Nord User Forum

Hi - I am a performing pianist / vocalist and my objective is to have a nice fat grand piano sound through an instrument that is portable and feels like a weighted piano. (Not really interested in all the bells and whistles - ie all the other sounds and effects).
I just purchased a Nord Piano 2. I tried the instrument through a small practice amplifier and also my gig PA gear (Roland compact power mixer and 15 inch speaker) - both are reliable units and I have put many digital pianos through them successfully. There seem to be some issues with the sounds from the Nord.
1. Inconsistency in the notes - whist doing a chromatic scale at some locations the notes turn fat and then slightly bright again.
2. When I hit the notes hard especially at the top end it is extremely bright, even when I have layered piano with a bass sound (sample no 39) and EQ the piano and the amplifier to a bass sound.
3. The sustain seems inconsistent at the top end - some notes don't sustain
4. The bass sounds very fat below middle c and above they seem to get naturally bright
5. There seems to be inconsistency in the volume of the keys some appear to be slightly louder than others
6. The top notes seem to have a large attack on them even though I have switched it off

I played my current Kawai right next to the Nord and the Kawai doesn't have any of the above problems.
Have other people found these issues? I cannot perform with the sounds and problems that I am getting.
Thanks in advance!

There are probably two different things going on here. First of all, the quality of your amplification. Nord piano sounds really need a top quality amp and speaker setup to sound their best. They are very unforgiving of a mediocre system, even though another brand of digital piano might sound good through the same amplification. If you look in the "Amplification and Accessories" section of the forum, you will find a lot of discussion about this as well as recommendations for amps and speakers that work well with Nord pianos.

Secondly, some people who are used to the very smooth and polished piano sounds that companies like Yamaha, Roland and Kawai make are often taken aback at how different Nord piano sounds are. Nord piano sounds are very raw and unprocessed. They often have minor flaws and inconsistencies in their sound, because, well, that's what real pianos are like. Other brands tend to remove these differences, which gives you a very different experience. I would suggest taking a few days to get used to the way it plays and sounds, and see what you feel then. Some people gradually start to like the way Nord does things, other people never like the Nord sound.

Nord pianos are usually quite thick or fat in the lower middle registers, as you have described. the problem is that the wrong amplification will tend to exaggerate this, which is almost certainly part of what you're hearing. (In case I haven't made it clear, Roland amplification is not going to make your Nord sound good - and especially not with a 15" speaker. A 10" or 12" speaker is plenty, otherwise it'll just sound horribly muddy or boomy). If by any chance you have some decent headphones, try plugging them directly into the Nord and see what it sounds like then. You might be pleasantly surprised.As for notes becoming very bright when you play them hard, that can depend on which piano sounds you are actually using, and could also be a problem with your amplification. In fact, Nord pianos are generally not very bright, but there are a few pianos that are, to suit different peoples tastes.

It also might be a good idea to visit the Nord website, where you can hear soundclips of other people playing Nord pianos for demonstration purposes, which should give you a good idea of what they're really capable of.

So, overall, I would suggest giving it a few days, don't compare them with other brands - they really are very different, try loading some different pianos from the Nord piano library, try playing it through headphones or a better sound system if you've got one, and see how you feel then. If you still don't like it, then obviously Nord pianos are not for you. Sell it and buy something else you like better.

Thanks to RedLeo for your response - that is great - I will follow up on your suggestions.
To Max piano - I am trying with Lady and Imperial Grand.
Regards

I've tried all the grand piano samples, but for some reason I keep coming back to the Queen Upright. If you crank the treble, you get a crisp top end but still not as harsh as the grand samples with flat EQ. I'm not sure if that helps, but that's where my ears led me

RedLeo's comments are spot on ...