Clavia Nord Wave User Manual

User Manual

Nord Wave

OS Version 2.x

Part No. 50303 Copyright Clavia DMI AB 2009
Print Edition: 2.0

The lightning ash with the arrowhead symbol within an
equilateral triangle is intended to al ert the user to the
presence of uninsulated voltage within the products
enclosure that may be of sufcient magnitude to constitute

a risk of electric shock to persons.

Le symbole éclair avec le point de èche à l´intérieur d´un triangle
équilatéral est utilisé pour alerter l´utilisateur de la presence à
l´intérieur du coffret de ”voltage dangereux” non isolé d´ampleur
sufsante pour constituer un risque d`éléctrocution.

The exclamation mark within an equilateral triangle is
intended to alert the user to the presence of important
operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the
literature accompanying the product.

Le point d´exclamation à l´intérieur d´un triangle équilatéral est
employé pour alerter l´utilisateur de la présence d´instructions
importantes pour le fonctionnement et l´entretien (service) dans le
livret d´instructions accompagnant l´appareil.

Instructions pertaining to a risk of re, electric shock or injury to persons.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS

CAUTION AVIS

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPE

N

RISQUE DE SHOCK ELECTRIQUE

NE PAS OUVRIR

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC

SHOCK DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK).

NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.

REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.

ATTENTION :POUR EVITER LES RISQUES DE CHOC

ELECTRIQUE, NE PAS ENLEVER LE COUVERCLE.

AUCUN ENTRETIEN DE PIECES INTERIEURES PAR L´USAGER.

CONFIER L´ENTRETIEN AU PERSONNEL QUALIFE.

AVIS: POUR EVITER LES RISQUES D´INCIDENTE OU

D´ELECTROCUTION, N´EXPOSEZ PAS CET ARTICLE A LA PLUIE

OU L´HUMIDITET.

Warning - When using electric products, basic

precautions should always be followed, including
the following:

1. Read all the instructions and observe the graphic
symbols above before using the product.

2. Do not use this product near water - for example
near a bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, in a wet
basement, near or in a swimming pool, a swamp or
the like.

3. This product should be used only with a cart or a
stand that is recommended by the manufacturer.

4. This product, either alone or in combination with an
amplier and headphones or speakers may be
perfectly capable of producing sound levels that
could cause permanent hearing loss. Do not
operate for a long period of time at a high volume
level or at a level that is uncomfortable. If you
experience any hearing loss or ringing in the ears,
you should consult an audiologist.

5. The product should be located so that its location
or position does not interfere with or obstruct its
normal ow of ventilation.

6. The product should be located away from heat
sources such as radiators, heat registers or other
products that produce heat.

7. The product should be connected to a power
supply only of the type described in these opera­tion instructions or as marked on the product.

8. The power supply cord of the

product should be unplugged
from the outlet when the product is left unused for a long
period of time.

9. Care should be taken so that objects do not fall, or liquids
are not spilled into the enclosure through openings.

10. The product should be serviced by qualied service person­nel when:
A. The power supply cord has been damaged; or
B. Objects have fallen or liquids have been spilled onto the
product; or
C. The product has been exposed to rain; or
D. The product does not appear to operate normally or
exhibits a marked change in performance; or
E. The product has been dropped or the enclosure has
been damaged.

11. Do not attempt to service the product beyond those means
described in this operating manual. All other servicing
should be referred to qualied service personnel.

12. To completely disconnect the apparatus from the mains,
remove the mains plug.

13. Ensure possible protective earthing connections of other
equipment when the apparatus is connected to multimedia
systems.

13. Where the Mains plug is used as the disconnect device, the
disconnect device shall remain readily operable.

Trademarks: The Nord logo is a registred trademark of Clavia DMI AB. All other trade­marks mentioned in this publication are the properties of their respective holders.
Specications and appearances are subject to change without notice.

Copyright by Clavia DMI AB, 2008

 | 3

Nord Wave User Manual

Output ........................................30

1Introduction

Thank you! .....................................5

Development story .............................5

Features ........................................5

Synthesizer .......................................5

Morph ...........................................5

Slots ............................................5

Programs.........................................5

Effects ...........................................5

Sample Instruments ................................5

Nord Sample Editor.................................6

Control s & conne ctions ..............................6

More samples ..................................6

2Panel Overview

The Front Panel ................................7

Progra m & Perfor manc e area .........................7

Synth ar ea ........................................7

Effec t area ........................................7

LCD .............................................8

Knobs & dials ..................................8

Knobs ...........................................8

The Rota ry dia l ....................................8

LED-dials.........................................8

Master Le vel kno b..................................8

Buttons .........................................8

Selector buttons ...................................8

On/Of f butto ns ....................................8

Shif t button .......................................8

3Connections

Audio Connections..............................9

Left ou t and rig ht out................................9

Headphones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

MIDI Connections...............................9

MIDI OUT.........................................9

MIDI IN ..........................................9

USB Connection ................................9

Pedal Connections..............................9

Sustai n pedal .....................................9

Control p edal......................................9

4Getting Started

About Programs ...............................10

Selec t a Progra m .................................10

Edit a Prog ram ...................................10

Saving a Pr ogram .................................10

Saving a Pr ogram w ith a new na me and/or c ategor y......11

Slots ...........................................11

Switch be tween t wo sounds ........................11

Layering.........................................11

Deacti vating S lots .................................11

Copyin g a settin g from on e Slot to anot her .............11

Focus ..........................................11

Adding an effect...............................12

A quick MIDI Setup............................12

Control ling Sl ot A and B on se parate MI DI Chan nels ......12

5The Morph Function

About Morphing ...............................13

Morph Sources ................................13

Assig n a Morph so urce to a de stinati on ................13

Morph Mode .....................................14

Morph Destinations................................14

Morph Examples ..............................14

6Nord Wave Reference

Master Level knob ............................15

MIDI LED in dicato r ................................15

Store Button ...................................15

Saving a Pr ogram w ith a new na me and/or c ategor y......15

Program Up/Down buttons ....................15

Rotary Dial ....................................16

Octave Shift buttons ..........................16

Global O ctave ....................................16

Panic ...........................................16

Mono Mode....................................16

Mono Mod e butto n ................................16

Sound Init .......................................16

Glide k nob.......................................16

Morph Buttons ................................16

Assig n a Morph so urce to a de stinati on ................17

Morph Mode .....................................17

LCD Window ...................................17

Slot Buttons ...................................17

System bu tton ....................................17

MIDI but ton ......................................17

Chord Button ..................................17

Sort M ode .......................................18

Vibrato ..........................................18

SAMP Ini t .......................................18

Shift Button ...................................18

LFOs (LFO1 & LFO2) ...........................18

Rate knob .......................................19

Waveform Selector ................................19

LFO Dest inatio n Selec tor ...........................19

Amount k nob ....................................19

Poly mod e .......................................19

Single mode .....................................19

Modulation Envelope (MOD ENV) .............19

Attack k nob......................................20

DEC/REL k nob ...................................20

AR butto n (Shif t + Desti nation S elect b utton) ............20

Amount k nob ....................................20

Destin ation se lector ...............................20

Oscillators (OSC1 & OSC2) ....................20

Oscillator Waveform selector ........................20

Pulse ...........................................21

Sawtoo th........................................21

Triangle .........................................21

Wavetable .......................................21

Sample Instruments ...............................21

Sampled waves...................................21

FM-Syn thesi s ....................................21

FM Algorithms....................................22

Sine ............................................23

Shape pa ramete r (Shap e1 & Shape2/dec) ..............23

Semi Tones k nob .................................24

Fine tun e knob ...................................24

Oscillator Modulation (Osc Mod)..............24

Amount k nob ....................................24

Type button ......................................24

Oscillator mix (Osc Mix).......................24

Mix kno b . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Oscillator Sync (Sync) .........................25

