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Nord Nord Modular G2X 61-Key Synthesizer (Mac / Win)by Nord
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Features
- Over 150 different types of flexible modules including Oscillators, Filters, Envelopes, Vocoder, Physical Modelling, Reverb, Delay, Frequency Shifter, Pitch Tracker, Sequencers, LFOs, MIDI modules etc
- The G2X offers three separate assignable Modulation Wheels, Pitch Stick and Rotary Encoders to turn, bend and tweak. Five separate LCD displays on the front panel give an excellent overview on your patch creation. In fact, the ultra-flexible user interface of the G2X takes real-time editing to a higher level
- Instant access to 120 patch parameters from the synth front panel makes it a breeze to tweak and edit your sounds in real-time
- 8 Patch Variations which let you create and store 8 complete parameter setups per Patch for instant recall from the synth front panel
- The G2X offers unique features like: rotary encoders with circular LED graphs (the LED graphs instantly show the correct values of the parameters you choose); programmable parameter pages (which guide you in your sound editing work and patch creation); Performance Mode (which make it possible to set up your own thrilling multi-patches from the 4 individual synthesizer Slots on the G2X)
Product Description
No doubt, computers have become a natural part of today's music production. The process of editing sounds and sequences is so much easier from a computer screen. Still keyboard players feel the need for portable instruments.Clavia proudly presents the second generation of the Nord Modular - the Nord Modular G2. Nord Modular G2 offers you the better of two worlds and provides an effective solution for the working musician. With the G2, Clavia introduces a truly innovative hardware platform with focus on live performance features. The G2 offers fully assignable controllers to turn, bend and tweak. In fact, the ultra-flexible user interface of the G2 takes real-time editing to a higher level.While remaining true to the traditional modular synthesis concept it manages to go where no modular synthesizer has ever gone before.The is the big brother and offers the same features as the Nord Modular G2 with a few extras. The keyboard has five instead of three octaves. Moreover, the keys are semiweighted for more sensitivity to the touch. It?s fitted from the start with a voice expansion board offering twice the processing power compared to its little brothers (G2 and G2 engine). It holds two extra freely assignable modulation wheels. All three wheels are equipped with LED?s to indicate their position. Furthermore, the G2X is delivered with a goose neck microphone that you connect onto the top panel.Mac G3, 400 MHz, USB-port, 128 MB RAM, OSX 10.2 (or later)PC...Reviews
Great sound quality and programmabilityI've been so pleased with the quality and performance of my Nord Electro 73, that when I joined a new band that requires me to supply lots of synth sounds (pads, leads, effects) I knew that Nord would meet my needs with style. The G2X is truly awesome. In fact, it is such a capable synth that it might be intimidating to a lot of keyboard players. You should realize, however, that it comes with hundreds of fantastic sounds onboard that will keep you happy even if you are not a hard-core sound programmer.
Sounds are presented in categories such as FM, Lead, Synth, Classic, Pad, Acoustic, etc. This is not a synth that provides dead-on imitative sounds, such as acoustic piano, horn sections, or orchestral instruments. Rather, the focus is on synth patches. All the Moog, ARP, Oberheim, and Korg sound that you may recall from your vintage Yes and Genesis albums are here. You'll find yourself remembering how you felt the first time you heard ELP's "Lucky Man" or Styx's "Come Sail Away." There are also a ton of modern sounds that the gear from the early days of prog rock couldn't possibly produce.
If all you want is a keyboard with a ton of presets to choose from, then this keyboard may be a bit expensive. You would probably be happy with the smaller G2. I chose the G2X, however, because I need the full 5-octave keyboard. This enables me to set up various split zones so I can have several sounds ready to play at once. I can assign one sound -- a long, ghosty tone, say -- to just the bottom few notes. Meanwhile, I have an organ assigned to the next two octaves, a lead assigned to the next two, and some room left over for a few percussive or sounds at the top of the keyboard. The synth also has a full range of excellent effects which add the final bit of polish to the sounds. It's amazing what a bit of echo and chorusing can do to fatten up a patch.
The G2X also comes with a very nice gooseneck mic which goes right into a jack at the top left of the unit for vocoding-type modulation, but this is not a huge advantage over the G2. It looks very cool, yeah, but you can also plug any other mic into a jack in the back of the G2 or G2X for the same purpose, and how much vocoding do you really need to do? The G2X also offers 3 modulation wheels (and they have great-looking green led's on them to help you know their position). It is not complicated to assign any sort of modulation to these wheels, although it is unlikely you will actually need 3 of them for any given sound on a regular basis unless you are a major tweak-head. Still, there could be times when you want to adjust, say, tremolo with one, the amount of reverb with another, and the "q" with a third. Of course, you could also control all three things with just one wheel, if you like. There are also quite a number of knobs that can be assigned to various parameters, with small displays that tell you what they are controlling at any given moment.
The G2X has a nice-feeling keyboard, an unbelievable amount of flexibility in how you can set sounds up on it, 4 inputs and 4 outputs, plus the dedicated XLR mic input. It's not heavy, and of course aesthetically it is very hot. The sound programming application they include is quite good, with a new version already available as a beta from the clavia website. If you are a serious keyboardist looking for a synth that provides an incredible amount of programming and tweaking capabilities and an arsenal of synth sounds, the G2X is a fantastic choice.