# DiscoDSP Discovery Pro 7.4 software synth (Nord Lead 2 emulation)



## vitocorleone123 (Apr 24, 2022)

I hadn't tried this since since way long ago until tonight. Wow. This sounds amazing to me. My ears are responding WAY more than something like the OB-E v2 even though this isn't modeling an analog synth, but a virtual analog. I'd say this is a little less "alive" but also decidedly better sounding to me. And I have an OB-6. Maybe it's because Discovery Pro can be brighter than the OB-E, like an OB-6? Hmm.

Well, regardless of the reason, even though it's $75 right now (been as cheap as $50 it seems), I'm considering buying it. Or at least in some sale this year. I will say it can be a complete and utter beast, and destroy my CPU as it's running at 96khz and 256 ASIO buffer. Oversampling off, and limited to 16 voices.

I don't have any demos to share, and they'd probably be trance or techno or whatnot, anyway. All I can say is, I'm impressed. Enough to where I checked used prices of a Nord Lead 2 rack on Reverb.

Since the softsynth has been iterated for well over 10 years, it comes with a LOT of presets to get started. There's a few "let's be like hardware even though it's software" aspects to the controls that are slightly annoying, but, overall, seems very straightforward, and the latest v7 UI is quite nice.

JRRShop has it for as low as $75 right now, but RRP is $150.

I've been playing preset 87 from the Pad 2 bank into Transatlantic Plate for about 30 minutes now. It's beautiful.

https://www.discodsp.com/discoverypro/

EDIT: The more I used the demo, the more I fell in love. I couldn't wait. That's what credit cards are for, right?


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## Sid Francis (Apr 24, 2022)

Hi

Unfortunately my shopping cart says: 89$ :-( But the synth is great, thats true.


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## grabauf (Apr 24, 2022)

Sid Francis said:


> Hi
> 
> Unfortunately my shopping cart says: 89$ :-( But the synth is great, thats true.


You have to enter the site via the "blowout" link: https://blowout.jrrshop.com/
Then it's 75,99.


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## muziksculp (Apr 25, 2022)

Do I still need it if I have this one ?


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## vitocorleone123 (Apr 25, 2022)

muziksculp said:


> Do I still need it if I have this one ?


Ooooo. 🤤

Of course the proper answer is: yes!
(supposedly you can import patches... not sure about export)


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## Sid Francis (Apr 25, 2022)

grabauf said:


> You have to enter the site via the "blowout" link: https://blowout.jrrshop.com/
> Then it's 75,99.


What kind of wonderful magic is this?  By the way: you are guilty, you owe me 75$  

aaahh, what I REALLY wanted to say: 😍😍😍


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## vitocorleone123 (Apr 25, 2022)

Aftertouch can be added but it's not intuitively done. Shift-click the layer button to enable Aftertouch Edit Mode, then move the controls, then exit the mode.


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## vitocorleone123 (Apr 25, 2022)

grabauf said:


> You have to enter the site via the "blowout" link: https://blowout.jrrshop.com/
> Then it's 75,99.


Least expensive at the moment is on everyplugin: $74.35. I've never purchased from them, though. I've purchased many things from JRRShop without issue.


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## Wes Antczak (Apr 26, 2022)

muziksculp said:


> Do I still need it if I have this one ?


Do I still need it if I have the keyboard version of the Lead 2X? (sorry no picture at the moment)

The answer is definitely yes. Besides being more portable, even though the Nords are fairly light, the other advantage of Discovery Pro is the additional features and polyphony. I do love my 2X, but the last time I checked, it was not able to import new waveforms or do re-synthesis. DiscoDSP has done a really nice job with this one and it's more than just an emulation of the hardware.


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## Snoobydoobydoo (Apr 26, 2022)

I had a 4R and miss it. It was so easy to program and had a nice sound from soft to angry (in a good way).


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## muziksculp (Apr 26, 2022)

Snoobydoobydoo said:


> I had a 4R and miss it. It was so easy to program and had a nice sound from soft to angry (in a good way).


