Synth Feature: Nord Lead 2X - by Oresti

It has recently become apparent to me that Indaba has a strong synth-centric community, so for this week’s gear review, I thought I’d focus on a piece of hardware I know and love, the Nord Lead 2X.

But let’s take a step back for a second. Say you’re looking to get a keyboard, what are some important things you need to think about? Well, budget is a big consideration. If you really don’t have much money to throw around for a keyboard, perhaps you’re better off getting a MIDI controller - in other words, a keyboard with no sounds loaded onto it. M-Audio and other companies make a variety of keyboards with varying amounts of controllers on-board that start at $100. These devices will be your quickest, least expensive way into the realm of digital synthesis, as you can just use them to control software synthesizers in Garageband, Logic, Live!, or Reason (just to name a few programs).

If you’re really looking to get a hardware synthesizer with built-in sounds so that you don’t have to rely on your computer, then you should head over to your nearest Sam Ash or Guitar Center and just start playing all of them! Roland, Korg, Yamaha, Moog, Clavia… there’s a great variety of keyboards out there, with different purposes and sounds, and it’s up to you to figure out what best suits you.

Just as I mentioned in my studio monitor review a couple of weeks ago, everyone has a different set of ears and really needs to listen until they’re comfortable with that they’re purchasing. This goes the same for any guitar, speaker, pair of headphones, and certainly keyboards are no exception.

I already have a full-sized digital piano, a Yamaha P-80, which was the closest thing I could find to the feel of playing an actual piano, but could fit in my cramped apartment, so I wasn’t in the market for a keyboard with a real piano function. During my keyboard quest, I was searching for something that could give me great lead synth lines and big open pads. From fun power-pop to atmospheric Radiohead-style openness, I needed something that I could use on a variety of projects.

At school, I was able to get accustomed to using a micro-Korg, a tiny, fun synth that’s great for leads and has a cool retro look to it. Those go for about $400 new, $300 on eBay, so if what you’re after is ultra-portable with great lead sounds, this is probably a solid option for you. Some drawbacks are the tiny keys - I have fairly large hands as I’m more of a piano player, and it can be rather cumbersome to maneuver. It also feels a bit cheap and plastic, as if you may break it if you play it too hard… but I suppose this is also part of the appeal.

Another synth I tried out at school which really caught my attention is the Roland SH-201. A bunch of fun knobs and oscillators, full-sized keys… and a couple of more octaves than the micro-Korg. I made some sounds I really enjoyed on this piece of gear and after a few weeks, headed over to Guitar Center to pick one up. The SH-201s go for about $600 new, and if you’re lucky you can get them for about $400 on eBay. Anyways, upon my arrival to Guitar Center, I sat down and started playing a few licks on the 201, and there was even a demo model on sale, so I was completely ready to buy it until a beautiful red synth caught my eye. I had seen people playing these before - Clavia’s Nord keyboards… clean, solid, and red. I figured they were just pretentious and didn’t really have much going on, but I took the Nord Lead 2X for a spin and found it blew the Roland keyboard out of the water.

The sheer sonic quality of the synth was instantly noticeable. Much better digital to analog converters, a more solid feeling knobs, and a cleaner overall package made me want the Nord piece within seconds. It has similar oscillators and options as the 201, but the 201 is all plastic and kind-of looks and feels like a toy. As I’m an aspiring musician and producer, I want to feel as if I’m working and performing on a professional instrument, not a toy.

The Lead 2X has a high-resolution pitch-bend and modulation wheel, which give you smoother, more music control over your changes than your usual controllers. The pads will flesh out your work and the leads will drive your hooks, there’s really no reason to not get one of these aside from the cost. At $1,000 new, the Lead 2X can be a bit hard on the wallet, but just keep your eyes peeled on eBay for it’s older siblings, the Nord Lead 1 and Nord Lead 2, and you might find a great deal! There’s also a rack version for a couple of hundred dollars less, which has no keyboard attached to it. If you already have a keyboard or controller you like, simply get a Lead 2X Rack and you’ll have the same great sound.

You can check out some more details and listen to some demo’s at the Clavia site. I’ve made a couple of samples for you to check out as well. Here’s a clip for a song I recorded before I added a Nord pad to it. It works, it’s a big outro to the song, but the artist and I just felt it needed something more to really bring it home, so we added an eerie wind-like pad to it. By adding the pad, the track is fleshed out and way more lush. You can also do some cool stuff with the arpeggiator. On this sample, you can hear me modulating the frequency response with the mod-wheel halfway through.The Nord can also do classic saw synth very well, as you can hear in my shoddy rendition of Van Halen’s “Jump.”

Alright Indaba, that’s enough from me… go check out some synths and get your tracks poppin’!