Nord User Forum

[Jhbackingtracks]

I guess we've all seen this amazing playing demo from Jesus? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DHmfbQHzG8

I really don't get, how anybody who owns a Stage, or the makers AT Nord, aren't listening to this amazing playing and piano tone, but not thinking, "Man, we really need to introduce a heavier velocity curve!" - I mean listen to the lack of dynamic here!? It sounds like 90% of what we hear is velocity 127. And the sound just doesn't breathe at all, because he's ran out of places to go when wanting to dig in more, because he's already reached it!

Surely it's a very easy thing to just add a more pianist friendly (or custom, which we can choose) velocity curve option? It would make the whole thing so much more expressive and dynamic... and improve everyones experience on this amazing instrument!

I honestly think adding a heavier curve, would make up for the lack of Piano 3 action/feel, and open the instrument up to pianists so much more. And I can finally put away my Sipario MIDI box with the velocity converter I have going on... but very glad I have it in the meantime! I unplugged it during the last song of my set last night to see if I could imagine using the inbuilt Nord curve... and the answer is, I couldn't! I felt like I lost the ability to do any subtle runs/notes as it all came out way too loud.

[ciciss]

I agree:

Discover the differences:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hot6cM ... ture=share

There’s no ‘nuances’ in Molina’s video with Nord...

[Jhbackingtracks]

https://youtu.be/SNkWBCcT3Yw

This is a similar one. He's doing such great runs/lines, and yes he's playing hard, but if he was on a real piano (or even the Nord Piano 2) playing with the same strength, there would still be another place to get to in the higher velocities, but here it just sounds so plastic like there's no where else to go dynamically, which is a real shame when we know what the actual piano sounds are capable of, with a better velocity curve.

[derrellpiper]

I agree completely @Jhbackingtracks and it seems like a very simple fix.

[Streef]

You have my vote as well. Sold my NS3 and bought a NS2EX. Finally like playing again...

Btw, curious to see if you also see the difference between the LRG piano sample and the XL. To me, LRG sounds much better. For Bright Grand YaS4 the difference is quite big imho. Try for example the D# key (middle of keyboard), the XL sounds thin, no body. Just load both piano's and put them in bank A and B to quickly switch between the 2.

[Mr_-G-]

https://youtu.be/SNkWBCcT3Yw

This is a similar one. He's doing such great runs/lines, and yes he's playing hard, but if he was on a real piano (or even the Nord Piano 2) playing with the same strength, there would still be another place to get to in the higher velocities, but here it just sounds so plastic like there's no where else to go dynamically, which is a real shame when we know what the actual piano sounds are capable of, with a better velocity curve.

Hm... that was a NS2.. and the curve issue is on the NS3 according to most people.
Still, how were the instruments set up? Which of the 4 dynamic settings are we talking about? Was the compressor on? I am afraid that cherry picking random videos which might have been recorded with some auto gain (can you hear the drums at all?) on is not going to do justice to any instrument.

[anotherscott]

I guess we've all seen this amazing playing demo from Jesus? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DHmfbQHzG8

I really don't get, how anybody who owns a Stage, or the makers AT Nord, aren't listening to this amazing playing and piano tone, but not thinking, "Man, we really need to introduce a heavier velocity curve!" - I mean listen to the lack of dynamic here!?

At the start, there's very little dynamics, but you'll hear a lot more if you skip to the piece he's playing starting at 3:26. And as Mr. G mentions, we also don't know whether we might be hearing some compression, either from the board's settings or from the camera recording it. (I suspect we are, because at least just listening through my computer speakers, I'm sensing more difference in timbre than I am in volume.) One thing we can tell, though, is it that it looks like he's really getting into playing it. I suspect that, if it weren't responding in real-time to something close to his playing intent, he wouldn't be so happy.

Ciciss, yes, that's a more dynamically nuanced performance, but how much of that may have been just how he chose to play it that day? Note the different uses of tempo, for example.

Really, I agree with Mr G that cherry picking videos not designed for such a comparison is of limited value. Too many variables, even if the player is the same. Which is not to say that there may not be some real NS2 vs NS3 differences in dynamics/velocity response, or that other curves would not be valuable (clearly they would for the OP)... only that these videos are probably not the best way to demonstrate it.

[analogika]

Meh. Never mind

[Jhbackingtracks]

They're not exactly "Cherry Picked" it was just me finding two good examples to quickly demonstrate... the same thing applies to softer playing, even if you're not playing fast and bashing the keys like Jesus, softer notes, should be coming out softer, to help open up the range of 0-127. The other curves which can be selected are lighter, and since the default one is the heaviest, I can't see why any pianist (not keyboardist) would be selecting any of the other curves, for piano work, when the current heaviest, still isn't heavy enough!

I've sold my Nord Piano 2 now, but if I played the same thing on my Nord Stage 2EX (also sold) or Nord Stage 3, it will come out at a higher velocity sample. I didn't used to feel the need to use the Sipario box with my Piano 2. I would imagine the piano 3 has an even better heavier response/curve?? If that curve could just be brought over, then it would be happy days!!

I could maybe do a video just demonstrating the differences between using the Sipario box (or any kind of MIDI velocity converter) and just show the 88 key stage users what they're missing out on.... so much more expressiveness and dynamic to be had.

That's very interesting about the Large samples vs the XL... I will definitely check that out!

[Coker]

So, could the sensitivity issue be solved by having piano samples that reach their “peak” sound with even more force? Are any of the current samples like this? I played a gig this afternoon for the first time on a NS2 and noticed I seemed to be hitting peak sound while not playing lol that hard. No compression, default dynamics setting.