MODOR NF-1K Digital Synthesizer

• 49 keys Fatar keyboard, weighted
• Polyphonic aftertouch
• 3 Ribbon Controller (Pitchbend, ModWheel, CC3)
• 16 voices / 2-part multitimbral
• 3 oscillators
• 10 waveforms
• ring modulator
• Noise generator
• FM (DX-7 style)
  
• 12dB Multimode Morphing Filter
• Formant Filter
• Chorus/Flanger effect
• Delay effect
• Sample & Hold
• 3 LFOs
• 4 loopable envelopes
• Modulation matrix
• 448 User presets
• 64 Multi Presets
• Arpeggiator
• Chord Mode
• full MIDI implementation & MPE
• MIDI In / Out / Thru
• USB MIDI
• Pedal inputs for Sustain & Expression
• Stereo output
• Headphone output
  

Sophisticated design

The asymmetrical control panel of the NF-1K may seem unusual at first glance, but after a short time you will be creating your own sounds as the control structure and signal flow are logically structured. As the oscillators and envelopes share the same control elements, the same parameters can be set by activating several buttons simultaneously. Thanks to full MIDI implementation including MPE MIDI, arpeggiator, 448 memory locations for sounds and 64 presets for multi-programs, the NF-1K is ideal for live and studio use. Thanks to the solid wooden side panels, it even has a bit of vintage charm.

Keyboard, double voices & more

The NK-1K is the keyboard version of the NF-1. The 49-key Fatar keyboard is weighted and very comfortable to play. In addition to velocity, the keyboard generates polyphonic aftertouch. Instead of the classic handwheels, the NF-1K is equipped with ribbon controllers. The touch strip for pitch bend measures a full 50 cm, so you can really let off steam expressively. The other two are dedicated to the modulation wheel and CC3. All three can be assigned as desired in the modulation matrix (Wires). The K version of the synthesizer has 16 voices, twice as many as the desktop version. In addition, the NF-1K 2-Part is multitimbral, so you can create two different sounds at the same time. The voice architecture allows you to choose between polyphonic, mono (with/without legato), chord and unison with detune. Poly and unison can have up to 16 voices if you exclude the second part. Finally there is a programmable arpeggiator that can do more than the usual and & down modes. The transpose buttons cover a total of 7 octaves with the neutral position.

The oscillators

The three oscillators have an identical structure and each offer ten waveforms. These cover the common waveforms such as sawtooth, square and triangle and even master algorithms for which a whole arsenal of additional functions would be necessary. Operation is extremely simple. The waveform and pitch can be modulated directly by LFO and envelope or via the modulation matrix. The following waveforms are included:

• SAW: pulse-width modulated sawtooth
• SQU: pulse-width modulated square wave
  
• TRI: pulse-width modulated triangle
  
• SYNC: Sounds like an oscillator-synchronized wave
  
• ADD: additive Harmonics
• SONAR: resonant, band-pass filtered noise
• WIND: sound of wind instruments
• ARC: Noise in the style of arcade games
• FM: Sine FM
• FBFM: Sine FM with feedback
  

All three oscillators together with the noise generator and the ring modulator are combined in the mixer. Mixer levels can be modulated via the modulation matrix. There are two buttons for the two FM modes that determine the frequency ratio between FM carrier and FM modulator. Users of old Yamaha FM synthesizers will certainly recognize some similarities.

The filters

The filter section of the NF-1K shines with two different filters that are likely to be a rarity in this combination. The first is a resonant 12 dB multimode morphing filter with lowpass, highpass, bandpass and notch characteristics as well as all intermediate stages and downstream distortion. LFO, envelope and Tracking are pre-wired for modulation. As these controls are bipolar, negative modulation and waveform inversion are no problem. The second filter is a formant filter, which works with three definable vowels and appears in parallel or in series with the Multimode filter in the signal path. The results are highly dependent on the incoming audio material and range from subtle bandpass filtering to vowel-like sounds and strong crosstalk between the bands.

The effects

The signal path is completed by the two effects units with comb filter and delay. The comb filter primarily produces all variations between chorus and flanger. In extreme settings, a short tap on a note is enough to turn the effect completely upside down. The more subtle chorus settings are particularly suitable for strings, pads and Chords. The delay effect with 750ms delay time can run freely or be synchronized to the clock. The sound is very musical and especially Dub Chords benefit from this. Naturally, every effect parameter can be animated via the modulation matrix!