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Clavia Nord Lead 3 Review 2021

Clinical. Cold. Thin. These comments tend to commonly pop up in reviews and comments about the now-20-year-old 24-voice Nord Lead 3 virtual analog polysynth by Swedish keyboard company Clavia. Frequently overlooked for its younger sibling the Nord Lead 2 (and the later 2X), the NL3 is a synth that garners criticism for not sounding analog enough and having weak factory presets, yet also receives high praise for other aspects of its sound and design that race ahead of its competitors. It’s a synth that folks seem to either love or hate.

So is the NL3 still worthit in the 2020s? Should you get one?

Let’s have a look.


OSCILLATORS

At first glance, the NL3 looks fairly simple and minimalist, with on 2 oscillators to generate sound. But digging a little further into the panel, one will find not merely the usual analog-style Sawtooth, Pulse, and Triangle waveforms, but also Sine, Noise, and Dual Sine oscillators that open up sound design possibilities far beyond the typical early 2000s VA.

In fact, it’s the Sine and Dual Sine oscillators that transform the NL3 from a typical VA. When engaged, the NL3 can become a 4 operator FM synth, with the push of a few buttons. So for DX style pianos, clangorous bells, hollow slap house basses, or ripping dubstep wobbles, this synth opens up a world of possibility with very little tweaking. It has in fact, one of the easiest FM implementations of any hardware synth on the market. And you can use any of the waveforms for FM, which provides many opportunities to make new and never-before-heard sounds.

The standard waveforms are what you’d expect, and the detune and pitch controls are easy to use and sound sweet. As far as how they sound, some say they sound thinner or less aggressive than the NL2’s, but we find that it sounds like a midpoint between the Prophet Rev2 and the Blofeld, with a bit more leaning toward the Rev2. They don’t sound Analog in the Moog sense with heavy low-mid saturation (although there are settings built into the synth to make it sound more analog), but they do have that bright slightly fizzy (but not brassy) analog quality of the Sequential synths - making the NL3 perfect for plucks, leads, and midrange basses, as well as huge pads.

Manipulating the pulse width is pleasant and yields very nice crisp sounds, and the Noise generator can lend a little nice extra air to a sound when the OSC MIX is dialed in right.

The OSC MOD section is where a lot of the fun happens. each of the settings will send you down fun rabbit holes of Frequency Modulation, Distortion Modulation, Ring Modulation, Differential Frequency Modulation, Distortion, Filter Frequency Modulation, and experiment with them on different oscillators. Anything from 80’s FM bells to filthy riddim snarls can be managed here, as well as crazy atonal pads and effects.


FILTER

Sporting the 3 basic Filter types, plus 3 additional ones (one of which is a 12 dB Distortion filter), with 3 different filter slopes, Filter 1 is more or less what you’re expect from a VA synth of the era. Tight, clean, and has a Resonance that can make for nice and squelchy sounds, but doesn’t quite self resonate (although you can get nearly there in Classic mode, which is a filter intended to emulate the Moog Ladder Filter).

What’s truly unusual about the NL3’s filters is the secondary Multi Filter. It essentially acts like a series of comb and multi-pass filters that combine different curves, and can yield some exciting sounds and effects with a little tweaking.

The standard filters can be a little steppy during sweeps, but compared to the JP8000 that came out a few years earlier, it’s much smoother, and has the added bonus of not adding any weird artifacts to the sound, so you can make super tight warm plucks and bouncy basses with ease.

Analog purists may be disappointed at the lack of full self-oscillation at high resonance settings, but for most dance music producers, it’s not that crucial of a feature.


AMPLITUDE

There’s really not too much to say here. The ADSR envelopes are typical of any VA, and behave similarly to any other.


LFO

Now we get into some fun. A decent number of parameters can be modified by the 2 onboard LFOs, and besides the standard free-running lfo speed, they can also be clock synced, and any of the timing and amount parameters can be linked to the modwheel, so you can do on-the-fly sound manipulation.