Amplier Envelope (AMP ENV)................25

Attack k nob......................................26

Decay k nob ......................................26

Sustai n knob .....................................26

Relea se knob ....................................26

Filter ...........................................27

Type button ......................................27

Low Pass........................................27

High Pas s .......................................27

Band Pas s.......................................27

Comb ..........................................27

Multi............................................28

Vocal ..........................................28

Filter Fre quenc y (Freq kn ob) .........................28

Filter Re sonan ce (Res k nob) .........................28

Keyboar d Tracking (K B Track butto n) ..................28

Filter Sl ope (Sl ope but ton)...........................28

Velocity button ...................................29

Filter Envelope.................................29

Envelop e Amoun t (ENV AMT k nob)....................30

Attack k nob......................................30

Decay k nob ......................................30

Sustai n knob .....................................3 0

Relea se knob ....................................30

Level kn ob.......................................30

Equalizer (EQ) .................................30

Treble knob ......................................30

Bass kn ob .......................................30

Chorus .........................................31

Chorus b utton ....................................31

Program Effects ...............................31

Delay ...........................................31

Tempo LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Tempo knob .....................................31

Feedba ck butto n..................................31

Stereo bu tton ....................................31

Amount k nob ....................................31

Tap Tempo button .................................31

On/Of f butto n ....................................31

Tube Amp .......................................31

Drive k nob .......................................31

On/Of f butto n ....................................31

Reverb..........................................31

Dry/ Wet knob ....................................31

Reverb b utton ....................................31

On/Of f butto n ....................................31

7Nord Sound Manager

System re quirem ents ..............................3 2

Overview ......................................32

The Toolbar ......................................32

The Tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Parti tion Mem ory In dicator ..........................32

Right-Clicking ....................................32

Selec t in Instr ument ...............................33

Upload..........................................33

Download .......................................33

Rename.........................................33

Delete ..........................................33

File Formats......................................33

The Quick Tour ................................33

Transfer sa mples to th e Wave ........................33

Deleti ng a samp le .................................33

Downlo ad a new sam ple ............................33

Upload s ounds f rom the Wave .......................34

Upload a c omple te parti tion to the h ard dri ve............34

Downlo ad sound s to the Wave .......................34

Organi ze the pro gram par tition.......................34

Search B ox ......................................34

Auto Sele ct ......................................34

Nord Sound Manager reference ...............35

Too lba r .........................................35

Menus .........................................36

File ............................................3 6

Edit ............................................36

View............................................36

Help............................................37

Tabs ...........................................37

Samp Li b - Progra m ...............................37

Search B ox ......................................37

Loc - Locat ion ....................................37

Name...........................................37

Category ........................................37

Size ............................................37

Ver – Versio n Numbe r ..............................37

Info ............................................37

Footer Are a ......................................37

Parti tion Mem ory In dicator ..........................37

Cancel B utton ....................................37

Progres s Bars ....................................37

Messa ge/Text A rea ................................37

Updates a nd samp les ..............................37

4 | NordWaveUserMaNUalv2.x

8Nord Sample Editor

What is the Nord Sample Editor? .............38

Non-destructive editing.............................38

System Requirements..............................3 8

Getting Started ................................38

Projec t, sampl e memor y ...........................38

WYDIWYH.......................................38

Workin g offlin e ...................................3 8

Sample, Zone ....................................3 8

Sample Instrument ................................38

Sample e ditin g, loop ma rkers, c rossfa de ...............39

Gener ate, uploa d, downl oad.........................39

Installation ....................................39

Instal lation of t he USB dri ver .........................39

Instal lation W indows PC ............................39

Instal lation M ac OSX ...............................39

The Quick Tour ...............................39

First Li ght .......................................39

Download Sample Instruments.......................40

Upload Sample Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 0

Create a ne w Sample I nstru ment .....................40

Adding Au dio file s with in divid ual sam ples ..............41

Single Sample Per File Assign........................41

Editing ..........................................42

Looping.........................................42

Gener ate a Sampl e Instr ument ......................43

Menu Reference ...............................44

File Me nu........................................44

Edit Men u .......................................44

Instru ment Me nu ..................................44

Settin gs Menu ....................................44

Manage r Menu ...................................44

Help Me nu.......................................45

Tab Reference .................................45

Common a rea ....................................45

Audio File/Assign Tab .........................46

Single S ample Pe r File As sign .......................46

Multi Sa mple Per F ile Ass ign ........................47

Manua l Sampl e Assig n .............................47

Sample Loop/Stop Ta b ........................47

Long Loo p.......................................48

Short L oop ......................................49

No Loop ........................................49

Apply o n All ......................................4 9

Sample Start Tab ..............................49

Sample Alt Start Tab ..........................49

Instrument Tab ................................50

Sample G ain gr id .................................50

Keyboar d Gain gr aph ..............................50

Detune..........................................50

Sample Zone.....................................51

Transpose .......................................51

Auto Map........................................51

Play Mode .......................................51

Samp Preset Tab ..............................51

Velocity Controlled Dynamics ........................51

Keyboard Controlled Amplifier Envelope................52

Octave Shift......................................52

Manager Tab ..................................52

Manage r Toolbar ..................................52

Right-click.......................................52

List he adline s ....................................53

Footer Memory Indicator............................53

File Types an d Name s..............................53

11MIDI

MIDI Menu ....................................60

MIDI Con trol Loc al ................................60

MIDI Cha nnel.....................................60

MIDI Ctr l A Chann el................................60

MIDI Ctr l B Chann el................................60

MIDI Con trol Cha nge Mod e .........................60

MIDI Prog ram Cha nge Mod e ........................60

MIDI Sen d CC ....................................6 0

MIDI Dum p One ..................................60

MIDI Sen d Bank ..................................61

MIDI Rec eive Ba nk ................................61

MIDI Controller list ............................61

MIDI Imp lemen tation C hart ..........................62

12Appendix

Specications .................................63

Description of Program Categories ...........63

Mellotron Sound Library ......................64

Conde nsed Me llotron s tory..........................64

Histor y of the Mel lotron so unds ......................64

Use of the Me llotro n sounds .........................64

Soundlist with comment s .....................65

Mk I Lead so unds .................................65

MkII Lea d sounds .................................65

M300 Le ad sound s ...............................65

M400 Lea d sounds ...............................65

13Index

9Synthesis Basics

Introduction ...................................54

The “bui lding b locks” ..............................54

The Oscillators and waveforms ...............54

The Filter ......................................56

The Amplier ..................................57

Envelopes .....................................58

LFOs ...........................................58

10System Menu

System Menu ..................................59

Transpose .......................................59

Fine tune ........................................59

Pitch Ben d.......................................59

Vibrato r ate ......................................59

Sustai n Pedal Po larit y ..............................59

Control P edal Type ................................59

Control P edal De stinati on ...........................59

Displa y Mode Ho ld ................................59

Memor y Protec t ..................................59

 1INtrodUctIoN | 5

Introduction

1

Synthesizer

Thank you!

First we would like to thank you for purchasing the Nord Wave. The
Nord Wave is built on Clavia’s legacy of making virtual analog synthe­sizers for more than 15 years and we hope you will have as much fun
owning the instrument, as we had developing it.

Development story

To us, details are everything - and an intuitive user interface is just as
important as the actual sound. We are musicians ourselves, and know
by experience how frustrating it can be to have to wade through menus
and page-plus buttons to change a setting.

That is why we have a physical button or knob for every sound related
parameter on the Nord Wave front panel. We also know the importance
of building our instruments as light as possible - some times it is a long
walk to that gig.

Our vision in designing and combining our own hardware and software
is to have professional sound quality and playability in every single
component; from the moment you strike a key to the audio output.

Our patented pitch stick is a perfect example on how dedicated hard­ware and software extends playability. Once you get familiar with it you
are likely to dismiss all other pitch controllers as a toys.

Since we are working in a digital domain, we can do a lot of interest­ing stuff with our virtual analog synthesizer that would not be possible
if it was analog-for-real. We have provided the Nord Wave with a very
impressive and useful set of both analog and digital features.

Morphing is a Nord speciality; if there is one chapter in this manual you
must read - it’s the one about morphing. This is very intuitive yet ex­tremely powerful, and will change not only how you play but also your
entire approach to sound design.

