Nord User Forum

Saw some videos on how the Kawai actions are done. I can imagine why they are acclaimed to feel so great. Why not an NP-5 with a Kawai grand action????? Or - as others have mentioned - how about a Nord piano module that could be controlled by whatever works best for each individual player? Heck - why not Nord piano samples jammed on a dedicated iPhone/iPad that can be controlled by lightning midi connection?

SteveNordP3 wrote:Why not an NP-5 with a Kawai grand action?????

Does Kawai actually OEM its flagship digital piano actions (the wooden ones) out to third parties? Serious question.

How about a Nord piano module that could be controlled by whatever works best for each individual player?

Other companies have tried small-format romplers. Kurzweil's Micro-Piano comes to mind. It was tremendously useful in its time, but you have to ask why they abandoned such a hot seller... forever.

Heck - why not Nord piano samples jammed on a dedicated iPhone/iPad that can be controlled by lightning midi connection?

How much would you be willing to pay for such a product?

The Nord is not just about the sounds but equally about the direct user interface. Hence a Soft Nord in a smartphone wouldn't do, and a little box such as the Kurz Micropiano wouldn't do either.

When you are *just* playing the acoustic pianos, you might be fine with either of these. But as soon as you include EPs, or effects of any kind, the user interface is a huge plus, and I wouldn't want to miss it. Therefore, a sensible Nord sound module would have to be different from a rack module, more like a small Electro without the keys and the extra space left and right of the knobs. Musicians would place it on top of other keys, where there is a bit of empty space.

The alternative, indeed, is a new business connection, joining Clavia with a different, and real, manufacturer of key actions suitable for pianists. Or a revolution at Fatar, which I don't see coming. What Yamaha has done with the CP4 action, with its (low) weight and (high) substance, is quite impressive. Kawai's wooden actions are a joy to play. As long as such things don't happen at Clavia, those of us wanting a serious action can't but combine the Nord with a different action.

PScooter63 wrote:

SteveNordP3 wrote:Why not an NP-5 with a Kawai grand action?????

Does Kawai actually OEM its flagship digital piano actions (the wooden ones) out to third parties? Serious question.

How about a Nord piano module that could be controlled by whatever works best for each individual player?

Other companies have tried small-format romplers. Kurzweil's Micro-Piano comes to mind. It was tremendously useful in its time, but you have to ask why they abandoned such a hot seller... forever.

Heck - why not Nord piano samples jammed on a dedicated iPhone/iPad that can be controlled by lightning midi connection?

How much would you be willing to pay for such a product?

1) don't know but it's a question I would hope Nord would discuss with them or any other improved keybed maker.

2) I have a Kurz Micro and years ago had a Roland MKS-20. They were great for their time though sonically inferior. I think the reason they don't sell is the interface. Not enough real estate to make it simple. That's why I recommend an iPhone or iPad version. You could replicate the NP3 interface with ease on such a device.

3) if it were a dedicated iPad with the full piano library I'd go $1500-2000 USD.

Nobody will accept to pay anything in an ipad for such a price, people have been so used to pay almost nothing for anything that is on an Ipad....It's the opposite of the Ipad business model....The ipad is darn expensive but the Apps are free....
Even the mixers that use an Ipad (Mackie design...) are not that expensive and they haven't sold millions of them...
The issue for a small company like Clavia is to find a sustainable business model that have enough customer to be profitable on the long run....Swithching it to an ipad based business model doesn't seems to be the one, IMHO...

So to update this.. after sitting out a few days, inexplicably the action of the keybed has apparently adjusted itself into a normal range.. it is the most bizarre thing i have seen.. but I can say it is now usable, much better, even though I do prefer the feel of the Kawai VPC1 which I also recently bought locally, it is definitely playable and decent. Not a deal breaker like it was before.. the first 24 hours I used it, it was unplayable.. 72 hours later of sitting out, and it is now as I would expect a keybed to feel. Very weird

Maybe the stage was stored too much in the vertical position and it adjusted itself being flat again? I read some stuff like that with hammer action Keybed that are not very keen on staying vertical..

Quai34 wrote:Maybe the stage was stored too much in the vertical position and it adjusted itself being flat again? I read some stuff like that with hammer action Keybed that are not very keen on staying vertical..

great theory. i brought home a vpc1 and it was laying at an angle and two of the keys would not go down all the way. i thought it was broken until i put it flat and it fixed itself so you may very well be onto something

Today I have tested the NP with a rather good keybed/midi controller

I have a Sauter Delta grand piano with built in midi, and connected that to the NP. Rather OK keybed!

The only drawbacks: The weight is 360kg.... and eeeh ... it sounds better acoustic then the NP

BTW: I experienced that the quality of the sound from the NP was poorer when using midi from the grand, compared to playing on the NP. Does that make sense? I thought midi was midi... Is it the same with the Kawai?

There is a long thread on Stage 3 stating that the velocity curve is difficult to adjust but with the last OS plus using the 4 different setting of the MP11 it was good....I haven't check it recently though and it was the MP11 that has less possibility to adjust....You have a user velocity curve option on the VPC1...