The NL 4 is one of my favorite Clavia Synths. I have a NL4 (Rack), I also have the NL2X (Rack), and NL A1 (Rack). These red beauties are classic synths now, and Clavia stopped manufacturing the Rack versions. So, I will never sell any one of them, and they all sound awesome, and are a joy to program, and tweak in real time when recording them. 

I will most likely end up buying Discovery Pro. Just because of the added benefits it offers.


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## Wes Antczak (Apr 26, 2022)

I had a Lead 3, which was an absolutely fantastic piece of gear and a different sonic beast altogether. Then there is also the Nord Modular, which is still capable of so much. I keep it near my bank of Mothers and my Model D. Over the years I wound up selling off many of my hardware synths, but nowadays I have decided to keep what I already have. I still absolutely do not regret owning Discovery Pro!


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## muziksculp (Apr 26, 2022)

Wes Antczak said:


> I had a Lead 3, which was an absolutely fantastic piece of gear and a different sonic beast altogether. Then there is also the Nord Modular, which is still capable of so much. I keep it near my bank of Mothers and my Model D. Over the years I wound up selling off many of my hardware synths, but nowadays I have decided to keep what I already have. I still absolutely do not regret owning Discovery Pro!


Cool. I also had a NL3 Keyboard a long time ago, it's the only Clavia synth I sold, and don't have it now. It was a unique Synth. I also regret I never purchased the Nord Modular when it was available a long time ago. 

I'm looking forward to adding, and enjoying Discovery Pro.


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## Wes Antczak (Apr 26, 2022)

muziksculp said:


> The NL 4 is one of my favorite Clavia Synths. I have a NL4 (Rack), I also have the NL2X (Rack), and NL A1 (Rack). These red beauties are classic synths now, and Clavia stopped manufacturing the Rack versions. So, I will never sell any one of them, and they all sound awesome, and are a joy to program, and tweak in real time when recording them.
> 
> I will most likely end up buying Discovery Pro. Just because of the added benefits it offers.


Gotta love those red beauties! They definitely stand out on stage and also in terms of sound.


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## muziksculp (Apr 26, 2022)

Wes Antczak said:


> Gotta love those red beauties! They definitely stand out on stage and also in terms of sound.


Yes, I think some of the very famous media composers still use them, i.e. Hans Zimmer, Harry Gregson-Williams, ..etc.


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## muziksculp (Apr 26, 2022)

OK, I purchased *Discovery Pro* from Best Service for $87. after using my Bestcoin credit. 

I will install it later today, and post some feedback here.


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## vitocorleone123 (Apr 26, 2022)

muziksculp said:


> OK, I purchased *Discovery Pro* from Best Service for $87. after using my Bestcoin credit.
> 
> I will install it later today, and post some feedback here.


Out of curiosity, why BestService instead of JRR or Everyplugin, where it costs around $75? Only a $12 difference… was it for more of the credits?


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## Snoobydoobydoo (Apr 26, 2022)

Stone wheels baby, STONE wheels.


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## KEM (Apr 27, 2022)

Interesting, anything Swedish related has my interest!!


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## doctoremmet (Apr 27, 2022)

KEM said:


> Interesting, anything Swedish related has my interest!!


Speaking of Clavia. Fun fact: the early models of the Nord Electro had Sampletekk piano samples in them. Maybe this is still the case for current models / the Stage line? But I am confident you already own all Sampletekk gems, no?


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## KEM (Apr 27, 2022)

doctoremmet said:


> Speaking of Clavia. Fun fact: the early models of the Nord Electro had Sampletekk piano samples in them. Maybe this is still the case for current models / the Stage line? But I am confident you already own all Sampletekk gems, no?



I bought the White Grand 2 (if I’m remembering correctly) that you told me about, it’s pretty cool, but NOTHING will ever beat the Malmsjö, the greatest piano ever made!!


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## sean8877 (Apr 27, 2022)

Picked this thing up for $75 and FWIW it sounds amazing to my ears. Glad I found this thread or I wouldn't have known about the sale.


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## vitocorleone123 (Apr 28, 2022)

sean8877 said:


> Picked this thing up for $75 and FWIW it sounds amazing to my ears. Glad I found this thread or I wouldn't have known about the sale.


