Nord User Forum

[brucie808]

This is my first post here but I've been lurking for a good while and think the forum is great.

I've been musing over this today and felt this was probably the only real place I could share. I've had an Electro 5D73 for a couple of months now and it's a great sounding board but I'm increasingly coming to the opinion that I prefer my old Electro 2 61. Every time I play the Electro 2 I feel much more inspired and enjoy playing it much more. It could be the familiarity, the feel of the keys (because the 5D is new, the action is still quite stiff compared to the old, worn in action of the Electro 2), and the layout (I've played 61 note keyboards for over 30 years, so the 73 is taking some getting used to). But beyond that I just think the simplicity of the Electro 2 is a huge factor. While the Electro 5 is by no means difficult to use, it still feels like there's too many options to consider, whereas with the Electro 2, in the first bank of 8 I have set up four different organ sounds, Wurli, acoustic piano, Rhodes and Clav, so the only decision is which sound I'm playing and then I'm away.

I got the Electro 5 because I thought the split function would be great for playing live and replace the two keyboards I was using (the Electro 2 with a Mini Vent for organ and a Yamaha MX49 for electric and acoustic pianos). But I'm seriously considering ditching the Electro 5 and just using the Electro 2 with the Mini Vent instead. I'll need to practice switching quickly between sounds in different sections of songs but the bonus for me is going to be getting access to the full key range on each sound. I'm finding that even though I went for the 73 to give me more keys for each split sound, it's still quite limiting and means I've had to change the chord voicing on some songs as there's still not enough room to play them how I did before.

I think the only thing I think I'm going to miss from the Electro 5 is the improved acoustic piano sound but, as it's only a sound I use on a couple of songs and I play in mono live, I think the difference is marginal.

Anyway please forgive my musings (which you may think are slightly bonkers) but I felt the need to share it somewhere and a bunch of other Nord fans seemed the obvious place!

Cheers

John

[ericL]

I still have my NE2 from way back when it was first introduced and agree it is a great board. I've also owned the NE3 and NE5, but my main gig instrument is the NS2 or NS2EX. I think the NE5 has a definitely improved organ sound and Leslie simulation. It can also load samples, which is a feature that the NE2 can't do. Plus increased memory for the piano library, splits/layers, more FX, etc. So the NE5 is a more capable board (as one would expect given the advances over 10+ years). I can see your point around simplicity of the NE2. The one thing on the NE2 I've never been able to replicate on any other Nord board is the clav and auto-wah. I've dialed in a really nasty and funky sound on that board that is really cool. You've inspired me to get my NE2 out of its case and play it! I used it on hundreds of gigs back in the day.

[Ignatius]

I don't think you are weird, Brucie. I love my 5D mainly for the physical drawbars, but I am largely set up to use the Live Settings, and may only rarely, and possibly never access the other 99% of the board's capabilities.

I decided to focus on being the best player I can be, as opposed to the most adroit user of technology - which is no put down of those who manage both. I stand in awe of you. It is just that I know my own limitations.

I have read here about the supposed drop off in quality of the B3 emulation, and the complaints about the ePianos, and the lack of options for the clav, but man, those draw bars! And the instruments all sound great to me. And I can drive the pianos with my Yamaha P255, and do this neat split of piano on the Yam and organ on the 5D waterfalls.

But that is about it. I will never miss a pitch bender, and nothing I play is likely to be describable as having a saw tooth, but I hear you about simplicity and respect your love of the N2, which I enjoyed for years.

[Nordstrand]

I've had a similar experience with my Electro 3 vs my 5D. On the 3, i could do anything on the fly and i could always sound great. I've had the 5d for about a year, and i still occasionally struggle with whether the effects are asigned to upper or lower, and the same for the EQ. the 5 is great, but i've started to create programs and just use them in set list mode rather than modifying evrything in real time like i always did with the NE3.

[brucie808]

Yeah there is a raw, ballsy funkiness to the clav sound on the Electro 2. It’s not a sound I use with my band but I do have great fun playing it in my own time. I’m not really one to ‘play’ the drawbars, so while they’re nice on the Electro 5, I actually find the LED ones on the Electro 2 quite reassuring in telling i’ve got the right sound for a particular song.

Glad to hear I’m not weird. I think it just goes to show that Nord hit the spot with the Electro 2 all those years ago and they’ve just been refining the winning formula since with the subsequent versions.

[anotherscott]

with the Electro 2, in the first bank of 8 I have set up four different organ sounds, Wurli, acoustic piano, Rhodes and Clav, so the only decision is which sound I'm playing and then I'm away.

You can get almost the same functionality by creating two adjacent Songs. i.e. your Song #1 could define the 4 buttons to be Wurli, acoustic piano, Rhodes and Clav; and then a little twist of the knob could bring you to Song #2 which could have your 4 organ sounds instead. So the only change from your 8 knob approach is moving the knob between song 1 and song 2 whenever you want to switch to or from the Organs.

Another way to do it could be to stick with just the 4 button assignments of Song #1, and use (for example) "Upper" of the 4 buttons for the Wurli, acoustic piano, Rhodes and Clav; while using "Lower" of the same buttons for the 4 organ sounds. That eliminates the knob turn when switching between organ and non-organ sounds, but it adds having to manipulate the Upper/Lower controls depending on which sound you want to use within each pair.

[stiiiiiiive]

Same here!

My first NE was a NE3-73. I came from a Kurzweil K2661, so simplicity and straight-forwardness were what I wanted to head at.
Then I jumped to a NE4D for several reasons: need to spare some centimeters and kilograms, playing the drawbars and having 4 program buttons rather than only two.

More or less when the NE5 was announced, I was wondering about that old NE2: I felt the extreme simplicity of it would suite me even more. I even got a rack version to try it. I found the expressivity very good for EPs. But I need better acoustic pianos and Mellotrons as well as those amp sims for two of my three bands, so it's a no-go for now. Plus I must admit having a reverb is comfortable. All in all, FX are not problem as I also use pedals, but well.

To me, the NE5 is really one step beyond in terms of functionalities, and I have the feeling the immediacy/capabilities trade off would require me to spend to much time using technology rather making music, as Ignatius mentioned.

[RockyRaccoon]

Every time I play the Electro 2 I feel much more inspired

Well you've hit the nail on the head right there. At the end of the day you can get lost in functionality, specs and all the rest of it, but the number one thing for ANY instrument is if it inspires you.. whether its a guitar, synth, drum kit, whatever.. no matter what's got the better spec, if one instrument inspires you more you're going to produce better stuff with it!

I think if you feel more inspired with the 2 then I would suggest to go back to that. I personally love the 5D, precisely for the reason it inspires me so much.

[pienisti]

Hi!

Could somebody tell me is it possible to use the latest piano library sounds with the electro 2, or are the files too large?

Many thanks!

[stiiiiiiive]

Every time I play the Electro 2 I feel much more inspired

At the end of the day you can get lost in functionality, specs and all the rest of it, but the number one thing for ANY instrument is if it inspires you.. whether its a guitar, synth, drum kit, whatever.. no matter what's got the better spec, if one instrument inspires you more you're going to produce better stuff with it!

THAT.

Hi!

Could somebody tell me is it possible to use the latest piano library sounds with the electro 2, or are the files too large?

Many thanks!

Unfortunately not. The NE3 is the first one to allow enjoying it.