Modor Music - NF-1

Thanks to its thought-out synthesis system, this instrument delivers rich sounds ranging from classic to experimental. Besides standard waveforms, the oscillators offer additive and FM synthesis algorithms, filtered noise and a chip tune generator. For processing audio material, there’s not only a -12 dB multimode filter, but a Formant filter with morphing function as well. – Great for producing vocal sounds. The effects section includes a delay and a flanger / chorus. The modulation department is very flexible, thanks to a routing matrix. Subjectively speaking, the biggest highlights are grainy pads, noisy atmospheres, choir sounds, shimmering leads and retro drums.

The NF-1 comes equipped with three identical oscillators, a white noise source and a ring modulator (Osc 2 x Osc 3). A mixer allows users to combine all signals generated by the synthesizer.

Filter:
The NF-1 comes equipped with two completely different filters, which can be wired in parallel or in series.

• The first filter is a resonant multimode filter with a slope of -12 dB per octave. It features low-pass, band-pass, high-pass and notch modes. The resonance goes up to self-oscillation. The filter is followed by a great sounding distortion, which provides an aggressive, slightly 303-ish character.
• The second filter features a rather unusual design. It is a formant filter, adding a vocal character to sounds by emphasizing certain harmonics, the so-called formants. It is awesome for pad sounds and for creating “choir” sounds. Combined with the integrated delay effect (see below), it produces funny speech sounds. 10 vocal settings with different formants are available. The programs can be arranged in groups of three.

Modulations:
The modulation department consists of three LFOs, a sample & hold generator and four ADSR-like envelopes with some additional features.

• LFO1 offers four waveforms (triangle, saw, square and sine). It is routed to the oscillators’ Mod parameters. In high-speed mode, the LFO can oscillate in the audio range.
• LFO2 comes equipped with the same features as LFO1, but is routed to the cutoff frequency of the multimode filter and the morph parameter of the formant filter. It can be synchronized to a MIDI clock.
• LFO3 is a global triangle LFO whose amplitude can be altered via the modulation wheel.
• The sample & hold generator’s frequency can be controlled independently of the LFOs. It is possible to smooth S&H values to avoid drastic parameter changes.
• The envelopes go far beyond the capabilities of typical ADSR modulators. – They could be described as multi-stage envelopes. L1 sets the modulators maximum level. The decay is split into two stages, which can be edited via the time parameters T2 and T3 as well as the level parameter L2. As with the oscillators, it is possible to edit several envelopes at once. The envelopes are pre-wired to the following parameters.
  • ENV1: Pitch and Mod parameter of the first oscillator
  • ENV2: Filter cutoff and Mod parameter of the second oscillator
  • ENV3: Formant morph and Mod parameter of the third oscillator
  • ENV4: Amplitude

Additionally to the routings described above, there is a matrix for doing other connections between modulation sources and targets. Several hundred sounds can be saved. All parameters are not only accessible on the device, but can also be controlled via MIDI.