Buying My First Nord: Lead vs Electro

[dyltay]

Hi everyone!

I'm looking to purchase my first Nord however, I've been torn between which model to get. Initially I was looking at the Electro 5d but realized its syth capabilities were limited, thus I started looking at the lead and wave model(s). Hopefully a few of you could answer some basic questions for me as Im excited to play on a nord!

1. Do any of the LEAD or WAVE models have a basic set of piano/rhodes/EP/organs patches to play? And if not, can you upload the patches via the nord sound library? (http://www.nordkeyboards.com/sound-libraries) I've seen a few youtube videos of musicians playing piano/rhodes on the wave, however wasn't sure if he imported from elsewhere or if it was a native patch. I would love to have the classic sounds but also have the capabilities of a full synth. I know most of you would recommend buying a Stage model, however my $ is limited. ANd buying two models isn't an option either lol.


2. How well does the Electro 5d handle the synth patches? I've played this model at guitar center however I feel like i'm missing the automation functions of a real synth. The ability to tweak the filter, lfo, other modulation, etc. on the fly and create new and expressive sounds. Could you download more synth sounds via the nord sound library to this model as well?


Would love to hear what y'all think!

[emartin149]

The Electro has no synth. It plays samples that you can download from the libraries, or create with their sample editor. There is no synth functionality on the console. It doesn't even have a tone wheel. But...the Electro is a tremendous Hammond emulator and I think a pretty awesome Rhodes one too. The acoustic pianos are pretty good too! As a three-in-one like that nothing beats it.

Sounds like you want the lead, based on your post. There is a dedicated forum here for the Lead, you should check that out.

[emartin149]

.

[Spider]

What do you need it for? You mention you need a synth, but also piano and organ sounds... The only Nord that does all of that is the Stage, but you already said it's out of your budget.

Electro: piano and organ but no synth, only sample playback with VERY limited editing capabilities (and only on the new Electro 5).

Lead: pure synthesizer, no sample playback. Of course you can synthesize something similar to piano-organ-string-brass sounds, but it won't be the same thing.

Wave: synthesizer AND sample playback. It has roughly the same synthesis capabilities of the Lead series (some different filters and modulation routings) but it's only 2-part multitimbral instead of 4.
But it can play samples, rout them through the synth filters and envelopes, and it has a VERY good effect section (better than the Lead4 and A1). The Wave also has powerful FM capabilities that the Leads lack.
And it has aftertouch.

Drawbacks: the Wave lacks some pretty basic features such as unison, a master clock and an arpeggiator. It can play only two sounds at a time, you can layer them but NOT split the keyboard. And the sampled pianos and organs are nowhere close to the dedicated engines of the Stage and Electros (basic single layer, "static" samples). They will work decently in live mix for generic accompaniment, but I'd be nervous using them on a solo.


All things considered, I think a used Wave will be the best for your needs, unless you absolutely need splitting capabilities.

[GeeDeWee]

I'd say you're better off saving a bit more for a Stage then to spend $$ on an Electro or Lead that doesn't suit your needs...
Maybe a second hand Stage 2 instead of a new Stage 2EX?

[dyltay]

These are all great suggestions. Maybe saving up for a stage might be the best option. I played a friend's kurzweil last night and it had full weighted keys, full scale, and had every sound imaginable. I really enjoyed the weighted keys.


With that being said, how does everyone feel about the semi-weighted keys on the electros? I've played the 5d a few times and its feels interesting, idk if that was because it was a floor model, but they seemed sticky, lacking a "spring" to it. Thoughts?