Each LFO modifies slightly different parameters though, so you’ll need to be choosy about what you modify, and how.

There are loads of LFO waveform types which is nice, but sadly it does not have a Sine wave type, so you can’t get as smooth of a curve as you might like for certain classes of sounds. But the smooth random and other waveforms are great for chaotic psychedelic textures.

An interesting note is that Pan will modulate the stereo position of the entire sound on patches that are Mono/ not in Unison. When Unison Stack is turned on and some detune is applied, the Pan will modulate the sound semi-randomly on a Per-Voice and Per-Note basis, creating wide, spread out stereo movement that doesn’t feel overly Binaural-y. It’s great for large unison pads when you want to expand the stereo field further. When using LFO modulation on a pluck or other non-Unison sound, the patch will behave more like on other synths, with the sound bouncing back and forth across the stereo field evenly.


MODULATION

This section is rather limited. A very basic AD envelope lets you modulate a handful of standard parameters. It’s helpful for making nice plucky pitchy sounds and for some clever pulse width modulation effects. Those are mainly what we use it for.


EFFECTS

In general, the Nord Lead 3 doesn’t really have any effects, per se. The Distortion Filter, and the DIST in the OSC MOD sections sort of quality as effects, and they are quite nice for adding saturation and crunchy distortion for basses and acid and dubstep sounds. Pairing the distortion with the FM yields some fantastic ripping growls and snarls that put Massive and Serum to the test.

Many folks discounted the NL3 when it first came out because of its lack of onboard FX, when competitors like the Virus, SuperNova, Q, and even the JP8080 had good onboard effects. By comparison, the NL3 is super bare bones.

Within our studio however, we have found it to be highly capable, and we have no trouble envisioning how it will sound in a song, because we have our NL3 routed into a Virus TI2, and so as we design and review sounds for songs, we can switch on some reverb, delay, phaser, chorus, or whatever else we want, and have a clear idea of how the sound will fit in the final mix (we do of course, record Dry once we have everything set the way we like on the NL).


UNISON

And finally, we come to the Unison section. This is one of the features the NL3 is best known for, and for good reason. It adds an extra 4 voices on top of the base sound, for a total of 5 voices, which spread over the stereo field as you increase the detune. And the best part? It doesn’t impact polyphony.

So you can make huge pads and unison leads and still have 24 voices to work with!

The Mono, Glide, and other sections are fairly standard as with other VAs, so there’s not much to tell there. The tight filters and bright cutting oscillators do mean that gliding leads and leads with some pitch mods have a lot of energy in them, which is nice.

It’s worth mentioning that just below this section lurks the Performance and some extra modulation controls - the Performances let you load up different patches into each section for quick recall, or even play multiple sounds at once (or stack the same patch 2-4 times!) and achieve huge monster sounds that still have loads of polyphony to play around with.

So for you Trance producers, you could effectively make a window-shattering 4 layer multi-octave SuperSaw Pad, or layer a couple leads and plucks together and not have to worry about note timing issues between each layer while recording parts.

And the stone Modwheel can be linked to any parameter, and to multiple parameters at once, giving you almost Blofeld-like sound manipulation capabilities.

The wooden thumb-operated pitch bend gizmo is a pretty neat touch. It’s very unique, and in some ways even more useful than the standard pitch wheel on other synths.

Some of you may be wondering how the Arpeggiator sounds, and it’s nice. I will admit I rarely ever use the built-in arps on hardware synths, but this one sounds nice, and there’s submenu options for tweaking it further, but I must confess I haven’t really fussed with them (as I do most of my arranging ITB).


CONCLUSION

So, at the end of all things, is the Nord Lead 3 still worthit? There are certainly other VAs and digital synths out there with more FX, more voices, and more bells and whistles, some for less money.

However.