With the ability to use any kind of sampled waveform, the Nord Wave
is a sample player and an analog synthesizer in one - and anything
in-between.

In an classical analog style synthesizer environment, each of the
Nord Wave’s two slots consist of 2 oscillators, 2 LFOs, 1 modulation
envelope, 1 amplifier envelope and a multi-type filter section with an
envelope as well.

Oscillator 1 can produce wavetable, FM, analog and noise wave-•
forms. The traditional analog waveforms (Pulse, Triangle, Saw and
Sine) can also operate in a oscillator sync-mode.

Oscillator 2 can produce sampled waves, FM, analog waveforms •
and multi-sample Sample Instruments, and function as a modulation
source for Oscillator 1. The sampled waves are acoustic samples
turned into wavetables with the attack part of the sample intact.

Sample Instruments allows you to use any standard .wav file as an •
oscillator source in a virtual analog environment.

The LFOs have a wide array of modulation destinations several wave-•
forms and the ability to run in Poly and Single mode.

The Modulation Envelope also has a wide array of modulation des-•
tinations and can function either as a attack/decay or as a attack/
release envelope.

The filter section has envelope and velocity control. You have the •
option of resonant high pass, band pass and low pass modes as well
as comb, multi and vocal modes.

Morph

The Morph function lets you continuously control defined ranges of
several parameters in a Program, using only a single control source.
This allows you to produce radical changes in a sound in a very fast
and easy way.

Slots

Each of the two slots also feature a 2-band EQ, chorus, controls for the
output level, mono/legato, glide and vibrato functions.

Programs

There are 1024 program locations, organized in 8 banks in the
Nord Wave where you can store your own programs. Both the indi­vidual Slots A & B settings are stored within a program.

Features

The Nord Wave is a virtual analog synthesizer with an extensive set of
functions that allows you to shape the sound in a variety of ways. The
Wave is bi-timbral, it’s two slots are independent of each other, making
it possible to e.g. layer two sounds on top of each other.

The Nord Wave is also a true stereo synthesizer, the signal paths for
the left and the right outputs are separated at the very core in the
sound engine.

Effects

Each program can be processed with a tube style overdrive, a stereo
delay and/or a reverb.

6 | NordWaveUserMaNUalv2.x

Sample Instruments

User recorded samples can be downloaded as Sample Instruments to
the Nord Wave via USB. The capacity of the Flash memory is 99 avail­able memory locations, with a maximum total size of 180 MB. Samples
are compressed before they are downloaded using a lossless algorithm
that Clavia has developed. This allows the sample data sizes to be
reduced to up to a third of its original size.

The memory is of the Flash type which means that the Sample Instru­ments remains in the memory when the synth is turned off. You do not
have to use hard drives or other types of storage media; once loaded
into the memory the data will be there until you decide to remove it!

Nord Sample Editor

The Nord Sample Editor is the application that allows you to edit, cre­ate and load collections of samples - called Sample Instruments - to
and from the sample memory area of the Nord Wave synthesizer. This
area is what we call the Flash memory. Another application, the Nord
Sound Manager will also act as a librarian utility for the samples and
the Program memory area.

The Nord Sample Editor will assist you in your editing efforts; it contains
powerful tools for various actions that can be applied to a sample.
These tools will for instance help you in setting a start point of a
sample, creating a loop and other tasks that are essential in making the
samples ready for use in the Nord Wave. The Editor also has functions
for automatic mapping of samples across the keyboard and much
more.

Controls & connections

The Nord Wave has a 49-key keyboard which responds to velocity and
aftertouch. It is also equipped with a modulation wheel and wooden
pitch stick, 2 line level outputs, 1 headphone output, MIDI IN & OUT, a
USB port and inputs for a sustain pedal and a control pedal.

More samples

More high quality Sample Instruments can be downloaded free of
charge from the Nord web site: www.nordkeyboards.com

Both applications are delivered free of charge with every Nord Wave,
and is compatible with computers running Windows XP or Vista. They
can also run on a Macintosh with Mac OSX 10.4 or later.

 2PaNelovervIeW | 7

Panel Overview

2

The Front Panel

The front panel on the Nord Wave has three main areas, which are
identified by their background color. We’ll familiarize ourselves briefly
with the panel here and describe the functions in detail in the following
chapters.

The parameters and functions in this area are used to select programs,
to set global and MIDI functions and to add expression to your perfor­mance with the Pitch Stick and the Mod Wheel. This is also where
you find the two Slot buttons, which you use to activate one or both of
the Nord Wave synth engines.

We’ll describe the functions in this area in greater detail, starting at
page 15.

Synth area

The synth area is where all the action happens. Every vital, sound
generating function in the Nord Wave has a dedicated knob or button,
and they are all there for you to go ahead and get crazy, to design the
sound as you wish.

Each program in the Nord Wave contains two individual synth engines.
Both are controlled through the same panel, one at a time. You choose
which section to control by pressing the Slot A or Slot B button.

We’ll describe the functions in this area in greater detail, starting at
page 18.

Effect area

The Effect area contains the
parameters used for editing
the program specific effect
parameters. The functions here
are common for both slots.
Please refer to page 31 for more
information.

Program & Performance area

The Program and Performance area starts at the Master Volume
in the top left panel corner, and then sweeps down right towards the
keyboard.

8 | NordWaveUserMaNUalv2.x

LCD

The LCD is normally used
for displaying the current
program bank, number,
name and category.

When operating a knob or button, the associated parameter name and
setting will be displayed in the LCD.

Buttons

Selector buttons

Selector buttons are used to
activate one setting in an array of
two or more. Selector buttons have
a set of round or triangular LEDs to
indicate the current setting. Press
the button several times to cycle through the possible options.

Knobs & dials

Knobs

The knobs controls the continuously variable
parameters in the Nord Wave synth engine.

A parameter value can be totally different •
from the knob’s physical position when you
load a Program. As soon as you start turn­ing the knob, the value will ‘snap’ to the
knob’s physical position.

Most of the knobs have a green LED indicator below them. This LED is
used for indicating when a parameter is connected to a Morph source.
Please refer to page 13 for more information on morphing.

The Rotary dial

The Rotary dial is used for changing the
current setting displayed in the LCD. Usually
this means loading a new program, but in the
System or MIDI menus, the Rotary is used
to change parameter settings.

LED-dials

These dials in the oscillator section have an
associated LED display which shows their
parameter setting. They are used to select
wavetables or Sample Instruments.

On/Off buttons

On/Off buttons are used for activating a
parameter or a group of parameters such
as effects.

Shift button

Some buttons have a secondary function,
which will be available if you hold down
Shift while pressing the button. The name
of the secondary function is printed below
the button.

Master Level knob

The Master Level knob controls the overall
amplitude for the audio outputs, the line level
outputs and headphone output. The Master
Level knob’s actual position indicates the
output level.

 3coNNectIoNs | 9

Connections

3

Audio Connections

Left out and right out

The left and right line level outputs from the Nord Wave are unbal­anced. Use 1/4" connectors to connect the Nord Wave to an amplifier
or recording equipment.

The Nord Wave is a true stereo instrument, with separate signal paths
for the left and right audio channels. To properly experience the Nord
Wave, always use both outputs in a stereo operation.

Headphones

This is where you connect a 1/4" stereo connector from a pair of
headphones.

General guide on audio connections

Make all the connections before you turn on the power to your amplifier.•

Turn • on the power to your amplifier last.

Turn • off the power to your amplifier first.

Playing at a high volume level can result in hearing impairments E
such as permanent hearing loss.

USB Connection

The USB connection is used for the Nord Wave to communicate with
a personal computer. The computer can e.g. run the Nord Sound
Manager application, the Sample Editor application, or be used if the
operating system in the synthesizer needs to be updated.

Computers running Microsoft Windows operating systems need a E
driver for the USB connection to function. The driver can be found
on the enclosed Nord Wave DVD, or at the Nord web site.

