Nord User Forum

[paulmapp8306]

Being potentially new to Nord - Im after some advice of piano sounds. Id want the best samples I can get - and would be happy with 3 different ones to cover a variety of ground. I dont play classical, so dont need that sound - but I d like

1. Suitable sound for a solo ballad type song. Rich and full
2. A boogie woogie sound - thats the main instrument in the pieces - but needs to have a band around it
3. Something as a support piano sound only - not a solo type sound. Something that site well in a busy pop/rock mix without overpowering or getting lost in a busy mix.

So - which 3 "downloads" would you use.

[Pianolin]

Which Nord do you have or plan to purchase? You should be able to load more than 3. There's a large variety of grands - one my overall favorites being the studio grand 2, rich and full and versatile. To cut the a mix, opt for the bright grand, silver grand, or imperial - which I actually prefer. Sound is very subjective and you are going to get many different answers.

[MonkeyDonkey]

I use:

1. Royal Grand for solo ballad
2. Queen Upright for boogie woogie -- unless i'm playing that stuff solo, in which case i like Blue Swede
3. Bright Grand for rock/pop band stuff

[paulmapp8306]

Looking at the Electro 6D 73 note. Il will be wanting the XL versions where possible though, or the best quality on offer - quality over quantity in my eyes.

Ill want some electric pianos as well - at least 1 Rhodes type, a Whirli, and a kind of 80s SA Piano tone - also a couple of Clavs.

[Rusty Mike]

Just remember that the quality of the piano sounds you hear from your Nord will be highly reliant on the choice of amplification/speakers you use. There have been many discussions in the forum about it.

[paulmapp8306]

At home I use focal shape 50s with a Yamaha hs8 sub. At quiet times its akg 702 headphones.

Live i have a yamaha dsr12 for backline in small places or monitoring in larger. The pa for the larger gigs is a hk audio system.

[Gambold]

Bright Grand remains the go-to for a rock combo. I tried a couple of the other "bright" models like the Silver and the Italian, but Bright still cuts through the best. The other best grands are Lady D and Studio 2, but they are for quieter playing.

The Uprights are interesting but I never play them live. The Amber is probably the best, although the Queen and Black are classics too.

I don't play any of the baby ones or the Royal Grand. The Velvet is too dark for my tastes. Am impatiently waiting for a killer new Grand, a must-have - I don't think there's really been one since the Italian, six years ago. I know that's probably a minority view.

[23skidoo]

I agree there could be more grands and that the field of acoustic pianos available have quite a long way they could go. I find what's there to be of good quality, with excellent sound and nice features of simulated realism, yet there is still much that could be improved upon.

[harmonizer]

paulmapp8306, that you are asking your question suggests that you care a great deal about the quality of AP sounds you will get. If this is the case, I strongly urge you to use stereo amplification with it (and get good quality amplification and speakers). Do not assume you will be happy with the result if just using a single speaker.

[cphollis]

I would go with the L samples, not the XL.

Technically speaking, they're fully mapped (hence theoretically "better"), but in any sort of performance situation (solo, small group, electric, etc.) no one will ever be able to tell the difference. Using L means you can load up many more choices, which is important because how you feel about a piano sample at home may be different than how you feel about it live.

Better to focus on amplification and signal chain. Then again, if I'm recording, I'll weaken and opt for an XL sound.