Best piano patch for live work

[Richard Young]

Hi,new to Nord and new to forum.With so many great acoustic pianos to choose from,I am wondering if there is a favourite that players go to for live band work.We do a lot of Bruce Hornsby stuff so trying to get near to his stage sound which is awesome.I do appreciate he uses a real Steinway.I have new electro 6. thanks.

[Spider]

Hi and welcome to the forum!
If you're after the typical Hornsby "The way it is" sound from his '80s records, it's a heavily processed sound. I hear lots of mid-high frequencies with little bass and tons of EQ and reverb (and possibly a synth pad layered below).
The good news is, your Nord can do all of that!
I'd start from a rather brilliant piano sample like the Silver, Bright or Royal. The White grand can also be a good starting point, but it has lots of harmonics that maybe won't react so well to a lot of processing.
Adjust the equalizer until you're satisfied with the sound, taking special care to the mid freq setting. Add reverb to taste (but be careful for live use, too much reverb can make your piano disappear in a live mix).

As a next step, you may layer another sound like a simple synth pad or strings. But be careful not to overdo things, the second sound will probably be much lower in volume, just to add some flavour without overtaking the main piano.

In general, keep things simple, don't try to do too much at the same time. If you find a sound you like, stick to it and make sure it works live, before changing it too much. If your goal is to play live ADJUST YOUR SETTINGS IN THE FULL BAND CONTEXT! What will sound great on headphones will probably sound completely different once it's mixed with the whole band sound and run through PA.

[afroskully]

^^^^^what he said.

[Richard Young]

Thanks Spider.appreciate your input......took it all onboard...will follow your suggestions and see where it leads.