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Nord Piano Samples

Postby dbelmont2 » 04 Aug 2015, 21:15

Hello --

I am trying out some Nord pianos this weekend and the store I am going to does not have the Nord Piano 2 HP nor the HA88 on the floor ... they do have the Nord Stage 2 on the floor for me to play and they claim that the piano samples (sounds, patches) in the Nord Stage 2 are the same as the 2 HP and the HA88 ... is this true ?

Furthermore they claim that the keybed on the Stage 2 matches either the 2 HP or the HA88 - is this true and if so which one is the same as ?

Also -- as far as acoustic piano sounds go (this is all I am really interested in) do user generally just use the sounds as is from the Nord Piano library or is there tweaking typically involved ? if there is typically tweaking is it generally minimal or extensive (a number of years ago I got Ivory 2 and when I set it up for my use it took me hours to get it to where I thought it sounded good) ...

Thanks !

Dan
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Nord Piano Samples


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Re: Nord Piano Samples

Postby pablomastodon » 05 Aug 2015, 05:16

Hi dbelmont2,

The nature of the "Nord system" is that there is a library containing all their pianos. Each instrument loads from the same library. There are some Nord instruments, the Electro 3 for example, which will reproduce some, but not all, of the resonance features Nord builds into these pianos. However, the Piano 2 and Stage 2 models DO handle it all. As such, they are equivalent. Your dealer is not lying or even exaggerating when she/he says that they are the same with regard to piano sound.

Stage 2 is available with three keybeds: SW73 (organ action) and HA76/HA88 (piano actions). These are the same HA actions as used in Nord Piano 2. HP action is different. The HA is the superior quality piano action; the HP is super lightweight. Note that Kurzweils use the same actions, made by Fatar. Fatar's designation for these is TP/4.

As for tweaking needed or not needed...that is obviously a highly personal thing and each individual may have different thoughts on the matter. What is important to note is that there is no menu-diving needed to accomplish this. There's an EQ on the front panel with Hi, Low and sweepable Mid controls. Dial it in to suit. If your experience is anything like that of most people, you can spend any amount of time dialing this in to suit your ears at home, then show up at a gig and discover that the different room wants different settings. The knob is right there -- turn it to taste. Same with reverb, and other effects.

Bless,

Pablo
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Re: Nord Piano Samples

Postby RedLeo » 05 Aug 2015, 05:46

You can't dig in and customise the piano settings the way you can on Ivory; it's basically pick a piano, add EQ/Reverb/other FX to taste, and that's about it. You can also do a few minor tweaks: select from several velocity curves, and turn on/off String Resonance, Long Release and Pedal Noise. So you have to take the Nord pianos pretty much as they are, you're not going to turn them into something radically different.
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Re: Nord Piano Samples

Postby pablomastodon » 05 Aug 2015, 07:43

RedLeo wrote:you're not going to turn them into something radically different.


unless you really want to, that is, by slathering on excessive amounts of effects... ;-)

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Re: Nord Piano Samples

Postby dbelmont2 » 05 Aug 2015, 16:29

Thanks for the info !

Now with the Nord Piano Library do I just download the pianos I want to my computer and then load them from my computer to my Nord keyboard ? and
how do transfer them from my computer to the Nord keyboard ? basically I am just trying to find out how this works ...

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Re: Nord Piano Samples

Postby dhbp-nord » 05 Aug 2015, 16:58

Get the Nord Sound Manager here and start poking at it:

http://www.nordkeyboards.com/software-tools

It's very simple, basically drag and drop. Your Nord will come with the libraries on DVD and the newer stuff is a free download. It all works quite well. Takes a little time for the larger pianos is all

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Re: Nord Piano Samples

Postby pablomastodon » 06 Aug 2015, 08:32

dhpb -- Dan is just shopping and doesn't have his Nord yet, so he can't be doing any poking just yet...

Dan -- but dhpb is correct. The operation is quite easy peasy. Drag 'n drop works, or you can use SOUND DOWN icon from within that freeware program, and then use the resulting popup window to navigate to the hard drive location to which you downloaded pianos from the Nord website, select the desired file and click OKAY (technically this button is labeled OPEN, but it will be in the intuitive place on your computer screen).

Bless,

Pablo

PS -- please note that my day job is Nord Tech Support Canada/USA. I am available to you for phone/email consultation about anything Nord both pre-purchase and post-purchase. Please see my work contact info below:

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Re: Nord Piano Samples

Postby spradders » 06 Aug 2015, 10:55

Hi Dan, a couple of comments.
- Your dealer may not have the 'best' sounds on the Nord in the shop; memory is limited so people pick the top few pianos that suit them.
- EQ makes a HUGE difference, e.g. boosting the upper mid to bring the sound to life if you want something bright
- There are a lot of discussions on this site about amplification; in general people find that keyboard combo amps sound bad with the Nord (even though they sounded great with an old Roland etc). Try out the pianos with a decent stereo PA, or with good headphones

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Re: Nord Piano Samples

Postby dbelmont2 » 06 Aug 2015, 12:47

It's interesting what you are saying about amplification ... I run all my keyboards through a QSC K8 powered speaker and they sound great (and much better than any keyboard amp)
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Re: Nord Piano Samples

Postby spradders » 06 Aug 2015, 19:56

Aha you'll find a lot of love here for the QSC :-)
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