Nord Drum

Last updated
Nord Drum
Nord Drum - Aucan band (clip).jpg
Nord Drum (played by Aucan, 2013)
Manufacturer Clavia
DatesNord Drum: 2012-2014
Nord Drum 2: 2014-2016
Nord Drum 3P: 2016-Present
Technical specifications
Polyphony 4 (Nord Drum)
6 (Nord Drum 2/3P)
Timbrality 4 (Nord Drum)
6 (Nord Drum 2/3P)
Oscillator 3: Body + Click + Noise
Synthesis type Virtual Analog
Physical Modelling
Filter 2 Low-pass filters
Attenuator 3 Gate + Decay
Velocity expressionYes
Storage memory99 patches
Input/output
Keyboard No
External control MIDI in/out, 4 trigger inputs

The Clavia Nord Drum is an analog modeling percussion synthesizer. [1] It was first introduced at the NAMM Show in 2012, and was made available in March 2012. Since then, two updated versions have been released; the Nord Drum 2 & Nord Drum 3P.

Contents

Features

The Nord Drum has four channels; in other words, it is capable of playing four different drum sounds at once. Each channel can be triggered either via MIDI, or by incoming analog signals; this allows the module to be interfaced with electronic drum pads, piezo triggers, or any suitable analog signal source (such as a modular synthesizer), or controlled by a MIDI sequencer, keyboard, or other MIDI controller.

Each sound is made up of three parts: Tone, Click, and Noise. Tone is the main section of the sound, and provides the most parametric control of the three. It offers several different oscillator types, and can be tuned to give each sound a distinctive pitch. Noise allows for the addition of harsher, more percussive textures to the sound, suitable for snares, shakers, hi-hats, and the like. Click is mainly concerned with the attack of the sound, and many different click types are available, to allow the attack portion to be fine tuned. [2]

Several of the sound parameters have the ability to respond to velocity, but notably, there is no facility for controlling parameters externally via MIDI. This issue was addressed with the introduction of the Nord Drum 2, which includes a much more robust MIDI implementation, among other improvements. [3]

Nord Drum 2

In April 2013, an updated version of the Nord Drum was announced, dubbed the Nord Drum 2. [4] This version added two more percussive voices, as well as two additional channel inputs for triggering each voice (giving a total of six trigger inputs, one per voice). It also added stereo outputs, mute groups, an improved synthesis engine with updated parametric controls, higher patch storage count, and individual effects per channel. The Drum 2 also features a much more complete MIDI implementation than the original, allowing for precise, individual control of nearly all synthesis engine parameters via incoming MIDI CC messages. [3]

Nord Drum 3/3P

In April 2016, Nord announced the Drum 2's successor, the Nord Drum 3, along with a version featuring six integrated trigger pads, dubbed the 3P. [5] Both editions include an updated user interface for sound editing, 8 individual sound storage banks (in addition to 8 banks for kits), and new delay & reverb master effects. The engine was also modified slightly, seeing the removal of the attack rate/attack mode parameters, reduction in the available "click" types from 36 to 12, and addition of four new "tone" oscillator types - two modelled T-bridge oscillators, and two others based on ring modulation. Notably, the 3P lacks the analog channel trigger inputs of its predecessors, relying on MIDI for input from external pads. [6] Though two versions (the 3 & 3P) were both originally announced, the former has yet to be made available, and is currently absent from Nord's own product catalog. To date, the 3P is the only available successor to the Nord Drum 2.

Related Research Articles

Roland Octapad is a range of MIDI electronic drum percussion controllers produced by the Roland Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modular synthesizer</span> Synthesizer composed of separate modules

Modular synthesizers are synthesizers composed of separate modules for different functions. The modules can be connected together by the user to create a patch. The outputs from the modules may include audio signals, analog control voltages, or digital signals for logic or timing conditions. Typical modules are voltage-controlled oscillators, voltage-controlled filters, voltage-controlled amplifiers and envelope generators.

General MIDI is a standardized specification for electronic musical instruments that respond to MIDI messages. GM was developed by the American MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA) and the Japan MIDI Standards Committee (JMSC) and first published in 1991. The official specification is available in English from the MMA, bound together with the MIDI 1.0 specification, and in Japanese from the Association of Musical Electronic Industry (AMEI).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CV/gate</span> Analogue method of electronic sound production

CV/gate is an analog method of controlling synthesizers, drum machines, and similar equipment with external sequencers. The control voltage typically controls pitch and the gate signal controls note on-off.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roland JX-3P</span> Analog synthesizer

The Roland JX-3P is a synthesizer produced by Roland Corporation of Japan from 1983–1985. The "3P" in its name refers to "Programmable Preset Polyphonic". It is notable as one of the company's first synthesizers to incorporate a MIDI interface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Novation Digital Music Systems</span> British musical equipment manufacturer

Novation Digital Music Systems Ltd. is a British musical equipment manufacturer, founded in 1992 by Ian Jannaway and Mark Thompson as Novation Electronic Music Systems. Today the company specializes in MIDI controllers with and without keyboards, both analog and virtual analog performance synthesizers, grid-based performance controllers, and audio interfaces. At present, Novation products are primarily manufactured in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ableton Live</span> Digital audio workstation

Ableton Live, also known as Live or sometimes colloquially as "Ableton", is a digital audio workstation for macOS and Windows developed by the German company Ableton.

