Keyboard Magazine - March 2008 - (Page 52) AUDITION CLAVIA NORD WAVE Whether trying to create a sound I hear every detail of in my head, or whether I’m in that “I don’t know what I want, but I’ll know it when I hear it” mood, this is a very, very good thing. Heck, it’s what infatuated me with synthesizers in the first place. This is usually the part where I mention things I wish an instrument had, but doesn’t, so here goes: Audio inputs (not necessarily for onboard sampling, but for processing external signals through the Wave’s filters in real time), a vocoder, and maybe one or two more pedal inputs would round out the otherwise extensive performance features. CONCLUSIONS The Nord Wave tempts comparison to one other recent hardware synth: Roland’s V-Synth GT (reviewed Sept. ’07) is similarly-priced, offers two “tones” per program which are a lot like the Wave’s “slots,” can combine virtual analog and sampled sounds in the same patch, and lets you bring in your own samples. Both specialize in expressive live performance and sound design, and neither are intended as first keyboards for your first bar band. The most important difference between the two is that if the way you play samples centers on realtime rhythmic manipulation, e.g. time-stretching, the Wave isn’t your axe. If you’d rather use samples as an ingredient in yet-unimagined hybrid sounds, it most certainly is. If you want pristine instrument sounds (from an ultra-portable keyboard that’s also a world-class virtual analog synth, no less), the Wave is as good as the samples you load into it, and nothing you can prop on a keyboard stand — nothing — has the Wave’s heapin’ helpin’ of non-volatile sample memory. If certain concrete specs or features are a must, visiting a manufacturer’s website will tell you if a keyboard has them. It’s harder to describe an instrument’s personality, but it’s what you’ll continue to love or hate long after forgetting the spec sheet. Where the V-Synth is userfriendly but in-yer-face high-tech at the same time (kind of like the Picard-era Enterprise), the Nord Wave has a more artisan quality. It brings sampling to the knob-laden retro table at such a low profile that at first you don’t realize how darned powerful this baby is. If you’re in the market for a true synthesist’s syntheiszer, I strongly urge you to get your ears around a Nord Wave. GORY DETAILS USER SAMPLE MEMORY 185MB non-volatile flash ROM. SAMPLE FORMATS IMPORTED 44.1kHz WAV only, 16- and 24-bit files supported. EFFECTS Chorus, 2-band EQ, reverb, tube overdrive simulation, and stereo delay with tap tempo (all effects available simultaneously). CLAIM CHECK Jason Stanfield, product manager for Nord USA, says, “The Nord Wave really highlights something which I’ve taken for granted in virtual analog synths: the potential of a subtractive environment. Analog oscillators provide the essentials for creating classic synth sounds, but have limited harmonic content from which to sculpt a particular patch; sawtooth-based leads or square wave pads only go so far. Within the Wave though, adding raw FM, wavetable, and sampled sounds provides a greater initial mass of harmonic and textural material from which to subtract. I have a ton of great sample libraries, so I’m really excited about being able to load samples in WAV format into a Nord synthesizer — affecting them with the Wave’s broad parameter ranges, using the Wave’s morphing in interesting ways, and exploring new carrier/modulator relationships. I really think that, since the Wave exists outside the realm of cookie-cutter ROMplers, it can become a far more personalized musical instrument than many sample-based keyboards available today.” A SPECIALLY PRICED 2-CD SET THE NEW CRYSTAL SILENCE CHICK COREA & GARY BURTON Celebrating the 35th Anniversary of this groundbreaking duet’s debut—performing with the Sydney Symphony featuring special arrangements of the original Crystal Silence-era songbook and a fresh revisiting of their classic duet repertoire. “ this record happens to be one of their very best” —Pat Metheny visit the new www.concordmusicgroup.com 52 keyboard 03-2008 http://www.magnacarta.net http://www.concordmusicgroup.com http://www.concordmusicgroup.com
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