One of the most revered virtual analog synths of the 90s is being revived as a freeware emulation. Meet the Nodal Red 2X.
A Bit of Background
If you keep an eye on quality freeware synth plugins, then you will probably already be aware of the DSP56000 project by The Usual Suspects. They are a group of coders who have been reverse engineering and emulating the Motorola DSP563xx series of chips.
In the middle of the 1990s, this range of Motorola DSP chips could be found in a number of digital synths and this clever bunch of individuals have been slowly recreating some lost, legendary synths using this technology.
They kicked off with the Access Virus, A, B and C, shortly followed thereafter by the Virus Ti. They also managed to emulate the Waldorf Micro Q. Next on their list is the Nord Lead 2x in the form of the Nodal Red 2x and a demonstration video of the beta version has recently been published online.
The Clavia Nord Lead was launched in 1995 and was one of, if not, the first virtual analog synths in production. It’s a product line that continues to this day in the shape of the Nord Lead A1. It is highly regarded and has been emulated before, most notably Synth1 and discoDSP’s Discovery. The jury remains out on how close either of those get.
Nodal Red 2X
But listening to this demo video of the Nodal Red 2X, this new attempt by TUS seems to have hit the mark, thanks to their accurate emulation of the DSP hardware used in the original. There is, however, one simple caveat that must be taken into account when using these emulations.
To get as close as possible to the original hardware, you must have legitimate access to the synthesizer’s original firmware. Emulating the hardware is one thing. Using proprietary code that is very likely still protected IP is quite another.
The developers do not share this firmware for any of their emulations and go to great lengths to stress the legal implications of doing so. That said, it is far from difficult to search for and acquire the firmware code for these synths. Gearnews.com does not endorse the dubious acquisition of protected intellectual property or the sharing of it online or by any other means.
Not Just Red, But Orange Too!
The Usual Suspects are also in the beta stages of development of Xenia which emulates the Waldorf Microwave XT. There’s a demo of this on the same channel as the Nodal Red 2X and it is equally impressive. Given that Waldorf are teasing a new Microwave themselves, this is going to be an interesting time for 90s synth revivalists!
We’re not sure which one will be completed first, but we can’t wait for either! Check out the DSP56300 Emulation Project here.
If you prefer the originals, there are still options for you to choose from…
