Nord User Forum

I just purchased a Nord Stage 3 and the crash course learning the Synth section to recreate my Stage 2 programs has been fun. An excellent source of information on synthesizers and the keys to programming is the collection of SOS magazine old articles called Synth Secrets at https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques ... d-on-sound (thanks Mr_-G- for the link!). Stage 3 synth programming tutorials can also be found at nord-stage-forum-f3/nord-stage-3-synth- ... 17063.html (thanks Ivan Jochner!), a whole set of Nord tutorials by member "My Keys to Music" can be found on the YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_xKuR ... BvAc63Y9qw (thanks Marc!), and short YouTube clips of Nord Speedy Tutorials can be found at

IMPORTANT: My NS3 is loaded with different pianos ("L" instead of "XL" versions for example) so after downloading a program you might have to relink the piano with one you have. My pianos and programs list here will help. I also use a control pedal (Yamaha FC-7) on almost all of my programs, so one will be needed to take advantage of the morphing that's part of the programs.

The program below started out as the preloaded "Furious AT Lead" program. After a bit of messing around, I came up with two variations that I thought were "interesting" and may hopefully be something that helps you further your understanding of what the Stage 3 synth can do as well. Slot A is a synth with a higher harmonic that comes in as the filter is decaying into the LFO range. Slot B is a different synth that starts out with the following settings: LFO MOD ENV about 0, OSC CTRL on 6, FREQ on 1, and RES/FREQ on 6. On the Slot B MP3 you can hear a percussive sound in the notes played low with the left hand; the sounds become more "aggressive" as the FREQ knob is turned slowly from 1 up to about 4 or 5 with the right hand. All of the synth sounds heard after that are the result of turning just those four knobs and playing around. Every Synth program in the Stage 3 is an opportunity to learn, so turn, tweak, and save your work to go back to and tweak again. Have fun.

• Slot A WannitBBBadSyncW.mp3

• Slot B WannitBBBadSyncW.mp3

UPDATE 12/19/2018: Below are a few more to mess around with. This first one is a program with both a record scratch effect and a synth with a LFO filter effect. The MOD ENV ATTACK determines how quickly the filter will sweep up and the MOD ENV DECAY determines the sweep down:

• LFOFilterSweep W.mp3

This second program I believe started with a pre-loaded program Weightless Pad that I modified with LFO filter, arpeggio, and panning effects synced to the internal clock.

• Weightless Pad W.mp3

The third program is a slightly percussive synth sound that seems to work well for solo or chords. I add a little pan flute to it halfway through the MP3

• SimpleSynth W.mp3

UPDATE 12/30/2018: This program has the new V6 Rhodes with a Hammond, a synth with random S/H on the LFO, and a synth with a triangle wave on the LFO for a pad that I bring up in volume manually in the MP3 while bringing up the volume of both with the Control Pedal. Listen through to the end with headphones to hear more of the second synth come in. Both LFOs are synced to the internal clock.

• LFOSampHldSweepW.mp3

Analog Brass. This next program is simply a version of Analog Brass with the synth settings eliminating the need to add the Chorus effect so it can be used on the Piano. This has Velocity=1, however if you're trying to recreate an early 80s brass sound of a Prophet or Oberheim for example, Velocity should be off. The MP3 example covers the sound and then adds Slot B with a Pop Brass sample.

• AnalogBrass W.mp3

My Pianos and Program List as of April 2020 can be found at --> post130083.html?hilit=program%20list#p130083

One of the best ways to learn the ins and outs of the Stage 3 is to download programs and go through the synth and morph settings to figure out what makes them tick. Over the last few months I’ve posted quite a few programs that may not be something you’d use playing out, but could learn from if you don’t know how you would recreate it yourself. Below are samples of some of those programs and links to original posts. Quite a few others can be listened to at the other posts listed. Please note that all of the programs make use of the Control Pedal. I hope you find these helpful. Take care.

Automobile Engine / Motor Revving Up - Synth created and not a sample, the mod wheel is used for the engine speed. This could be used at the beginning of Living In The USA by Steve Miller Band or modified for Electric Avenue by Eddy Grant- I programmed it just to see if I could
LINK-> nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... 15793.html

• Car Engine W.mp3

Cory Henry - “Trade It All” - Nick Semrad’s Keyboard - Program versions available where the Mod Wheel or Control Pedal will change the filter setting and drop the pitch of what's played.
LINK-> nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... ml#p106971

• NS TradeItAll W.mp3

Cory Henry - Snarky Puppy - Lingus - Two of Cory Henry's solo sounds - muted synth with filter changes and "traditional" mono synth with light glide
LINK-> nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... 16294.html

• Cory Henry Solo - King Korg.mp3

Dire Straits - “Walk of Life” - B3/Leslie and Synth organ with chorus
LINK-> nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... ml#p110570

• DS WalkOfLife W.mp3

Jefferson Starship - "Sara" - Absent a drummer, I put this together adding a little bit of a percussive sound and other effects synced to the internal clock.
LINK-> nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... 15997.html

• Jefferson Starship Sara JfrsonStrsSara W.mp3

My Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 - A few classic sounds I remember from my Prophet 5.
LINK-> nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... 15996.html

• P5SynthClav_W.mp3

• P5SynthStab.mp3

• Cars Lets Go W.mp3

• Stage 3 Cars Just What I Needed 2.mp3

Rock Guitar - A Few Programs - B3, clean Strat and solo guitar with harmonic feedback added with Aftertouch, dual rock guitars for Eddy Money's "Two Tickets To Paradise", dual guitars for The Eagles' "Hotel California", and a rocking lead guitar with harmonic feedback (Aftertouch) and wah effect (Control Pedal) accompanied by a clean Strat.
LINK-> nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... 17012.html

