Modor NF-1 Synthesizer Technical Overview

The new Modor NF-1 synthesizer is described as a hands-on, ‘digital and proud’ design.

Here’s their official technical overview video for the new synth. 

Pricing and Availability:

The Modor NF-1 is shipping now, priced at € 995. See the Modor Music site for details.

31 thoughts on “Modor NF-1 Synthesizer Technical Overview”

  6. Nice! The formant filter is indeed something I was waiting for in a hardware synth. Now put 8 VCFs in there and sell it for 1.500 and I’m in 🙂

  7. I dunno – it sounds great, but then it’s a bit, well, digital… I’ve been repeatedly told by other people that analogue is best, and have no mind of my own…

  8. So why would you buy this over any of the plethora of iPad synths that also give you a ton of tweakable knobs and better graphics (and probably sound) at 1/100th the cost? (assuming you’ve already bought said iPad).

  10. So why would you buy this over any of the plethora of iPad synths that also give you a ton of tweakable knobs and better graphics (and probably sound) at 1/100th the cost? (assuming you’ve already bought said iPad)

    The person who wrote this, have you ever used hardware?You have made me have a really good laugh. thank you .

    1. your’re welcome, my friend. horses were a lot cuddlier than cars. and wired phones never ran out of batteries. the good old days, weren’t they great?

      1. If given the choice between a single old Minimoog and a lifetime of infinite all-you-can-eat, free iPad apps – I’ll take the Moog.

        Heck, I’d take a scratched up Korg Poly 800 II over the apps if you throw in a free MIDI cable.

        I’d even take a digital Modor – at least you’re not paying a 3rd party to light up the pixels on a smudged touchscreen that will only work for 6 or 7 years, tops.

  11. I really like this synth, ppl have been dissing it saying there’s other old digital synths on the market, but none of them have knob per function, and I like the layout of this especially, I just can’t afford the price.

    1. They should open source it!
      My guess is it’s based on some ARM DSP already, it would not be hard, and being able to swap out, say, filter models or drive types down the line would really help justify the price. This has gotta be my favorite trend among modern electronic musical instruments and wish more would take it up. It would really set it apart as a synth.

  16. I was originally thinking this is a mediocre offering for the price. Then I went to the web site and I saw that it is 8-note polyphonic. That’s 7voices more than I assumed it had.

    Now I see this as a pretty damn cool and unique synth. The two filters and full mod matrix makes it really versatile. I get it. If only I could justify spending a thou on yet another synth.

  18. So I asked a legitimate question: why would you buy this over one of the many more powerful and way cheaper iPad synths?

    As far as I can see I got a couple of decent answers: it has real knobs, and software doesn’t have the longevity of hardware.

    I have many hardware synths myself, I like that they don’t require a computer and work instantly.
    But most of my gear is analogue or hybrid – so there’s a crucial fundamental difference over an iPad or VST.

    But a relatively limited, all-digital, and reasonably expensive hardware synth module? These days I think that’s a very unlikely proposition (notwithstanding my Blofeld desktop that probably does more though it’s cheaper and has far fewer knobs). I just don’t see that there’s a real market for this.

    1. The I pad has no tweakable knobs just a flat surface, come on give us all a break trying to pitch an I pad in a discussion about hardware?
      Modor looks a great synth, just like many other synth’s coming onto the market. I own plenty of synths analogue and digital, plus mixers samplers etc .
      An I pad really has no place in any music set up I am aware of, even though I know I know a lot of producers (techno, electro , acid house etc)

      reasonably expensive hardware synth ?
      I am confident your Ipad will be obsolete and in the dustbin way before any of my hardware gear is.
      Go and find an I pad forum.

  19. I think once someone has gotten to own and experience all of what a few different synths can provide, a ‘good’ synth really only has two things it needs to fulfill:
    1 a workflow that is consistent, quick to use, and easy to remember
    2 a sound that is original, flexible, and fits well in the collection

    Any synth that meets all of that for someone will have buyers, whatever the price, even if it’s a customer base of one. Of course you can do both those things with software. Knobs help with 1, and analog helps with 2 (well, sometimes), but the most important thing is the work and expertise of the developer.

    Whether it’s circuits, embedded DSP, a software package, or deciding what wood to make a cello out of, good sound comes from good humans, and the medium doesn’t really matter. There’s clearly a lot of work put into this, and while all the individual sound bits are not novel, there are some combinations and signal paths that I don’t think have been done in hardware before. It sounds original, even if not to everyone’s taste.

    With a small-batch synth like this, there’s a great opportunity for the developers to listen closely to what the prospective base is saying. Modal has been killing it in this regard – they will sell synths (at least, here in the UK…) I think the jury is still out on this one. This video helps a lot, but there are still many questions unanswered. I like to be optimistic about their chances of success. Even if I never own one, more competition means better features and prices for all synths, software included!

    srytldr

  20. It sounds thin, is low on polyphony and is uber expensive. If you’re ready to pay that much, you are better off with a second hand Access Virus A, B, C or Indigo if you want the keys…

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