The NL3 has hands on controls unrivaled by anything except a handful of analog mono synths.

It has unison capabilities that are superior to most of its competitors.

It balances the cleanness of VA/ digital with the fatness of analog for a bright sound that isn’t overwhelming.

As a keyboard (which is what we have), its keybed feels great, and it’s a joy to design sounds on the fly with. So if you have ambitions of bringing a live Trance/ Psytrance/Dubstep act to the world stages, pairing the NL3 with some outboard FX units would take this synth to a whole new level and make it the centerpiece of your live rig (plus, it looks super cool on stage, too).

Still worthit today?

Totally.

Hear it in action:

Top 10 Hardware Synths For Dubstep & Riddim

Hit a wall with Serum and Massive, and looking for something more to produce with? Looking to integrate some hardware into your setup? Just want something more hands on to work with? Then read on, and check out 5 hardware synths that are ideal additions to any basshead’s studio. These synths are are beasts capable of everything from insane wavetable snarls to filthy FM growls, and near-infinite combinations of both! These are listed in no particular order, and includes a mix of bigger flagship synths and budget units.


WALDORF BLOFELD

A modern, underrated classic. Known mostly in synth geek circles as a drone and soundscape machine, it’s a modern descendant of the Q and Microwave series, and it packs serious punch. Being a VA and Wavetable synth, it can easily make any standard sub basses and leads you might need, as well as all the filthy growls and snarls you want for your nastiest riddim bangers. It has a deep mod matrix, piles of FX, and many parameters (including the wavetables themselves) can be used as FM sources. Some of the onboard FX aren’t super great, and the interface can be intimidating for newcomers to sound design, but the distortion options and wavetables are perfect for dubstep that goes beyond what Serum can pump out. And it even has the ability to use User Samples and User Wavetables (with the separate SL License)!


Polyphony - 25 voices maximum (Poly, Mono, Dual or Unison modes)

Multitimbral - 16 parts

Sampler - 44.1kHz mono with 60 Mb RAM

Oscillators - 3 oscillators per voice (128' to 1/2') plus noise, frequency modulation, ring modulation

Waveforms - All Q Oscillator models: sine, saw, triangle, square with PWM; 68 digital 16-bit wavetables from Microwave II/XT/XTK

LFO - 3 LFOs per voice with square, sine, saw, triangle, S&H, random with delay and fade in/out

Modulation - Modulation Matrix with 16 Slots, freely programmable

Filter - 2 independent Multi Mode Filters per voice: Low pass, High pass, Band pass, Notch, Comb; 12 or 24 dB/oct modes

Envelope - 4 Envelopes per voice, ADSR, AD1S1D2S2R, One Shot, Loopable

Effects - 2 Effect units with Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Overdrive, Decimator, Delay, Reverb

Vocoder - None

Sequencer - None

Arpeggiator - Programmable, 16 steps, Up, Down, Alt Up, Alt Down, Random

Memory - 1,024 sounds, 128 multi sets

Control - MIDI IN (plus OUT on Keyboard), USB


CLAVIA NORD LEAD 3

Another underrated synth, the NL3 has the distinction of having one of the best user interfaces of any hardware synth ever made. It’s great for bread & butter sounds for the more trance-like Future Bass and Chillstep sounds, but despite being a VA from 2000, it packs a powerful 4 operator FM synth under the hood, and a surprisingly versatile modulation engine. While it lacks the wavetables of later Nord Leads, with a little cunning, it can generate some gritty FM screeches and growls that rival anything from Serum or Massive. And the keyboard version of this synth has a really nice and playable keybed that’s ideal for live performances.


Polyphony - 24 voices

Oscillators - 2 oscillator groups each with Six waveforms: sine, saw, triangle, square (pulse with width modulation), noise, synced noise, dual sine; 2- and 4-op FM and differential FM; osc-sync; ring-modulation; variable unison.

