Nord User Forum

[Stefanie]

Hi @ all,

I'm deeply disabpointed of the "Grand Piano" sound from NS2.
From the download area i've tryed every "Grand Piano" sound in every size.
All of them sounds nasal in a limited range of notes. Mostly in in the range of the violin clef (C1 till C2).
You can hear this deficit exactly when you play a single key. Suddently at a specific key until ca. 15 - 20 keys higher,
it sounds not so good. The Bass and the top Keys sound ok. This problem normaly disappears by using an EQ, but I think,
that NS2 standard "Grand Piano" voices have to sound well without extensive program-parameters.

Also by using effects like reverb and EQ, it became no superioly quality.

What can I do to receive better "Grand Piano" sounds on my NS2?

Stefanie from H1Mountain

[ilpianolista]

Hello Stefanie, I do not want to be misunderstood ... but why did you choose Nordstage if you don't like the piano sounds?
are you using a keyboard amp or are you going straight to the mixer?
however I know you can download piano sounds from the website sc-sound.com

ilpianolista

[Philip]

Hi, i think you're right, the ns2 is a great machine but the pianos are not so good...what you can do is mixing different pianos and find what you like...you can also import some other piano samples from Roland, Yamaha or whatever and mix it with a Nord piano...
Good luck!

[Marlowes]

Hello there!

Ilpianolista: pianosounds from SC-sounds? Acoustic/grand piano? You must be joking ... the factory ones are great. It must be your "sound system" ...

Philip: A joke, right?

/Amicalement
Michael in Scania
Totally satisfied with my Stage 2 and factory grands & uprights!

[pablomastodon]

What can I do to receive better "Grand Piano" sounds on my NS2?

First, are you sure you have isolated the problem to the sounds in the Nord? i.e. do the pianos sound bad to you in headphones, or only when put through an amp? If the latter, the issue is the amp/speaker, not the Nord... and that is a much more common problem than people complaining about the sounds themselves. Most amps on the market don't do a great job with piano sounds. For example, Roland KC amps are notoriously bad for piano and yet are commonly used. So most often, the answer to "how do I improve the piano sound on the Nord" is "get a higher quality playback system."

[pablomastodon]

Been mentioned here before, but a few years ago I took a phone call from someone who'd just gotten his brand new Nord PIano home. He was spouting profanities about the piano sound and how terrible it was. When I asked what he was using for an amp his mood quickly swung from indignant nastiness to one of boastful pride, bragging about this "great deal: he'd gotten on a keyboard amp made by Phonic -- it only cost him $70.

Keyboards represent significantly greater challenges to speakers/amps than guitars. I've never met a "regular keyboard amp" which I liked. I prefer to recommend small PA type systems for balanced full range sound. Something with a pair of top end speakers and one or two subs. My personal choice is Bag End. Pricey, but if one spends time scouring ebay and patiently waits, good deals will come along from time to time.

Pablo

[ilpianolista]

Hello there!

Ilpianolista: pianosounds from SC-sounds? Acoustic/grand piano? You must be joking ... the factory ones are great. It must be your "sound system" ...

Philip: A joke, right?

/Amicalement
Michael in Scania
Totally satisfied with my Stage 2 and factory grands & uprights!

Marlowes I agree with you, I love the piano in my ns2...but as mentioned in the forum "sounds right for me aren't right for you" so in replies to Stefani I advice to check sc-sound if there are some acoustic piano sample (e.g. best of kurzweil Vol 1) that fits her taste...


ilpianolista

[Stefanie]

Hi @ all,
thanks for your prompt reactions.
My equipment at home is an AKG headphone and Stagepass 500 from Yamaha. Also from Yamaha I play a S90 and a Tyros 4. Both Yamnaha keyboards have excelent "Grand Piano" Voices. Ok, at Tyros you have to turn the reverbe a little bit smaller. But you don't hear any cuts of samples on any Key within a single Voice/Sound of "Grand Piano". When you turn off all effects (pedal, reverb, EQ, accustics, ...), you can heare within a single "Grand Piano" sound different samples which work between an oktve or two. This change is a cut (no soft change over more keys) from one key to an other. BUT IMPORTEND IS: I THINK THE NS SAMPLES ARE NOT SO HIGH QUALITY LIKE YAMAHA SOUNDS. THEY SOUNDS LIKE A RECORD OF OLD CONDENSATORMICROPHONES OF THE 1970. I have download the (all, lage, small, medium, xll) Grand Piano Sounds from this Hompage/Link.
I am a soundftichist and my playing ist not so good. But the Pianosounds are not an agrument for the hype about NS2.

Now I play Grand Piano Sounds from Tyros 4 over NS2 (Master)Keyboard and Hammond Organ from NS2 over T4 Keys.
(some Keys from my S90 are defect, therefore I've ordered a NS2)

Is there anny other Idee

By by
Stefanie


PS: sorry my english is :-{

[elektromin]

Ilpianolista, the problem with sc-sounds.com is that they only provide nsmp files. As you may know already, the nsmp format doesn't support multiple velocity layers, and that is absolutely crucial for a good piano sound.

[tomzi]

Do you have the same impression if you listen to the nord piano library demos on their website…
And have you tried it in a live situation...

@ilpianolista: sc-sounds can only be loaded into the sample section. And the sample section has only one velocity layer. I don´t think it´s a good solution to have a better piano sound...