Nord User Forum

I'm sitting on the fence about what to purchase, and I have an option of either a Nord C2 or a Nord Stage 88 EX right now. I just sold my C1 and I miss it, but the flexibility of the Stage is very appealing.

What might help me make a decision is some input about the quality and usefulness of the Nord pianos as opposed to what I'm presently using, which is the Galaxy Vintage D. I like the Vint D a lot, but using software is clunky for me. One area where I expect the Vint D is superior is in it's resonance feature where you can dial in as much or as little as you want. And unlike the Stage 2, the EX can't use Nord's latest resonance patch.

Any opinions would be appreciated.

Why can´t you get a Nord Stage 2? If it is a money problem I strongly suggest you to wait, save some money and get the NS2 if its not so urgent. There are just so many improvements on the Nord Stage 2 (mainly in the synth section) that are just worth it. Also if you are only interested in pianos, you could look into the Nord Piano 2, it looks great.

To me, the Nord pianos are like a real piano: it works, sounds great and you do not need to tweak it. Maybe you have to add some EQ, but I find them really realistic and much better than other keyboards. Sure others can manipulate the piano sound and change it. But I prefer a more realistic approach: in "real life" you got 1 gran piano and that´s it. Still I have never used softsynths so I cannot give a real opinion.

But why are you also considering the C2? It does not have a piano sound. So you got to weigh if you reaaaaaly need a realistic Hammond sound, get the C2. If you need Hammnod + Piano get a Nord Stage 2. IMHO if you do not plan to use the synthesizer section a lot you could go for a Nord Electro 3. Just as good and cheaper.

Thanks for the reply Gustavo.

The reasons for my considering both choices, Nord C2 or Stage EX 88 are several. I play piano and organ, not synth, and if I can use all of the Nord pianos on an EX I see no need to spend a lot more on a Stage 2 personally. But I like to play straight ahead organ also, dual keyboards, bass pedals etc, so a dedicated organ, like the C2, would be better for me IF the software piano I already use is as good or better than the Nord pianos. I've already got a good controller and the software, so why duplicate pianos if I've got the better one already.

That's why I asked if anyone had experience using both the Galaxy Vintage D and the Nord pianos, just to help me make a decision.

Not sure how to compare a $135 virtual instrument to a $2500 keyboard, but I can share my views, if you like.

The Vintage D is my second favorite virtual piano, only the HalionSonic 'Natural Grand' works better for me. The Vintage D has excellent recordings of a beautiful instrument and they did a decent job on the programming, too. I use it in Kontakt 5, don't know if it works with the free KontaktPlayer. If you already have a proper computer/keyboard/audio interface, the Vintage D will be a worthwhile addition for the money.

That said, since I got the NP88, I don't use the Vintage D anymore. I think Clavia conclusively proves that size doesn't matter, its 80MB Grand Lady D sample blows away the multi-GB virtual pianos I know (I reserve judgement until I have actually played the EWQL and Vienna Imperial). Pure sound quality is only a part of the story, it is how you connect with the instrument. The NP88 delivers in spades, very much a "just-power-up-and play" thing, as opposed to virtual pianos where I always feel the need to tweak the parameters or edit the MIDI parts to get it right.

In fact, I like the GrandLadyD so much that most of the time I don't even bother with MIDI, I just record straight to audio. It's not perfect, it has flaws like uneven volumes for certain notes, but as a complete instrument it can't be beat. And finally, I prefer the GLD over the newer and larger Nord libraries like the Imperial and Bright Grand.

zephonic wrote: I think Clavia conclusively proves that size doesn't matter...

Same opinion here!!

+1

Ramon

zephonic wrote:Not sure how to compare a $135 virtual instrument to a $2500 keyboard, but I can share my views, if you like.

That isnt a valid price comparison. To play that 135 dollar instrument, you need a 1500 dollar computer and a 300 dollar sound card plus a 400 dollar midi keyboard.

see..the price isnt so different...