LFO - 2 per voice, syncable to MIDI. Triangle, saw, square, smooth and stepped random, and triple-peak sine waveforms. Seperate vibrato effect.

Filter - 2 multi-mode filters (series or parallel). Lowpass, Bandpass, Highpass, LP-HP, LP-LP and Classic mode. 1-, 2-, or 4-pole.

VCA - ADSR envelopes for amplitude and filter; Amplifier Gain control

Memory - 1,024 patches, 256 performances

Control - MIDI IN/OUT/THRU (4-parts)


KORG MICROKORG XL

An unexpected synth on this list, it’s one of the least expensive, and one of the most powerful. The minimalist interface hides a powerful sound engine (based on the Radias no less), and Korg packed a ton of features into it. The XL can pump out standard synth sounds as well as grittier sounds from its PCM library that are great for riddim snarls - and the synth has a surprisingly high headroom, so you can really push its distortion without hitting a wall of clipping.


Voice polyphony - Maximum 8 voices (when using Vocoder, it is 4 voices)

Synth 2 oscillators + noise generator

Oscillator 1 Waveform - 8 types (Sawtooth, Pulse, Triangle, Sine, Formant, Noise, DWGS, Audio In), Modulation: Waveform, Cross, Unison, VPM

Oscillator 2 Waveform - 4 types (Sawtooth, Pulse, Triangle, Sine)
Modulation: Ring, Sync, Ring+Sync

Tone Generator System MMT (Multiple Modeling Technology)

Program Multi Timbral Maximum 2 (when using Layer, Split, or Multi)

Waveshape Type - Drive, Decimator, HardClip, OctSaw, MultiTri, MultiSin, SubOSCSaw, SubOSCSqu, SubOSCTri, SubOSCSin, LevelBoost

Multimode Filters Filter 1 - -24 dB/oct LPF ~ -12 dB/oct LPF ~ -12 dB/oct BPF ~ -12 dB/oct HPF ~ Thru

Filter 2 - LPF, HPF, BPF (switchable)

Vocoder - 16 channel vocoder, adjustable level and pan for each channel, Formant Shift function, Formant Hold function

Keyboard - 37 notes (Natural Touch mini-keyboard, velocity sensitive)

Controller - Pitch bend wheel, Modulation Wheel

Effects - Timbre 2 band EQ Master effect 2 units, 17effect algorithms.

Arpeggiator - Six types: UP, DOWN, ALT1/2, Random, Trigger, Individual step on/off function

Programs - 128 programs (A/B banks x 8 genres x 8 category)

Inputs - [AUDIO INPUT 1] (1/4” phone jack, unbalanced, with MIC/LINE switch) – Rear Panel
[AUDIO INPUT 1 (MIC)] (XLR jack / balanced) – Front Panel

Outputs - [L/MONO, R] (1/4” Standard phone jacks / unbalanced)
[Phone] (1/4” Stereo Standard phone jacks)

MIDI In/ Out: USB Type B


KORG MODWAVE

A newcomer to the game, the Modwave is Korg’s reimagining of the classic DW-8000 with piles of new features. It isn’t talked about too much in the Dubstep world, but a wavetable synth with as many modulation capabilities and features as the Mofwave definitely has all the potential to be another hardware Serum. It even has an X-Y touch pad for exotic modulations beyond what anything except Omnisphere can do. Plus, it boasts 32-voice polyphony, and multiple filter types and 200+ wavetables that can be cross-modulated, so what’s not to love?

