3. gettINg Started | 15
tHe SYNtHeSIZer
let’s have a look at some of the features of the Stage 3 Synthesizer, be-
ginning with how to set up a sound using Classic, “analog” waveforms.
1
Make sure the Synth section is active, by pressing the Synth
ON
button, or by using
PROG INIT
(Shift + live Mode) and selecting
Synth
from the display.
2
In order to start off from a “blank slate”, let’s
initialize
the synthesizer
to its default settings by pressing
SOUND INIT
(Shift + Unison).
3
Make sure the Waveform selector under the display is set to
CLAS-
SIC
. turn the
OSC1/WAVEFORM
dial until the
sawtooth
waveform is
selected.
4
Note that the right half of the display is currently empty. We are now
using the Basic,
single
oscillator
,
configuration which means that
the
OSC CTRL
knob has
no impact on the sound
. let’s choose a
different configuration:
5
Press
SHIFT
and turn the
CONFIG
dial to browse the different
configurations. Select the
Mix Square
configuration and let go of
the
SHIFT
button.
6
there are now two oscillators available, one set to
sawtooth
and
one set to
square
wave. turn the
OSC CTRL
knob to mix the sound
of the two oscillators.
7
turn the
OSC2/PITCH
dial (same as the Config dial - but without
Shift) of the oscillator section and select a different pitch for the
square
wave, indicated in semitone steps on the display. this way
the sound of the first oscillator (the
sawtooth
sound in this case)
can be combined with a sound of a different pitch, from one octave
below (“
sub”
, used in the example below) to several octaves above.
as a final step, let’s turn to the Filter section for some adjustments:
8
turn the Filter
FREQ
knob counter-clockwise, and notice how the
sound is gradually subdued. repeat this with all
FILTER TYPE
set-
tings, paying attention to how they each have a different effect on
how the sound is shaped.
M
Read more about the Filter Types, and other settings in the Filter
section, beginning on page 35.
loadINg aNd adJUStINg a SaMPle PreSet
Now let’s instead set up a string pad sound based on a sample, loaded
from the Sample
Preset
bank.
Apart from being selectable with the Osc1/Waveform dial, samples
iare available as presets within the Synth Preset banks. When
loaded from a preset, some of the Synth settings – such as Amp
Envelope and Velocity – are automatically set to values which suit
that particular sample. All parameters can of course still be adjust-
ed manually as needed.
1
activate the Synth Preset list view by pressing
SHIFT
and turning
the
SYNTH PRESET
dial.
2
Press the
Samp
soft button (Program 1 button) to isolate the Sam-
ple presets. Pressing any of the category soft buttons (Program
3 or 4) will group all Synth presets by category. the
PAGE
3
/
4
buttons can be used to quickly jump between different categories.
3
Select an appropriate ensemble Strings sample by turning the
SYNTH PRESET
dial (or the Program dial).
4
Play a few notes. to make a pad out of the sound we will want to
do a few tweaks. let’s turn to the
AMP ENV
(
Amplifier Envelope
)
section:
5
While playing, adjust the amp env
RELEASE
control until a suitably
long tail is heard when
releasing
a note, perhaps at a value of
around 5.0.
6
Similarily, use the
ATTACK
control to create a softer and more
gradual onset of the notes you play. again, a value of around 5.0
may be suitable.
7
to finalize the string pad, adjust the
FILTER FREQ
to give the sound
a softer character. a value of around 6.0 could be a good starting
point.
M
Since we are basing this example on a preset, you may want to set
the
VEL/MOD ENV
knob to 0 (12 o’clock) when trying out point 8
above, to reset any preset velocity behavior.
there are several ways to further enhance this basic string pad sound,
for instance by adding modulation or by using effects. read more about
modulation options on page 32 and about effects, beginning on page
page 43.
additional samples can be added to the Nord Stage 3 by using the Nord
Sound Manager software.
You can store a tweaked synthesizer sound as a preset, by press-
ing Shift and the Store Synth button.
