Nord User Forum

[Tonio]

I can hear a buzzing coming from the internal circuitry or power supply from the top of the unit. It isn't the ground loop usb issue I've seen around. This has nothing to do with the audio outputs of the board, and occurs with nothing plugged into the connections on the back, except power.

If you're not in a somewhat quiet room, you may not hear it, but you can get your ear close to the top and detect it. In my quiet studio, it's somewhat annoying, but I can certainly live with it, if everyone else has the same experience.

It may not be unusual for the np, but I have an old QS8 that is dead quiet, and I'm checking here to see if this is a common occurrence on every board.

thanks

[Tonio]

thanks Hanon....maybe others will chime in and say how loud theirs is.

[Johannes]

I think it is the same noise as in all Nord Keyboards (at least NE and NS) coming from the Power transformator.
Here is an old thread on this topic: http://acapella.harmony-central.com/arc ... 37628.html

See also here (http://www.laboitenoiredumusicien.com/f ... php?t=1883) for an exhaustive thread (in french though).

Basically, it is due to the magnetostriction effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetostriction).

The NS, NE, NP uses a Switched-mode Power supply (as opposed to a linear power supply) (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switched-m ... advantages)
And apparently, the hum is stronger in this type, even though they are more efficients and can be made smaller.

Bottom line, there is nothing to do about, and I agree, when in the studio and very quiet, it can be a bit annoying, but when I play I don't care.

Hope that helps!

[Tonio]

This explanation from clavia matches your info Johannes....I agree, when I'm playing, I don't hear it, but I was just concerned that there might be a problem with my new unit, and if that was the case, then I wanted to swap it out....but it looks like that isn't necessary....it's normal.
"The buzz is from the internal power supply, it comes from the transformer that is situated on the power supply PCB. It is an entirely acoustic thing; this hum does not reach the audio signal in any way, as you have found out. The hum is normal and does not indicate a fault or an upcoming problem.......really can't say why our power does this and not others, it may be because we use a power transformer that is built like a tank (to get the reliability we want)...."

[MrMark1977]

I am going to post my two cents on this too - I do not like the buzz at all.

If it weren't for the fact I don't see any other electric piano in that price range with the same quality of sounds, I don't think I'd keep the Nord.

I know it doesn't matter for live playing in a noisy environment, and it doesn't matter at home *whilst* one is playing it - but whilst it's not being played, and it's switched on, it is a loud annoying buzz.

I'm trying to put things into context here...my laptop also makes a noise,, it seems a similar volume to the noise of the Nord Piano although the noise of a fan is less annoying the buzz from the Nord.

My Playstation 3 is noiser than my laptop or the Nord, but again much of this noise is a fan noise, not some buzzing noise. Would I accept this louder, (but less irritating) noise of the playstation, if it were coming out my Nord? I don't know.

My desktop pc is way louder than my laptop, it's like having a 747 in my lounge...but I only have that on whilst playing a flight sim with headphones. I certainly wouldn't accept the noise of this in a quiet room in the background.

My sony tv has a buzzing coming from it, but nowhere near as loud as the Nord.

My old Technics SX-P30 piano didn't have any buzzing. But then it had a cheap power supply.

I'm just hoping the Nord noise is something I can bear to live with. For anyone that hasn't heard it, just to confirm, this noise does not in any way affect the audio of the Nord which is fine. It's just an annoying noise in an otherwise quiet room.

And whilst most of the time I can just turn on the Nord when I want to play it (and thus drown out the buzzing with the sound of the piano playing), it's made me a bit worried when it comes to using it as a midi controller keyboard.

In my bedroom type studio situation, if I'm doing music on my laptop, there are lots of 'quiet' points in between playing or listening to parts of tunes, and this is where the buzzing could be really off putting.

I wanted to start using the Nord as my midi controller for my laptop, instead of my Microkorg which has tiny keys and only a few octaves....but I'm now thinking that in most tune writing situations, I'd be tempted to not switch the Nord on, and not have the buzzing, in exchange for having to use an inferior smaller-keyed midi master keyboard.

Of course, if I want a piano part, I'd switch on the Nord, lol.

I know there's nothing we can do.