Pedal Connections

The Nord Wave has two pedal inputs; one for a sustain pedal and one
for a control pedal (an expression type pedal, which can be used to
control various parameters).

Sustain pedal

1/4" connector for a switch type pedal. When a connected pedal is
operated, the notes you play will be sustained.

Two types of pedal polarities can be used, you select the one that ap­plies to your sustain pedal, in the System menu which is described on
page 59.

MIDI Connections

MIDI OUT

MIDI connection used for sending MIDI data from the Nord Wave to
other equipment such as sound modules or computers.

MIDI IN

MIDI connection used to receive MIDI data to the Nord Wave from
other equipment such as keyboards, sound modules and computers.

Control pedal

1/4" stereo connector for pedals of potentiometer type (also know as
expression pedals). This can be used as a source for the Morph func­tion or to control the overall volume. Please refer to page 13 for more
information on Morphing.

When connecting an expression pedal to the Control Pedal input, you
should use a stereo cable (Tip-Ring-Sleeve). Please note that the pedal
must have a stereo output jack. The resistance range of the Control
Pedal should be 10 or 50 kOhm.

To simplify setup, the most common pedal models (Roland, Yamaha,
Ernie Ball and Fatar) are pre-configured in the Nord Wave, and you sim­ply select the type of pedal which you want to use in the System menu.
The System Menu is described on page 59.

10 | NordWaveUserMaNUalv2.x

Getting Started

4

About Programs

Complete sound settings are stored in the Program memory of the
Nord Wave. This memory area consists of 8 Banks with 128 Programs
each which makes a grand total of 1024 Programs. Every Program
can be edited and replaced as you wish. A complete set of the factory
Programs are available on the Nord Wave DVD and on our website.

Select a Program

Use the 1 ROTARY DIAL to select a
Program.

To switch between 2 Banks, press and
hold Shift and then the Up/Down
buttons that is located to the left of the
LCD.

The Bank is indicated by the single digit
to the left and the program number by
the digits to the right in the LCD. Each
Program has a name and they are also
categorized in 17 different categories.

3

If you reach the last or the first Program
in a Bank, you can switch to the next
bank by pressing the Up or the Down
button.

It’s also possible to browse or select Programs by Category or in an •
alphabetical order. This is described in detail in the Sort Mode section
on page 18.

Edit a Program

Editing a Program is just as easy as grabbing a knob and change a
setting, or press a button to select a different setting. The knobs physi­cal position isn’t always as the setting in the Program that is active,
but as soon as you start turning a knob, the parameter will snap to the
knob’s position.

1 Filter Freq knob.

Turn e.g. the

The parameter value will be shown briefly in the LCD.

When you have edited a Program, an asterisk (*) will appear in the LCD
next to the Program number to alert you to the fact that the program
has been edited but not yet saved.

If you select a new program without saving, any edits you have made
will be lost and the Program will have its original settings the next time
you select it.

Saving a Program

If you are happy with an edit that you have made, you should probably
save the Program.

Press the 1 Store button.

The Store button LED starts flashing and
the original Program location is shown in
the LCD.

There is a Memory Protect function that is •
set to On when the Wave leaves the Nord Factory. This needs to be
turned Off in the System Menu before you can save a Program.

2 Shift + System and scroll to the Memory Protect setting

Press
with the Up/Down buttons and set this to Off using the Rotary.

 4GettINGstarted | 11

Select a new location where you want to store the Program.3

Use the Up/Down buttons and/or the Rotary dial to choose a
new Program location if you do not want to overwrite the original
Program.

To select another bank, press Shift and select another bank with
the Up/Down buttons.

4 Store button a second time to confirm your choice.

Press the

Your edited Program has now replaced the previous one in the
location you specified.

To cancel the procedure, press any buttons on the panel before you •
press Store the second time.

With Memory Protect set to Off, a double tap on the • Store button
will store a Program in its original location.

Saving a Program with a new name and/or category

Press the 1 Store as button (Shift + Store).

The Store button LED starts flashing and the Program name and
category is shown in the LCD.

2 Rotary Dial to select a category.

Use the

Give your program a name using the Up/Down buttons to
change position, and the Rotary to scroll between the available
characters.

3 Store button a second time to confirm the new name

Press the
and category selection.

Use the 4 Up/Down buttons or the Rotary dial to choose the loca-
tion where you want to store the Program.

Layering

To play with both the slots in a selected Program is called to layer two
sounds.

1

Press both of the Slot buttons at the same time.

One slot LED will be steadily lit, the other will flash. This indicates
which of the two slots has the Panel focus, more on this in a little
while.

Deactivating Slots

To deactivate a Slot in a layer, press both 1 Slot buttons, and then
release one of them.

The slot with the button you released will be the one that is re­moved from the layer.

Copying a setting from one Slot to another

In order to be able to organize the sounds to suit your needs, you can
copy settings from one slot to another.

1 Slot button.

Press and hold a

Turn the Rotary dial or press the Up/Down buttons to scroll
through the memory area.

2

When you have found the desired Slot and Program that you wish
to copy, release the Slot button.

The settings from the selected Slot and Program are now copied
to the Program/Slot in use.

If you want to keep these new settings, make sure that you save the •
Program before you select a new one.

5 Store button a third time to confirm your choice.

Press the

Your edited Program has now replaced the previous one in the
location you chose.

Slots

The Nord Wave has two Slots labelled A and B. Each slot represents a
complete synthesizer setup, a complete sound if you wish. The Slots
can be used for layering sounds or quickly switch between sound
settings. The Slots are also used when the Nord Wave is controlled via
MIDI.

Every Program contains the settings for each individual slot. Program
1:11 can have a piano sound setting for Slot A and a string setting for
slot B. You can very quickly switch between the two slots in a live situa­tion by pressing a button. You can also layer the two slots, playing both
sounds from the keyboard at the same time.

Switch between two sounds

Select a Program. 1

Press repeatedly on the Slot A 2
and the Slot B buttons to activate
the two different sounds in that
particular Program.

Focus

To be able to fully take advantage of the flexibility of the two slots and
the knobs and buttons on the panel, the Nord Wave uses a concept
that we call Focus which means “active for”.

When you select a Program in the Wave and play on the keyboard with
e.g. Slot A active (its LED being lit), that Slot has the keyboard focus.
This means that you use the keyboard, pitch stick, morph functions
and other performance controls on the Wave to control it.

This slot also has the panel focus; a solitary slot always has both panel
and keyboard focus. If you grab a knob on the panel and turn it, the
sound will change.

If you select both slots to create a layer as described earlier, the slot
with the flashing LED will be the one with panel focus. Both slots will
have keyboard focus.

1

To switch the panel focus from one slot to the other in a layer, just
press the Slot button of the slot you wish to put in panel focus.

This makes it possible to play two sounds with the keyboard, and
edit one of them at a time with the panel controls.

The configuration of the two slots in a Program will be kept when a •
Program is saved. This includes the selection of the Panel Focus.

12 | NordWaveUserMaNUalv2.x

Adding an effect

The Nord Wave has two different sets of effects. The two band EQ
and the chorus are Slot effects which mean they can be used with
individual settings for each one of the two slots in a Program.

The delay, the tube amp simulator and the reverb are the Program
effects, and they will process both the slots at the same time, if both
slots are active.

1

Dial up the Wurlitzer program, bank 1, number 30.

Play a few notes and notice the subtle reverb and the panning.
The panning effect is actually made with the LFO; turn down the
LFO1 AMOUNT knob if you want to turn this off.

Press the

2 Chorus button once.

This adds a subtle chorus effect.

3 Chorus button again to select

Press the
the second chorus depth, and a third
time to select the third chorus depth.

If you find a sound to be to offensive in the
overall mix, try turning down the Bass EQ control a bit. The EQ is acti­vated as soon as you turn an EQ knob from its 12 o’clock position.

4 Delay ON button to add a delay to the Wurly.

Press the

You set the level of the delay signal with the Amount knob and
the feedback by pressing repeatedly on the Feedback button.

5 Shift + Stereo in the delay section to get a stereo delay

Press
with a panning effect.

