Omnisphere 3 Hardware Guide

Nord Lead A1

The Clavia Nord Lead A1 is an interesting controller for Omnisphere. If you’re familiar with other Nord Leads, at first it might feel somewhat limited, mostly because instead of having controls over two independent Oscillators, there are preset configurations for how they work together. However, after spending a little time using these configurations, you’ll find that when controlling Omnisphere, you can use it to mix Layers, control FM, Ring Mod, and Hard Sync, among other things. One of the best things about the Nord Lead A1 panel is that you get a good amount of control over Omnisphere’s FX.

Clavia Nord Lead A1 Strengths:

  • Easy to use
  • Effects Control
  • Good Build Quality

Clavia Nord Lead A1 Details:

Retail Price 49-key: $2,199
Rackmount: Around $2,000
Number of Keys 49 or Rackmount
Keyboard Type Unweighted
Size of Controls Medium
Special Features N/A
Dimensions Keyboard 31.5” × 3.6” × 10.2”
Rackmount: 18.3” × 6.6” × 4.5”
Weight Keyboard 10.7 lbs
Rackmount: 6.6 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 controls
Arpeggiator Yes
Sequencer No
MIDI Messages CC

Omnisphere Sections Controlled by the Clavia Nord Lead A1:

Independent Layer Control No
Number of Oscillators 2
Number of Wavetables 45
Number of Envelopes 3
Number of LFOs 2
Filter Types Classic LPF 2-pole
Classic LPF 4-pole
Beefy LPF 4-pole
Jupiter LPF 4-pole
Beefy BPF 2-pole
Jupiter HPF 2-pole
FX Units Global Ambience
Analog Chorus
Analog Flanger
Analog Phaser
Tube Overdrive
Solina Ensemble
Magnetic Echo
Soundsources No
Mod Matrix No
FM Yes
Ring Mod Yes
Waveshaper No
Unison Yes
Harmonia No
Granular No
ORB No
Arpeggiator Yes

Ratings

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