Nord User Forum

[WelshMikey]

I am split between buying the Nord Piano 2 and the Stage 2. My biggest gripe with the Nord Piano 2 is that it only has 2 layers. Is there any handheld device I could attach to the Nord piano 2 that would allow me to record a track and then play along to it with with different sounds? e.g. record myself playing two pianos then play along to the recording with an orchestra and wind section.

I realise this is likely to be possible with a pc but I would rather have a device that is small and easy to use. I used to play a Yamaha DGX 620 and loved it until I broke it moving house, that piano also only had two layers but had built in functions to record and play along to my own recorded tracks which I used extensively.

p.s. please don't advise anything too expensive the whole point is to see if I can save money buying the Nord piano and a recording device instead of the stage 2 which I believe has 6 layers.

Also just to double check I can play two pianos at once cant I on the Nord Piano 2?

[Rusty Mike]

There are a lot of small digital recorders on the market now, many of them are affordable. I have a Zoom H2, which has a direct input as well as microphones. It records to an SD card, and has an ouput jack that I can plug into my mixer or amp.

I use it a lot to record my band's rehearsals, but I also record direct into it. Other companies make them, and I believe there are several available for less than $200US.

[WelshMikey]

Thank you for the response, I will likely play with headphones to begin with so guess this device would only work if I use an amp? After I have made a recording can i link it directly into the nord via its mp3 input and play along using headphones?

[Frantz]

Hello,

Welcome to the forum.
Here is an idea : A Boss Loop Station RC-3
I have one on my keyboard panel. I can use it to record / play / record another insrtument and so on.
Here is a little loop I did with all sounds coming from the NS2 (drumkit too) and the loop station :

[WelshMikey]

thank you, that might be ab idea, another suggestion i have recieved is the tascam dr-40. I will try to understand all three products better and make a decission =). It seems the nord piano 2 is probably better value for me as I care mostly about the acoustic soundign instruments and not the organ and probably only a small % of the synths that the nord stage 2 has.

Slightly off topic but does the nord piano 2 have anythign equivalent to that white synth wheel on the nord stage 2? Its not a biggy if not just liked the piano sound someone came up with using that, bass, and some reverb. (I think the piano 2 has a base option).

[WelshMikey]

that boss rc-3 might be exactly what I am looking for, how long can a single loop be? I know it says three hours in total but i would want to record an entire song to play along to.

[Frantz]

WelshMikey, I do not know about the NP2 ... but about the Boss RC-3, for instance, at home, I can take a voice+guitar track of the band (the whole tune, maybe 5 mn), put it on the RC-3, and make my trials on it on the fly, the RC-3 can playback / record / undo / redo at will (one level undo / redo).

The file you put on the RC-3 must be converted in Wav 44.1 khz 16 bits, I do that with Audacity, a free and easy software.

Best luck for your choices

[WelshMikey]

thank you. I hope to buy a Nord piano 2 in about 3 months. The price is a little off putting though. My last piano was a dgx 620 and tbh that sounded good and had good key action and could do a lot more stuff than the Nord - record/play, id guess more on-board memory, tuition functions for songs etc. I just like the sound of the Nord, I hope it is worth the extra two thousand pounds by the time I purchase the stand, monitors, tascum dr40 or rc3 etc.

[RedLeo]

Also just to double check I can play two pianos at once cant I on the Nord Piano 2?

I hate to rain on anybody's parade, but this seems to have been overlooked. I don't own a Piano 2, but looking at the manual, I'm pretty sure it can only play one piano sound at a time, splits are between the piano and sample synth only.

I understand your enthusiasm to get a Nord, but looking at your requirements carefully, you seem to have used a lot of the features of the DGX620 that simply aren't available on the Nord. Replacing some of these features with add-on gear as suggested will work, but it will probably be a clumsy way of doing things compared to the integrated way it all worked on your Yamaha and there will still be several things you mentioned - tuition functions, wheels etc - that you simply won't have. If I were you, I'd step back for a minute and consider carefully exactly what you need to do and whether the Nord plus outboard gear is really the right way to go for your individual needs. At the very least, it will be an entirely different way of working than you're used to. You might want to consider whether a better quality arranger keyboard with functions similar to your DGX620 could suit your needs better.

[WelshMikey]

@redleo do you have any suggestions? TBH the Nord stage 2 does everything I want, maybe not as conveniently as the DGX but it will do it without add on gear. But that is 3000 pounds before i even buy a keyboard stand, stool and monitors.

I want a piano I wont want to change in the future, the sound of the nord is so close to an acoustic it is admazing. I just wish it had a record feature on on it. Even o nteh dgx i could only play two sounds at a time but I could record and play along also so creating more sounds. I would like to try the orchestra backing sample on the nord since im not so interested in synth but like layerign saxaphones, string instruments etc which all sound incredible on the nord.