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Questions in Preparing for the Stage 3

Postby stringtapper » 10 Jul 2017, 19:38

Hi Everyone!

I have pre-ordered the Stage 3 Compact 73, which will be my first Nord! I just have some questions about functionality as I anticipate integrating the Nord into my current setup. I know that any answers I get will necessarily be about the Stage 2 for the most part, but I'm hopeful that the MIDI implementation in particular is not so different between the two that I can get a good idea of what to expect.

So here's my current rig:

Korg SV1-88
MOTU 828x
MacBook Pro 15" (late 2016 w/touchbar)
Roland FC-300
MainStage 3
Komplete 11
Omnisphere 2

• The SV-1 is going USB into the MBP to send and receive MIDI between MainStage (mostly triggering software synths and receiving patch changes). The audio outs of the SV-1 (1/4") are going into a Korg XVP-20 volume pedal and then into two inputs on the MOTU (with a StageBug in between to defeat a nasty ground hum I get). Those inputs are routed to audio channels in MainStage so the SV-1's sound can be heard alongside any instrument channel strips that I trigger via the SV-1. Pretty standard setup, I imagine.

• The FC-300 is used to control the volume of instrument channels within MainStage as well as to change patches, mute and un-mute certain channels, or enable/disable effects.


My plan is to stack the Stage 3 Compact over the SV-1 and use its waterfall keybed to play organ and synth sounds, while the SV-1's weighted action will be mostly for acoustic and electric piano sounds. I want to use as much of the onboard sounds from both boards as I can and only use Omnisphere and Kontakt for special sounds that I can only get with the software.

My hope is that with this setup I will be able to have many different combinations of hardware and software sound sources as well as different combinations of which board (and which zones) is triggering those combinations of sounds.

So to give an example of something I would want to try:

• Nord Organ and Synth section triggered form the Nord board but also triggering a softsynth in MainStage with the same board.

• At the same time triggering one of the Nord's acoustic piano sounds from the SV-1's board combined with the SV-1 internal Rhodes sound, plus triggering another softsynth.

• Being able to have MainStage send program changes to the Nord upon a patch change message sent from the FC-300 to MainStage (I already do this with the SV-1).

This is still probably rather basic and I'm sure I could come up with a more complex example given time, but does this sound easily achievable with this setup?

Thanks!
Nord Stage 3 Compact 73//Korg SV-1 88//Radial Key Largo//Boss FS-7//Moog EP-3 x2//2016 MacBook Pro//MainStage 3//Omnisphere 2.6//Komplete 12
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Questions in Preparing for the Stage 3


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Re: Questions in Preparing for the Stage 3

Postby ericL » 10 Jul 2017, 20:24

All of what you want to do should be possible, with obviously some time behind the scenes programming the rig for this.

Not sure what you're getting from the software rig or how comfortable it is for you, but you could consider sampling and loading into the NS3 and then just use the SV-1 and NS3 rig to simplify things. But that's coming from someone who dabbled into Mainstage in its early years prior to numerous improvements. Or have that as a backup option in case you need it. I do a slight variation of this in that I have a Yamaha Motif XS-Rack in my live rig that has sounds augmenting many of my NS2 programs...but I also make sure the NS2 can "stand on its own" for rehearsals or if there is a MIDI problem with the rack. Of course, it sounds way better when I add that extra module, but I like the option of simplicity as well.

Good luck - sounds like a really exciting rig!
Nords: NE2, NS2 88, NS3 Compact x 2
Live rig: NS3, Vent, Radial KL-8, Shure PSM-900 IEM Rig, UE18 & UE7 IEMs.
Studio: Hammond A-101 & Leslie 122, Yamaha CP-80, Yamaha S90, NS2, DSI Prophet-6, Vent II, Roland JX-8P.

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Re: Questions in Preparing for the Stage 3

Postby stringtapper » 10 Jul 2017, 20:39

ericL wrote:All of what you want to do should be possible, with obviously some time behind the scenes programming the rig for this.

Not sure what you're getting from the software rig or how comfortable it is for you, but you could consider sampling and loading into the NS3 and then just use the SV-1 and NS3 rig to simplify things. But that's coming from someone who dabbled into Mainstage in its early years prior to numerous improvements. Or have that as a backup option in case you need it. I do a slight variation of this in that I have a Yamaha Motif XS-Rack in my live rig that has sounds augmenting many of my NS2 programs...but I also make sure the NS2 can "stand on its own" for rehearsals or if there is a MIDI problem with the rack. Of course, it sounds way better when I add that extra module, but I like the option of simplicity as well.

Good luck - sounds like a really exciting rig!


Thanks!

I'm pretty comfortable with the software rig as it is now. I haven't yet hit the CPU wall even with multiple instances of Omnisphere and Kontakt in a single patch. I figure that relying more on the Nord for things like pads and synth leads will only make the CPU situation better.

In many ways MainStage's primary function will be as a MIDI hub for sending and translating messages between the hardware and software. The flexibility for routing messages in MainStage 3 is pretty amazing.

I would like to have a pared-down version of the rig like you describe where it's just the SV-1 and the Nord. And maybe the FC-300 for easy patch changes. Not sure how that would work in terms of direct MIDI ins and outs between the NS3, SV-1, and FC-300.
Nord Stage 3 Compact 73//Korg SV-1 88//Radial Key Largo//Boss FS-7//Moog EP-3 x2//2016 MacBook Pro//MainStage 3//Omnisphere 2.6//Komplete 12
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