A quick MIDI Setup

The default MIDI Channel on the Wave is channel 1 for the transmission
of the keyboard and performance functions, and also for the reception
of note-on messages for both the two slots.

Every knob and button on the panel can send MIDI Control Change
messages. This makes it possible to record e.g. a filter sweep to a
sequencer.

Since the two slots combined have more knobs and buttons than the
MIDI specification has available CC addresses, the two slots can be set
to two separate MIDI transmission channels.

1 Shift + MIDI to enter the MIDI Menu.

Press

Use the Up/Down buttons to select the MIDI Channel function.

This sets the MIDI Channel that is being transmitted from the keyboard
and also being used as the receiving channel for both slots simultane­ously.

2 Up/Down

Exit the MIDI Menu by pressing any button except the
buttons.

Controlling Slot A and B on separate MIDI Channels

The two slots may receive MIDI note messages on individual MIDI
channels, in the bi-timbral mode.

1 Shift and MIDI to enter the MIDI Menu.

Press

2 Up/Down buttons to navigate to the MIDI parameter.

Use the

Set this function to Bi-Timb.

This will not disconnect the Wave keyboard and performance con-•
trols from the Slots. If you want that kind of functionality, you also
have to set the Local function to Off.

3 Up/Down buttons to select the MIDI Ctrl A parameter and

Use the
set this to the MIDI channel that you want Slot A to respond to.

Use the 4 Up/Down buttons to select the MIDI Ctrl B parameter and
set this to the MIDI channel that you want Slot B to respond to.

5 Up/Down

Exit the MIDI Menu by pressing any button except the
buttons.

In the following sections you will find a chapter about the
powerful Morph function, a function reference, a chapter that
is totally devoted to the Nord Sound Manager, another that
explains the Nord Sample Editor application and also a chapter
that describes a bit what this “synthesis” thing is all about.

 5theMorPhFUNctIoN | 13

The Morph Function

5

1. Press 2. Turn 3. Play and use the Mod Wheel

About Morphing

Morphing allows you to be very dynamic and creative in your sound de­sign, and is all about being able to control virtually any important sound
related parameter from the Morph sources. These three sources are:
the Modulation Wheel & Control Pedal, the Keyboard and the Velocity.

There are 26 available Morph destinations to choose from. This gives
you plenty of real-time control possibilities to augment your playing
style. A Morph is very simple to set up and use, and all Morph assign­ments are stored with the Program.

Many of the factory Programs have morph assigned parameters. If a
Program uses Morph, one or more of the green Morph Prog
indicators on the panel will be lit to indicate this.

If e.g. the • Wheel indicator in the Morph
Prog section is lit for a Program, you can
move the wheel and experience how the
morph will influence the sound.

A Morph Source controls the range from the
parameter’s original position in the Program to
a position you define when you set up the morph.

This means that you can control a very small range on one parameter
at the same time as you control a very large range on a another param­eter. One parameter can be controlled clockwise, and another can be
controlled counter clockwise.

A key velocity of 127 represents the parameters morphed value.•

Modulation Wheel and/or Control Pedal (Wheel/Ped)

Uses the modulation wheel and/or a pedal connected to the Con­trol Pedal input as the Morph Source.

Incoming MIDI Control Change messages on CC 01 and CC 
11will also act as a Wheel/Ped Morph source.

The bottom position of the • Modulation Wheel or Control Pedal
represents the parameters original value.

The top position of the • Modulation Wheel or Control Pedal
represents the parameters morphed value.

If the Control Pedal is set to control the overall volume of the Nord 
Wave, in the System Menu, the wheel will be a solitary Morph
source when Wheel/Ped is selected.

Keyboard Note (Keyboard)

This sets the Keyboard Note Numbers as a Morph Source.

The bottom key of the • keyboard (C2) represents the parameters
original value.

The top key (C6) of the • keyboard represents the parameters mor-
phed value.

When using an external keyboard controller connected to the E
Nord Wave MIDI IN, or when the Wave keyboard has been trans­posed, any incoming notes outside of the keyboard range, will
morph the parameter until the parameters end position is reached.

Morph Sources

There are three Morph Sources available:

Note Velocity (Velocity)

This Morph source
uses the Note Velocity
from the Nord Wave
keyboard and from any
incoming MIDI mes­sages.

A key velocity of 0 represents the parameters original value. •

Assign a Morph source to a destination

Hold down a 1 Morph Source button.

If this source has any previously assigned Morph destinations,
these destinations LEDs will light up.

2

Operate a Morph Destination parameter.

The selected Morph Destination’s green LED will indicate that a
Morph is active.

The LCD will indicate the parameters original value and the

3

Morphed value.

14 | NordWaveUserMaNUalv2.x

In this example the filter
cutoff will be Morphed from
its original setting of 62Hz to

1.9kHz during the full travel
or range of the Morph source.

4 Morph Source button.

Release the

When the Morph source is operated, the parameter’s value will
change accordingly and the sound will change.

To edit a morph range from a Morph Source:

Press the corresponding Morph Source button and turn the destina-•
tion’s knob to a new position.

To clear all morphs from a single Morph Source:

Press • Shift + the corresponding Morph Source button.

To clear a single Morph destination:

Hold down the corresponding Morph Source button and operate the •
parameter knob to its original position, where the Morph LED will be
turned off.

Morph Mode

Morph Mode provides you with a great overview that can simplify set­ting up and adjusting multiple Morph Destinations at once.

Morph Examples

New to morphing? No worries, let’s setup a Morph for one of the Fac­tory Programs.

1

Select the Grand Piano, Program 1:2.
Press the Slot B button and hold it down, and then turn the Rotary 2

counter clock wise until you see FullStrings 1:1 A.

This will copy the string sound to Slot B for this little exercise.
Don’t activate Slot A just yet.

3

Press and hold Shift and then press Morph Velocity and also the
Morph Wheel buttons.

This will remove the Morph assignments in this string sound and
we can start with a clean slate.

Operate the Output Level knob all the way to the minimum value.

4

This will make the string sound silent, enabling us to be able to
use the Morph to bring it back up in amplitude again.

5

Double tap on the Morph Wheel button and turn up the Output
level to about 3.0.

The LCD will display the original setting of 0, and the Morphed
setting of 3.0. The Morph will be instantly available, play a few
notes and operate the Mod Wheel to hear the result.

1

Double-tap on one of the Morph Source buttons.

The Morph Source button flashes continuously, and the LEDs will
show any of the associated Morph Destinations.

2

Operate a Morph Destination parameter.

The selected Morph Destination’s green LED will indicate that a
Morph is active.

3

The LCD will indicate the parameters
original value and the Morphed value.

Press any of the Morph Source buttons 
to exit Morph Mode.

When the Morph Mode is active you can:

Operate any • Morph Destination to set-up or adjust a morph.

Hold down the • Shift button and operate a Morph Destination to
clear it.

Morph Destinations

A Morph Source can control virtually any important sound related knob,
Each one of these Morph Destinations has a green LED next to it,
which will be lit when a Morph is active for this parameter.

Parameter name

LFO 1 Rate OSC MOD Amount FILTER Decay

LFO 1 Amount OSC MIX FILTER Sustain

LFO 2 Rate OSC SEMI TONES FILTER Release

LFO 2 Amount UNISON FILTER Freq

MOD ENV Attack AMP ENV Attack FILTER Res

MOD ENV Dec/Rel AMP ENV Decay FILTER Env Amt

MOD ENV Amount AMP ENV Sustain OUTPUT Level

OSC Shape 1 AMP ENV Release DELAY Amount

OSC Shape 2 FILTER Attack

Press both the Slot A and Slot B buttons to activate these two

6

sounds in a layer.

When you operate the Mod Wheel, the string sound will be gradu­ally introduced in the layered sound.

You want more? Here is another example:

Dial up the Persian Santur Program, 1:41.

1

Play a few notes in the high, the middle and the low part of the
keyboard. Notice how the release is quite long in every area of the
keyboard.

