NAMM 2020 Demo: Nord Wave 2 is a quad-layered beast of a performance keyboard
Rolling four synths into one, the keyboard could be one of the most versatile instruments on the market.
NAMM 2020: The Nord Wave 2 from Clavia is the newest in its esteemed range of keyboards, featuring four independent synthesisers, with meticulous control and manipulation over each one. An impressive selection of modulation sources and onboard effects could make this an instant desire for many keyboardists.
Nord Wave 2 features a 61-note keybed with aftertouch, four independent synthesis engines, 48 voice polyphony, plus a ton of effects, modulation sources and performance modes.
Four-piece performance
Wave 2’s four parts give you some serious control over the overall sound, allowing you to group each of the individual layers into one sound and edit individually. Oscillator Control gives you control over shape, sync or detune functions of the sounds, and a true Superwave unison mode provides instant thickness, simultaneously generating hundreds of waveforms. The four parts consist of the following:
Analogue, a virtual analogue engine that features a range of selectable waveforms from the classic analogue (saw, square, sine and triangle) to more harmonically rich additions.
Samples, in which you choose from the Wave 2’s broad selection of onboard samples from the Nord Sample Library 3.0, including strings, brass, choirs, guitars, chromatic percussions and more. Exclusively licensed sounds of the Mellotron and Chamberlin are also available, with the option to import your own samples with Nord Sample Editor
Wavetable, an oscillator section with a huge number of advanced waveforms
FM, a frequency modulation part that features 2,3 and 4 operator configurations with harmonic and inharmonic variations.
The OLED display on the front panel of Wave 2 will give you an overview of Program and Oscillator sections to provide a comprehensive overview for shaping your sound. The performance features and parameters will offer a hands-on approach to your sonic creations. Wave 2’s Program Layer section gives fader control over volume or pan for all four layers at once, and provides handy features for quick layer focus, soloing and multi-editing
Wave 2’s Group feature allows you to combine two, three or four layers to process through the same filter, envelope, arpeggiator, LFO and effects. This will be a huge help when crafting complex, intricate, multi-layered sounds. Alternatively, three split points provide up to four zones with optional crossfaders.
Morph and modulate
Nord’s new performance mammoth boasts six filter types, including an emulation of the classic ladder filter found on Moog synthesisers. A full ADSR envelope gives you control over sound shaping and a dedicated LFO offers a choice of waveforms for each individual layer. The LFO features morphable parameters, and the rate can be synchronised to a Master Clock to keep everything in rhythm. The Wave 2 amp also has a full ADSR envelope and the new Transient Attack mode can add extra punch to your sound.
The range of morphable parameters on the keyboard includes LFO Amount, Oscillator Control, Filter and Effects, which can be controlled from four different sources: Velocity, Aftertouch, Mod Wheel and Control Pedal. The Morph sources can be assigned to control multiple parameters simultaneously, and an Impulse Morph button allows instant changing of parameters.
With an advanced Arpeggiator, you can create classic arpeggiated rhythms. Or, use polyphonic mode to create complex, directly editable patterns that will retrigger all held keys either straight or patterned, featuring different inversions to create exciting harmonic variations. Gate mode will chop your sound up in a rhythmic pattern with adjustable depth. Pattern mode contains a wide selection of rhythmic patterns and allows easy editing for creating your own patterns.
A vast effects section can add the finishing touch to your desired sound, with tremolo, pan, ring modulation, chorus, ensemble and ‘Vibe’, plus an EQ with drive. Effects can be controlled via Morph sources and also synced to a Master Clock. Stereo delay effects can also be utilised, with Ping Pong, Analogue and Tap Tempo modes. A separate reverb section per layer features five different reverb sizes, meaning you can truly add intricacy to your overall sound within each layer.
Also announced at NAMM 2020: the Wave 2 will ship with Symphobia strings from Project SAM.
The Nord Wave 2 is handmade in Sweden by Clavia DMI AB and scheduled for shipping in Spring 2020 priced at £2149. Find out more at nordkeyboards.com