I know Nord say 'all the units are like this', and what Tonio posted from them, that 'we use a power transformer that is built like a tank (to get the reliability we want)', and I understand with it being a very professional product, it's important that electronics don't fail, but does every professional electronic synth type instrument have that loud a transformer?'

But I still have to register my unhappiness here. I'd rather have taken a hit on the 'reliability', and had a quieter transformer. That's easy for me to say I know, when I'm not about to play live on tv in front of many people with a keyboard that may have a more 'unreliable' power pack.

I mean, if enough people said 'we are unhappy with our Nords being this noisy in a quiet environment', it might make them change things in the future. Of course, if it doesn't annoy enough people, then there's no need for them to change anything, because the people like me who are annoyed by it, will be in the minority. I can accept that, if that's the case. But I cannot stay silent about it, because it has really upset me.

I've decided to soldier on and keep it, because as I said, rightly or wrongly, I don't feel I can get a more enjoyable piano sound for the same price on any other keyboard at the moment. The sounds of the pianos, and range of pianos on the Nord please me like no other digital piano did, when I was trying them out.

But it's making me feel like I'm going to be always keeping an eye out for a digital piano to come along in the Nord's price range, that competes with it, and if it doesn't have the buzzing, I'd be then very tempted to switch. And after spending £1700, I don't want to be still on the search for another digital piano, it's a depressing enough search as it is, without constantly waiting for something that doesn't exist yet.

I'm also thinking, if a suitable competitor didn't come along, I'd be tempted to get someone with electrical knowledge to try and dampen that buzzing of the transformer, even at the expense of losing the warranty. I'd never open it myself and bugger about with it, I wouldn't have a clue what I'm doing. But if I came across someone who did know what they were doing, and they were sure they could at least dampen the buzzing sound a bit, I'd certainly consider risking losing the warranty for it, or at least waiting till one of my three years warranty is up first before doing it.

This of course, I do not advise anyone to do. I'm simply stating the lengths I think I'd go to get rid of that noise if it is possible. This is how annoying the noise can be, that I would consider losing my warranty and paying someone to spray foam (or whatever operation is necessary) in my Nord. I'm not saying it definitely is possible to reduce that noise. But that, IF it were possible, I'd risk losing the warranty to get rid of it.

That's how much it upsets me, that I would consider doing something like this, that many would perceive as being stupid and reckless.

I hate having to bash a beautiful instrument, which as I've said, the sounds please me more than any other instrument with piano sounds for the same price. But I have to register the fact I feel extremely uncomfortable and upset when I hear the buzzing. And I urge others that don't like the buzzing to say the same.

And if it's impossible for Nord to put a quieter transformer pack in their keyboards in future, then we'll just have to accept the reality that it's scientifically impossible to have a reliable keyboard that doesn't have an annoying transformer buzzing sound.

[copenhagen2]

I have to agree that this kind of hum or buzz is annoying. Sometime in the future I plan to open up my Nord and see if it can be eliminated by placing some kind of rubber shims or other form of isolating material at the points where the power supply is fastened to the bottom plate.

[jazzonebyone]

No buzz here. The keys clack a bit, though.

[MrMark1977]

I don't know if I'm going crazy or something, but the replacement Nord Piano I've received does not seem to buzz quite as loud as the one I just sent back (which had a small defect on the casing).

The buzz still sounds similar to what I remember, but just not as loud and annoying as what it seemed to be before. Maybe there's a slight difference in power units or something, I mean I know this noise is meant to be some physical vibration going on so maybe there's a slight difference between instruments as to in how intense it is.

I now have the piano in a smaller room now, I'm wondering if that is making a difference...should the same buzz be louder in a small room? Or is the room such that it's actually absorbing the buzzing more? Or have I just been lucky enough to receive a slightly quieter unit? I really don't know.

As I've had a nearly two week wait between having the Nords, and I'm in a different room now, I really can't make a direct comparison. I just know before, it irritated me very much, and now I'm not as irritated, I can't hear it as loudly.

[Cee]

We're recording in a very small room and there's no buzz from my NP88...

Sorry to hear you're having problems with yours...

[MrMark1977]

Hi Cee,

Well I'm happy that it seems to be an improvement on before, I've not been annoyed by the buzzing this time, and I'm enjoying finally having the piano again and using it!