Keyboard - 37 keys (velocity and release-velocity sensitive)

Maximum Polyphony - 32 stereo voices

Sound generating system - modwave synthesis engine

Controllers - Mod Wheel, Pitch Wheel, Kaoss Physics, 4x Mod Knobs

Other Sources - 4x Envelopes, 5x LFOs, 2x Mod Processors, 2x Key Track, Seq Lanes A-D, Step Pulse, Tempo, Program/Performance Note Count, Program/Performance Voice Count, Poly Legato, Velocity, Exponential Velocity, Release Velocity, Gate, Gate+Damper, Note-On Trigger, Note-On Trigger+Damper, Note Number, Aftertouch and Poly Aftertouch (external MIDI only), MIDI CCs +/-, MIDI CCs +

Destinations - Most parameters can be modulated, including parameters of individual Motion Sequence Steps. Depending on Motion Sequence length, there can be more than 1,000 potential modulation targets per Program.

Effects -Pre FX Decimator, Graphic EQ, Guitar Amp, Modern Compressor, Parametric EQ, Red Compressor, Ring Modulator, Tremolo, Wave Shaper

Mod FX Black Chorus/Flanger, Black Phase, CX-3 Vibrato Chorus, EP Chorus, Harmonic Chorus, Modern Chorus, Modern Phaser, Orange Phase, Polysix Ensemble, Small Phase, Talking Modulator, Vintage Chorus, Vintage Flanger, Vintage/Custom Wah, Vox Wah

Delay L/C/R Delay, Multiband Mod Delay, Reverse Delay, Stereo/Cross Delay, Tape Echo

Master Reverb Early Reflections, Overb

Master EQ 4-band parametric EQ

Inputs/outputs - Headphone (6.3 mm stereo phone jack), OUTPUT L/MONO and R (impedance-balanced 6.3 mm TRS phone jacks), DAMPER (6.3 mm phone jack, half-damper not supported), MIDI IN and OUT connectors, USB B port


ACCESS VIRUS TI2

No list of killer dubstep synths would be complete without the TI2. It has the most mod options besides the Blofeld, and it sports the best onboard FX of any hardware synth on the market. Its oscillators aren’t quite as bright as some of the other synths on this list (that’s a feature, not a bug. It’s intended to sound more Analog and Warm), but the onboard EQs can solve that conundrum. It has wavetables and rudimentary FM, allowing you to take it into some seriously gnarly territory with only a few knob twists and button presses. If you have the $$$ this one is not to be missed.


Polyphony - Over 90 voices

Multitimbral - 16 parts

Oscillators - 3 osc + subosc + noise, FM, Sync

Waveforms - Sine / pulse / saw / hypersaw / wavetable / granular / formant

Filter - dual LP/HP/BP/BR with envelopes and addtional multi-pole analog emulations (includes Minimoog 4-pole emulation)

LFO - 3 LFOs, multiple options plus mod matrix 18 slots

Envelope - Amp / Filter / 'LFO as envelope' option

Sequencer - none onboard

Arpeggiator - Up / Down / Random / Chord / Multiple additions, editable in software to any variation

Effects - Reverbs, Delays, EQs with Q and freq control, Tape Delays, Distortions (multiple), Phasers, Flangers, Chorus, Analog EQs, Vocoder.

Memory - 128 patches in each of 30 banks plus USB storage / Librarian with additional free patchbanks provided regularly by Access

Control - MIDI, USB, 16-part multitimbral in Multi or sequencer modes


NOVATION ULTRANOVA / MININOVA

While the Ultranova isn’t what comes to most folks’ minds when talking about dubstep synths (despite it and the Mininova having Dubstep as one of its preset categories!), it’s another budget keyboard that hides a mountain of features and killer capabilities that are grossly overlooked. Like its smaller sibling the Mininova, it is perfectly-geared towards Trance, House, and Psytrance sounds, and can make Chillstep and Future Bass leads and pads as good as the Virus or Nord Lead 3. But it also has wavetables and a deep mod matrix that makes it useful for wobbles and gritty tones. It lacks FM, sadly, but its onboard FX are great, and expand its capabilities greatly. And the VST librarian and editor that Novation makes available for free opens up the synth considerably.


