Nord User Forum

[magpie85]

I like the silver grand for use with a band.

[DJKeys]

I use the Silver grand almost exclusively as well for Pop/Rock songs-

-dj

[benny ray]

Same here Silver Grand is really nice

[bartley99]

I've had this issue in the past on ANY piano (no matter the Nord piano type or other keyboards). The issue always seemed to be more with dynamic range than tone. I would EQ the s*** out of the piano to get to to sit in the mix. If the guitar players or other instruments are used, I'd have to EQ again to find the sweet spot. What has worked for me is compression. Yep, it levels out the volume and helps it cut through. I've done this on other non-Nords and it also does the trick.

I will usually set it to about 12 o'clock (50%) on Nords (stage, electro, whatever). Yes, it sounds harsh by itself but in a band you can play lightly and it will still cut through and if you suddenly bash the s*** out of the piano it will help it from sounding so LOUD. Use a f**** volume pedal on your pedal too!!!! Right foot is always on my volume pedal and left foot is working piano pedals. If you are playing in the upper range, back off a little. If your comping in the middle, adjust accordingly.

Here's the thing...when you turn on compression at home or while listening in headphones you will think it sounds like ass and I'm bat-shit crazy. Try it when you gig and I think you see a big difference.

I also have a cheap limiter in my signal path which tames volume.

Another trick is to have a DI on your output path. I use a Radial JDI-Stereo DI box. It takes softens some of the digital-ness of the piano.

For electric piano, I use a Keely compression/sustain pedal (Steak and Eggs). The sustain helps it sing.

Hope this helps.
Peace & Love my Red Lovin' brothers and sisters.

[emartin149]

My Electro 4 doesn't have the storage for a Silver, so I use the Bright Grand almost exclusively in our band, which has one guitarist. I've tried several others (Bosie, Black Upright) but nothing cuts through like that Yamaha sample.

If I had the money, and more importantly the desire to truck two boards, I'd get a dedicated AP board and use the Electro for organs, EPs, and samples. Acoustic piano in an electric band is not its strong suit...although it's great for home, solo, or acoustic combo playing. For electric bands, the Electro really shines as a Hammond emulator. Indeed, I'd argue that it's better than anything else in that regard other than the real thing...which of course is like 500 pounds and huge amounts of $$.

[emartin149]

Someone mentioned the Electric Grand - that's an overlooked option. It's a good sample and they have an amped version as well. I know it's not the purist acoustic sound you might like, but in a rocking environment with electric guitars, no one is going to notice, and that Electric Grand will cut through, like they said. Best to save the AP for the quiet stuff where people might actually hear the difference.

[harmonizer]

Revisiting the topic of acoustic piano sounds in Mono on Nord:
This week I finally tried the Black Upright. For me, it is the most usable acoustic piano sound in mono that I have found on my Nord. Previously I have tried the Italian Grand Faz (Large), Silver Grand Large, Bright Grand Large, and Bambino XL. In mono, for me, the Black Upright is better than all of them. It's even usable. My thanks to whoever suggested Black Upright (sorry, I can't recall who it was).

[afroskully]

@harmonizer... revisiting another portion of this topic. When you run mono, how do you route your board? L or R out? and do you actually enable the Mono setting? I'm curious since I've been occasionally having to run mono and I'm interested to know how others do it. I've been running R out without the mono enabled, but I have no rhyme or reason as to why. I've been told it depends on the sample itself as to what may sound better, and I like using the black upright as well. Thanks

[harmonizer]

I am currently using the L out for all sounds I use on my Electro 3. For the Black Upright sound, I have mono enabled, but I did a quick test of turning off the mono button with the Black Upright, did not notice a difference, and then set mono back on. Our band is covering Adele's "Someone Like You", and I am using the Black Upright for that.

Others have commented that some Nord acoustic piano stereo sounds have more lows on L and more highs on R, and that they get better results by using the R out.