Also check our our Nord Lead FAQ's - click here

General FAQ

Q: Why are Clavia products red?
A: Simply because we think red is a very nice color! A single color also gives all Clavia products a common identity and also functions as a sign of high quality.

Q: Is Clavia a big company?
A: Currently we're 20 people working at Clavia. All electronic products are developed and assembled here at the Clavia factory in Stockholm, Sweden.

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Q: Are there any differences in functionality between the Nord Electro Rack 2 and the Nord Electro 2 61/73?
A: The Nord Electro Rack 2 has all the functions of the Nord Electro 2 61/73 except for the keyboard.

Q: What type of control pedal should be used with the Nord Electro/Electro 2?
A: Pedals like the Roland EV-5 and control/expression pedals from Proel works well with the Electro. Control pedals from Yamaha have different characteristics and are not suitable for use with the Electro 2, but the Yamaha FC-7 expression footpedal can be modified to work with NE. Check here.

Q: How do I know which software version is in my Nord Electro/Electro 2?
A: The software version is briefly shown in the display when you power on your Nord Electro/Electro 2.

Q: Will there be more piano sounds available for download in the future?
A: Yes, the piano sample library will be expanded with more sounds in the future.

Nord Modular G2 & G2X & G2 Engine FAQ
Q: My Modular G2 Editor can't find the Modular G2. What could be the problem?
A: Check list:

Make sure that the Nord Modular G2 synthesizer is turned on and is operative.

Make sure that the USB cable is properly connected in both ends and the USB driver is installed. Note that the Mac OS X version doesn't need an USB driver.

Make sure the Update utility isn't running. If it is, close it and restart the Editor.

If you still don't get a connection to the synthesizer from the Editor, try to disconnect and reconnect the USB cable. If the problem remains, try to "Scan for Hardware changes" in the device manager. If you still have a problem, try a shorter (1.5 meter) USB-cable.

Q: After I've pressed "Update" in the Synth Update utility, the synth is rebooted in update mode but the program doesn't find it again.
A: Some users running Windows 2000 have reported this problem. If it happens to you, simply restart the Update utility when the Synth is in update mode and it will work fine from there.

If you want to enter update mode manually, refer to the topic "Updating the OS in the Synth" in chapter 4 in the manual.

Q: My Nord Modular G2 Editor won't start on Mac OS X.
A: This behaviour may be caused by damaged file permissions. Try to repair the file permissions using the Apple Disk Utility program. You find it in Applications>Utilities.

First select the disk your Mac OS X system is on and then go to the First Aid tab. Click Repair Disk Permissions to repair the permissions.

Nord Lead 3/Rack 3 FAQ
Q: Are there any differences in functionality between the Nord Lead 3 and the Nord Rack 3?
A: The Nord Rack 3 has all the functions of the Nord Lead 3 except for the keyboard, modulation wheel, Pitch Stick and control pedal functionality.

Q: What's the difference between the Nord Lead 3/Rack 3 and the Nord Lead 2/Rack 2?
A: Pretty much everything except for the name and the color, actually. The Nord Lead 3 is a completely new synthesizer from the ground up. The sound engine code as well as the system and hardware are completely new compared to earlier Nord Lead/Rack models. Please check out the Nord Lead 3/Rack 3 specifications page and the Nord Lead 2/Rack 2 specifications page to do a more detailed comparison.

Q: How do I know which software version is in my Nord Lead 3/Rack 3?
A: The software version is briefly shown in the display when you switch on your Nord Lead 3/Rack 3.

Q: Can I convert my Nord Lead/Rack and Nord Lead 2/Rack 2 sounds for the Nord Lead 3/Rack 3?
A: No, the Nord Lead 3/Rack 3 cannot read or convert sounds from earlier Nord Lead/Rack models. This is because of the totally new hardware and software in the Nord Lead 3/Rack 3.

Nord Lead/2 and Rack/2 FAQ
Nord Lead/Rack general

Q: How do I know which software version is in my Nord Lead?
A: The software version is shown briefly in the display when you switch on your Nord Lead.