Polyphony - Up to 18-note polyphony (dynamic voicing)

Multitimbral - Mono-Timbral (1 Part)

Synthesis Method - Based on Supernova II
Waveforms include: Square, sine, tri, sawtooth, pulse, 9 x saw:pulse combinations. 20 x digital waveforms. 36 x wavetables

Effects- Distortion - up to 2 instances. Compressor - up to 2 instances. Chorus/Phase - up to 4 instances. Delay - up to 2 instances. Reverb - up to 2 instances. Gator. EQ. 12 band vocoder.

Arpeggiator - 33 patterns. Chord function - lock up to 10 notes

Patch storage up to 512 on hardware (ships with 300 factory patches)

Controllers - 8 x touch sensitive encoders. 1 x large smooth encoder (with back-lit filter lock buttons). 1 x large patch select/speed dial encoder. 2 x volume & monitor mix dials. 39 x LED lit/indicated buttons. 1 x Pitch wheel (LED lit). 1 x Modulation wheel (LED lit)

37-note keyboard with velocity and aftertouch

Connections - XLR dynamic mic input. 2 x ¼" jack inputs. 2 x ¼" jack outputs. 2 x ¼" jack aux outputs. 1 x ¼" jack headphone output. SPDIF digital output on RCA connector. Expression pedal on ¼" jack input. Sustain pedal on ¼" jack input. MIDI in/out/thru. 12 volt power input. USB port (UltraNova can be powered via USB). Kensington Lock port


CLAVIA NORD LEAD A1

The Nord Lead A1 may not be the first synth that comes to mind when one thinks of dubstep, it’s a synth that definitely deserves a proper look. While some of its modulation and envelopes are limited compared to the NL3, it shares a sound engine with the Nord Wave, and has additional waveforms hidden in the second oscillator that expand it beyond conventional virtual analog synths. Its FX are better than the NL4’s, and with 2-op FM capabilities, and hefty distortion, with some layering and adventurous use of the sampled waves, you can achieve some gritty, screaming sounds worthy of any peaktime dubstep banger.

Keyboard - 49-key octave velocity sensitive keyboard with octave shift buttons (+/- 2 octaves)
Keyboard Split with 2 slots for the upper and lower section

Controls - 1x Modulation wheel, 1x Pitch stick (with no dead zone at zero crossing), 1x 1/4" (6.3 mm) pedal input for sustain pedal, 1x 1/4" (6.3 mm) pedal input for expression pedalPitch Bend RangeProgrammable up to +/- octaveUser Interface3x LED displays, 23x knobs, 3x encoders, 20x buttons for program and performance editing

Waveform - Multiple Oscillator waveforms; traditional analog, extended analog, pulse waveforms, wavetable
OSC - Configuration Knob Categories: pitch, detune, shape, sync, ring modulation, noise, dual OSC, FM

Filters - Multi-mode Filter: 12 dB (2-pole) low-pass, 24 dB (4-pole) low-pass and band pass, high pass
Ladder M and Ladder 303 characteristics

Control - Cut off, resonance, envelope amount, LFO amount, drive

Envelope - ADR/ASR

Tracking Ability - Filter keyboard tracking can be set to off, 1/3, 2/3 or full

Distortion - Filter Distortion: Adjustable

Modulation - LFO1 Generates: triangle, square, sawtooth, inverted sawtooth or sample and hold waveforms
Routing - can be routed to filter frequency, pitch, shape and OSC mod
Sync - Can be synchronized to the Master Clock
Modes - can be switched to Env mode with three different characteristics and sample and hold is manually triggered by keyboard

Arpeggiator - Range: 1 to 4 octaves
Modes - up, down, up/down, random, Poly
Sync - arpeggio rate can be synchronized to the Master ClockEnvelopeADR/ASR
Velocity control - on/off
Inverse Envelope - on/off

Amplifier - ControlADR/ASR envelope
Gain control
Individual Pan Control - per program
Velocity Control - on/off

