Nord User Forum

[thom0720]

Hi Jamie - I hear you, it's not easy to get a really good sound for intimate jazz but you can - here is what you do:
Use the Grand Lady D and roll off some of the highs with the internal EQ - also apply a touch of compression - there you go, creamy warm stuff no Roland can touch.

Personally I use the Bosendorfer Extra Large library in my concerts, for ballads with long piano intros. I use it with quite a bit of reverb. Also Studio Grand 2, is a good piano sound on it's own. A bit more polite.

[dynanord]

Hey Thom,
I tested the Studio Grand 2 for the first time and I´m impressed. A little warmer/darker than the Lady D so I emphasized the mids and highs a bit.
Here is what I have done to it: Treble+2, Mid+3 on 2 kHz, Bass+1, Comp 4.5, Room1.
New favorite now

[zephonic]

For me, the Grand Lady D is what makes the NP88 worth it. I will use the Bright Grand for salsa and other heavy ostinato stuff, but the GLD is my piano. It has some weird artifacts, but I love how it feels so lively.

I remain unimpressed by the Bosie and Fazioli. They are not for me. The Bosie just sounds cold and feels rigid to me. The Fazioli sounds small.

But the GLD is great. Flawed, but fun and it feels like a real instrument.

I have some software pianos (Vintage D, Piano in Blue, Garritan) but I record with the GLD. I play better with it, and no amount of sampling realism can trump a better performance.

Just my $0.02, YMMV etc.

[judyfholmes]

I didn't face any such problem with my NP88, sound is just great. I think you should visit some music store for repair work, might be your piano need some repairment.

[organuts]

Is it me? Is it possible there's something wrong with the board (too late, probably, to do anything about it now)? Has anyone else had this experience?

(Does anyone know why it was discontinued so quickly?)

I know exactly what you are talking about. I really never liked any of the APs in my Stage 2. They all sounded boxy, cold and unbalanced to my ears. I also always wondered how the Nord people produced those fine sounding demos on their website.

But the last two additions to the Nord Piano library were e real game changer for me. The Bright Grand and the new Yamaha Upright sound great. And I found out that it really depended on the speakers I was using. The Nord Pianos don't seem to forgive mediocre amplification. After I invested in a pair of high-class Genelec monitors plus sub I couldn't be happier with the sound.

Now I am on the search for an adequate amplification for live playing on stage. I didn't like the highly praised QSC K10 and RCF310 at all for AP. While they sound great for most other sounds like organ and ep the acoustic pianos didn't do it for me through these speakers. Now I am looking for premium class speakers like the RCF TT08a. The search goes on.... just my two cents.

[bluesbaba]

Zephonic ... agree with you m8 .
grand lady works best for me for Live work (solo,trio,quartet,quintet)

[Dave Ferris]

[
Now I am on the search for an adequate amplification for live playing on stage. I didn't like the highly praised QSC K10 and RCF310 at all for AP. While they sound great for most other sounds like organ and ep the acoustic pianos didn't do it for me through these speakers. Now I am looking for premium class speakers like the RCF TT08a. The search goes on.... just my two cents.

I've used the RCF TT08As for a couple of years now. If you afford them, yes the 08As are the best in their class at the price point. To get better sound, you'd have to pay twice as much for the L' Acoustics 108P, or even more dough then the 108Ps, are the newer Fulcrum Acoustics FA28ac.
http://www.fulcrum-acoustic.com/assets/ ... c%20v1.pdf

Agree... not at all a fan of the QSC K10s. And while the plastic RCF boxes sound good for vocals and other keyboard sounds--for piano they sound kinda honky in regards to tone quality.

As a cheaper alternative, you might try the EV ZXA1s. Although nowhere detailed as the TT08As, they have a pleasant tone for piano. I've heard the new Yamaha CP4 running direct into a pair of their Yamaha DXR-10s. The sound was pretty good , although my demo with them and the CP4 was maybe only 20 minutes or so. Though generally, I'm not crazy about going direct into these active speakers. I know it's the most convenient, time saving method for live, but the electronics in those boxes in no way can stack up with a quality, dedicated di/pre. You can hear the difference !

So yes, regarding the very important preamp stage-- I used to use a A&H Zed 10Fx mixer for quite some time and then upgraded to the JMK Audio JM-110 di/pre for just piano. The A&H Zed isn't even in the same zip code as the JM-110!
http://www.jmkaudio.com/110.htm
When vocals come into play--I bought the ABP Dynasonics ProSpec 2U earlier this year.
http://apb-dynasonics.com/downloads/Pro ... 052712.pdf

The ABP is a little more colored then the JM-110 but still a huge, noticeable improvement over the A&H Zed 10fx. Both for piano & vocals. Again the JMK Audio piece offers pristine sound when coupled with the TT08As !

[keysmcgee]

Dave - thanks for posting the link to the Fulcrum FA28ac's. DISCLOSURE - I'm an owner of the company (Fulcrum Acoustic).

I gig with a pair of FA28ac's (NP2-88 and/or NE3-73). I love them, but i'm probably biased

[Dave Ferris]

Stephen ? Yes would definitely love to have a pair of the 28ACs !!

[keysmcgee]

Dave - yep, its me

I had a pair of FA28ac's in the hands of my CA sales rep. He did a demo for a guy in Northern CA, who immediately purchased them for use as his band's PA. I need to get another demo pair out to the CA, so this is as good motivation as any to do so. We were a bit hand-to-mouth on amp/DSP modules for a while, but i've got a bunch in stock now so it shouldn't be a problem. I'll hit you up off of the Forum once i have an ETA.

-Stephen