Nord User Forum

Why is there not a soft midi thru on this board? My Lead A1 has it. Makes it difficult to chain more than 2 boards together for midi program changes.... Maybe in an update?

I'm also surprised that there in no option for a soft MIDI Thru. So many of my synths have this function - the Sub 37 has a really good implementation that allows you to merge and manipulate MIDI between USB and MIDI In/Outs. It seems to be a standard feature where there is no physical Thru port. Nord? Any chance of an update?

http://sound.stackexchange.com/question ... i-thru-why

I guess the industry is pushing towards more hub and spoke, rather than chained devices.

sherlocklockboom wrote:http://sound.stackexchange.com/question ... i-thru-why

I guess the industry is pushing towards more hub and spoke, rather than chained devices.

Interesting. I can understand that point, but for live use, with only a couple keyboards, I don't need/want to bring a hub type device to handle simple things like program changes.

My live rig is a Roland FA08, Electro 5d, and Lead A1. With my Hammond SK1, I could send a program change to it, and then it had sophisticated enough zone features to let me change the midi channel and program change info that I wanted to send to the A1. I use the FA sequencer for 1 song and trigger the A1. I use the FA keybed to control pianos and EP's on the Electro. Nothing super complex.

What I have to do now is run from the FA into the A1, which DOES have a soft thru, and then into the Electro. None of the patch change stuff works at all, but it's really not a big deal at this point. I change my FA to it's sound set, and I'm making set lists for the Electro where I can have 4 patches at my fingertips, and change the A1 manually since I have less than a dozen performances I'm using on it- some are single tones where I can go thru the slots to call up 1 of 4 sounds I need, others are layers, etc.

So on the Electro I might have a set list for Dark Side of the Moon 1 (DSOTM1 as it's label), and in that, have the Rhodes, B3, Wurlie, Grand piano I need, then have an "Animals" one that has the tones I need for that set, etc. Not as easy as having 1 knob set the whole rig like I could do with the Hammond, but it's workable. My other option is to get one of those midi program change keypad things or incorporate a laptop with Cantibile or something like that.