Double tap on the Morph Keyboard button.2
Turn the Amplifier Release knob counter clock wise and set the 3

Morphed release to be about 250 ms.

You’ll notice that the release is long in the lower octave and gets
shorter the higher up on the keyboard you play.

Press the Morph Keyboard button again to exit the Morph Mode.

The LFO2 doesn’t do anything in this Program so let’s give it some work.

Select OSC2 for the LFO2 Destination.

4

Make sure that the triangle waveform is selected to the LFO2.

5

Set the LFO rate to about 3-4 Hz and the amount to 0.

This will not produce any noticeable modulation on the sound but
wait, we are not done yet.

6

Press Shift and LFO2 Single to set the LFO to single mode.

The LFO will now run through one single cycle, acting like an
envelope.

7

Double tap on the Morph Velocity button.
Turn up the LFO2 amount to about 4.8

When you play with a bit of force, the velocity will Morph the LFO2
Amount, and the pitch of the sound will change according to the
one cycle the LFO will produce.

 6NordWavereFereNce | 15

Nord Wave Reference

6

Saving a Program with a new name and/or

Master Level knob

The Master Level knob controls the overall
amplitude for the audio outputs - the line
level outputs and the headphone output.
The Master Level knob’s actual position
indicates the output level. This is one of the
very few functions in the Nord Wave that is
not stored in a Program.

category

Press the 1 Store As button (Shift + Store)

The Store button LED starts flashing and the Program name and
category is shown in the LCD.

2 Rotary Dial to select a category.

Use the

There are 17 categories to chose from. Look at page 18 for a
complete list.

MIDI LED indicator

The MIDI LED will indicate incoming MIDI
note messages by briefly lighting up.

If the incoming messages are on a MIDI •
channel that the Nord Wave is not responding to, these indications
will be short. If the incoming MIDI channels matches the channel(s)
you select in the System menu, the indications will be longer.

Store Button

The Store button is used when you wish to
store a Program in the Program memory on
the Nord Wave. During the process, you will
get the opportunity to select a location where
you want to store the Program.

This button’s secondary function Store As can be used if you wish to
change the name of a Program or the category.

1 Store button.

Press the

The Store button LED starts flashing and the original Program
location is shown in the LCD.

There is a Memory Protect function that may need to be turned Off •
in the System Menu before you can save a Program. Press Shift +

System and scroll to the Memory Protect setting with the Up/Down
Navigator buttons and set this to Off using the Rotary Dial.

2

Select a new location.

Use the Program buttons and/or the Rotary Dial to choose a
new Program location if you do not want to overwrite the original
Program. To select another bank, press Shift and the Up/Down
Navigator buttons.

Press the

3 Store button a second time to confirm your choice.

The Store LED stops flashing and your Program has now replaced
the previous one in the location you selected.

3 Up/Down buttons to

Give your program a name using the
change position, and the Rotary to scroll between the available
characters.

4 Store button a second time to confirm the new name

Press the
and category selection.

Use the 5 Program buttons or the Rotary dial to choose the loca-
tion where you want to store the Program.

6 Store button a third time to confirm your choice.

Press the

The Store LED stops flashing and your edited Program has now
replaced the previous one in the location you chose.

To cancel the procedure, press any button on the panel before you •
press Store the third time.

Program Up/Down buttons

The Up/Down buttons allows you to select
Programs. Depending on the selected Sort
Mode, you may step through consecutive
numbers in the Banks, step through the Pro­grams in a selected category or step through
the Programs in an alphabetical order.

If you press and hold any of these buttons, •
Programs will be selected in a rapid and
consecutive order.

If you press and hold Shift, these buttons allows you to change Banks,
change Category or initial character, depending on the Sort Mode.
Read more about the Sort Mode on page 18.

When you have reached the last Program in a Bank, Category or •
alphabetical list, pressing Up will select the next available Program in
the next Bank, Category or alphabetical list.

If a Bank contains empty memory locations, these will not be dis- 
played when you scroll through the Banks. They will however be
displayed when you browse for a location to save a Program.

To cancel the procedure, press any button on the panel before you •
press Store the second time.

16 | NordWaveUserMaNUalv2.x

Rotary Dial

The Rotary dial is used for changing the
current setting displayed in the LCD. Usually
this means loading a new program, but in the
System or MIDI menus, the Rotary is used to
change parameter settings.

The dial is endless, though the array of param­eter settings are not. Once you reach the first
or last possible setting, turning the dial further
will have no effect.

The Rotary has an accelerator feature; when operated swiftly you
scroll through the values in larger intervals.

Mono Mode button

There are two available mono modes. These differ in how the enve­lopes are triggered if you press a key without releasing the previous
one.

The • Mono setting will re-trigger the envelopes; the sound will “re-
start” for each note you play.

The • Legato setting will not re-trigger the envelopes; the sound will
“continue” with only a change in pitch.

Sound Init

By pressing the Sound Init button (Shift + Mono Mode buttons),
the settings of the Slot in focus will be initialized. This provides you with
a neutral starting point if you want to program a sound from scratch.

The settings of the oscillator waveforms, oscillator mix and the pro-•
gram effects will be excluded from the initialization. The effects will be
turned off for the Slot but the actual settings will not be changed.

Octave Shift buttons

The Octave Shift buttons transposes
the sound of the Slot that has the Panel
Focus.
Range: -24. -12, 0, +12, +24

The center LED indicates when no octave shift is applied.

LEDs to the right of the center LED will indicate a higher octave shift •
as you press the right Octave Shift button.

LEDs to the left of the center LED will indicate a lower octave shift as •
you press the left Octave Shift button.

Messages from the Nord Wave’s MIDI Out will not be affected. 

Global Octave

By pressing the Global button (Shift + Octave Shift down) you can
transpose the keyboard in even octaves. The LEDs will be in a inverted
state to indicate that you are in the Global Octave Shift mode.

In this mode, both Slots as well as the note messages from the MIDI •
output will be effected.

A combination of extreme E Octave Shift and OSC 2’s Semi
Tone setting can produce sounds that are outside the hearing

range.

Glide knob

If you press a key without releasing the previous one, the Glide pa­rameter can be used to set the time interval for the pitch to glide from
the previous note, to the new note. With a setting of zero the pitch will
change instantly.

Range: 0 - 10.0

Morph Buttons

These are the buttons that you use to select the Morph sources when
you set up a Morph - Velocity, Wheel/Ped and Keyboard.

Note Velocity (Velocity)

This Morph source
use the Note Velocity
from the Nord Wave
keyboard and from
any incoming MIDI
messages.

A key velocity of 0 represents the parameters original value. •

A key velocity of 127 represents the parameters morphed value.•

Panic

By pressing the Panic button (Shift + Octave
shift up buttons) any voices that are producing

a sound on the Nord Wave will be silenced.

Equipment connected via  MIDI Out will
not be affected.

Mono Mode

The Nord Wave is a polyphonic
instrument with 18 stereo voices. If
the Mono Mode is activated, it will
behave as a monophonic synthe­sizer. Only one key will produce a
sound at any time.

Modulation Wheel and/or Control Pedal (Wheel/Ped)

Uses the modulation wheel and/or a pedal connected to the Con­trol Pedal input as the Morph Source.

Incoming MIDI Control Change messages on CC 01 and CC11 
will also act as a Wheel/Ped Morph source.

The bottom position of the • Modulation Wheel or Control Pedal
represents the parameters original value.

The top position of the • Modulation Wheel or Control Pedal
represents the parameters morphed value.

Keyboard Note (Keyboard)

This sets the Keyboard Note Numbers as a Morph Source.

The bottom key of the • keyboard represents the parameters original
value.

The top key of the • keyboard represents the para meters morphed
value.

 6NordWavereFereNce | 17

The top and bottom keys of the Nord Wave keyboard are always 
used as the reference, regardless of the octave shift and global
octave shift settings.

LCD Window

When using an external keyboard controller connected to the E
Nord Wave MIDI IN, any received notes outside of the keyboard
range, will morph the parameter, until the parameters end position
is reached.

