Nord User Forum

[maurus]

Just to mark this as resolved - gone for the Electro 5D 61 and the Kawai VPC1. Thanks Maurus - great solution!

You're welcome! Now there are at least two of us...

[GeeDeWee]

If anyone else is thinking about a NP2/NP3:
I bought a Stage 2 88 just after the Stage 2 EX was announced, which means I paid € 2500 instead of € 3500 (the price before the EX announcement).
I suppose the same price drop could be the case for the NP2, now that the NP3 is announced (but not in the shops yet).

[dynanord]

Does the NE5 support half pedaling? I´m just very curious...

[stiiiiiiive]

(update: just because it is unlikely anyone will ever try this again - the "parlour" upright piano on an NE2, played via a VPC1, sounds absolutely amazing.)

The worst things have been heard about the NE/NE2 acoustic piano sounds. Are you saying that the keybed dynamics can make a big difference?

[RedLeo]

Are you saying that the keybed dynamics can make a big difference?

In general, yes absolutely.

To give an example: The pianos on my Triton sound horrible when played from the Triton's keyboard, but infinitely better when I play them from my Stage. Why? The Triton's piano is made up of two sample layers, a mellow one and a brighter one for loud playing. The brighter sample sounds pretty bad. When I play from the Triton's keyboard, the lighter semi-weighted synth action means I'm normally playing the brighter sample at normal playing strength. When I play it from the Stage's heavier keyboard I'm normally triggering the more mellow sample which I like the sound of much better.

So in a multi-layered sample, the velocity response can affect exactly which of its samples you are actually playing at any given moment.

There's much more to it than just that though. The way volume changes with playing strength can vary dramatically, and some keyboard dynamics will correspond better with the way you think it should vary - and correspondingly, others will feel wrong to you - you may feel that the volume should get louder faster than it actually does when you play harder, or indeed not loud enough, which can be quite unsettling as well as forcing you to play unnaturally if the response doesn't do what you would like it to do.

[stiiiiiiive]

I had thought of this many times but never experimented it properly.

The fact is I started my Nord Electro journey with the NE3-73 but I'm still haunted by the NE1/2 which is more... rough. I don't know, there is something in this that appeals me. But the lack of acoustic piano is a no go. That's why I'm asking: a NE2 rack with a nice keyboard could dry my curiosity...

Thanks for sharing on this

[RedLeo]

That's why I'm asking: a NE2 rack with a nice keyboard could dry my curiosity...

You do know what you're getting into with an NE2?

[dkernohan]

NE2 is a lovely, lovely thing indeed. I've played one live for getting on for 14 years. Astonishingly simple, but still sounds great. I would caution that you would need an older computer to use the software tool to load new sounds.

If I get chance I'll record an A/B comparison between the the NE2 upright and the "rain piano", played via the Kawai VPC1.

[stiiiiiiive]

NE2 is a lovely, lovely thing indeed. I've played one live for getting on for 14 years. Astonishingly simple, but still sounds great. I would caution that you would need an older computer to use the software tool to load new sounds.

If I get chance I'll record an A/B comparison between the the NE2 upright and the "rain piano", played via the Kawai VPC1.

Oh please do I just love the rain piano so that's a good comparison point to me.
About the computer, I have still my good ol' 2004 iBook, plus if the NE2 is upto date, I wouldn't have to... update it, right? Those guys are not maintained software wise, are they?

That's why I'm asking: a NE2 rack with a nice keyboard could dry my curiosity...

You do know what you're getting into with an NE2?

I'm not sure to understand your question...

[RedLeo]

I'm not sure to understand your question...

I would caution that you would need an older computer to use the software tool to load new sounds.

This, plus the fact that you can't use the Nord Piano library, the NE2 has a different set of piano samples.