need help choosing a Nord model

[asenicz]

Hi,
I have been playing classical piano for years but am new to the world of keyboards. I've been playing in a band for about a year and using a friend's cheap yamaha. After doing several shows and some recording in the studio, I'm ready to move up to something better. Nord looks like a great option for live playing, but since I'm new to keyboards I'm having trouble figuring out what I need. Basically, I want something that can split easily, with something like a string bass or picked bass for the bass, and then be able to quickly alternate between piano/strings/organ/etc. for the upper split section. I understand that I can download various sounds from Nord, but want to be sure that I can split easily, and also quickly alternate sounds for the upper voice. It would also be nice to have something I can grow into as I learn more about the functions available. It seems like some Nord models only let you split with a single sound on both sides (E.g. organ) which wouldn't work for me.

(I've also been advised that it's better to use two separate keyboards for bass/piano so I can use two amps with different settings, and I've played double keyboards a few times, but I don't think I have the $ for that, unless I just keep using the cheap yamaha I have now for the bass sound.) I play in a band with just 1 guitar & drums + keys, so try to keep up a consistent bass line in addition to chords/melodies in the piano.

I appreciate any help, sorry to be so ignorant on the topic!

Thanks,
Angela

[stiiiiiiive]

There is nothing to feel sorry about, come on

Splittable board means no Electro for you. Nord Stage series is what will provide you the most versatile capabilities. I believe the Nord Piano 2 can split and load Nord Library samples; so you wouldn't have any organ not synth engines.

If Nord Piano it is, note that Nord just announced a 73-key version, 25 lbs... very nice for gigging around.

Hope this helps, and welcome to the forum

[mjbrands]

Note that the Nord Stage 2 is quite a bit more flexible than the Nord Piano 2 (and quite a bit more expensive too). Organ, piano and synth sounds at the same time (and two of everything). If piano sounds are your bread and butter, the Piano might be a good fit.

Also see this thread for a difference between the Stage 2 and Piano 2: http://www.norduserforum.com/nord-piano ... t4896.html

Generally you will select a program, which contains all the sounds and settings for a particular setup. By cleverly setting up your programs, you can very quickly switch between different setups; for example, if you know what songs you're going to play and in what order, you could set them up so that you pretty much just go to the next program when you change songs. You can get more creative than that of course. I'm bringing this up because you generally can't conveniently/quickly change one sound and keep everything else the same. That's not entirely true though, since for creating new programs you're often doing exactly that; however, for a live situation that's probably not what you want, since you just want to press one or two buttons and end up with exactly the sounds you needed.

[mhorspool]

To add to what has already been said:

My personal recommendation is the Nord Stage, especially since you want a board which you can grow into over time, and the remarks in the remainder of this post relate to the Stage. I don't have any experience with the Nord Piano, but I don't think it will quite do what you want as you only have one of each sound section. Thus, bass and piano would be fine. Bass and strings, however, or bass and organ, would not. In addition, any organ sound on the Nord Piano would need to come from the sample library, since it doesn't have a dedicated organ section. This would make it much more difficult to set organ drawbars/lesley speed in realtime. Perhaps not a showstopper on the surface, but in my experience, once you start using organ sounds you really want as much realtime control as you can get!

Whichever Nord you end up with, be prepared to practice with it for a couple of days: I'm not classically trained myself, but I have a few friends that are and they all report oddities with the 'velocity curve' of my Nord Stage II 88. Essentially, the piano sound doesn't seem to interact with the keyboard action in the way they expect, so sometimes they get a sound that's louder and brighter/quieter and darker than they wanted. They have got used to this after a few days of playing, so it shouldn't be a showstopper, but it's something to bare in mind.

RE splits, provided you do only want to switch the right hand between one organ/one piano/one set of strings, you can do that very easily, since multiple sections can be mapped to the same keyboard zone but toggled on and off independantly. For example, you could have a bass on Slot A mapped to the left hand. Then, on slot B, have the organ, piano and synth sections all mapped to the right hand, set up with the sounds you'll need ahead of time, but only the piano section active. As such, when you want to switch to strings, you need only turn the piano section off and the synth section on - a simple case of pressing two buttons. I do this sort of thing a lot.

If you need to access more than one organ/piano/string sound in the right hand, you'd be better off creating multiple programs as detailed by mjbrands. You could do complex things with slot switching and the like, but when I tried that it ended in confusion!

