Omnisphere 3 Hardware Guide

Nord Lead 4

The Clavia Nord Lead 4 is a powerful synth and a very good controller for Omnisphere. From its front panel, you can control many parameters in Omnisphere’s Oscillator section. You have access to over 100 wavetables and you can control FM, Ring Mod, Waveshaper, and Unison. You can also recall several Filter types and there’s a versatile FX section. The only downside is that it’s not cheap. Like other Nord keyboards, it’s very light, and since it’s full-featured, it’s good for live and studio use.

Clavia Nord Lead 4 Strengths:

  • Easy to use
  • Multiple Filter Types
  • Powerful Oscillator Section
  • Good Build Quality

Clavia Nord Lead 4 Details:

Used Price 49-key: Around $1,400
Rackmount: Around $1,100
Number of Keys 49 or Rackmount
Keyboard Type Unweighted
Size of Controls Medium
Special Features Powerful Oscillator Section
Dimensions Keyboard 34.0” x 3.7” × 10.7”
Rackmount: 21.1” × 10.4” × 6.6”
Weight Keyboard 11.7 lbs
Rackmount: 10.4 lbs
USB Powered No
Pitch Bender Yes (Keyboard only)
Mod Wheel Yes (Keyboard only)
Sends Aftertouch No
Sustain Pedal Input Yes
Expression Pedal Input Yes
Ribbon No
Non-Functional Controls Master Level
Morph and Impulse Morph controls
Arpeggiator Yes
Sequencer No
MIDI Messages CC

Omnisphere Sections Controlled by the Clavia Nord Lead 4:

Independent Layer Control No
Number of Oscillators 2
Number of Wavetables 101
Number of Envelopes 3
Number of LFOs 2
Filter Types Beefy BPF 4-pole
Classic LPF 2-pole
Classic LPF 4-pole
Classic LPF 8-pole
Jupiter HPF 4-pole
Beefy LPF 2-pole
Beefy LPF 4-pole
FX Units Global Ambience
Super Verb
Magnetic Echo
Warp Shifter
Envelope Filter
Stompbox Modeler
Solid State Compressor
Toxic Smasher
Soundsources No
Mod Matrix No
FM Yes
Ring Mod Yes
Waveshaper Yes
Unison Yes
Harmonia No
Granular No
ORB No
Arpeggiator Yes

Ratings

Control of Omnisphere
Panel Layout
Ease of Use
Keyboard Feel
Build Quality