• Stage 3 Program - DistortedGuitr2W.mp3

• Eddy Money EM2Tickets2PrdzW.mp3

• HotelCalifornia_DualGuitars.mp3

• DistortedGuitr3W Demo.mp3

Sir Paul McCartney and Wings - “Wonderful Christmas Time” - Classic synth with echo
LINK-> nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... 16675.html

• PM Wonderful Christmas Time.mp3

The Beach Boys - "Good Vibrations" - Five programs put together for "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys
LINK-> nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... 15858.html

• BeachBoys_GoodVibrations_WannitBBBad.mp3

The Who - "Baba O'Riley (Teenage Wasteland)" - program uses a pitch-adjusted sample with 16th notes and another with 32nd notes. The post reflects my struggle through pitch-adjusting the very small wave files used for my samples to find that Audacity needed to have "high-quality stretching" checked to correctly adjust pitch without modifying duration. Audacity (without the box checked) and another audio editor that didn't have the high-quality stretching feature, both yielded very poor results.
LINK-> nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... 16090.html

• MP3 - Who Baba ORiley.mp3

The Who - “Won’t Get Fooled Again” - Slot A and B synths with synced LFOs on organ and triangle waves with Control Pedal adjusting the Wah effect. Some add a phase shifter to their program for additional effect - I might try that too.
LINK-> nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... 16615.html

• WhoWntGetFldAgnW.mp3

Tom Misch - "Crazy Dream" - A simple solo synth but time taken on programming the other synth where the notes played glide up to the proper pitch.
LINK-> nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... 16227.html

• MP3 of Program TM Crazy Dream W.mp3

Van Halen - "Jump” - The OSC2 options add a lot of flexibility when programming - for "Jump" the slot A synth uses a sawtooth wave with a square wave mixed in. The second MP3 covers a NSMP sample created from the Stage 3 program.
LINK-> nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... ml#p112686

• VH Jump V2 - Van Halen Jump.mp3

• MP3 example of Van Halen Jump W Small NSMP.mp3

OTHER PROGRAMS:
Spider Murphy Gang - Skandal im Sperrbezirk
nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... 15776.html

• Skandal Im Sperrbezirk.mp3

Zusammen by Fanta 4 - simple use glide and bringing in second synth with control pedal.
nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... 16108.html

• Zusammen Fanta 4.mp3

My Pianos and Program List as of April 2020 can be found at --> post130083.html?hilit=program%20list#p130083

What a Great topic, thanks!!!! and with all the links....

Quai34 wrote:What a Great topic, thanks!!!! and with all the links....

Thanks, I save the links in a Word document to make it easy to go back to any subject without searching, so putting this together wasn't too challenging. As time allows I'll go back to some of the posts and explain more behind the programming.

I welcome all of you to post your challenging programs below (or links to them) and provide guidance to others on how they were programmed. Take care.

Awesome Posts WannitBBBad. Thank you for this! It is very much appreciated.

I had one of the best time of my life discussing with WannitBBBad via pm about his old collection of synths that are on his pictures....Prophet 10, 5 etc....And current P8!!! Not a surprise then that is so good at programming....

Hammond B3 with enhanced key click on synth slot A and drawbars on the Mod Wheel. The synth key click sound can be easily modified to create a tack sound for a honky tonk piano:
nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... 17268.html

• B3 Key Click.mp3

Roland D50 Soundtrack - versions with and without sample needed. On the MP3 I play the sample twice, the synth-generated version twice, then both together:
nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... 17154.html

• D50 Soundtrack W.mp3

• D50 Soundtrack2W.mp3

Link to "Dance With Me" by Orleans - Melodica, Rhodes and Acoustic Guitar used. At the end of the mp3, I play the Melodica and answer it with the Acoustic Guitar sample.
nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... 17950.html

• MP3 example of Dance With Me.mp3

A few Pedal Steel programs are at the link below including these two MP3 examples. This first one starts with me playing with my right hand and using the pitch bar, then playing on both sides of the split with the notes left of the split bent down using AfterTouch to emulate the pedal affecting a single string. The second MP3 is an example of another Pedal Steel playing "Two Lane Highway" by Pure Prairie League live at a concert. nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... ml#p119250

• PedalSteel with AT Down.mp3

• TwoLaneHighway_W.mp3

Toto "Africa": Below are MP3 examples of 4 programs for "Africa" by Toto that I posted at LINK-> nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... 19357.html
Thanks to Buisbird for putting the program out there I started from, and thanks to rudiratlos for creating the Africa_split.nsmp sample used. I hope some of you get some use out of these, take care.

• Toto Africa Intro and First Verse.mp3

• Toto Africa 2nd Verse with mono synth.mp3

• Toto Africa Solo.mp3

• Toto Africa Chorus.mp3

My Pianos and Program List as of April 2020 can be found at --> post130083.html?hilit=program%20list#p130083

Below are links to programs for Don Henley's "Boys of Summer" and the solo for Pink Floyd's "Run Like Hell".

Boys of Summer -> nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... 19283.html
Listen to the end of the first mp3 for the 2nd synth:

• Stage 3 - DH BoysOfSummr1W.mp3

• Stage 3 - DH BoysOfSummr2W.mp3

• Stage 3 - DH BoysOfSummr2W B.mp3

Run Like Hell -> nord-stage-3-programs-ns3p-ns3pb-files- ... ml#p129012

• PF RunLikeHell W.mp3