For a detailed description on how to set up a Morph scenario, please
go to page 13.

Assign a Morph source to a destination

Hold down a 1 Morph Source button.

If this source has any previously assigned Morph destinations,
these destinations LEDs will light up.

2

Operate a Morph Destination parameter.

The selected Morph Destination’s LED will indicate that a Morph
is active.

The LCD will indicate the parameters original value and the Mor-

3

phed value.

The physical position of a knob may prevent you from adjusting this •
in a desired manner, e.g. if the knob is at the 0 position and you want
a negative Morph. In these cases, adjust the knob to a more suitable
position, reload the Program and set up the Morph again.

4 Morph Source button.

Release the

When the Morph source is operated, the parameter’s value will
change accordingly.

To edit a morph range from a Morph Source:

Press the corresponding Morph Source button and turn the destina-•
tion’s knob to a new position.

To clear all morphs from a single Morph Source:

Press • Shift + the corresponding Morph Source button.

To clear a single Morph destination:

Hold down the corresponding Morph Source button and operate the •
Morph Destination knob to its original position, where the Morph
LED will be turned off.

Morph Mode

Morph Mode provides you with a great overview that can simplify set­ting up and adjusting multiple Morph Destinations at once.

1

Double-tap one of the Morph Source buttons.

The Morph Source button flashes continuously, and all LEDs are
unlit, with the exception of the Morph Destinations that are associ­ated with this source.

The LCD is normally used
for displaying the current
program bank, number,
name and category.

When you turn a knob or
press a button the associ­ated parameter name and setting will be briefly displayed in the LCD.

The LCD is also used to display the functions in the System and MIDI
menus.

Slot Buttons

Every Program in the Nord Wave stores
the settings of two individual synthe­sizer setups, called Slots. This means
that you can quickly change from one
sound in Slot A to another sound in
Slot B, or to play with the sounds from
both slots at the same time in a layer.

The Slot buttons are used to select which one of these two sounds
should be controlled from the keyboard. To select both slots at the
same time, press both Slot buttons at the same time. A slot that is
controlled from the keyboard and other performance controls on the
Wave has the Keyboard Focus. Either one or both slots can be set to
Keyboard Focus.

The Slot Buttons are also used to select which of the two slots should
be active on the panel for editing purposes. This is called the Panel
Focus, and only one Slot at a time can have the Panel Focus. If two
Slots have the Keyboard focus, the slot with the flashing LED has the
Panel focus. Press either Slot button to shift the Panel focus from one
slot to the other.

System button

Press Shift and Slot A to enter the System Menu. The System Menu
is used for editing system specific settings, these are shown in the
LCD. The System Menu is described on page 59.

MIDI button

Press Shift and Slot B to enter the MIDI Menu. The MIDI Menu is
used for editing MIDI specific settings, which are shown in the LCD.

The MIDI Menu is described on page 60.

Press any of the Morph Source buttons to exit Morph Mode. 

When the Morph Mode is active you can:

Operate any • Morph Destination to set-up or adjust a morph.

Hold down the • SHIFT button and operate a Morph Destination
to clear it.

Chord Button

The chord button is used to activate the
Chord Memory function. This can be used for
memorizing note intervals and automatically
adding them to the key(s) you play.

The Chord Memory settings are stored within a Program.

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Numerical sort order

Category sort order

Alphabetical sort order

Activating a Chord Memory

Play a chord and press & hold the

1 Chord button.

The display will show the numerical intervals of the notes in the

0

chord from the lowest note (which is displayed as

The three lowest keys in the chord will be memorized. 

Release the

2 Chord button first, then the chord.

The note intervals are memorized and the Chord Memory function
is activated.

The intervals stored in the Chord Memory will be added automatically
to each note you play.

Deactivating a Chord Memory

Press the

1 Chord button to deactivate the Chord Memory func-

tion.

Once deactivated, you can at any time press the chord button
again (without holding any keys down) to re-activate it with the
previous chord memory setting.

Since you use several notes in the Chord Memory function, the E
polyphony will be reduced.

Only the actual key(s) you play will output MIDI Note information - 
not the intervals included in the Chord Memory.

).

Sort Mode

The Nord Wave allows you to browse for (and load) Program in three
different Sort modes. By default, you load a Program by first selecting
the Bank with the Up/Down buttons and then turning the Rotary. The
Programs are then displayed (and activated) in a numerical order.

You can also set the Sort mode to be alphabetical or by Category. This
selection is made by pressing the Sort Mode button (Shift + Chord)
repeatedly.

If the Sort
mode is set to
numerical (/
alphabetical),
pressing the
Up/Down but­tons or scroll­ing the Rotary
will select the
Programs in
a numerical
(by category/
alphabetical) fashion.

Vibrato

The vibrato function allows you to gradually
introduce subtle to dramatic changes in pitch as
you play. Press the vibrato button repeatedly to
select the desired vibrato functionality.

The • DLY1-3 setting will create a delayed
vibrato. The time interval ranges from short
to long.

The • a.t. setting will introduce the vibrato as you apply after touch on
the keyboard (or via MIDI).

The • Wheel setting will introduce vibrato as you operate the Modu-
lation Wheel.

The vibrato rate can be set in the System Menu.

SAMP Init

By pressing the SAMP Init button (Shift + Vibrato buttons), the set­tings of the Slot in focus will be initialized and the initialized settings for
the selected Sample Instrument in the Program will be activated.

This provides you with a neutral starting point if you want to program
a sound from scratch, using the settings that the Sample Instrument
creator has applied to the SI. Read more about this on page 51.

The settings of the program effects will be excluded from the •
initialization. The effects will be turned off for the Slot but the actual
settings will not be changed.

Shift Button

The Shift button is used together with other
buttons to access secondary functions. The
name of these functions are printed below the
buttons.

These functions are described together with
the primary functions of the buttons in this manual.

LFOs (LFO1 & LFO2)

When you have reached the first or last Program in a sort criteria, and
continue to scroll with the Up/Down buttons, the following Program
will be selected. To change Banks, press Shift and the Up/Down
buttons.

List of Categories

Categories

Acoustic Organ Vocal

Bass Pad Wind

Drum Piano User1

wFantasy Pluck User2

Fx Strings User3

Lead Synth

The LFO is a Low Frequency Oscillator. An LFO is an oscillator produc­ing waveforms just like an ordinary oscillator, but with a few differences:

 6NordWavereFereNce | 19

The LFOs are capable of producing waveforms with a very low •
frequency.

LFOs are normally not used for generating audible frequencies. •
Instead the output from the LFO is used for modulating, that is con­trolling, other functions, like for example the main oscillator frequency
(vibrato) or the filter frequency.

The Nord Wave has separate LFOs for each voice, each LFO group (1
& 2) are in fact 18 separate LFOs.

You can sync them to act as a single LFO for all voices if you like. The
Nord Wave LFO 2 can also be used in a single-cycle mode, acting like
a simple Envelope Generator.

There are two LFOs available, with slightly different features.

Rate knob

The Rate knob is used to set the frequency of the LFO.

Range: 0.03 to 523 Hz

The LED to the upper right of the Rate knob indicates the rate for each
of the LFOs of the 18 voices. This means that when you play several
notes after one another, it’s the rate of the currently triggered LFO that
will be indicated.

Waveform Selector

The Waveform Selector button determines the waveform that is gener­ated by the LFO.

Waveform Description

Square

Used for abrupt modulation changes, suit­able for trills, distinct tremolos, etc.

Sawtooth

Used for ramp type modulations.

Inverted Sawtooth

Used for inverted ramp type modulations.

Triangle

Suitable for natural vibrato effects and also
used for classic pulse width modulation.

Stepped Random

Creates an abrupt modulation with ran­dom intensity.

Smooth Random

Creates a smooth random modulation.

LFO1 LFO2

a a

a

a

a a

a a

a a

LFO Destination Selector

The LFO Destination determines which parameter(s) the LFO will
modulate.

Destination Description

Filter Modulates the Filter Frequency parameter.

