Unison Mode in the Nord G2 like the NL3?

bj2001 · Joined: Apr 15, 2004 Posts: 26 G2 patch files: 1

How do u this ? Embarassed

Using Module PAN & FX section or else.

Tim Kleinert · Posted: Fri May 14, 2004 12:34 pm Post subject:

When in Unison mode, The Nord3 actually generates the voice five times, detunes those and spreads them evenly among the stereo panorama. It's not an "effect" applied to one voice, AFAIK.

Replicating exactly that on the G2 would cut polyphony considerably.

Unfed · Posted: Fri May 14, 2004 9:31 pm Post subject:

this afternoon while adjusting the polyphony amount of a patch from the 'patch settings' screen, it seemed like it was stacking the voice each time you raised the value. i don't think it was detuning them in the usual unison fashion, but it sure raised the voice output. any idea why it does this?

Tim Kleinert · Posted: Sat May 15, 2004 1:54 am Post subject:

sounds like your patch isn't running through a keyboard-gated VCA before going to the output.

Unfed · Posted: Sun May 16, 2004 12:29 am Post subject:

thanks shoshin. this happened w/ my very first patch (a simple kick drum sound). while it seems that the VCA is actually being gated by the keyboard, i've got alot of other goofy stuff going on that is probably giving me trouble. Smile

ian-s · Posted: Sun May 16, 2004 12:47 am Post subject:

Hi bj2001

No unison mode on G2 yet but...
Here is a patch that includes 4 separate synthesisers, which play in unison. There is a detune control on Page A1 and the Filter/Envelope/Effects pages are filled in for tweaking. It is difficult to get every control mapped out for tweaking because of the parallel structure. This does let you vary the individual voices however (like in the original OB 4 voice).
The FX section contains two, chained chorus modules and a pair of frequency shifters to further thicken the sound. The frequency shifters have a nice effect but its not really in keeping with the retro theme.
More 'voices' could be added, up to 6 or 7 but I find that there are diminishing returns beyond four.
Only one variation so you can fill in your sounds to your own taste.
It is set to mono mode but you can get up to 3 voices poly on unexpanded G2 (if you can stand it). 80's poly synths however offered unison as a monophonic alternative to poly mode (mono mode, poly mode, unison mode, depeche mode)

unison2.pch2

Description:

fake unison mode patch

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unison2.pch2

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tranzash · Joined: Jun 19, 2004 Posts: 80 G2 patch files: 3

Did the original nord modulars had any unison mode(doubles the voice)?

ian-s · Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2004 6:18 pm Post subject:

Can’t answer your question about the NM, I don’t think so but someone that owned one is better qualified to answer.
Your post did get me thinking about this old topic though, here is a more efficient way of getting unison using performance mode. The advantage is there is only one set of controls to tweak. The disadvantage is that the PB control does not work as well.

unisonPerf.prf2

Description:

how to get unison with midi send modules.

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unisonPerf.prf2

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davep · Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2004 7:50 pm Post subject:

A simple idea I have used to replicate a Unison mode on the original NM (& it will also work on the G2 & Engine) is to just load the same patch into multiple slots. It helps to add a 'detune' knob to the patch that will affect all oscs in the patch, so you can use this knob to detune the SLOT A instance of the patch from the SLOT B instance, etc.

tranzash · Joined: Jun 19, 2004 Posts: 80 G2 patch files: 3

Thanks for the perf and info guys Cool

Chet · Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 1:29 pm Post subject:

I've wondered how the NL3 unison mode works, too. Doesn't that have 20 or 24 voices? I can't believe that pressing a button turns it into a 100-voice synth.

Perhaps they're doing something clever with a delay line. You can make a signal go flat by reading it out of a delay line at a slightly slower rate than you're putting it in. At a 100kHz sampling rate, flattening a signal by 1% for 10 seconds requires only 10k of RAM.

If that's how they do it, maybe we'll see a "Unison" module someday on the G2...

egw · Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 2:08 pm Post subject:

With most gear that I've seen, unison mode uses up the polyphony.
Easist way to do it on the NM - just load the same patch in every slot!
Detune them slightly. Or, just add some extra oscillators in whatever patch you want to play that way.

Chrono · Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 4:58 am Post subject:

this topic is old, but i made a couple unison patches wich does work as it should. So if you change the max voices you also change the unison voices, instead of copy paste the same patch in another slot, or just using delays to make a chorus.

32 voice unison with exp g2
http://www.electro-music.com/forum/topic-28361.html

some of you allready seen it. But as this topic was still waiting for the right patches.

Here is the polyfonic version, wich has detuning issues wich desperatly needs to be solved. I've had no luck so far. But the actual Performance works fine with the variations i made. The voices should be controlled more stable or something.
http://www.electro-music.com/forum/topic-31184.html

you can find more details on the problem here
http://www.electro-music.com/forum/topic-29836.html

Tim Kleinert · Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 6:01 am Post subject:

This is great, as it is a true unison -meaning: multiple true voices are triggered.

However, just for the record, the NL3 unison is "just" a polyphonic chorus device -meaning: there is a chorus circuit per voice, whose modulation LFO subtly varies in phase from voice to voice.

The important part however is that it is a triangle shape LFO, not a sine. A triangle-modulated delay line will output the input signal discretely jumping up and down in pitch at the LFO rate, the pitch amount determined by the mod range and speed. If you drive a second delay line with the same LFO, but inverted, and mix both outputs together, you get two detuned versions of the input signal. This neat trick (actually a cheap spinoff of the classic pitch shifter design) creates virtually no audible artefacts at low LFO levels.

Do this a second time with slightly different mod ranges (to create two differently detuned voices), mix both results with the original and pan hard left/hard right --and you get 5 voices, 2 left, 2 right and the original in the middle. Which is what the NL3 has. Smile

I made one a while back, but I can't bother dig it out, so I just made one again. IIRC, this circuit is probably more streamlined than the old patch.

There's subtle keyboard morph on the LFO frequency in order to get the voice LFOs out of whack against each other.

NL3 Unison TK.pch2

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NL3 unison (again)

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NL3 Unison TK.pch2

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Chrono · Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 9:55 am Post subject:

dorremifasol · Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 4:31 pm Post subject:

I must say that I don't like the original NL3 "unison" effect, at all. Sounds thin, fake and very digital. It's clearly a Chorus effect. Clavia shouldn't have used the term Unison to describe it since it's not. Unfortunately it's found on most presets! It works for some kind of sounds, though.

However, the stack / chorus function works! it can be use as a variable voice unison with up to 24 detuneable voices! that's really huge. I wonder why the G2 didn't had this functionality, since it was a very good feature not found in products of other companies. Unfortunately it can't be stereo spread. I love this machine! ^_^ at this time it's my favorite synth for classic sounds.

Recently I have been working on an Equinoxe V cover using only Nord Lead 3 sounds and I'm quite satisfied with the results.

Tim's "unison" module is a great addition to the G2 library, as it sounds MUCH better than the standard chorus effect found in the G2, and I would say that it sounds also better than the NL3 "unison" effect.