Voices - Poly, legato with portamento, Mono, True Unison 1, 2 & 3

Layering - 4x program slots for layering possibilities

Effects - Types: flanger, phaser, ring modulation, chorus, ensemble and drive

Delay - Types/Controls: Tap tempo, four stages of feedback, ping-pong, dry/wet mix
Sync - delay speed can be synchronized to the Master Clock

Reverb - Types: room, stage 1, stage 2, hall 1, hall 2

Programs - Single Sounds: 8x 50 (400) locations
Performances (Multiple Sounds): 4x 50 (200) locations

Audio Output

Output - 4x unbalanced 1/4" (6.3 mm) (each slot can be assigned to its own output), 1x 1/4" (6.3 mm) stereo headphone output, 24-bit DACs

MIDI Type - USB MIDI
5-pin DIN in
5-pin DIN out
THRU - soft

Control - All control knobs and switches send and receive control change messages
MIDI Dumps - System exclusive or all programs

Sync - Master Clock will sync to incoming MIDI clock



KORG OPSIX


It may seem strange to be veering into DX7 territory with an FM synth, but for those of you who don’t already know, a lot of the craziest gnarliest dubstep sounds, especially from the 2010 era, were FM-based, not wavetable based. The gritty monster growls of Skrillex? Originally came off the FM7 vst. While wavetables may be back in vogue again, FM will always be useful paired with distortion and crafty modulation for some filthy wobbles and snarls. And now Korg has a 6 operator FM synth out that aims to capture some of the glassy, metallic, gritty magic of the DX7, and even go beyond the DX series, but in a more compact, easy to use keyboard.

Keyboard - 37 Keys (Velocity and Release-Velocity Sensitive)\

Sound Generation - Altered FM Sound Generator

Polyphony - 32 Voices (or Maximum of 24 Voices, Depending on Settings)

Structure - 6 Operators
11 Filters
3 Envelope Generators
3 LFOs,
3 Effect Engines,
Step Sequencer
Arpeggiator - Algorithm40 Presets + User Algorithm (Unique to Each Program)

Operators - 5 Modes - FM, Ring Mod., Filter, Filter FM, and Wave Folder

Oscillators - 21 Waveforms: Sine, Sine 12-Bit, Sine 8-Bit, Triangle, Saw, Saw HD, Square, Square HD, Additive Saw3, Additive Sqr3, Additive Tri3, Additive 12345, Additive 1+2, Additive 1+3, Additive 1+4, Additive 1+5, Additive 1+6, Additive 1+7, Additive 1+8, Noise S/H, Noise White

Filters - 11 Types: LPF 12, LPF 24, LPF MS-20, LPF POLY6, HPF 12, HPF 24, HPF MS-20, BPF 6, BPF 12, BRF 6, BRF 12

Envelope Generators - 3 x ADSRLFO23 Waveforms: Triangle, Saw Down, Saw Up, Square, Sine, Sample&Hold, Guitar, Exp. Triangle, Exp. Saw Down, Exp. Saw Up, Step4 Triangle, Step6 Triangle, Step4 Saw Down, Step6 Saw Down, StepRnd:Time, StepRnd: Lvl & Time, StepRnd:Level, Random:Time, Random: Lvl & Time, Triangle+, Saw Down+, Saw Up+, Square +Virtual Patch12 Routings

Effects - 30 Types: Chorus, Unison Ensemble, Phaser, Phaser (BPM), Auto Pan, Auto Pan (BPM), Flanger, Flanger (BPM), Rotary Speaker, Auto Wah, Exciter, Enhancer, LFO Filter, 3-Band EQ, Distortion, Guitar Amp, Decimator, Grain Shifter, Master Limiter, Compressor, Delay, Delay (BPM), Autopan Dly, Autopan Dly (BPM), Tape Echo, Tape Echo (BPM), Early Reflection, Reverb, Shimmer Reverb, Spring Reverb