The synth has a few modest usability issues and definitely some CPU optimization issues, but sounds fantastic. Hit that Unison button and it becomes epic and huge (at the cost of eating voices and CPU). Add a second layer - or up to 4 (at the cost of eating voices and devouring your remaining CPU cycles).

I'm finding that it's not a great synth for sub bass, but everything else seems to be fair game - especially pads.

I think if I spent $150 I'd be a bit disappointed, because I expect a LOT from a softsynth costing that much. But for $75? Fantastic!!

Having purchased this and Model 84 and Model 72 in the last couple months, it's time to sell or delete a few of my other softsynths I don't use and, honestly, don't sound as good.


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## muziksculp (Apr 29, 2022)

Hi,

OK, I finally installed Discovery Pro, and loving the way it sounds. This Synth Rocks just as good as my Hardware version, and has more options. But using it is a bit confusing. I will print the User's Manual for handy reference, and Groove 3 has a Discovery Pro video tutorial series. I subscribe to their tutorials, so I wil surely watch this one.

https://www.groove3.com/tutorials/discoDSP-Discovery-Pro-Explained

i.e. How do I save a program ? I can't find anything about this, and I have a licensed version that I purchased. How about if I want to import a new sound into i.e. LAYER B, how do I do that ? ... etc. etc. not the most intuitive VST Synth to use.

Cheers,
Muziksculp


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## vitocorleone123 (Apr 29, 2022)

muziksculp said:


> Hi,
> 
> OK, I finally installed Discovery Pro, and loving the way it sounds. This Synth Rocks just as good as my Hardware version, and has more options. But using it is a bit confusing. I will print the User's Manual for handy reference, and Groove 3 has a Discovery Pro video tutorial series. I subscribe to their tutorials, so I wil surely watch this one.
> 
> ...


Agreed that it has some usability issues.

I was already informed the annoyance of having to click little dots instead of just the labels will be addressed in v 7.5 after I requested it of DiscoDSP. I couldn't grasp why I had to click those tiny LED dots instead of, say, the saw wave shape label.

I haven't yet gotten a handle on the presets thing. I may have further suggestions for them - if something small can be done rather than a redesign of that feature (which it needs). If you want to copy one layer to the next you do that via the Menu - Menu: Copy Layer on Layer A, switch to Layer B, then Menu: Paste Layer. Or something like that.

I've been saving Programs to a folder on my desktop since I don't know how the Banks work. I also am disappointed it seems the Banks list is full of presets? How do I create my own Bank with my own Presets so I don't have to overwrite other ones? Etc.

The core synth features are pretty straightforward to use I think, but as soon as you move into anything in the Menu, not so much. I'd love to know how to create my own waves for use in the synth....


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## jrrshop (May 1, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> I hadn't tried this since since way long ago until tonight. Wow. This sounds amazing to me. My ears are responding WAY more than something like the OB-E v2 even though this isn't modeling an analog synth, but a virtual analog. I'd say this is a little less "alive" but also decidedly better sounding to me. And I have an OB-6. Maybe it's because Discovery Pro can be brighter than the OB-E, like an OB-6? Hmm.


That's high praise! The OB-6 sounds better to me than many of my vintage analogs, including my MKS-80, Juno-6, and Chroma Polaris. The only one I prefer over the OB-6 is the Pro Mars.


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## jrrshop (May 1, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> Aftertouch can be added but it's not intuitively done. Shift-click the layer button to enable Aftertouch Edit Mode, then move the controls, then exit the mode.


DiscoDSP is very responsive. They can probably improve this. I invited them to this discussion.


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## jrrshop (May 1, 2022)

muziksculp said:


> Do I still need it if I have this one ?


I believe Discovery Pro is mapped to your Nord's knobs. The Nord Lead has such a beautiful layout.


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## KEM (May 1, 2022)

jrrshop said:


> I believe Discovery Pro is mapped to your Nord's knobs. The Nord Lead has such a beautiful layout.



