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8
Synth
Basics
The Synth section in Nord Stage 2 was designed to be a versatile yet
easy to use stage synthesizer to supplement the other instrument sec-
tions . 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 . You have hands-on control of all para-
meters, which is essential on a stage instrument .
It is subtractive synthesis design with faithful models of analog-style
waveforms . It is also capable of FM (frequency modulation), Wavetable
synthesis, and you can use samples as oscillator sound sources . The
samples can come from the huge Nord Sample Library or you can cre-
ate these yourself and bring any sound to the Nord Stage 2 synthe-
sizer, with the Nord Sample Editor application .
In subtractive synthesis, you start with a bright waveform with lots of
overtones, and then shape the color of the sound with a filter that sub-
dues some of the harmonics . By modulating the filter cut-off frequency
while the note is playing, dynamic timbres are created .
The Nord Stage 2 synthesizer 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
and one LFO for real time sound shaping .
There is one Synth section for each Slot, and they share 18 voices,
which are dynamically allocated between the slots . Using the Slots,
you can play two different sounds simultaneously, layered or in splits . If
you, for example, layer the Synth sections of both slots, you can create
really complex and evolving sounds .
Oscillator
A lot of effort has been spent on creating a
versatile and powerful oscillator section for
the Stage 2 synthesizer . Based on a vari-
able architecture, it provides four different
oscillator techniques: Analog, FM (frequency
modulation), digital wavetables and sample
playback . For each technique there are
a number of predefined algorithms with
a main parameter mapped to the Shape
knob .
For example, the analog category provides
you with various waveforms, with or without hard sync . In each case,
the Shape knob can controls one essential parameter, such as pulse
width or sync oscillator frequency . This Shape parameter can be
modulated by the LFO or the Modulation Envelope to create dynamic
sounds . The Shape can also be controlled by the Morph Assign
feature .
The sonic potential is further enhanced by the fact that the oscillator
section actually contains a number of extra oscillators for each voice,
which are brought in by the Unison parameter (see page 35) . You can
add several virtual oscillators per voice, without losing polyphony . This
allows for some really thick sounds .
Shape
The Shape control is used to shape the sound in various ways (de-
pending on waveform and algorithm, see below) . Shape can be modu-
lated by the Mod Envelope or the LFO, and Morph controlled, allowing
the real-time use of the wheel, aftertouch or pedal to control the sound .
M
For the Wavetable selection, the Shape knob has no functionality.
Chapter8SyNth
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