Nord User Forum

[dhbp-nord]

I dumped most of the samples that did not layer well with the pianos on my NP2. My Nord is part of my VST rig so I have lots of other sounds covered. In the NP2 for samples I have mostly e-pianos (JD, DX, Cp70 etc etc) that work nicely with the Nord piano library. A few pads, a church organ and one or two brass sounds for the rare occasion when I have just the Nord out somewhere on it's own.

DH

[criss]

Very useful information, Rusty Mike, thank you very much!! Two dials for the mids were overwhelming, so your advices at the Point2 are very useful for me.
I prefer the Grands over the Uprights because they are consistent in any register (lower too - love the strong fundamentals). I will keep the Black Upright for nostalgia purposes and for it's "different" character and sound. My timbral preference for solo tends to the Concert Grand pianos (for example Rachmaninoff piano concertos).

I just tested the LadyD and like it, excepting the quality of samples in some areas (for example the A5 zone has some noise and from G6-up the sounds have a longer release). I think the Royal is better in the terms of sampling quality but LadyD has a very nice timbre. Need to play both much longer until a final verdict...

[Spider]

I second every word of Mike's posts.
I just rehauled the samples in my Stage2 and went through most of the pianos, so I can give my current opinion.
I used to prefer the Bright Grand for band work (cuts through any mix), but the Silver is just as bright,cuts through as well while being a little less harsh, more even across the range and with better dynamics. Have substituted it in the programs that previously used the Bright, will give it a good test run with the band next week.

For solo-soft work I used to love the Imperial. Yesterday I finally tested the Royal, and I admit I was a bit underwhelmed. Really nice sample, but I found nothing outstanding about it. It gave me the same feeling as the Italian: very good sample but a bit sterile, without much character.
Instead, I really liked the Velvet, which I had previously dismissed after a hasty trial. Very nice soft tone, great dynamic range, broad stereo image. It is now my go-to piano for expressive playing.
Among the oldies, my favourite has always been the Studio Grand 2. The Studio 1 and Lady D have tons of character, but also some annoying overtones and noises on certain notes. The 2 also has maybe the greatest dynamic range of all grands, very easy to play ppp or fff at leisure.

I'm also an uprights fan. You can't go wrong with the Black and Rain pianos, and the Bosie and U3 are excellent all-rounders, but my current crush is the Mellow-just so sweet, expressive and with its own tone that's quite unique in the whole Nord Piano Library.

My 2 cents of course, these preferences are so personal.
It's always nice to read other opinions, but at the end of the day, always let your ears and fingers be the judges!

[Gambold]

>There are only a few samples that I actually use<

Oh ditto and that took a little education with the rest of band. It was a "look, I'm a keyboard player, I'm not a recording studio" kind of speech. I will give them an orchestra and a synth, but that's it - the rest of it is pianos or organs. And not a whole of those either - I pretty much play the Bright acoustic, the CP-80, a Rhodes, and the B3. It's way too easy for a band to start looking at the keyboard player as a special effects machine.

I'm in a five-piece and the keyboard is often featured, so I need to keep up with the electric guitar in terms of sound presence. Thus I can't really use quieter pianos like the Lady D except on those few songs where everyone is way down. In rock, strong treble tends to be everything, and the Bright is not short on that.

>we somehow feel like it's embarrassing to NOT play a "grand" piano. In reality, you are the only one who knows which sound is which<

Yes, in reality we are playing a digital piano. Only fellow aficionados can really tell the difference between samples anyway. And I'm not sure even most of us would do that well on a blind test of Nord samples.

[afroskully]

Hey mike. Do you use a mixer with your K8 or just run both lines direct into the QSC? Thinking of upgrading my rig soon.

[Rusty Mike]

Hey mike. Do you use a mixer with your K8 or just run both lines direct into the QSC? Thinking of upgrading my rig soon.

Most of my rehearsals/gigs are with the big bands, and I plug in direct. Less equipment to carry and fuss with, faster in and out, and I'm playing AP, EP or organ, so no sophisticated sound processing requirements. I also go this route when doing the small combo gigs as well.

With the fusion band, I use a Mackie ProDX8 mixer. I do more synth stuff, and send the synth out of Output 3 on the Stage for some different effects processing, so I need an additional channel. I tend to run stereo with the fusion band as well, and the balanced out of the mixer allows me to run the speakers far apart if necessary.

But the vast majority of the time it's direct to a single K8.

[criss]

Update: finally I have a setup which makes me happy. I found that the Studio 1 (Lrg, no XL version available) has the sound I need for my solo work. And the Bright XL for my band. I'm also keeping the Silver XL and Italian XL as reserves (can't decide yet between Bright and Silver, need more time). The Royal 3D is gone because it sounds good only with headphones, not as good on my Yamaha HS7 monitors. I'm waiting the new multi-mic version as a replacement for the Italian. This setup leaves me without the uprights (excepting Honky Lrg and Saloon Med). Also, I still have my two loved CP80 electric grands.

[Spider]

Of course, just when we think we have our piano sounds sorted out, Clavia comes out with a new sample to shake things up...

[cphollis]

Selecting piano voices can be a frustrating, time-consuming experience.

For starters, things never sound the same at home as they do live, or with a louder electric band. Ooops. And then I use different amplification for different situations, which of course changes everything. Oops again.

I play a NP2 generally in electric situations. Always use the "S" sized sample, as no one can ever tell the difference other than me, and that's only occasionally. After a lot of trial and error, I now go for a wide palette -- I try to make each AP/DP/EP sample as different as possible from my other choices.

Keeps it interesting during the night.

[Rusty Mike]

Chuck it is certainly somewhat time time consuming, and a bit of trial and error. It's also a lot of fun to see what works best. Even if you like a sample and want to use use an L or XL later, it's a good idea to sample the S size at a rehearsal or gig first. Low risk.

Chuck, we've agreed on this before about using the S samples. It really speaks to the larger approach of understanding your musical context and what works best within it. It's more than the style of music; it's the rooms you play, your personal playing style, the dynamics of your bandmates, your amplification, the vibe you want to give off, etc.

By the way, this newest upright supports my earlier point about not overlooking the upright library. Some nice character in the Amber!

We are fortunate to have such a tremendous library of samples to pick from. Owners of other keyboards don't have this "problem"!