Blofeld Keyboard vs Nord Lead 2x

[Le Danielé]

Hi, I've owned digital and analogue synths, but I sold them all. Now it's time to buy a new all-around synth, and this is my question: Blofeld KB or Nord Lead 2x? I'll be in the US this winter and I'm gonna buy one of them.

Judging from demos and reviews (as I live in Mexico City, and you can find anything other than microkorg around here):

Blofeld Pros:
- Sample Playback and Tweakability
- FM (I love FM) and Wavetables (I don't care too much about)
- Lots of modulation routes
- Best looking synth ever (sorry I had to mention that...)

Blofeld Cons:
- Only two outs
- Slow Interface
- Few live-tweaking possibilities
- Not very good with VA synthesis
- Buggy interface (from the forums, I really don't know if it's true)

Nord Lead 2x Pros:
- Good VA sound
- Lot of knobs
- Solid OS
- 4 outs

Nord Lead 2x Cons:
- I hate red
- Very simple Fm implementation
- Probably cheaper than Blofeld
- I don't have to travel to the US to buy one
- Best value in case i don't like it and i want to sell it.


I don't care about internal FX, I won't be using them anyway. I could maybe spend a little more and get a Nord Wave instead of the Nord Lead, that would give sample access too and made the contest more fair.

I play electro, ambient, trip hop and 8 bit, all mixed in a very strange way.

Thanks for your comments.

[prinsen]

Just commenting on a few of your statements.

Blofeld Cons:
- Not very good with VA synthesis
- Buggy interface (from the forums, I really don't know if it's true)

- I've spent a lot of time with a lot of different analog and digital synth as well, and have to disagree about the VA capabilities of the Blofeld. It's really subjective stuff, but I think it's excellent in the VA department. The Nord Lead 2X on the other hand... I never fancied that one.
- In my experience the Blofeld interface has been flawless since OS 1.15. I don't use multimode though.

Nord Lead 2x Cons:
- Probably cheaper than Blofeld

- Not the case around here (Scandinavia), where the Blofeld Keyboards are about 2/3 of the price of the Nord Lead 2X, both new and second hand.

[Le Danielé]

Hearing that Blofeld sounds good as a VA are really good news, how does the raw oscillators sounds? For me the most importante thing about a demo, is to know how good the oscillators sounds without filters, envelope, or effects. I'm not that interested in Multimode, so I should have no problem with the OS neither!

The Nord synths are not cheap in Mexico (not at all actually), but it's easier to find one (second hand) or buying one from the only distributor for a prohibitive price. The Blofeld, however would be more expensive because I'd have to travel to US to get one.

Thanks for your comments.

[prinsen]

how does the raw oscillators sounds? For me the most importante thing about a demo, is to know how good the oscillators sounds without filters, envelope, or effects.

They sound good to me, meaning; the pulse sounds like an actual pulse, the saw sounds like an actual saw and the triangle sounds like an actual triangle. They're a little on the perfect side perhaps, as octaves of the same note don't beat against eachother like two non-calibrated analog oscillators would. It's insignificant though, if you ask me, as there are many better ways to make sounds come alive.

[Le Danielé]

how does the raw oscillators sounds? For me the most importante thing about a demo, is to know how good the oscillators sounds without filters, envelope, or effects.

They sound good to me, meaning; the pulse sounds like an actual pulse, the saw sounds like an actual saw and the triangle sounds like an actual triangle. They're a little on the perfect side perhaps, as octaves of the same note don't beat against eachother like two non-calibrated analog oscillators would. It's insignificant though, if you ask me, as there are many better ways to make sounds come alive.

True, that can be fixed with modulation, filters and everything else. Any opinions about the Nord?

[Joey]

blofeld > nord by a large margin

the serious amount of features you get outweigh any possible benefit you would get from the nord

read these reviews:

http://jexus.id.uw.edu.pl/syntezatory_p ... ead_2x.htm

http://jexus.id.uw.edu.pl/syntezatory_p ... lofeld.htm

[Le Danielé]

I've must have seen that videos at least 30 times each!!! But Mr.Jexus himself says that Blofeld it's not very good at emulating VA, or pushing sounds to the limits (I suppose higher FM rates) that's why I'm asking for 2nd opinions. Thanks for your comments!

[Dubersive]

I've must have seen that videos at least 30 times each!!! But Mr.Jexus himself says that Blofeld it's not very good at emulating VA, or pushing sounds to the limits (I suppose higher FM rates) that's why I'm asking for 2nd opinions. Thanks for your comments!

As of 3 days ago, I am a very happy owner of a Blofeld KB. It just sounds so alive to my ears, and the sound creation and mangling possibilities are practically endless, especially with the 60mb of sample memory. In fact, the sheer amount of parameters to tweak and ways to tweak them are almost intimidating for me - lately I've just been f**k around with the presets and changing them around a bit, and I already know that I could not have asked for a better VA at a cheaper price.

I can't comment on the Nord Lead, having only played with them briefly in music stores. But I can say with full confidence that if you get the chance to buy a Blofeld KB at a good price, you should. I don't think you'll regret it

[Le Danielé]

I really doubt I could get one at a good price, but I started this thread thinking more about the Blofeld, and seems like that's the one to get!

[CfNorENa]

Well, I've just been singing the praises of the Blofeld on gearslutz and HC KSS, so I might as well complete the trifecta here: go for the Blofeld keyboard. Awesome machine.

[solitud]

Blofeld Pros:
- Best looking synth ever

Nord Lead 2x Cons:
- I hate red

Your subconscious mind wants to tell you something.

[Stab Frenzy]

I personally would go for the Blofeld, the Nords are great but the sample playback, wavetables and fx totally seal the deal for me.

[RD9]

The difference between the two is big enough I think, but you could still go in circles forever trying to figure out which is the "better" choice. I think the choice can be simplified based on your personality if you boil it down to this: the white one offers more possibilities.

So if you are the type to want to explore endlessly, get the white one. On the other hand, if you're the type to just want to keep life relatively straightforward and immediate, get the red one.

[gordwiebe]

it all comes down to the sound really... especially if you are comparing something to a waldorf which has a very distinct sound ( which has its lovers and haters - I would fall in the latter category).
As always. try and find a local board to play with!

[solitud]

Nordlead is a synth for people who focus on songs.
Blofeld is synth for people who focus on sounds.