Is the Discovery Pro on your shop an older version? It has the gui of the old one but I’m assuming you can just update it


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## vitocorleone123 (May 1, 2022)

KEM said:


> Is the Discovery Pro on your shop an older version? It has the gui of the old one but I’m assuming you can just update it


The graphic is the old UI, but the license is for the current one. How do I know? Because I bought it at JRRshop and now have v7.4.

Note that I think when they get to v8 you have to buy an upgrade license from discodsp. They aren’t forever free updates. But if you request things in their official forum on KVR they are very attentive and will consider things (that’s how I requested the label clicking instead of the tiny dots and was told v 7.5 for that improvement).

I used the demo first. I always demo if possible. That said, it didn’t take long before I knew I’d buy it. But everyone’s ears are different, so what sounds good to me may sound like crap to someone else!


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## KEM (May 1, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> The graphic is the old UI, but the license is for the current one. How do I know? Because I bought it at JRRshop and now have v7.4.
> 
> Note that I think when they get to v8 you have to buy an upgrade license from discodsp. They aren’t forever free updates. But if you request things in their official forum on KVR they are very attentive and will consider things (that’s how I requested the label clicking instead of the tiny dots and was told v 7.5 for that improvement).
> 
> I used the demo first. I always demo if possible. That said, it didn’t take long before I knew I’d buy it. But everyone’s ears are different, so what sounds good to me may sound like crap to someone else!



Ok cool, I’ll probably pick it up soon then


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## muziksculp (May 1, 2022)

jrrshop said:


> I believe Discovery Pro is mapped to your Nord's knobs. The Nord Lead has such a beautiful layout.


Oh.. That's fantastic, I didn't know that. So, I can use my NL2X to control the knobs of Discovery Pro ? I'm guessing that's what you mean. 

Thanks


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## muziksculp (May 1, 2022)

jrrshop said:


> That's high praise! The OB-6 sounds better to me than many of my vintage analogs, including my MKS-80, Juno-6, and Chroma Polaris. The only one I prefer over the OB-6 is the Pro Mars.


I love my *OB-6 Desktop* 😎👍


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## vitocorleone123 (May 1, 2022)

muziksculp said:


> I love my *OB-6 Desktop* 😎👍


I have one of the two, and now a software emulation of the other!

Clearly you are an exceptional person with exceptionally refined taste! Heheh


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## jrrshop (May 1, 2022)

muziksculp said:


> Oh.. That's fantastic, I didn't know that. So, I can use my NL2X to control the knobs of Discovery Pro ? I'm guessing that's what you mean.
> 
> Thanks


The manual says there are Nord Lead 2 and 4 MIDI CC templates. They’re probably in the Member Area of DiscoDSP’s site.


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## muziksculp (May 1, 2022)

jrrshop said:


> The manual says there are Nord Lead 2 and 4 MIDI CC templates. They’re probably in the Member Area of DiscoDSP’s site.


I need to check this out, what exactly do the MIDI CC Templates do, and how they need to be setup ? Hopefully they have more documentation about this, i.e. pdf instructions, ..etc.

Thanks.


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## jrrshop (May 1, 2022)

It sounds like you can load the xml file straight from Discovery’s MIDI Menu. It also sounds like you can control your Nord Lead with the plugin:



https://www.discodsp.com/pdf/discoverypro.pdf



MIDI menu has been introduced on Release 7.1 and expands the original MIDI CC features.

MIDI Learn

This function will replace the default MIDI CC mapping file Default.xml located at Documents > Discovery Pro > MIDI fodler. Values can be seen at Help > MIDI CC too.

Learn a MIDI CC
Select MIDI Learn.
Select a knob or button with the mouse
Send MIDI CC data with the hardware
Custom.xml file from Documents > Discovery Pro > MIDI folder will be updated.

MIDI CC Buttons

This is an extension for Discovery Pro buttons. Once switched, Discovery Pro will apply MIDI CC buttons table. You can find them using Help > MIDI CC or opening any XML file located at Documents > Discovery Pro > MIDI folder.

