Modor Music has announced that the Modor NF-1 synthesizer is now available, via Belgium-based pro audio retailer Turnlab.
The MODOR NF-1 is a synth that’s a hands-on, ‘digital and proud’ design.
Here’s what they have to say about it:
The Modor NF-1 synth is a digital DSP synth very comparable to the classic Virtual Analog synths, but Modor is moving further on from this point. We use the classic structure of VA-synths, with oscillators, filters and effects, with parameters that can be modulated using LFO’s and envelopes. But every element has been retought and reinvented. In a digital way.
The NF-1 has a classic 12dB/oct resonant filter, but we are also giving it a versatile formant filter, never seen in hardware before! It does make classic sawtooth waves, but we’re also including a lot of other brand new modulatable noisy waveforms! It has a classic delay effect, but we make every parameter editable to give way to special unexpected effect types! And so on …
Specifications:
POLYPHONY
8 voices
MEMORY
448 patches, all factory presets overwritable
DISPLAY
16×2 green backlit LCD display
CONNECTIONS
9V, 600mA adapter connection, positive voltage on center pin
MIDI IN/THRU/OUT connections, 3x 5-pin DIN connection
Audio Left and Right outputs, 6.35mm mono jack
Sustain switch, 6.35mm mono jack
Volume/modulation pedal, 6.35mm stereo jack
FRONT PANEL CONTROLS
42 rotary knobs + 20 switches
1 rotary encoder control
1 Power switch/volume knob
MIDI
Full realtime MIDI control of all sound parameters
Pitch Bend, Modwheel (CTRL#1), Expression pedal (CTRL#7), Velocity and Aftertouch can be used as modulation sources
MEASUREMENTS
Width: 440mm without rack ears, 480mm with rack ears (19″)
Height: 267mm (10.5″/ 6U)
Depth: 40mm (front) – 80mm (back)
RACKMOUNTABLE
Height: 6 rackunits
Recessed backside connections to ease rack mounting (no lost rackspace above)
Rack mounting ears included
Audio demos are available at the Modor Music site.
Pricing and Availability:
The Modor NF-1 is shipping now, priced at € 995. See the Modor Music site for details.
Sounds good.
Interesting… had a listen to the sound demos over on their website, not bad at all!
Something not clicking though, I can think of a lot of other synths I’d rather drop €1K on (if I had that to spend!)
I think what’s unique here is a digital synth with knob per function, I think only the recent modulus has as many knobs. And yeah I agree, sounds good! From the comments below I was expecting something much more lacklustre.
Sledge and Nord Lead have plenty of knobs
p.s. looks like Synthtopia has been hacked – Russian Bride ads?? I mean come on, we’re an intelligent audience here and not dumb enough to fall for that kind of scam! I’ve started getting loads of highly related spam emails since these ads appeared too… surprised synthhead hasn’t squashed them quicker than you can blink! It’s pretty f*cking outrageous!
Oh now that’s weird!! No sooner had I written the above message – the ads have vanished!!!
Bizarre….
Pro tip: Contextual ads are based on the things you’ve clicked on previously, not on what the site does.
I can assure you the sex ads are a default for this site and NOT based on what I’ve clicked previously. I frequently click on the music based products to change the emphasis but since I make a point of not being signed in to sites like Google or facebook, and since I renew my device I’d regularly to clean off ad tracking, I keep getting this appalling rubbish.
Admin: Personal attack deleted.
Please keep your comments on topic and constructive.
erm… I haven’t clicked on any that I’m aware of & yeah I use adblock cheers!
I suppose it’s possible, but only because we’re in plausible deniability territory… :-S
I still don’t see any ads… weird!!
Stop surfin Commie porn bro.
So you’re saying if I view anything related elsewhere the ads on this site reflect that?
That would make sense if I actually looked at Russian Bride sites or ‘commie porn’, and it would make even more sense if the ads reflected the things I do actually look at, i.e. Music gear manufacturers websites (a lot), programming resources, (also a lot) tv, film, news etc… but they don’t!
I get the tracking thing, even a device reset may not clear their logs of your IP, but this surely is infringing on privacy rights?
Either way, regardless of whether I choose to look at porn or Russian bride sites in my own time or not, if it continues I’ll have to add Synthtopia to the list of sites NSFW.
More importantly, they might actually get me to click on some ads if they were for things I am actually interested in – so their marketing strategy is 100% fail 🙂
P.s. The ads are up to synthtopia, but my email inbox is mine, the highly probably related abuse of my inbox is absolutely not on! Synthtopia should not be supporting scammers and I am quite sure Mordor will be horrified to find out their product has been associated with porn – way to go Synthtopia!
Pro Tip: Use AdBlock
Not available on tablets (atleast in a practical and reliable browser) stuck with porn every time I visit synthtopia.
Yea, the Russian bride ads are a stretch for this site, imho. I know synth nerds may at times be
desparate for a female friend, but really! 😀
Baddcr & Garak
Lots of misinformation/confusion in your comments on this post. Let me address the main things:
‘Adult ads’ – You should never see anything racier than ‘PG’ content on Synthtopia. We do not sell ads to adult sites. We do use Google to fill in unsold ad space, but they do not display adult content on our site either. Google may display ads for things like dating sites, but those banners should never be ‘x’-type content or for ‘x’ sites.