The Nord Lead is a series of virtual analog subtractive synthesizers, manufactured by Clavia.

The Yamaha AN1x is a DSP-based analog modeling synthesizer, produced by Yamaha Corporation from 1997 to 1998, and was marketed as an "analog physical modelling control synthesizer".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MIDI controller</span> Device that produces MIDI data

A MIDI controller is any hardware or software that generates and transmits Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) data to MIDI-enabled devices, typically to trigger sounds and control parameters of an electronic music performance. They most often use a musical keyboard to send data about the pitch of notes to play, although a MIDI controller may trigger lighting and other effects. A wind controller has a sensor that converts breath pressure to volume information and lip pressure to control pitch. Controllers for percussion and stringed instruments exist, as well as specialized and experimental devices. Some MIDI controllers are used in association with specific digital audio workstation software. The original MIDI specification has been extended to include a greater range of control features.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sound module</span> Externally controlled electronic musical instrument

A sound module is an electronic musical instrument without a human-playable interface such as a piano-style musical keyboard. Sound modules have to be operated using an externally connected device, which is often a MIDI controller, of which the most common type is the musical keyboard. Another common way of controlling a sound module is through a sequencer, which is computer hardware or software designed to record and playback control information for sound-generating hardware. Connections between sound modules, controllers, and sequencers are generally made with MIDI, which is a standardized interface designed for this purpose.

The DTX range consists of electronic drum kits and percussion controllers manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation. They currently cover levels from entry-level to pro-range. DTX kits use sampling for their sounds, meaning each kit has built-in digital recordings of real drums, and cymbals. When the drum or cymbal pads are hit, the digital recordings are played back to replicate what is being played. On all kits, the sounds are editable – the pitch can be made higher or lower (tuned) and many other features. The higher the range of the DTX, the more functions there are editable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korg DW-8000</span> Hybrid digital-analog synthesizer

The Korg DW-8000 synthesizer is an eight-voice polyphonic hybrid digital-analog synthesizer 61-note keyboard instrument released in 1985. By the time of its launch, Korg had already begun a common trend in 1980s synthesizer design: using numerical codes to access or change parameters with its predecessor - the Korg Poly-61, which was widely regarded as the company's first "knobless" synthesizer. This was a move away from the heavily laden, complex control panels of earlier designs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nord Modular</span> Line of synthesizers

The Nord Modular series is a line of synthesizers produced by Clavia, a Swedish digital synthesizer manufacturer. The Nord Modular series, in common with their sister range the Nord Lead series, are analogue modelling synthesizers, producing sounds that approximate those produced by conventional analogue synths by using DSP chips to digitally model analogue circuitry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clavia</span> Swedish manufacturer of synthesizers

Clavia Digital Musical Instruments is a Swedish manufacturer of virtual analog synthesizers, virtual electromechanical pianos and stage pianos, founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 1983 by Hans Nordelius and Mikael Carlsson. Since 1995, Clavia's keyboards have been branded Nord.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korg MS2000</span> Synthesizer released in 2000

The Korg MS2000 is a virtual analog synthesizer produced by the Japanese electronic musical instrument manufacturer Korg.

The Nord Stage is a digital keyboard or stage piano, manufactured by Clavia Digital Music Instruments of Stockholm, Sweden. There have been six editions of the instrument: the original Nord Stage in 2005, the Nord Stage EX in 2008, the Nord Stage 2 in 2011, the Nord Stage 2 EX in 2015, the Nord Stage 3 in 2017, and the Nord Stage 4 in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synth1</span>

Synth1 is a software synthesizer designed by KVR user Daichi. It was originally designed as an emulation of the Nord Lead 2 synthesizer, and has since become a unique Virtual Studio Technology instrument and one of the most downloaded VST plug-ins of all time. The software used to be a DirectX instrument plugin, but became solely VSTi from version 1.08 on. Version 1.13 was the first version to introduce a native 64-bit version of the plugin.

The Roland DDR-30 "Alpha Drum" is a digital PCM drum module built by Roland, in early 1985. It was introduced during 1985 Summer NAMM industry trade show in New Orleans.

The Korg DRM-1 Digital Rhythm module built by Korg, in late 1987. It was introduced during 1987 Summer NAMM industry trade show in Chicago.

References

  1. "Nord Drum" . Retrieved 2012-03-06.
  2. Gordon, Mark (August 2012). "Clavia Nord Drum". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  3. 1 2 Gordon, Mark (May 2014). "Clavia Nord Drum 2". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  4. Ben, Rogerson (8 April 2013). "Musikmesse 2013: Nord Drum 2 and Nord Pad announced". MusicRadar. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  5. Arblaster, Simon (5 April 2016). "Musikmesse 2016: Nord Drum 3 announced in two flavours". MusicRadar. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  6. Gordon, Mark (April 2017). "Clavia Nord Drum 3P". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 16 October 2022.

Further reading