MIDI Out

If enabled Discovery Pro MIDI will be sent.
MIDI CC Hardware Board Templates

Discovery Pro includes several hardware board templates.
You can create your own by creating a copy of any XML file and renaming it to your board name and editing the CC with a text editor or using MIDI Learn and then creating a copy with the hardware board name.

Note: Nord Lead 2 and 4 templates will automatically switch to a MIDI CC oscillator that syncs the selected waveform oscillators with the hardware.


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## muziksculp (May 1, 2022)

jrrshop said:


> It sounds like you can load the xml file straight from Discovery’s MIDI Menu. It also sounds like you can control your Nord Lead with the plugin:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the helpful feedback.


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## vitocorleone123 (May 1, 2022)

DiscoveryPro led me to reinstall Audiogridder, because Studio One doesn't like the synth very much when running at 96khz with a 64 ASIO buffer. Leaving oversampling off I can up the synth to 32 voices that way.

I do wish they could further optimize the CPU usage by 50%.

EDIT: Key usage to the wave oscillator is to enable the PAD button (kind of hidden) as this does the "magic" and makes it blend. It's... beautiful. I probably could've read the manual and found it, but, he, I'm just synthing here. 

I plan to sample my OB-6 and start adding in some user waves. Using some of the actual string/ensemble wavs it comes with along with some of the stringy pads is fantastic, running into CRP or Tai Chi. Mmmmm. Droool. I have to say that DiscoveryPro is FINALLY a synth sound I was looking for and never had found until now. I know this is the honeymoon phase of a new synth, but... I can see this knocking out my already-limited use of synths such as: Jup-8 V4, Repro5, and even Diva. These crazy amazing pads seem so easy to get to with DiscoveryPro in mere minutes.

Caveat: I don't know that I've been this excited about a softsynth since... maybe getting Repro. Clearly I never really gave it a chance/knew wtf I was doing when I tried this synth years ago (before Repro).


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## KEM (May 1, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> DiscoveryPro led me to reinstall Audiogridder, because Studio One doesn't like the synth very much when running at 96khz with a 64 ASIO buffer. Leaving oversampling off I can up the synth to 32 voices that way.
> 
> I do wish they could further optimize the CPU usage by 50%.
> 
> ...



You’re making me want to buy this right now…


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## vitocorleone123 (May 9, 2022)

@muziksculp How's the synth sounding vs. the hardware now that you've had it for a bit longer?


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## Wes Antczak (May 23, 2022)

Just downloaded the 7.5 update...


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## vitocorleone123 (May 23, 2022)

Wes Antczak said:


> Just downloaded the 7.5 update...


“Most GUI labels are now clickable” - woohoo! Hope it’s as nice an improvement as i thought it would be when I suggested it……….. 


Will try it later today.


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## vitocorleone123 (Jun 23, 2022)

I'm know this raw preset can be fine-tuned as I'm no synth maestro, plus I'm still learning the synth. I just threw this together using the desktop version of the synth (runs better than in a DAW - unless I use Audiogridder). I started exploring textures using layers and thought I'd share. 

Ah, heck. Might as well share the pad I made just before that, as well. Just wanted to share. I welcome any presets showing off the synth shared back from those who know how to use it (that are different from the zillions presets it comes with).

My antivirus says they're clean - but always scan stuff you download!


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## muziksculp (Jun 29, 2022)

vitocorleone123 said:


> @muziksculp How's the synth sounding vs. the hardware now that you've had it for a bit longer?


After a bit of testing I can easily say, that the HW Nord Lead 2X wins big against the Software Discovery NL2 X. The HW version is just so much better sounding to my ears. Smoother, creamier, warmer, richer, sharper, more bite when needed, faster envelopes, zero CPU usage, ...etc. etc. But I still like both HW, and SW versions. Also add to that the physical interaction with all of the knobs on the HW, which makes it even more attractive than using SW.

If I had to choose one, it will surely be the HW version.


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## Marcus Millfield (Jun 30, 2022)

Just saw 40% off of DiscoDSP products including DiscoveryPro @ Best Service: https://www.bestservice.com/deals/discodsp_summer_sale_40_off_4227.html


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