Nord User Forum

Hi all,

I have an issue with the rotor pedal function on my NS3C. I have just updated to V2.52 which has not fixed the problem. On power up everything behaves normally and the rotor pedal toggles fast and slow then after maybe, 5-6 minutes of normal playing the rotor speed indicator light will freeze on either fast or slow. I can press the rotor speed panel button which works normally and toggles the speeds but the foot switch won't work until I power down and power up again, then the same thing happens all over.

I have tried this with 3 different pedals (including the sustain pedal) with the same result, all pedals work perfectly with my NS2. I have also had my NS3C back to the distributer who told me there was nothing wrong with it, blamed the pedal, then billed me.

Is the switching architecture different between NS2 and NS3? I suspect a bug to fix but for now I'm looking for idea's or anyone with the same issue before I refer it on to the bugs page.

Thanks in advance and cheers.

Stu.

Same answer as to a similar post where you previously wrote about this issue: I'd suggest you to check that Rotor Pedal Type (in System Menu) is set properly (particularly not to "Half-moon" since you use a switch) and also Rotor Pedal Function is set as you like it (Hold vs Toggle).

If still not working then it could be a HW problem (at the level of the rotor pedal connector), rather than a bug since I see no other NS3 users having written about such an issue so far (and both NS3 and latest OS are out for quite some time now).

Hey Max and thanks for your reply.

Yep, done all the system menu checks and the distributer can't fault the HW side.

The problem is it works ...and then it doesn't.

I also can't find the issue as a bug so I'll buy a brand new pedal and see if that makes a difference.

Thanks and cheers,

Stu.

You say you've already tried different pedals. That would indicated that it is in fact a hardware problem with the Nord.

Given the symptoms described, my best educated guess is either a cold solder joint or a faulty chip that is experiencing thermal issues.

I just got a new NS3C from Sweetwater running FW 2.24 and it is doing the same thing, except that I can use the pedal again once I change it from the front pedal.I also noticed that it doesn’t say SPEED on the front panel when I use the pedal.

I haven’t checked settings yet - literally just set it up, plugged pedals in, turned it on started playing - but I’ll check them later. I should probably update to 2.54 as well.

The probability that this is a Nord problem at this point is almost zero. There has to be something wrong with the pedal or pedal cable.

It is an old pedal, I’ll try a new one.

(One day later) Yep, new pedal fixed that issue.

Are Nords known to be finicky about cables, etc? I tossed a 1/4” cable into the trash yesterday, tossed the old sustain pedal today, even tho it still works on other gear. I’m probably going to replace a fairly new MIDI cable because I was getting some dropouts while using an external controller, and I’d see ‘MIDI’ flash on the display panel occasionally when I wasn’t using the controller.

Hi all,

Hope you are all well and adjusting to the new way we'll be living from here. I'm the OP for this thread and I just wanted to bring it home with an update. Because like most working musicians, I had 6 months of bookings fall off a cliff on March 14, I found myself with the time to regroup and re-engage with this issue. If I was working, I'm not sure I would have had the time or the inclination to go back to it.

So, I tried everything including brand new pedal, old pedals, sustain pedal, cleaning sockets, new leads, OS updates, banging on the case with my fist and taking it back to my distibutors repair dept for no result. It took a while but I finally went back to my distributor, bypassed the repair guys and asked the product manager if we could A/B (NS2 and NS3C) the fault and he agreed, thanks Nick.

We set up the demo, I played while he videoed and the NS3 faulted, the result was they replaced the motherboard on my NS3C and guess what, it's fixed! They then sent the video and my old MB back to Clavia to play with.

Moral of the story is that when a repair guy tells you there's no fault, there are now 2 fault's, the board and him.

Stay musical, safe and well.

Stu

Thanks for sharing!

I've had unpredictable results using the Nord-brand single sustain pedal (that came with the Stage 3) when used to control both sustain and rotary speed. For rotary, the behavior is erratic. Sometimes its fine and other times it doesn't toggle the speed when I press it. I found that, at times, it takes a more deliberate press/hold to get the rotary function to respond. At first I chalked it up to the pedal itself, but it works fine as a sustain pedal. I think that perhaps its some combination of the pedal hardware and the keyboard circuit/software that "reads" the pedal. I've had better results with other pedals.