The Synth Section - Clavia Nord Stage EX User Manual

6. The Instruments: The Synth section
T S
HE YNTH SECTION
B
ASICS
The Synth section in Nord Stage EX was designed to be a versatile yet easy to use "stage" synthesizer
to complement the other instrument sections. While being compact and easy to use, it is capable of
all kinds of synthesized sounds, from piercing leads and fat basses to swirling pads and shimmering
bells. And you have hands-on control over all parameters, which is essential on a stage instrument.
It is based on traditional "subtractive" synthesis with faithful models of analog-style waveforms, but
it is also capable of FM (frequency modulation) and Wavetable synthesis. In subtractive synthesis,
you start with a bright waveform with lots of overtones, and then shape the colour of the sound with
a filter, usually a low-pass filter that removes some of the upper harmonics. By modulating the filter
cut-off frequency while the note is playing, dynamic timbres are created.
The Nord Stage Synth also provides other means to generate dynamic and rich sounds, such as pulse
width modulation, oscillator sync and dynamic control over FM amount. There are two envelopes
(one of them loopable), one LFO for vibrato and a simple EQ for one-the-fly sound shaping. The ba-
sic signal path is shown with grey boxes and arrows on the Nord Stage panel.
There is one Synth section for each panel, and they share 16 voices, which are dynamically allocated
between the panels. You can play two different sounds simultaneously, layered or in splits. If you,
for example, layer the Synth sections of both panels, you can create really complex and evolving
sounds.
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Nord Stage EX v6.x