Nord User Forum

Hi everyone,

I just bought a new Stage 3 Compact, and I'm busy trying to completely understand all the features of the keyboard. One of the things that is different is that the samples section is now always running through the filter section.

My "impression" is that the Stage 3 samples sounds a little different than my Electro 5 (I wish I was able to compare the two, but the E5 was sold to finance the Stage 3!)
For now I am chalking it up to the fact the newer nsmp3 format includes subtle tweaks to make the samples more playable upon loading. That being said, I want to be able to hear the samples in all their raw glory (like the Electro 5) and I wonder about their routing through the filter.

- With the LP filter "wide open", should I assume that I am not missing any frequency content? (It would be nice if there was a routing option to have the samples bypass the filters.)

- I notice that if I select the LP M ("Moog") filter, the samples sound different again. I feel something is being added or removed from the samples when routed through this filter.

iluvchiclets wrote:- With the LP filter "wide open", should I assume that I am not missing any frequency content? (It would be nice if there was a routing option to have the samples bypass the filters.)

- I notice that if I select the LP M ("Moog") filter, the samples sound different again. I feel something is being added or removed from the samples when routed through this filter.

1) yes, standard LP24 fully open (Cutoff Freq to the max, Resonance to zero) and no keyboard tracking should work as an "all pass"

2) better avoid to use any other type of filter, when you just want to hear the "raw" sample.

Thank you for the quick reply!

I notice some of the samples default to either the LP12 or LP24 filter. Do you have any idea why they would choose a different filter?

iluvchiclets wrote:Thank you for the quick reply!

I notice some of the samples default to either the LP12 or LP24 filter. Do you have any idea why they would choose a different filter?

With .nsmp v3 some of the Synth parameters can be saved with the sample, so it is a choice (or just a casual thing) of the .nsmp creator, maybe in case you want to filter that sample the creator suggests which filter to use/prefer (?)

LP12 actually should be even more "safe" as its slope is halved, compared to LP24 (but when fully opened it should make no difference, being a digital sim moreover).

maxpiano wrote:

iluvchiclets wrote:I notice some of the samples default to either the LP12 or LP24 filter. Do you have any idea why they would choose a different filter?

With .nsmp v3 some of the Synth parameters can be saved with the sample, so it is a choice (or just a casual thing) of the .nsmp creator, maybe in case you want to filter that sample the creator suggests which filter to use/prefer (?)

In some cases, it can aid authenticity, if they associate the sample of a synth with the kind of filter that synth actually used.

Thank you, anotherscott (I always enjoy reading your posts)

In the event we are talking about a synth sample, the filters are not of a concern to me as I am dealing with a synthetic sound. (And I am usually tweaking a synthesizer filter!)
I should have mentioned, the samples of concern to me are naturally un-filtered instruments (guitars, orchestral, mellotron, choirs, etc...) I would normally not apply a filter to these instruments, and I was concerned about having to route them through the filter section.

The whole keyboard feels/sounds different than my Electro 5, I am still trying to decide if it's my imagination or not!?

Just a couple of additional comments: You may already be aware, but when you scroll through the samples in SAMP mode using the main dial, the settings saved with the sample will be loaded. If you prefer to open up the filter fully and change the dynamics to your liking and then browse the samples using identical settings, use the dial below the synth display to go through the samples - that dial only changes the waveform and does not load the default settings.

As for filters on real instruments, that can sometimes be useful to change the timbre at lower velocities. Playing e.g. a bass at lower velocities would then make it sound more muted. This dynamically scaled filter is also available on the NE5 and NE6, as an on-off setting in the synth section. But you may be aware of this also.

Thank you, baekgaard,

I was not aware of this difference in selecting samples! That is very helpful to know...if I want to hear the samples in all their raw "Electro 5" glory, I will remove all the filtering, dynamics, ASDR, etc, and then select them with the OSC1 Waveform dial. This is very helpful information.


Yes, I also agree regarding the advantages of dynamic volume and filtering on the samples...it was one of the reasons I decided to move up to the Stage 3. I enjoyed the Electro 5, but I wanted to be able to fully control and alter the samples to my heart's content...