Nord User Forum

I'm finding a problem getting the NS3 to receive Program Change via MIDI from an external keyboard in a dual keyboard setup.

External keyboard is set to Global Channel 1.
NS3 settings are as follows:
Global Channel = 2
Panel A = Off
Panel B = 1 (so I can play Panel B from external keyboard)
Dual Kb = Off

My NS3 is set to 'Receive' on the Program Change Mode Midi Setting. When I change the program on the external keyboard, the NS3 appears to be receiving MIDI data for the Program Change but doesn't change program - and I can't find any setting change on either the MIDI or EXTERN menu that fixes the problem. Also I can't find anything in the 'Controlling the Nord Stage 3 from an external device' section of the NS3 manual to help with this. (I am using 'Panel MIDI Control' as opposed to 'Dual Kb')

I have checked that the external keyboard is sending the Program Change command by hooking it up to my NS2, and the Program Change is working perfectly with the NS2.

Is anyone else experiencing this MIDI issue with the NS3?

On NS2 Program Change is received also on the Slot but NS3 probably can receive Program Changes on its Global Channel (so 2 in your current setup) only, according to NS3 manual:

In the MIdI Menu, you can select if the Nord Stage 3 should send and/ or receive program Change messages on the global channel. See page 54 for further details.

I can’t believe that Nord have made it so Programme Change is only available if the NS3 and External keyboard are set the same Global Midi channel - this creates massive problems while using a Dual Keyboard setup. I don’t understand why they have changed something that worked perfectly in the NS2 by allowing Programme Change through the Slot/Panel, allowing the two keyboards to be on separate MIDI channels.

Has anyone else found this extremely annoying? And could it be added to the list of bugs/issues for NS3 update?

The MIDI implementation on the NS3 almost seems to still be in a bit of a beta stage. From what I've read here and surmised it seems that in implementing the seamless transition feature Clavia had to hobble some expected MIDI features that were present in previous models. Whether this is just the way it will be because of that feature, or it was a way for them to get the hardware released on time knowing that they would eventually be able to solve the problems in the OS with enough development time, who can say?

I regularly have issues where MIDI messages that shouldn't be getting to the Nord at all somehow still do. My rig is fairly involved (see sig) and it's possible that it's a bug or a setting in MainStage that I still haven't tracked down, but it doesn't seem to happen with any other gear in the rig except the Nord, so I don't know.

Hi all, 4 years later from the original post and I too am running into this same problem. My Kronos works seamlessly sending program changes to my NS2 on MIDI channels 2 and 3 (for Slot A and Slot B respectively), but the only way my NS3 receives program changes is if I have the Global MIDI channel set to 2 as well as Panel A (with Panel B set to MIDI channel 3). Same problems using dual keyboard or switching panel modes on the NS3. I'm running firmware update 2.62.

Nord, what gives???

EDITED TO ADD: So I found out that this a glaring oversight to their MIDI implementation on the NS3 that they have yet to fix. Going back AGAIN to my NS2.

lotn73 wrote: EDITED TO ADD: So I found out that this a glaring oversight to their MIDI implementation on the NS3 that they have yet to fix. Going back AGAIN to my NS2.

I am not sure they are "yet" to fix it, because this is not a bug but the way it's intended to be, like it or not... Don't get me wrong, I don't like it either.

The real bug concerning Program Change messages in the Stage 3 (and other latest boards) was that the messages weren't filtered according to the settings in the menu (Send / Receive / Send and Receive / Off), but were always received regardless of such settings. This has been fixed with the latest update.

Hi all,

Hopefully you can help me out as the posts above does not seem to help me or reflect a slightly different issue..

I use forscore on my ipad, connect via usb to trigger program changes. That works, but only if MIDI SETTINGS 2/4 the Global channel is on 1. But, I want to use the Dual KB function as well. My Yam DX7 is connected via midi in and if the dualKB channel in that same menu is on 1, and the global channel is on anything BUT 1 it works.

Can I use both? So basically- can I use another channel for either the program change, or for the DualKB and how do i set that up? Thanks!!

There shouldn't be a big issue to set any of those two to a different MIDI channel. You will probably know that a connection between two devices only works if the same channel is selected. This is true for most commands. Very few commands are sent to and received from all connected devices. So the app and the Stage's Global MIDI and the DX7 and the Stage's DualKB MIDI channel need to be the same pair by pair. It might be easier to switch the channel for ForScore than on the DX7: http://forscore.co/midi-scores/. But I don't know any of the two.

@FZiegler
Thank you so much! I just needed that hint. In forscore, I know changed the code of my Midi buttons: the first number in the sequence of 4, I changed to “3”. In my Midi menu on the Nord, I changed the global channel to 3 and it works. Thanks for the hint!!