Nord Stage EX v6.x
6. The Instruments: The Synth section
Page 35
O
SC
G
ROUP
O
SCILLATOR
ARCHITECTURE
A lot of effort has been spent on creating a versatile and powerful oscillator section for the Nord Stage
Synth. Based on a variable architecture, it provides three different synthesis techniques: Analog, FM
(frequency modulation) and Digital wavetables. For each category there is a number of predefined
algorithms with the main parameters mapped to the
T
IMBRE
knob.
For example, the Analog category provides one or two oscillators with various waveforms, with or
without hard sync. In each case, the
T
IMBRE
knob controls one essential parameter, such as pulse
width, relative pitch or sync oscillator frequency. This Timbre parameter can then be modulated by
velocity or the Modulation Envelope to create dynamic sounds.
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
U
NISON
knob in he Voices
section (see
page 46
). You can in fact have up to nine oscillators per voice, without losing polyphony.
This allows for some really thick sounds!
T
IMBRE
The central
T
IMBRE
control is used to shape the sound in various ways (depending on waveform and
algorithm, see below). Timbre can be Morph controlled, allowing wheel, aftertouch or pedal control
over the sound. For some algorithms, the
T
IMBRE
knob is disabled.
T
IMBRE
CONTROL
This knob governs the amount of modulation applied to the Timbre parameter. The Timbre parameter
can be modulated by Velocity or the Mod Envelope, indicated by the
E
NV
M
OD
LED below the knob.
V
ELOCITY
If the
E
NV
M
OD
LED is dark, Timbre will be modulated by velocity. If you turn the
T
IMBRE
CON
-
TROL
knob clockwise, the Timbre parameter will be raised if you play harder.
M
OD
E
NV
If you press
S
HIFT
and turn the
T
IMBRE
C
ONTROL
knob so that the
M
OD
E
NV
LED lights up, the
Timbre parameter will instead be modulated by the Mod Envelope (see
page 41
).
W
AVE
SELECTOR
BUTTONS
The two
W
AVE
selector buttons are used to switch between the different algorithms and categories
in the osc group. Hold
S
HIFT
and press the
W
AVE
buttons up or down to choose a category (Analog/
FM/Digital). The LED indicators show which category is activated. Press the
W
AVE
buttons up or
down (without
S
HIFT
) to switch between the different algorithms or waveforms within the selected
category.