Q: My Nord Lead shows some strange signs in the display at power up and then "freezes" What's up?
A: A bug in the software causes the synth not to boot up correctly if MIDI data is being sent to it at power up. This also goes for MIDI Clock data, so make sure you're not sending any MIDI to the Nord Lead during power-up.

Q: How do I dump sounds from my Nord Lead to a sequencer?
A: Connect MIDI Out on your Nord Lead to MIDI In on your computer's MIDI interface. Start the sequencer program. Disable the MIDI Sysex filter (if any) in the sequencer. The sound data from the Nord Lead is MIDI Sysex. Now, click RECORD in the sequencer and do one of the following procedures on the Nord Lead:

to dump a single sound, press SHIFT+Dump One (the rightmost OCT Shift button)

or

to dump the entire sound bank you're currently in, press SHIFT+Dump All (the leftmost OCT Shift button

A single sound dump takes about one second, and an entire sound bank about 5-10 seconds. When dumping an entire sound bank, the Nord Lead display counts up as each sound is being transferred. When the dump is finished, click STOP in the sequencer. Now, the dump is complete.

To download a sound or a sound bank, connect MIDI Out from the computer's MIDI interface to MIDI In on your Nord Lead. Start the sequencer/sequencer program and open the sound ('.mid') file. Make sure the PCMCIA card is not write protected (the Write Protect switch on the edge). Click PLAY on the sequencer. If you dump a single sound this will not be stored in a memory location until you press STORE, select a location, and then press STORE again.

Downloading an entire sound bank will totally replace the sound bank you're currently in. Therefore, make sure you don't overwrite anything you want to keep.

Q: My Nord Lead doesn't respond correctly to MIDI Controllers. What's wrong?
A: 1. First, make sure the Nord Lead is set to send and receive MIDI Controllers. Press and hold SHIFT and press PRG.CTRL twice. Press the Up button until the display reads 'C.on'. Also, make sure the Global MIDI channel is not set to the same as any of the Slot's MIDI channels. On the Nord Lead, connect MIDI Out directly to MIDI in. Set the Nord Lead to Local Off. If the Nord Lead responds correctly to knob changes etc., the problem is probably somewhere else in the MIDI chain.

2. If you use a sequencer, check that the sequencer receives and sends MIDI Controllers. There is usually a Filter setting for this in the program.

Q: How do I sync the Nord Lead LFOs/Arpeggiator to MIDI clock?
A: You can only sync the LFO/Arpeggiator restart. In between the restarts, the LFO/Arpeggiator runs at the rate set with the Rate knob. There are several ways to sync the LFO/Arpeggiator restart to external MIDI clock. Please, see the respective User Manuals on pages 61-62 (Nord Lead 1/Rack 1) or 63-64 (Nord Lead 2/Rack 2) for more details.

Nord Lead 2/Rack 2

Q: Can I use my Nord Lead 1 sounds on a Nord Lead 2?
A: Yes, if you have a PCMCIA card with Nord Lead 1 sounds made on a Nord Lead/Rack 1 with software version 2.x. When you insert the card in a Nord Lead/Rack 2, you can convert the sounds to play back correctly on the Nord Lead 2/Rack 2. See more about how to convert PCMCIA card sounds here.

If you have made a MIDI Sysex dump of your Nord Lead 1/Rack 1 sounds, and download this dump to your Nord Lead 2/Rack 2, some sounds may sound the same and others not. This is because Nord Lead 2/Rack 2 has a couple of more parameters, and also different ranges on some parameters compared to Nord Lead 1/Rack 1.

Q: How do I switch between the internal bank and the card banks on a Nord Lead 2 via MIDI?
A: First of all, you must have software V1.05 or higher installed in your Nord Lead. To switch between the banks, the Nord Lead 2 must receive a Bank Change message immediately followed by a Program Change message. If no Program Change message is sent after the Bank Select, no change will take place. The internal bank corresponds to Bank Change data=0. Card bank 1 corresponds to Bank Change data=1 and so on.

Nord Lead/Rack

Q: My Nord Lead shows an 'E' each time I power up. What's this?
A: It means that your Nord Lead has the Voice Expansion Board installed. The 'E' stands for 'Expanded'. With the board installed you have 12-voice polyphony instead of the standard 4 voices.

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