Members eric CRAPton Posted June 23, 2004 Members Share Posted June 23, 2004 I had never really seriously considered the Nord Mod series but I was really impressed with the quality of Roalds MM sounds in the clip he posted. To anyone here with experience with both, how does the ION compare to the NM(not the G2) just in terms of sound quality/analogness? I realize they're very different feature-wise. I was impressed with the MM minimoog patch I heard. Can the ION do this as well or better? Does the sound quality and flexibility of the NM outweigh the annoyance of having to hook it up to a PC to edit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KrazyKarl Posted June 23, 2004 Members Share Posted June 23, 2004 why don't you buy a shotgun and kill some liberals instead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Yoozer Posted June 23, 2004 Members Share Posted June 23, 2004 Originally posted by eric CRAPton I had never really seriously considered the Nord Mod series but I was really impressed with the quality of Roalds MM sounds in the clip he posted. To anyone here with experience with both, how does the ION compare to the NM(not the G2) just in terms of sound quality/analogness? I realize they're very different feature-wise. I was impressed with the MM minimoog patch I heard. Can the ION do this as well or better? If you want to design a Moog-ish filter on the Nord Mod (which has the standard Nord filters that might sound a bit cold for your taste) you might have to do more to achieve perfection; while the ION has all of this already built in (as well as other classic filters). If you're looking for a lead synth I'd go for the ION and maybe a Micromodular as nifty extra. My opinion might be colored because I already have a MM and haven't explored the ION sufficiently yet. Thing is, however.. the closest I ever heard to a Moog is a MemoryMoog and a Macbeth M3x which I had fun with for an hour. They're definately different beasts and while the ION has a few tricks already up its sleeve (filter models, analog drift) I think you'll have to spend more time on the Micromod as most patches simply focus to emulate the sound, but not the extras (analog drift isn't that hard though, but the filter models can become a pain). Does the sound quality and flexibility of the NM outweigh the annoyance of having to hook it up to a PC to edit? Most definately! You don't have to keep it hooked up as you may know - load up 99 presets (Micro) or 891 (full Modular), assign the knobs and keep yourself busy for a -long- time. You'll soon become hooked to it once you have it; if you hear a sound and want to emulate it, you can either choose out of the thousands of patches on the web, or spend half an hour building and refining your own (mad fun if things work out for you ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members eric CRAPton Posted June 23, 2004 Author Members Share Posted June 23, 2004 Originally posted by KrazyKarl why don't you buy a shotgun and kill some liberals instead Well, because I already own a shotgun. But thanks for the idea anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members toorglick Posted June 23, 2004 Members Share Posted June 23, 2004 Okay, so I'm stupid and lazy and hadn't checked out the MM yet in detail. But, are you saying that you can create 99 patches on the computer, and then load those into the MM and still get the same processing power (and, I assume, fidelity) as if the unit were hooked up to the 'puter? I figured the knobs are for real time control, assignable most likely. Yes? Seriously, you can get the same power and sounds out of it? Is it compatible with the G2? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members keanu reeves Posted June 23, 2004 Members Share Posted June 23, 2004 processing power does not equate to fidelity. it equates to polyphony. yes its just as powerful when its away from the computer. its a hardware unit through and through. yes knobs are for realtime control. i dont know if 3 or all 4 are assignable. yes you can seriously get the same sounds. just not as much poly. the G2 after a couple more software updates, will totally eclipse everything the nord modular can do. but that doesnt mean the nord mod isnt as incredible as it was 6 months ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Roald Posted June 23, 2004 Members Share Posted June 23, 2004 Eric, I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the mp3s. I got hooked by the MicroMod because of the patch that Yoozer designed, that sounded exactly like the ARP axxe lead sound, that I had as a reference. I asked everybody to copy that sound as close as possible. Now, it wasn't my goal to have a synth that sounded EXACTLY like the ARP, but mainly to hear how flexible each synth is, and how (smooth) it sounds for this particular type of patch. Maybe you can give us an mp3 of a particular Moog sound that you want to have, and we can try and recreate it... For me, the ION mp3 didn't cut it, and sounded a bit digital. I had reached the same conclusion