Modor NF-1

Back in 2015, this synth arrived from Belgium as a bold digital rethink of those classic 90s virtual analog tones—like the hoover basslines that defined rave anthems—without pretending to be analog.

At its core, three oscillators per voice deliver 10 waveforms including saw, square, FM, additive, and sonar noise, feeding into a standout dual filter setup: a 12dB/oct multimode (lowpass, highpass, bandpass, notch) that blends seamlessly with a formant filter offering vowel morphing and user-defined peaks. Modulation runs deep with four loopable 3-stage envelopes, three LFOs (one polyphonic and high-speed capable), sample & hold, and a 7-slot matrix linking 19 sources to 86 destinations. Hands-on tweaks come via 44 knobs on its sleek black-and-white desktop panel (440x267x80mm, 6U rack-ready with wooden sides or ears), plus chorus/flanger comb filter, syncable delay, 8-voice poly/mono/legato modes, and 448 editable patches across 14 banks. MIDI In/Thru/Out handles full CC and SysEx, powered by a 9V adapter.

Over the years, players have praised its intuitive knob-per-function design for quick sound sculpting and unique formant character that stands out in mixes, though some note the lack of USB and occasional comb filter artifacts during live tweaks as quirks to navigate.