Proud Owner of an NP88

[Music*aL]

It came in yesterday, and I spent a few hours with it, but not enough to form any definitive opinions or preferences. Call me crazy, but there were drastic (and somewhat surprising) differences in tone between the same grand piano samples when played from the NP and my Nord Stage Classic (NSC). These are my initial observations from comparing the two:

- The pianos on the Stage don't seem as bright as they do on the NP. The Bright Grand in particular seems super bright on the NP. It seems a bit tamer on the NSC. This may be a result of converter or other hardware differences. I am playing it flat without EQ, on the lowest velocity setting (0).

- All pianos are much more even across the keybed on the NP than the NSC. On the NSC some of the registers seemed very uneven especially with the older samples like the Studio Grand 2.

- The EP's sound about the same to me. Except again, on the NSC the high registers were so bright they were unusable at times, and there was no way to EQ out that harshness without affecting the middle registers. On the NP the EP's sound perfect in all registers.

- I'm experimenting with String Resonance and Long Release settings. Seems that String Resonance of about +2 db is about as far as you can go without it sounding weird or unnatural. As for the LR feature, I'm keeping it on for the time being. I like the smoothness of the decay much better that way.

- To my ears, the Grand Lady and the Studio Grand 2 sound great on the NP. The Bright Grand seems too bright but it can be EQ'd out to taste. I also haven't played around with the sample sizes.

- My biggest surprise was that the Imperial Grand had the most obvious sonic differences playing it from the NSC and NP. It sounded boxier and more nasal on the NP. Is that possible? I loaded the XL sample and I was very surprised by the result. I'll try the large sample tonight. There shouldn't be a difference, but, maybe I need to get my hearing checked!!

That said, I love the keyboard. It's very nice sounding. I like the action better than the NSC, although I wish there was a lower (harder) velocity setting, but, I knew that going in.

Thank you all for your help in my decision making.

aL

[Hanon_CTS]

Congratulations on your new instrument aL

[jazzonebyone]

It sounds even better - no excessive brightness - when played midi-wise from another keyboard with a "softer" velocity curve, which, of course, defeats the purpose of buying a very transportable board.
There has been a lot of discussion concerning the NP velocity - I hope that this is an OS parameter and can one day be updated. Nord ?

[Cee]

Congrats! A lot of people here told me the NP88 will grow on me like crazy and it did.

So now it's kinda my turn to tell you the more you play the more you'll love this board!

Cheers!

[Music*aL]

It sounds even better - no excessive brightness - when played midi-wise from another keyboard with a "softer" velocity curve, which, of course, defeats the purpose of buying a very transportable board.
There has been a lot of discussion concerning the NP velocity - I hope that this is an OS parameter and can one day be updated. Nord ?

Yes, me too. The velocity issue is something I was aware of before I bought the board. So, I'm not complaining, although I do welcome a harder/softer velocity. The NSC has the same issue, although it seems somewhat more pronounced with the NP. Part of the "problem" may be that the NP has a more substantial keybed which invites a little more digging which in turn may cause the excessive brightness. Just speculating here.

I think the Grand Lady is the warmest tonally, although it is by no means the fullest. But has that woody character you want to hear in a grand. The Bright Grand does really well in mixes, much better than when it's exposed. The Studio Grand 2 is very nice as well although it seems to fizzle out in the highest two octaves.

aL

[Music*aL]

Congrats! A lot of people here told me the NP88 will grow on me like crazy and it did.

So now it's kinda my turn to tell you the more you play the more you'll love this board!

Cheers!

Thanks! I already love that board. By the way, I listened to some of your music, and it's really lovely. Well executed. Good job!

aL

[Quantics]

Congrats! A lot of people here told me the NP88 will grow on me like crazy and it did.

So now it's kinda my turn to tell you the more you play the more you'll love this board!

Cheers!

Just listened to the songs on your page, they're fantastic! Did you use the NP88 on all of them?

[Cee]

Thanks Quantics, yes, recorded with the NP88!