Nord as a controller keyboard ?

[Macko]

I've downloaded a 45 day trial of a new plug-in called Rhodes V8. It's a software version of the sounds available on the new Rhodes MK8 electric piano which works in conjunction with a DAW program. I've got it to work with Garageband which comes free with Apple computers but I want to play it using my Nord Electro 6HP piano.

Does anybody know how to get the Nord keyboard to control DAW software on the Mac. There's a USB socket on the back of the Electro 6 but I think it's only good for downloading software, and there are no midi inputs on the Mac computer.

There's an excellent video on Youtube showing you how to make analogue recordings through the audio outputs of the piano and into Garageband via a Focusrite interface (that's one of those red boxes with sockets on it) but I need to use the sounds contained in the V8 software, not the sounds coming from the Nord.

I could always go and buy a Novation keyboard and connect it to the computer with a USB-C cable but if it's possible to use the Nord it would be better. I bet this has been discussed before but I don't know where to find it on this forum.

[Macko]

You should read your NE6 manual (or even just the specs)... the USB is also for MIDI...

[anotherscott]

Yes, just connect the Nord to the Mac via USB, it will work using the same connections and settings you'd use for the Novation or whatever. (You can also get an adapter to connect the Nord's 5-pin MIDI jacks to the Mac's USB, but it's not necessary.)

[harmonizer]

On my Electro 3, the program selected impacts the key velocity sent via MIDI to anything external. If an organ sound is selected, the MIDI sent indicates very high velocity, as if the key had been struck very hard, even if it was not. If instead I have a piano sound selected (acoustic piano or electric piano), then the MIDI sent indicates velocity in the way I would expect.
It is possible your Electro 6 has the same behavior. My Electro 3 cannot split its keyboard between organ and piano, while your Electro 6 can. If you want to make organ sounds with part of your Electro 6 keyboard while triggering the Rhodes MK8 sound via the external DAW, you might need to keep this in mind.

[Macko]

Thanks for your help. I've got it up and running now. Didn't hit any problems like I thought I would.

I read over what Harmonizer said and will look into this. I don't fully understand how to play organ and the DAW at the same time but I'll take a look first and then come back and ask you for any more details if I fail to get that bit to work.

Anotherscott, thanks for the tip about midi to USB. I've just Googled it and Amazon do a simple midi to USB cable, no electronics or anything, just a cable, did you mean something like that?

[anotherscott]

Anotherscott, thanks for the tip about midi to USB. I've just Googled it and Amazon do a simple midi to USB cable, no electronics or anything, just a cable, did you mean something like that?

Exactly. Same as the old typical USB printer cable.

[FZiegler]

You wouldn't have needed to buy any extra cable as the standard USB-A-USB-B cable would have served (I'm sure anotherscott means this whereas I'm not sure for you, Macko). Nothing MIDI specific to it. You should have used the same cable for organising or loading your sounds on the NE6. But so far, everything's fine anyway.

Edited: In the first place, both NE6 and your DAW will play as long as they are ready to do so. You will be able to fully disable the Nord through a setting called Local Off (is it in the System or MIDI menu?) or disable the sound in your DAW, but there are no controls on the NE6 to further control the DAW (say volume or program). You may as well split the keybed on your NE6 in order to only play part of it with an internal organ sound, but there is no way to only transmit MIDI notes for the other part (internally set to a muted piano, e.g.) to the DAW -- you'd rather need to filter part of the notes out in the DAW.