Ad targeting – the ads we place on the site are always synth-related. The ads that Google places on the site are based on things like: your search requests on Google, the types of sites that you visits, and the clickthrough rate on ads that they have displayed previously to you and to other visitors at the site. Google wants the ads it shows to be successful, so they will show more of the ads that work.
Signing in/out – signing out of Google or Facebook does not eliminate ad targeting. It’s generally based on persistent cookies.
Adblock – we don’t have any problem with visitors that use ad blocking software. Because we are a free site, though, we have to base site decisions on the activity of typical users.
Feedback – there is a feedback form link at the top of every page of Synthtopia. If you ever have feedback for the site, that’s the place to send it, not posting strings of off topic comments on posts.
Off topic comments – comments on ad targeting don’t have anything to do with this article, so further off-topic comments on this post will be deleted.
I have analogue and digitals synths, this looks great.
I am very impressed and was really pleased to hear the hoover sound, it shows what it can do.
Try recreating that on a synth other than a Alpha Juno.
I am into hardware synths, great to a good sized machine and a great front panel.
Well done and I hope its a success.
Multitimbraliti would be nice at this price point……….just saying for this price one can get a Roland JP8080 + Korg MS2000 …or….. Novation Supernova+Alesis ION (second hand)
Interesting… now, let me play devil’s advocate for a minute: How many oscillators per voice? Waveforms? LFOs? Envelopes? It looks like the “Specifications” are missing the most vital details.
Also…. the recently announced Futuresounds’ PARVA has 8 voices, each with three oscs, 4 envs and 4 LFOs and great mod routings for about $1000, and it’s REAL analog!
Nice looking box, very average sounds (on the demo page) and that’s about it.
Nothing that my current hardware setup or DAW can’t already do.
Sorta’ reminds me of a Modulus 002 desktop (if they had one), similar name too…next please.
A stunningly beautiful piece of design, but sounds stunningly unremarkable.
Looks a lot like someone’s pinching the Modulus design ethic. DSP? White and black? Even has ‘Mod-‘ in the name. VERY NAUGHTY
This is a pretty neat concept, I like the idea of a digital synth that doesn’t only have VA stuff, because while digital synths can provide damn good sounding emulations of analog synths for lower prices than analog synths I think they need to start incorporating something else to the sonic palette. Would love to see some of the music people make using it.
The formant filter part is not entirely true, Grendel Granadier sports one and has already been released, the grendel formant filter is analogue instead of digital
I really wanted to like this but it just doesn’t sound very good. I really hope someone takes a complex feature laden digital Oscillator section that doesn’t alias and runs it though analog filters and analog vca with overdrive. That would give us analog where it matters and still provide all the unusual waveforms and FM/PM/PD/additive/whatever that digital con provide. The Modulus 002 comes close but is ridiculously expensive and doesn’t have FM or other wave shaping options as far as I know and the Dave Smith instruments hybrids Alias and I’m really not interested in that.
Come on somebody, there’s a market out there for this!
I have formant filtering on my Korg Z1, I also had it on a Yamaha FS1r, I have it on and MPC also.
The claim its the first time is a bit cheeky really!!
Yeah! Plus Grendel Formant Filter for Eurorack. A formant filter is basically a bunch of bandpass filters organised to replicate the human voice, so technically they’ve been around ever since the first bandpass filter was invented. So unless it’s some weird new kind of design, their claim is incorrect
Now that analogue is easily available, and the “knob per function” message has been sent loud and clear (one of the features instantly lost with the advent of digital) I think people like me are happy and intrigued to delve into digital synthesis.
formant filter on nord modular 1+2!
“Modor NF-1 synth is a digital DSP synth very comparable to the classic Virtual Analog synths”
And basically sounds the same. Access still builds the “classic” virus and nord is still kicking last I checked. Why would I buy an 8 voice VA?
“knob per function”… “(one of the features instantly lost with the advent of digital”
Except for the gobs of VA’s out in the world already. The issue of digital synths with (nearly) knob per function was address 20 years ago now.
looks nice, but being proud for being digital and being a va are two different things in my mind…
Nice alternative VA. You could probably do the same with a Nova or Virus C or AN1X if you can find one for sale but if you want to get something new this would do. I think the font on the panel could have been a little heavier for increased visibility, but otherwise not bad.
looks and sounds great. really smart to price this below the Virus, and way below the Modulus. i was hoping Modulus would make a rack / desk version of the 002 but this might replace that – specially for the price! well, another thing on my watch / want list.
The thing about the Modulus is it’s a hybrid and digital only at the Oscillator stage. It then gets ran though a very flexible analog filter and vca. IMO it sounds way better than any purely digital synths out there.
Glad to see something different here! (Meaning if I see one more crowdfunding announcement for another analog mono or the next completely useless arduino toy I swear I’m gonna barf).
Still no true innovation here, but seeing someone do something else for a change is good. May sound rather defined and glacial, but sometimes that’s exactly what you need.
The price is very steep though, and from the looks of it most of your buck is going towards that beautifully designed enclosure. The typography looks so hipster that they should’ve named this thing “The Flat White” 🙂
Nice to see as well that Turnlab are pushing this. A true household name here in Belgium, they can pretty much hook you up with any vintage whim your heart desires (and your trust fund allows) in impeccable condition.
Good one.
Are we discussing internet ads or synths? Ease up friends.
Kind of sounds like the Reason Malstrom
This SonicState review is quite impressive… http://youtu.be/NEKfzLY55JU