playing it in my music shop as well. I loved the interface on the ION, and the looks. The best thing about the MM is its ultra flexibility, especially for routing things to the mod wheel or knobs, so you can basically control anything you want the way you want it. I also like the huge patch library, because I am not the super yoozerlike programmer. I generally search for a certain sound category, choose the best one and edit it to my liking. You can get very fat and analogish sounds, there are even special workshops for that by Rob Hordijk on the net. Also..you MUST (imho ) have an external FX box with delay and reverb. (reverb also not on the ION) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Yoozer Posted June 23, 2004 Members Share Posted June 23, 2004 Originally posted by flukewurm yes knobs are for realtime control. i dont know if 3 or all 4 are assignable. Just 3 - the 4th is the volume knob . This comes from the original Modular which has 18 knobs - 6 for the first part, 6 for the second, and 3 for the 2 last parts. A Micromodular is 1/4th of a big one, so you get 3 knobs. Originally posted by toorglick Okay, so I'm stupid and lazy and hadn't checked out the MM yet in detail. But, are you saying that you can create 99 patches on the computer, and then load those into the MM and still get the same processing power (and, I assume, fidelity) as if the unit were hooked up to the 'puter? It's indeed not about processing power; all the computer's going to do is be responsible for the design of the patch. That is why you can hook it up to a P1-166 running Windows 98 - the processing power is in the box itself. Seriously, you can get the same power and sounds out of it? Is it compatible with the G2? Compatibility is something they're writing a tool for (for a 90% correct conversion, according to the Clavia guy at the stand on the Messe) - a lot of modules have been reworked and rewritten in drastic and subtle ways. The G2 has some nifty extras like the DX routing module (it can interpret DX-7 sysex) and the physical modelling stuff (wind instruments, string instruments). These features can be mimicked in a way on the classic Modular (and most certainly the DX-7 - a lot of patches have been converted for use in the Modular) but things like the wind model aren't available; you'll have to program then, and even then I don't know if you can get close. The string model is usually mimicked with a bunch of delay lines and an impulse (Karplus strong); now it's squished into a single module. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members eric Posted June 24, 2004 Members Share Posted June 24, 2004 I just got a used Micro Modular last week, thanks in large part to the advice and MP3s I've heard from users here. Thanks to AfroRouge for selling one of his MMs to me. I have spent a lot of time in the past week scrolling through the hundreds and hundreds of sounds available and picking my favorites, making slight edits (mainly assigning knobs, changing octaves, adding an in/out so when I run my Electro into it I can hear it, etc.). For gigs, I run the MM into my Yamaha S90 and use the internal FX on the S90 to process the sound for delay, reverb etc. This is one of the coolest little gizmos I've ever had! G.A.S. for the bigger brothers is definitely increasing, but I am very happy with the MM. It is great! Regards,Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AfroRouge Posted June 24, 2004 Members Share Posted June 24, 2004 Originally posted by Yoozer That is why you can hook it up to a P1-166 running Windows 98... I've got a laptop that still has Windows 95 on it, just for the editor. The editor can practically run on urine, it requires so little in the way of resources. Glad you're enjoying the MM, Eric! The MM is a safe buy for a number of reasons. Its price is stable, for one, so you can sell it for what you buy it for these days. It's tough as nails, since it has very few moving parts, so you're not likely to get a broken one (I've never heard of a broken one - has anyone?). My second MM, which is a few years older than the one I sold Eric, is in exactly the same condition, and has probably been used a lot more. And if you end up deciding it can't do an adequate Moog lead (which you may) you'll still be able to find thousands of uses for it. I bought my second MM from a pro studio and the patches they had on there were almost entirely of the signal processing variety - compressors, phasers (you can go wild here), distortion, etc. Just as an effects processor, the MM is fantastic fun. It's also small, so you don't have to devote a lot of space to it. Anyone who still uses hardware as their main source of sounds, and especially those who haven't or don't want to go the soft synth route, should seriously think about a used MM. It provides the ease of use of hardware (1/4" jacks) with the incredible flexibility of a software platform. And it sounds pretty good, besides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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