I personally don't, but I've heard of people having a bass amp for their bass sounds. The Nord Stage II (and, I presume, other Nords though I could be wrong) have two sets of outputs, so it's entirely possible to have bass through one amp and everything else through another on one board - just assign the synth section with your bass sounds to outputs 3/4 (or just 3 or 4) and make sure you don't have any strings on that slot. I believe this can be set on a per program basis.

As such, having two keyboards is really not necessary, though it's rather nice to have the extra keys. It also gives you more flexibility when playing songs with lots of different sounds at different points. I would suggest, however, that since you're new to keyboards, you would be better off getting to know the one board well and then investing in your second board when you need the extra flexibility. If nothing else, you may never need a second board until a couple of years down the track, by which point there will doubtless be a new and exciting product that you're just dying to have! The need for a second board would be a very handy excuse for buying it...

[asenicz]

Thanks so much everyone, this is all very helpful. I read the online Nord documentation but didn't understand enough about the terminology to confirm what I needed. This is the conclusion I was coming to myself, but it is good to have some confirmation since this is a large purchase and I can't experiment before purchasing. I had thought the Electro couldn't split other than within piano, etc. but wanted to be sure, b/c there is an Electro for sale in the town where I live and it is much more affordable than the Stage. I think the Nord Piano would be a good option if I were trying to use it for just piano, but I already have a great acoustic piano that suits my piano needs, so for playing live I think the Stage is really what I need. (Unfortunate that it is the most expensive, but that makes sense since it is the most verstaile.) And it is great to have confirmation that I can switch as you describe while playing live. The info about the double outputs is also great to have. I agree that for now I should just get to know the Nord, and can always add a 2nd set of keys later. Guess I need to start looking for a Nord Stage II for sale used! Thanks again, all.
Angela

[asenicz]

One last question. Is the Stage II compact 73-key equivalent to the full 88-key model, with just a smaller keyboard? (I realize the keys are not fully weighted.) Or are there other limitations to the Compact model that I should be concerned about?

[mjbrands]

One last question. Is the Stage II compact 73-key equivalent to the full 88-key model, with just a smaller keyboard? (I realize the keys are not fully weighted.) Or are there other limitations to the Compact model that I should be concerned about?

The electronics and features are exactly the same, but the SW73 (compact) has a semi-weighted waterfall keyboard (similar to what the Electro has) so it is better for playing organ than the weighted keybed. It is of course not as wide at 73 keys, but it is also less deep (and of course a lot lighter). The top panel (spacing between the knobs, etc) is the same as the other two models though.

If you got the Stage 2 Compact and wanted to add weighted keys at some point, you could get a weighted MIDI controller or maybe a Casio Privia (the Privia Pro PX-5S sounds and looks pretty nice) which is fairly light and apparently has a rather good weighted keyboard (considering the price and weight). You could put the Stage 2 on top for organ and synth.

[cphollis]

Mjbrands brings up a good point.

The Stage 2 is available in weighted and semi-weighted versions. I, for one, can't get the whole job done with a single keyboard of either variety, forcing me into two boards. The sem-weighted feels all wrong for real piano parts, and the weighted version makes my organ/sample/synth licks feel like I'm playing in thick mud.

You may be either more talented or less picky than me.

I use a weighted Stage 2 76 for smaller gigs, rehearsal, etc. and suck it up on the organ/sample/synth parts, since like you I'm coming from an acoustic piano. I will say that some of the velocity-sensitive synth pads are fun to dig into with a weighted board. Anytime it's serious, though, I bring along two boards: one weighted, one sem-weighted.

All the Nord products are fabulous, figuring out which one(s) are right for you will be the challenge.

[asenicz]

The cheap keyboard I've been using is not weighted, so it is something I need to think about. I do have a nice weighted Korg that I used for recording-piano sounds, but it is not practical for shows (too heavy). I had heard that weighted is hard to deal with for organ. I would love to have two someday, but right now even a single nord is pretty price-prohibitive. I'll have to save for a while, and think I might need to look for something more affordable for the short term. I was mainly asking about the Compact b/c it is slightly more affordable!

[mjbrands]

The Yamaha Mox6 (or the weighted Mox8) or the Korg Krome might be interesting too? Or the Casio Privia PX-5S, as mentioned before.

The Yamaha Mox6 is a cheaper version of the Yamaha Motif XS (lower build quality, less features but most of the sounds of the Motif). The Korg Krome is a slimmed down version of the Kronos, again with a lower-quality build, less features and less sounds (the difference with the Kronos is probably bigger than the difference between the Mox and the Motif, but I'm not sure).

There's also stuff like the Yamaha MX61 and the Korg Kross, but especially the last one looks like a toy (might still be decent though, no idea).