fully opened
Effects: pingpong delay and reverb (Moog external, Nord internal FX section)

Comparison of the basic saw wave of the Nord Lead A1, the Wave 2, the Nord Stage 3 and the Nord Stage 4

As an owner of the Nord Stage 3 and 4 and temporarily of the the Nord Lead A1 and the Nord Wave 2 I was curious how similar they sound (there is the "A1 engine" inside of the Stage 3 according to Clavia Nord). I'm a fan of classic mono (moogish) sounds and I immediately noticed that the basic saw waves in the A1 and the Wave 2 sound significantly buzzier than in the Stage. You can hear it clearly but you can see it very dramatically in the analyzer graphic (see below).

Sound: Sound init, Classic Saw, single osc, frequency fully open, "LP M" filter. All other settings are the same.

WHITE line: Lead A1
ORANGE line: Stage 3
RED line: Stage 4
BLUE line: Wave 2

Nord Piano Monitors

The Nord Piano Monitors could be seen as a "luxury accessory" (especially because I already have a pair of quite decent studio monitors). But after having played with them now for a couple of days, I have to admit that they combine very well with the Nord sounds, and they actually create the illusion that the sound is coming from the instrument and not from the speakers. Additionally, because of their firm attachment to the instrument, they produce a vibration when playing loud and low notes, what also enhances the realism of the sound and feeling.