Nord Modular & Micro Modular V3.03 FAQ

Q: Will classic Nord Modular Editor be available for Mac OSX?
A: No, due to the fact that the classic Nord Modular is a discontinued product Clavia has no intention releasing an OSX editor. We will fully focus on the existing products and amazing new product development.

However due to the demand and to support our Mac customers Clavia have decided to make a public beta version of the OSX editor available. NOTE: This beta is not a released software version and Clavia takes no responsibility for any bugs in the package nor will we do any further development of this beta.

This beta version of the editor is pretty much fully functional with OS X 10.1.5 and up. A known bug is that if you control click on a module, to delete it or change its name, the editor will promptly crash. The workaround is to select a module and press the delete key, and to rename it just double click on the name of the module.

The beta can be found here.

Q: My Modular Editor either can't find the Modular or looses contact after a while. What' could be the problem?
 A: The computer and Nord Modular exchange two-way MIDI Sysex messages, transferred at full MIDI rate. It has turned out that not all MIDI interfaces on the market today are able to handle this type of dense communication, even though the communication fully according to the MIDI standard.

Generally, MIDI interfaces integrated on sound cards tend to be more unstable than external serial or parallel port interfaces. Often though, it's a combination of computer hardware, OS version, MIDI interface, drivers, other installed programs etc. that causes problems.

First of all, Nord Modular and Micro Modular require a separate MIDI interface port for communication with the Editor. This MIDI port must not be shared by other MIDI applications, such as sequencers etc. If you use sequencer programs on your computer, deactivate the MIDI port used for the Modular in the sequencer program.

To try and make the communication work, we have listed some tips and suggestions below:

General:

1. Replace your MIDI cables. This may sound simple, but quite often the problem is only a broken cable.

2. Does the MIDI interface work fine with other MIDI equipment? If it does, it's probably not a hardware problem.

3. Install or reinstall your MIDI interface with the latest drivers. Most manufacturers have drivers for download on their web sites.

4. If the communication works but is unstable, try and deselect the 'LEDs Active' function in the 'Synth|Synth Settings' window in the Modular Editor. This will reduce the amount of data sent between the synth and the Editor.

Macintosh OS 8.6 or later (not OS X):

  • See the 'General' paragraph above
  • Upgrade to the latest OMS version
  • If you want to run one or several MIDI applications at the same time with the Editor, make sure you have selected 'MIDI in background' in the OMS setup
  • If you're using a serial MIDI interface connected to the printer or modem port, select communication speed '1 MHz' in OMS
  • USB MIDI interfaces sometimes have problems handling MIDI data when AppleTalk is activated. Therefore, if you are experiencing communication problems when using a USB MIDI interface, disable AppleTalk

Windows 98:

  • See the 'General' paragraph above

Windows 2000:

  • Select 'System Properties|Advanced|Performance options' and select
    'Applications'.
  • See the 'General' paragraph above

Windows XP:

  • Right-click on the Modular Editor icon and select Properties->Compatibility->Win 98
  • See the 'General' paragraph above

Q: How do I use Logic Audio at the same time with the Modular Editor on my PC?
A: The Modular Editor requires its own MIDI port exclusively for the communication with the synthesizer. Logic automatically claims every available MIDI port in your PC when you start the program. However, there is a way to make MIDI ports "invisible" for Logic: In the WIN.INI file in the WINDOWS folder there is a [logic] section that, amongst other things, lists all your active MIDI ports. Open the WIN.INI file in WordPad, scroll down to the [logic] section and set the MIDI port your Modular should use for communication with the PC to '0' instead of '1', Save the WIN.INI file and reboot your PC. When you start Logic the next time, the MIDI port you set to '0' will not be claimed, and you can use the Modular Editor on this port at the same time with Logic.

Q: How do I use Logic Audio at the same time with the Modular Editor on my Mac?
A: This is a tip we've received from a guy that uses an Emagic Unitor8 with his Mac. This is how he solved the problem:

"I was working with Logic over the weekend and I discovered that when OMS is installed there is a section in the Environment labelled "OMS Objects". I had OMS configured so that I had Nord Modular on Port 3 of my Unitor8 when used as synth playback device and on Port 7 of the Unitor8 exclusively for talking to the editor. In OMS I had the device on Port 3 labelled "Nord Modular Synth" and on Port 7 as "Nord Modular Editor". As I said, the problem before was that Logic was picking up all the sysex communication on Port 7 as a result was crashing because OMS got flooded with midi data - you could see sysex communication appearing in Logic as a string 'x' symbols. Then I noticed that if I went into the 'OMS Objects' page in the Logic Environment and deleted the Nord Modular Editor object then Logic immediately ceased to listen to the sysex communication on Port 7 and the midi data stopped altogether when no key on the master keyboard was playing. The Nord Modular synth object remained, however, and therefore the Modular was still available for sequencing in Logic."

Q: How do I use Cubase at the same time with the Modular Editor on my PC?
A: The Modular Editor requires its own MIDI port exclusively for the communication with the synthesizer. Therefore, you have to disable the Modular's MIDI port in Cubase. You do this in the 'Setup MME' program which is in the 'Steinberg Cubase' folder in the Start|Programs folder on the PC. Select the MIDI port used for the Modular and click 'Set inactive'.

Q: If I upgrade my Modular with the Voice Expansion Board, will I be able to create 200% patches?
A: No, the Nord Modular Voice Expansion Board for the Nord Modular Key and Nord Modular Rack will increase the polyphony to twice the original. It does not double the Patch Load limit - it will remain at 100%.

Q: Can I upgrade my Micro Modular with more DSPs to increase the polyphony?
A: No, Nord Micro Modular cannot be hardware expanded. A way to increase the polyphony can be to replace power consuming modules with similar, less power consuming modules.

Q: Is Micro Modular multitimbral?
A: No, Nord Micro Modular can play only one patch at a time.