Modor NF-1k: Not Only Keys But Double the Polyphony
Just announced! The Modor NF-1k adds a polyphonic aftertouch keyboard to the NF-1 synth, doubles the polyphony to 16 voices, and throws in some extra features.
Modor NF-1k
One does not simply add keys to a Modor. That wouldn’t be nearly as much fun as doubling things up and making a brand new instrument. And that’s just what Modor has done with the NF-1k, a new version of the Belgian company’s classic digital NF-1, with a host of not Orcs but new features to get excited about.
First off, if you’re not familiar with the original NF-1, it’s a tabletop polyphonic synth famous for its unusual tweaks to subtractive synthesis. Proudly digital, it takes the basic subtractive (virtual) analog approach and modifies it, adding noisy waveforms to the usual saw and square types, a formant filter to the 12dB/Oct resonant one, an editable effects section, and so on. It has its fans, and for good reason: it’s a solid synth and sounds excellent.
Modor NF-1k: Function Is the Key
Ten years on, Modor has now announced the NF-1k, the keyboard version of the NF-1. (The ‘k’ is for keyboard, in case you hadn’t already figured that out.) It adds a 49-key Fatar keybed with polyphonic aftertouch to the proceedings, and looks really smart when paired with the white body of the synth. To make it more playable, the company has given it a 50cm vertical touch strip for long, CS-80-style pitch bends, as well as two vertical 10cm strips for modulation, receiving MIDI information for modwheel and CC3.
However, as the company says, the Modor NF-1k is “more than just an NF-1 with a keyboard.” In fact, it’s actually two NF-1s in a single synth, with an additional voice board doubling the polyphony to 16 voices and making it two-part multiitimbral. You can layer NF-1 patches, split them over the keyboard, and independently sequence them via MIDI. You also have control over how the polyphony gets partitioned out, either split 8+8 over two parts, or you can send all 16 to a single part.
There’s also a MIDI-syncable arpeggiator with four modes, a chord mode and hold function, and a unison mode with detuning and stereo spread.
Modor NF-1k: Price and Availability
Modor NF-1k is available now for €2950 through the Modor website. The first run will be limited to 30 hand-assembled units and will continue based on interest.
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