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Re: White Grand?

Postby Rusty Mike » 28 Jun 2019, 16:01

I've done a few rehearsals now with the White Grand with a few big bands. My experience so far is in mono through a single QSC K8.2.

In my opinion, this has to be the most versatile and musical grand piano in the Nord Library now. It sounds wonderful naked, but can accommodate many playing styles and situations with a bit of simple tweaking. It's not a lot of work to get this piano sounding great.

I've replaced the L sample in my Stage 2EX with the XL, and will be using it in place of the Grand Lady D from now on. The Lady has had a good run for me.

There are now three pianos in my stable:
1. White Grand XL as the default go-to
2. Amber Upright XL, which is every bit as exciting as the White Grand. It's versatile with a very musical singing quality. Great for jazz standards
3. Silver L for when I need a brighter sound

This makes my musical life much easier now. I'm not whining about mono vs. stereo and can tailor to a room without much fuss.
Mike from Central NJ, USA
Tools: Ten fingers, two feet, middle-age brain, questionable judgement and taste
Nords: Piano 5 73, Stage 2EX 76 HP, Electro 6D 73

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Re: White Grand?


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Re: White Grand?

Postby Nordude » 28 Jun 2019, 19:01

Certainly a nice addition, but has anyone noticed something about e.g. the Bb5 and F6? (White Grand XL sample, on Nord Electro 6, OS 2.12 = latest). As charmful as it may be, those are not very "clean"/perfect samples to my ears (in contrast to the other notes). Some low notes suffer from this as well. Maybe it's just what everyone wants: a true, real life sound. But somehow, those notes stand out and I'm not sure yet how I feel about it.

It's definitely a keeper for now, but I'm not sure I will delete my Grand Lady D Lrg (not perfect either). The Royal Grand 3D and the Bright Grand are currently my 2 to go to grands, and I'll keep those on board as well...
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Re: White Grand?

Postby Spider » 01 Jul 2019, 17:16

I finally had a free Sunday to download and try out the White.
Definitely a great sample, loads of character there. I agree with the comparisons to the Lady D and the Studio Grand 2, I found it similar in the sense that it's not too bright and has lots of harmonics and overtones.
Actually almost too much, the first test I did was to A/B it with the Silver, and it almost sounded like the White was out of tune in comparison!

The middle register is lovely, but on the bass and high register there are really LOTS of harmonics and lots of key noise. While this makes it maybe the most realistic piano in the Nord stable (and that's saying that lot!) and it will be awesome for solo work, I'm not sure how it will perform in a mix, where maybe a cleaner sound cuts through better.

I was also surprised by the range of dynamics available: when played p/pp it's even softer than the Velvet Grand, but when playing f/ff it rings and sparkles as well as the Silver or Bright Grands!
Again, while this is wonderful for solo acts, I'm not sure it's perfect for band work, where maybe a less nuanced and more consistent sound is preferable, to have better control of the mix.

Anyway it's there to stay: my current selection on the NS2EX is Silver L (general workhorse for band play), Velvet L (ballads), Imperial L and White L for different flavours of solo work.

And I always keep a bunch of "character" uprights in M format just to spice things up: Bambino, Romantic, Rain, Mellow, Honky tonk and Saloon.

It's almost unbelievable to have so much variety and so much quality in a single instrument!
Last edited by Spider on 01 Jul 2019, 17:30, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: White Grand

Postby Pianolin » 05 Jul 2019, 18:39

So I've been playing the white grand for the last day or so, I must say this is their best piano sample yet (imo). It's so full of life and so expressive, I never felt this close to playing a real piano on any digital piano. The upper register somewhat reminds me of the lady d. Absolutely stunning.
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Re: White Grand

Postby fieldflower » 05 Jul 2019, 18:54

Although I wasn't super sold from playing at home I really liked it when playing at a rehearsal.
It's a keeper...
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Re: White Grand

Postby stopmakingsense » 07 Jul 2019, 00:36

I'm preferring the sound of the L Sample size over the XL in the White Grand. It might just be my amp setup, or that I originally tweaked for the L size. But for anyone wondering which one to load, you might like the sound of the L size better, as well.
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Re: White Grand

Postby Schorsch » 07 Jul 2019, 14:27

stopmakingsense wrote:I'm preferring the sound of the L Sample size over the XL in the White Grand. It might just be my amp setup, or that I originally tweaked for the L size. But for anyone wondering which one to load, you might like the sound of the L size better, as well.


I did not compare both but what is it exactly that makes you feel better with the L sample rather than the XL one?
Regards Schorsch

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Re: White Grand

Postby lawman » 08 Jul 2019, 11:52

The White Grand does appear to be a Steinway Model B, based on the screen display. The name is a little misleading, though, since it leads one to believe that it's a sample of a piano like the white Steinway that John gave Yoko and played in the "Imagine" video. The B (my long-time companion) is 6'10.5" long, whereas the white Steinway in the video is visibly smaller, more like a Model O at 5'10.75". [BTW, John didn't compose "Imagine" on the white piano; instead, he used a Steinway upright.]

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Re: White Grand

Postby OrpheusNY » 14 Jul 2019, 17:30

Rychubil is falling down on the job as NG/WG YouTube demo video update man...

Six or seven minutes of NG/WG playing, no talking, including a little something for Bee Gees fans up front:

https://youtu.be/LwvGYXeYJb4
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Re: White Grand

Postby Rychubil » 14 Jul 2019, 17:44

OrpheusNY wrote:Rychubil is falling down on the job as NG/WG YouTube demo video update man...

Six or seven minutes of NG/WG playing, no talking, including a little something for Bee Gees fans up front:

https://youtu.be/LwvGYXeYJb4


You wrong my Friend ;) I already put this video in other topic, on 08 Jul 2019, 18:50 - post 57 :
nord-piano-grand-forum-f10/nord-grand-t17651-20.html
Last edited by Rychubil on 14 Jul 2019, 17:50, edited 2 times in total.
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