Nord Lead 3 Patch Generator for Mac OS X

February 21, 2008

Download NL3PG 1.0 for Mac OS X

This is a patch generator / randomizer for the Clavia Nord Lead 3. I love this synth, and I think it’s a shame that it was recently discontinued by Clavia. Here’s my little bit of help to keep the synth alive, since no new tools will be coming from Clavia anytime soon.

I developed this app in MaxMSP, using an external I wrote in C++ with XCode. The Max external helps handle the somewhat obscure MIDI format that the NL3 uses for its patch dumps. I finished this a few weeks ago. After some testing, I’ve decided its ready for public consumption.

While it doesn’t have the prettiest GUI in the world, it serves its purpose very well. This is especially true when you consider that the entire project was completed in under 2 days.

I’m releasing this as freeware. I will open-source the code, patcher, and Max external if there is a demand.

Special thanks go out to Jonathan Mérel, for his original C code and standalone Win32 NL3 randomizer.

Since this tool is made with MaxMSP, it is possible to compile and build a Windows version. Currently I’m only hosting the Mac version, but if there is a demand, I’ll post the other. In the meantime, if you need a Windows NL3 randomizer, check out this tool from Jonathan. Finally, if you are looking for a similar app for the Nord 1/2 series, Mikhail Bohonus has written one. It is available here.

Filed under: Designlogic |