why is the nord modular g2 so expensive????

[silversurfer1919]

does anyone have one is it worth 1700 dollars and how do you compare it to a virus or other virtual analogs or is it analog??

[wiss]

i dont know....

Clavia needs to make enough cash so they can put money into R&D and not fail like all other synth companies. You get a lot out of the nord modulars. You get the best of both worlds(hardware and software).

[neandrewthal]

I don't know much about it but I know it is definitely not analog and if it were analog, packing all the function it does, it would probably cost more than all the money in the world.

[jonkull]

does anyone have one is it worth 1700 dollars and how do you compare it to a virus or other virtual analogs or is it analog??

It's worth the money if you're interested in modular synthesis and can't afford racks upon racks of modules. It's a very flexible system that is basically what you program it to be...so it's hard to compare to a Virus or other VA that has a fixed signal path. You should download the demo software and play around with it. It only runs in mono and the sound quality isn't what you get from hardware but it will at least show you what it's capable of. Also check out the Nord Modular forums at electro-music.com for some mp3 demos and patches that push the NM a bit further than what's on the Clavia site.

[xpander]

... because many people haven't used tools like MaxMSP or KYMA.

[felis]

It's expensive, but it's the only digital modular soft/hard keyboard I know of.

There's lots of digital modular software programs, but I don't know of any others that can load their sounds into a keyboard that can be used standalone.

I'm not that familiar with Kyma, but I think it's a digital modular/hardware dsp box combo without a keyboard, correct?

Max/Msp, Reaktor, Vaz modular, etc. are strictly software.

I think all those things mentioned can do more than the G2 can do overall, but still, the G2 is unique and fills a niche.

[carbon111]

Most boxes full of DSPs tend to be expensive

Its an extremely configurable and extensible system with a wonderful editing GUI and a nice hardware UI as well. You can take it places most synths can't go both literally and figuratively. It costs quite a bit less than a lot of synths and does quite a bit more than most...you can pretty much mold it into whatever kind of synths you like and have them all available at the touch of a button, Physical Modelling, VA, FM, Formant, Drum Machines, Sequencers, etc....

That's why.

[xpander]

It's expensive, but it's the only digital modular soft/hard keyboard I know of.

There's lots of digital modular software programs, but I don't know of any others that can load their sounds into a keyboard that can be used standalone.

I'm not that familiar with Kyma, but I think it's a digital modular/hardware dsp box combo without a keyboard, correct?

Max/Msp, Reaktor, Vaz modular, etc. are strictly software.

I think all those things mentioned can do more than the G2 can do overall, but still, the G2 is unique and fills a niche.

it is really much, much more than a common modular synth emulator!

MaxMSP is stunningly powerful, i haven't seen a single thing that approaches its power that actually uses a GUI. it doesn't have the supercomputing horsepower of KYMA, but i find it easier to use and much more extensible. its ideal for the ultra-creative. mastering MaxMSP allows you a radical departure from the limitations and conventions of traditional electronic music hardware/software design.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_%28software%29

http://www.cycling74.com/products/maxmsp

[GeneralBigbag]

Singling out the G2 as an expensive synth seems odd...why not the Q, or the Radias, or the V-Synth?
The G2 concept is great, there's nothing else in a box with keys that's nearly as flexible, and Nord stuff seems really well built: sturdy and reliable.

Conceptually, for me, the G* series from Clavia strikes the right balance between sound design for its own sake, and sound design for use in non-textural compositions. Max/MSP, Reaktor, and csound are all amazing, but when I've used them, I find the prospects of sound design get me away from the whole writing music thing, and I wind up coding rather than composing.

[Dirk]

The G2 keyboard version can be programmed from the front pannel, just like any other hardware synth out there. But you can change the patch (duh, it's a modulair synth) of the synth to, this makes it very versitile. E.g. you can make every sound the virus can make on a G2 but not the other way around.

[Yoozer]

and how do you compare it to a virus

Not. The G2 is for sound design, the Virus is if you have a load of sounds in stock. You'll learn a great deal about synthesis, but if you want to get a G2, get the keyboard version, not the rack; if you're going for the rack you may as well buy Reaktor, because then you're dealing with software too - and it doesn't have a dongle.

