Nord User Forum

S h a w wrote:I'm sure someone is going to start fussing about this comment, but the Moog forum (and gearsluts, and so on) are filled with folks who agree. All those ears can't be wrong.

I guess that would be me...

With respect, there are just as many opinions on both forums saying that they like/love the sound of the Sub 37. My professional diagnosis is that you are suffering from a classic case of confirmation bias. Take two VCOs with a glass of water and you should feel better in no time.

Frankly, it doesn't strike me as the greatest of Moogs soundwise although it's versatility is pretty impressive. But saying "all those ears can't be wrong" is kind of misrepresenting the truth. Do you feel a need to try and put people off a synth that they might well like even if you don't?

Personally I'm not a DSI fan. I've had a couple of their synths and none have really caught my ear and they have moved on. Many folks love them I guess I'm just not one of them. For the price point they not a great value. YMMV.

S h a w wrote:The Moog Sub37 was so underwhelming...

I wouldn't say it is underwhelming. I did like the interface quite a lot, but the presets... they are bad I only managed to sit there for one hour and a half, and I was running through some presets and some barely catched my eye. Where the moog shines is in the ease of creation, that and the classic moog sound. Yet, it somehow didn't conquer my heart. It is a good synth, but in my book it still misses something to become great.

S h a w wrote: VSTs... love 'em for studio. People who scoff... Our beloved Nords are VSTs in red metal cases. Arturia, Spectrasonics, U-he... Give them a serious listen.

I agree, I tried all the big ones for several days. Some were ok, some sounded the same with a different UI, and some (like U-he Diva) were just great in all senses. But software is not for me, not because of the sound, but because I like hardware the most.

Why settle for software if you can get something physical?

Also, I'll shed some light on my reasoning as to why I got the DSI Pro 2:

Here is a list of ALL the gear I have: Korg M50 61, Korg MS2000BR, Korg MS20mini, Korg Microkorg XL+, Korg Kaossilator Pro, Korg Volcas (the three), DSI Mopho, Nord Stage 88 Rev B, Nord Stage 2 SW.

Here is a list of what I use: Nord Stage 2 SW, Korg Kaossilator Pro, Korg Volca Bass.

Why not use the MS20mini? I don't have time to deal with patching cables and making complex sounds that I cannot save (no programs). Why not use the Mopho, Microkorg XL+? The interface is not inmediate enough. Why not use the Korg MS2000BR? I do not have a physcal space where I can comfortably put it. Why not use the Nord Stage 88 or the Korg M50? THe NS2SW sounds better.

When I reflected upon the reasons I do not use most of my gear, I realized I wanted this:

• A great sounding synth that can mostly do things my NS2SW can't
• Something that can fit in my Spider Pro's second tier
• A knob/button per function interface, the more inmediate and intuitive, the better
• Ability to save patches/programs

After hearing a lot of demos, I concluded I loved the SEM sound. I wanted a keyboard that has THAT filter. Then I realized the Pro 2 has dual filters, it's own and a Oberheim inspired filter. Then I looked up and it has all of the requirements I reasoned. After that it was just a matter of finding where to buy it. I bought it last week, but I am still waiting for it because it got stuck in customs.

RedLeo wrote:With respect, there are just as many opinions on both forums saying that they like/love the sound of the Sub 37. My professional diagnosis is that you are suffering from a classic case of confirmation bias. Take two VCOs with a glass of water and you should feel better in no time.

True and Fair enough... Taking my VCO medicine now.

RedLeo wrote:Frankly, it doesn't strike me as the greatest of Moogs soundwise although it's versatility it pretty impressive. But saying "all those ears can't be wrong" is kind of misrepresenting the truth. Do you feel a need to try and put people off a synth that they might well like even if you don't?

You're right... I should've said that a different way. While the modulation routings of the Sub37 are very well thought out (and the synth excels in that area), to me the synth doesn't sound as full as other MOOG offerings -- Voyager / Phatty / Minitaur.

And I certainly wouldn't want or intend to "put people off" of any synth... By all means... Go play it, tweak some knobs, have fun and explore. That's what synthesis is all about.

Cheers!

I have to say though, I agree that it (Sub 37) doesn't sound as good as the earlier Phatty/s. I would have assumed they would use the same sound engine, but they certainly changed something somewhere. But I kind of forgive it - with a front panel like that, who could resist...

Well, yesterday I finally got my Pro 2. It's a beast, my only gripe is that the librarian software is not free (I got to say Nord is probably the best in this aspect). At this point I've played more time in a Sub 37 in stores and the Pro2 just blows me away with the possibilities. It just feels better to me.

BUT it is not as straight forward as the Sub 37. There aren't many menus, but there are some button pressing that needs to be done in order to do a full edit.

The presets are much better than many others, with a lot of highly usable sounds. The hard part is taking one preset and editing if you are unfamiliar. Because of that I downloaded a templates bank that gives you a lot of great sound starting points.

The most fun came when I recreated some classic moog sounds from the patch book: https://www.google.com.mx/url?sa=t&sour ... 6AT2OqXMHQ

I will post something as a demo this weekend.

RedLeo wrote:I have to say though, I agree that it (Sub 37) doesn't sound as good as the earlier Phatty/s. I would have assumed they would use the same sound engine, but they certainly changed something somewhere. But I kind of forgive it - with a front panel like that, who could resist...

I believe it's closer to the Taurus than the Minimoog. It's based on the Sub Phatty, which is very different from the Little Phatty.

Well,better late than never, but here is a short demo of some of my favorite programs that I have made from scratch. It is indeed a monster of a synth.

The sound starting at ~1:00 is really nice.