Nord Stage 3 or Nord Piano 5 together with Prophet Rev2?

[maxpiano]

Regarding the Prophet 5, one other thing to think about is the polyphony. If you intend to have the Prophet provide sustaining pads behind a piano, you might need to think about a Prophet 10, as the Prophet 5 will only cover the last five notes you play. Consider your backup options on tour as well. It's possible if you have a problem and don't have your own backup, that you'll need to get with a backline supplier in whatever city you are playing (this post has some more on that post151107.html?hilit=backline#p151107). A two-keyboard setup with each being able to cover a night on its own would be optimum. The Nord Sample Editor 4 is an incredible tool for expanding the sounds available to your Nord. On the Piano 5 you could play samples of your Prophet 5 but with limited capability to modify them; on the Stage 3 you could also play samples of your Prophet but have a lot more flexibility to modify them in real-time or use the two internal synths on their own. A lot to think about I know. Take care.

The OP is talking about a Sequential Prophet REV2 https://www.sequential.com/product/prophetrev2/, which has 8 or 16 voices (depending on the version), not a Prophet 5 but your point, about considering the limited/different polyphony when layering analog & digital synths, is in general something to have in mind.

[WannitBBBad]

The OP is talking about a Sequential Prophet REV2 https://www.sequential.com/product/prophetrev2/, which has 8 or 16 voices (depending on the version), not a Prophet 5 but your point, about considering the limited/different polyphony when layering analog & digital synths, is in general something to have in mind.

Thanks for the clarification, I went straight to thinking vintage Prophet 5 Rev2 and suggested new. Thanks again.

[ericL]

I'll provide some counterpoint here, seeing that the original poster is new to all of this. I think before diving deep into the arena of MIDI and separate devices, my recommendation would be to start with the NS3 and see how far it can get you while you're learning about all of this.

I've been a pro keyboard player for 3+ decades and have been through all variations of controllers, multi-keyboard, multi-rack rigs dating back to the '80s. There's definitely a time and a place for complex rigs and yes, that REV2 would have an edge on synth depth, though the NS3 synth capabilities are quite vast. Nowadays, I play with four different bands on large and small stages and I keep it very simple in most cases, just using a single NS3 and it can get me very far into so many genres and the depth is great (in terms of the sample and synth abilities). If I need more, I have a lot of other options.

Is there an option to start simple like this and really get the maximum benefit from the NS3, then figure out what gaps exist and layer that in a bit later or in a phased approach?

[Samuel_Pepys]

Regarding the Prophet 5, one other thing to think about is the polyphony. If you intend to have the Prophet provide sustaining pads behind a piano, you might need to think about a Prophet 10, as the Prophet 5 will only cover the last five notes you play. Consider your backup options on tour as well. It's possible if you have a problem and don't have your own backup, that you'll need to get with a backline supplier in whatever city you are playing (this post has some more on that post151107.html?hilit=backline#p151107). A two-keyboard setup with each being able to cover a night on its own would be optimum. The Nord Sample Editor 4 is an incredible tool for expanding the sounds available to your Nord. On the Piano 5 you could play samples of your Prophet 5 but with limited capability to modify them; on the Stage 3 you could also play samples of your Prophet but have a lot more flexibility to modify them in real-time or use the two internal synths on their own. A lot to think about I know. Take care.

Well, I was referring to the Prophet Rev2, which has 16 voice polyphony. Is that too little to do pads well behind a piano?

[DJKeys]

Well, I was referring to the Prophet Rev2, which has 16 voice polyphony. Is that too little to do pads well behind a piano?

If you are not playing music with multiple simultaneous synth parts and just need to do pads behind piano, then the NS3 does this very well. Plenty of polyphony (34 voices total) and great pad sounds. In fact, many of the factory programs in the NS3 are Piano/Pad sounds-

-dj

[WannitBBBad]

Well, I was referring to the Prophet Rev2, which has 16 voice polyphony. Is that too little to do pads well behind a piano?

Pads are probably the most challenging in terms of needed polyphony. The 16 notes of the Rev2 is definitely much better than the Prophet 5 or 10 for polyphony, however you still need to consider the music you plan to cover. Maybe try some the songs you'll be playing and see if any have passages where you intend to have the piano and synth sustain over more than 16 notes. The effect is that the "oldest" note of the 16 will drop out when the next note is played. As noted by DJKeys, the 34-note polyphony of the Stage 3 should work well covering a piano with pads. Take care

[Elias]

As stated here, you might well be good to do without a Prophet all together. You would sacrifice some extensive versatility on the subtractive synthesis -side, to avoid taking care of a second instrument and a bunch of connections to make it work. Of course the Rev2 sounds fantastic and all (I would own one if I had extra cash), but I have yet to find a second instrument that is worth the extra work (Yamaha MODX, Behringer Deepmind, Lead A1, now Mainstage mainly for side-chaining). Obviously the Stage 3 offers more options (Organ engine + more oscillator types), but in the end you might not need or want them. But don't underestimate the power of the B3 if you just aren't familiar with it!

Aftertouch on the Stage 3 can be a double-edged sword if you are picky with keyboard actions. Not because it's bad (it's quite nice), but because the keys are inevitably bouncy, which you can avoid with the Piano 5. Rev 2 has channel aftertouch (normal aftertouch) like Stage 3, so you would get that too.

This is coming from a not-so-serious instrumentalist, although I've done a fair share of gigs in various circumstances and have had to cover a vast spectrum of music. All gracefully handled by the trusty Stage 3 Compact. So do what you want with my experience.

PS. Nice to see that you are aware of forum cluttering, but you have provided others with clear questions, so it is easier to give insightful answers and not just say: "compare specs, compare manuals, try them out".

[Kaffimusic]

I have a REV2 and although I like that instrument for it´s beauty and "pure" analog style, I´d not recommend it for stage use - unless you have a "commandcenter" that controls the unit. But this also demands some knowledge how to set up stuff. You see, the Rev2 has a quite poor sound-selecting, with an encoder only and no keypad and also no factory made bankmanager, so you could easily put sounds in a row that you need for a gig. Situation-awareness when the band suddenly decides to play a different song, and you have to be ready within some seconds, is also quite bad.
I do not know about the midi-capabilites of the Nord piano.
I´d go along with Elias and recommend you a Nord Stage (if you insist it has to be a Nord), because this isntrument is easy to use and to program/setup, you have 3 important engines inside, the synth section also sounds quite nice, altough it is limited for advance programming (but trust me, you will not recignize that for what you told us about your background). I guess this is the perfect instrument for you. It is kind of made exactly for you.
You might want to add a second instrument to that, I´d recommend a lightweight all purpose instrument, like they are made by Yamaha, Roland, Korg and Kurzweil. This way you will always have a second soundsource ready to go, without juggling with switching sounds.

[Elias]

Reading @Kaffimusic 's reply also brings to mind, that it would be much easier to add a Prophet to the setup later if you already have a Stage 3. This is all thanks to the "Extern" section, as it would solve all issues with patch switching. That way MIDI Program Change commands can be "attached" to programs, and the Prophet will follow them.
(Assuming the Prophet is capable of receiving MIDI Program Change. It most likely is.)

EDIT: that was needlessly wordy. Here is a shorter version:
A Stage 3 can change the Prophet's programs for you.

[DJKeys]

In my experience, all Sequential products accept program changes-

-dj