Res Modulates the Filter Resonance param-

eter.

Pan Modulates the position of the sound in the

stereo panorama.

OSC MOD Modulates the Oscillator Modulation

Amount.

Shape Modulates the Oscillator Shape parameter.

OSC1 Modulates the pitch of Oscillator 1.

OSC2 Modulates the pitch of Oscillator 2.

LFO1 LFO2

a a

a

a

a a

a a

a a

a a

If you press and hold the  Destination selector, the modulation
will be muted - the indicators will start to flash to indicate this
state. Press again to reinstate the modulation.

Amount knob

This is used to set to what extent the signal from the LFO should affect
the selected destination.

Range: 0 to 10

Poly mode

In Poly mode, each individual voice will be affected by its own LFO.
Poly mode is activated by pressing the poly button (shift + LFO Desti­nation button). This mode is available to LFO 1 only.

When Poly is not activated, the LFOs will be synchronized to each •
other.

Single mode

With single mode activated, the LFO plays a single cycle waveform
once without repeating. Single mode is available to LFO 2 only.

The Single Mode is also a polyphonic mode, each voice will have its •
own independent LFO.

Modulation Envelope (MOD ENV)

The Modulation Envelope is an envelope with Attack, Decay/Release
and Amount controls. It sends out a control signal that can be used to
modulate various destinations in the Nord Wave. The modulation from
the envelope can be both positive or negative, this is determined with
the Mod Env Amount knob.

The image above illustrates the Modulation Envelope with Attack and
Decay parameters.

Press the Destination selector repeatedly to select the desired desti­nation. The Shape 1 and Shape 2 for the LFO 1 can be selected at the
same time, as well as the Osc 1 and Osc 2 for the LFO 2.

20 | NordWaveUserMaNUalv2.x

Destination selector

The Destination selector button selects the destination of the modu­lation. Press repeatedly to cycle through the various options.

Panel Description

Filter The Filter Frequency parameter

OSCMIX The Oscillator Mix parameter

OSCMOD The Oscillator Modulation Amount parameter

Shape2 The Shape parameter of oscillator 2

OSC1 The pitch of oscillator 1

OSC2 The pitch of oscillator 2

OSC1 + OSC2 The pitch of both oscillators

The image above illustrates the Modulation Envelope with Attack and
Release parameters.

The zero level of the Mod Envelope relates to the current setting of •
the selected target parameter. The maximum modulation amount
spans to the intensity set by the Mod Env Amt knob.

Attack knob

The Attack knob sets the time it should take for the envelope to reach
the maximum modulation level after you have pressed a key.

Range: 0.45 ms to 45 s

DEC/REL knob

Sets the decay or the release time of the envelope, depending on
whether the Mod Env is set to the AD or the AR mode.

Range: 3.0 ms to 45 s

AR button (Shift + Destination Select button)

The AR button toggles between the Attack/Decay or the Attack/Re­lease mode:

AR setting disabled

The Dec/Rel knob controls the Decay time of the envelope. This is the
time that it takes for the envelope to fall back to zero again after it has
completed the attack phase. The envelope has no Sustain Level in this
mode.

If you press and hold the Destination selector, the modulation will 
be muted - the indicators will start to flash to indicate this state.
Press again to reinstate the modulation.

Oscillators (OSC1 & OSC2)

AR setting enabled

The Dec/Rel knob controls the Release time of the envelope. This is
the time it takes for the envelope modulation level to fall back to zero
again after the key has been released. The envelope’s Sustain Level is
then set to a maximum amount (according to the Amount parameter).

Amount knob

The Amount knob sets the intensity of the modulation.

Range: -10 to +10

A setting of 0 will produce no modulation.•

A negative value will produce a inverted mod envelope.•

A positive value will produce a positive mod envelope.•

The oscillator is the foundation of the sound in a synthesizer. It pro­duces the waveform with a harmonic content. This important property
of the sound can be shaped and/or modulated later in the signal path.

Read more about waveforms and harmonic content in the Synthesizer
Basic chapter on page 54.

There are two oscillators available; you can use two waveforms
simultaneously. You are not limited to just mixing the output of the two,
one oscillator can also modulate the other, creating very complex and
constantly changing harmonic structures.

Oscillator Waveform selector

Press repeatedly on the Waveform Selector button to select the
waveform the oscillator will generate.

If the waveform is a multi-type waveform (right side options, oscillator
LED lit) you can use the Waveform Selector dials to further select
what waveform should be generated. The LCD will show the name of
the currently selected waveform.

 6NordWavereFereNce | 21

Single cycle loop

Attack section

Pulse

The Pulse waveform is available in OSC1
and OSC2 and has a hollow character
with only odd numbered harmonics.
The character can drastically change as
the width of the pulse is altered with the
Shape parameter. The narrower the pulse width, the more harmonics
will be present.

If you modulate the Shape value using an LFO, you can get very 
nice “synthesized strings”.

If • Oscillator Sync is activated, the Shape knob is used for control-
ling the pitch of the Sync Oscillator. The pulse width is then locked at
33%.

Sawtooth

The Sawtooth waveform is available in
OSC1 and OSC2 and produces a very
rich sound that contains both even and
odd numbered harmonics.

Use the • Shape parameter to phase shift
two super imposed sawtooth waves up to a maximum 180 degrees
shift, which creates a perceived one octave shift.

If • Oscillator Sync is activated, the Shape knob is used for control-
ling the pitch of the Sync Oscillator.

Triangle

The Triangle waveforms is available in
OSC1 and OSC2 and has only odd num­bered and not very strong harmonics.

Use the • Shape parameter to emphasize
the available harmonics in the spectrum.

If • Oscillator Sync is activated, the Shape knob is used for control-
ling the pitch of the Sync Oscillator.

Wavetable

Wavetables (WAVE) are available in
OSC1. These are single cycle sampled

waveforms that provides rich and interest­ing timbres with various tonal character­istics.

Use the • LED-dial to select a Sample Instrument. The name of the
selected Sample Instrument is shown in the LCD.

A flashing E
Sample Instruments at all are available in the Flash memory.

A flashing number in the E LED display indicates that the Sample
Instrument location that the current Program tried to use, is not
available in the Flash memory.

There is a special OSC2 only, amplitude decay envelope available
when the oscillator 2 is in the Sample Instrument or the Sampled Wave
mode. Use the Shape2/dec knob to control the decay time of the
OSC2 amplitude envelope.

The image above illustrates the phase of the decay envelope.

By setting the  Shape1/DEC knob to the maximum the Decay
parameter will have an infinite setting; the envelope will have no
effect on your sound.

When the • SKIP SMPL ATTACK (Shift + Waveform Selector
button) is activated, playback will start at an alternative start point,
skipping the attack part of the sound.

-- character in the LED display indicates that no

Sampled waves

Sampled waves (SWAV) are available in
Osc2 and are similar to wavetables, but

are made out of recordings of acoustic in­struments and still have the attack section
of the sample present.

There are 62 wavetables.

Use the • LED-dial to select a wavetable. The name of the selected
wavetable is briefly shown in the LCD window.

The • Shape parameter has no function when wavetables are se-
lected.

Sample Instruments

Sample Instruments (SAMP) is available
to OSC2 and holds up to 99 Sample
Instruments containing samples that are
stored in the Flash memory area.

A large selection of high quality samples
are installed when the Nord Wave is shipped from the factory, and even
more can be downloaded free of charge from the Clavia web site.

The Nord Sample Editor is the application that you use to create and
to download Sample Instruments from a computer to the Nord Wave.
The Editor is described in detail, in the Nord Sample Editor chapter in
this manual.

The image above shows the structure of a sampled wave.

Use the • LED-dial to select a sampled wave.

The • Shape parameter controls the decay time of the OSC2 ampli-
tude envelope, when this waveform is selected.

FM-Synthesis

FM-Synthesis (FM) is available in OSC1
and OSC2. This is a method where the
frequency of one Oscillator (referred to as
the Carrier) is being modulated by itself
using feedback or, by the frequency of
additional Oscillators (the Modulators).