A manufacturer of synths and other keyboard instruments, founded in 1983 and based in Stockholm, Sweden. The company first made its name with the drum line of drum synthesizers, released in the 1980s. Unlike competing products from Simmons and other manufacturers, the drum was notable for using realistic drums and heads. In 1995, the company began releasing synths under the "Nord" brand name. The first product was the Nord Lead, one of the first virtual analog synths. Other notable products include the Nord Modular, which is a virtual modular system packaged as a keyboard instrument, and the now-discontinued Nord Wave, which added to the basic Nord Lead engine sampling and wave scanning capabilities.