Or, be off a bit cheaper and get a Nord Modular Classic. It lacks the physical modeling modules and you'll need a computer running Mac OS 9 or Windows XP using compatibility mode because the editor won't work on anything higher-up, but you'll get all the advantages otherwise; plus some modules the G2 doesn't have (yet?). You will however need an extra MIDI interface for this. An iMac and a Nord Mod Classic - editor and synthesizer in a box .

or is it analog??

Analogs are constrained by space, not by CPU power. To get a Nord G2 in analog form would probably require a mid-to-large shed stacked to the brim with boxes. Have fun with real-life Tetris.

[droolmaster0]

... because many people haven't used tools like MaxMSP or KYMA.

That's kind of silly. The Kyma is actually way more expensive, so I'm not sure what the relevance is here...MAX/MSP is way more of a programming environment than the g2. The g2 is a pretty good model of an analog modular synth, and (though it goes beyond it in some ways) is all that it pretends to be. As a purely digital synth, I don't see its pricing to be out of line when compared to other more high end hardware digital synths, like the virus.

[droolmaster0]

and how do you compare it to a virus

Not. The G2 is for sound design, the Virus is if you have a load of sounds in stock. You'll learn a great deal about synthesis, but if you want to get a G2, get the keyboard version, not the rack; if you're going for the rack you may as well buy Reaktor, because then you're dealing with software too - and it doesn't have a dongle.
...quote]

I never used Reaktor much, but out of the box, the g2 software is much easier to get around. If you're not into sample mangling, and fx - but mostly into synthesis, and you're not really into programming, I'd say that even the G2 engine is the better choice. And while you're essentially just playing with software, the synthesis is competing with what you're running already on your computer.

[droolmaster0]

and how do you compare it to a virus

Not. The G2 is for sound design, the Virus is if you have a load of sounds in stock. You'll learn a great deal about synthesis, but if you want to get a G2, get the keyboard version, not the rack; if you're going for the rack you may as well buy Reaktor, because then you're dealing with software too - and it doesn't have a dongle.

Or, be off a bit cheaper and get a Nord Modular Classic. It lacks the physical modeling modules and you'll need a computer running Mac OS 9 or Windows XP using compatibility mode because the editor won't work on anything higher-up, but you'll get all the advantages otherwise; plus some modules the G2 doesn't have (yet?). You will however need an extra MIDI interface for this. An iMac and a Nord Mod Classic - editor and synthesizer in a box .

or is it analog??

Analogs are constrained by space, not by CPU power. To get a Nord G2 in analog form would probably require a mid-to-large shed stacked to the brim with boxes. Have fun with real-life Tetris.

The g2 sequencer has the capability of sending out midi. the 'classic' does not. The sequencer is quite nice, so that may be an issue.

It seems like many people prefer the sound of the original to the g2 ...

[MrSoundStrange]

... because many people haven't used tools like MaxMSP or KYMA.

That's kind of silly. The Kyma is actually way more expensive, so I'm not sure what the relevance is here...MAX/MSP is way more of a programming environment than the g2. The g2 is a pretty good model of an analog modular synth, and (though it goes beyond it in some ways) is all that it pretends to be. As a purely digital synth, I don't see its pricing to be out of line when compared to other more high end hardware digital synths, like the virus.

The Kyma is about the price of the Nord G2 + the V-syntXT. With my V-syntXT i can make the morphs of the Kyma.
I would advise you to get the even more expensive G2X, that has better polyphony, and a nicer keyboard (far more stable).
If you can find one, grab it: they are out of production!
Basically, by building different patches, a G2X can fantastically imitate a complete other synthesizer like the nordlead, the different moogs, the CS80, Arp or whatever. It is fantastic for sounddesign also. Some like it because it can be programmed to play music all alone, with different programs like robotic automated piano's, babbling babies, thunderstorms with rumble and rain, junglesounds, all this not with one single sound, but with unfolding sound-scenarios that are nearly film-like!

One can create patches like these, or if you want, you can download them for free in the large G2 community, keep them loaded in your clavia, and you would never have to use your computer again, living just with several thousands of sounds, that can be tweaked in the G2 or G2X itself.
Oh yeah, there are also incredible hamonds and such stuff available, there are even sampling patches available for it (!) (as allways: for free).

It is simply the VERY best thing i ever bought, but it can be time consuming.

TB