Sequencer - Step Sequencer (Up to 16 Steps, Up to 6 Notes per Step), Motion Sequencer (Up to 6 Lanes)
Arpeggiator - 7 Patterns (Manual, Up, Down, Alt1, Alt2, Random, Trigger)

Programs - 500 (250 Preset Programs and 250 User Programs as the Factory-Set Default)
Favorite - 64 (16 Slots × 4 Banks)

Controllers - Modulation Wheel, Pitch Wheel, Ratio OP 1-6 Knobs, Level OP 1-6 Sliders, Data Entry A-F Knobs - Inputs/Outputs

Headphone - 1/4" / 6.35 mm Stereo
Output (L/Mono and R) - 2 x Impedance-Balanced 1/4" / 6.35 mm TRS
Damper - 1/4" / 6.35 mm (Half-Damper Not Supported)
MIDI In and Out - 2 x 5-Pin DIN
USB Type-B Port


MOOG SUB 37

Most folks don’t think of analog mono/duophonic synths when they think of dubstep, but they’re the ones missing out. Like the Nord Lead 3, the Sub37 has a very nice, easy too navigate physical user interface. And its analog oscillators and filters give it a fatness and grit that enables you to create some super heavy saw, triangle, and pulse basses (and even detuned reese basses with the right settings!), and the feedback oscillator and overdrive circuit allow you to push your sounds to even dirtier depths. It’s flexible LFOs allow you to make some nice hefty wobbles and growls, and if you want to counterpoint your colder wavetable and digital sounds with something with more weight, the Sub 37 is your best option.

Polyphony - Monophonic / Duophonic
Timbrality - 2

Oscillator - 2

LFO - 2

Synthesis type - Analog subtractive

Filter - 1 selectable 6, 12, 18 or 24dB/octave low-pass

Attenuator - ADSR

Aftertouch expression - yes

Velocity expression - yes

Storage memory - 256 patches

Effects - none

Keyboard - 37 keys

External control - MIDI, CV/Gate


ROLAND JD-Xi

And what synth list would be complete without a Roland? Boasting more waveforms and modulation and synthesis capabilities than the JP and SH series synths, the JD-Xi is a solid budget option that, like the Blofeld, hides a lot under its hood. With 129 voices for the digital parts, the possibilities are near-endless, once you figure out the interface. What’s more, there are piles of free banks and patches available for it, so you have access to loads of useful sounds for your bass tracks.


Keyboard - 37 mini keys (with velocity)

Sound Generator Section Maximum Polyphony - 129 voices (Digital Synth/Drum Kit: 128, Analog Synth: 1)
(Max. polyphony of the Digital Synth parts: 64 voices)

Parts - 4 Parts (Digital Synth Part: 2, Drums Part: 1, Analog Synth Part: 1)

Tones - Digital Synth Tone (SuperNATURAL Synth), Analog Synth Tone, PCM Drum Kit
* For an analog synth tone, the oscillator, sub-oscillator, and filter sections consist of analog circuits.

Effect1 - (Distortion, Fuzz, Compressor, Bit Crusher)
Effect2 - (Flanger, Phaser, Ring Mod, Slicer)
Delay - 2 types
Reverb - 6 types

Pattern Sequencer - Tracks: 4

Vocal Function - Vocoder, Auto Pitch, Auto Note

Other - Favorite, Arpeggio

Controllers - Pitch Bend/Modulation Wheel

Display - 16 characters 2 line LCD

Connectors - Headphones Jack: Stereo 1/4-inch phone type
Output Jacks (L/MONO, R) - 1/4-inch phone type
Input Jack (LINE(MONO) / Guitar Input) - 1/4-inch phone type
MIDI Connectors (IN, OUT) - USB COMPUTER Port (USB Hi-Speed AUDIO/MIDI)
(Use a USB cable and a computer with a USB port that support Hi-Speed USB.)
DC IN - Jack
MIC Input Jack - XLR type, unbalance