Nord User Forum

Hey everyone,

Love the NORD community!

In advance - I know "it all depends on our own ears".... however, I will like to start a discussion on the use of the equalizer
I am only asking about PIANO settings (not organ, string, synth)

Do you always use the equalizer? (have it turned on?)
What is your go to setting for the "Grand Piano" (whichever you use)
In a band setting vs. solo piano.
What is your 'go to' setting for "Upright Piano"
Where do you like to set the FREQ for the Mid's - this is my biggest challenge.

Thanks

There is no useful answer to this question. Not only does it depend on your ears, but it also depends on the room and speakers your playing in/through, the other instruments involved and who you are adjusting the EQ for (you or the audience).

cgrafx wrote:There is no useful answer to this question. Not only does it depend on your ears, but it also depends on the room and speakers your playing in/through, the other instruments involved and who you are adjusting the EQ for (you or the audience).

Great and accurate response.

Not to mention it also depends on the type of material you're playing, what amplification you are playing through, and so on. However, I will say that the preset EQ buttons on my Nord Stage 3 Compact have proven to be incredibly useful for real-time adjustments through the night.

When I‘m playing with a base player, I usually reduce the low eq by 5 dB.

Greets

Eumel

Thank you Eumel for you productive answer.

You cannot tell me that I am the only Nord user who uses EQ on his piano presets.
You cannot tell me that you have no piano presets ready before you get to the gig and then you quickly adjust each one as the next song is called.

This post is meant for users to share their settings and reasoning for it in different situations as stated in the original post.
Thank you

Nordmutt2 wrote:Thank you Eumel for you productive answer.

You cannot tell me that I am the only Nord user who uses EQ on his piano presets.
You cannot tell me that you have no piano presets ready before you get to the gig and then you quickly adjust each one as the next song is called.

This post is meant for users to share their settings and reasoning for it in different situations as stated in the original post.
Thank you

Not a productive response, almost like asking "what is your favorite flavor of ice cream?" How about you share your personal interest in the topic? E.g. material played, venues, other members of the band, etc.

I could write dozens and dozens of paragraphs about what I do with EQ, but to what purpose? Simply to entertain you? Give us a situation to solve, we'll all do a lot better.

I can't speak for others but I can tell you that I don't use the EQ presets and I don't adjust each one as the next song is called. I also don't use 100's of plug-ins in my recording mixes and I don't spend time constantly adjusting mixes, EQs and effects settings when I do live sound either.

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.

How is it possible for an artist/musician to sit with an acoustic guitar or acoustic piano and captivate an audience without fidgeting with eq/effects settings.

However did people manage before the age of electronic gimmicks.

There is ALMOST ZERO functional reason to be messing with the eq settings constantly. If it makes you happy than by all means knock your self out, but don't confuse self-gratification with functionality.

cphollis wrote:

Nordmutt2 wrote:Thank you Eumel for you productive answer.

You cannot tell me that I am the only Nord user who uses EQ on his piano presets.
You cannot tell me that you have no piano presets ready before you get to the gig and then you quickly adjust each one as the next song is called.

This post is meant for users to share their settings and reasoning for it in different situations as stated in the original post.
Thank you

Not a productive response, almost like asking "what is your favorite flavor of ice cream?" How about you share your personal interest in the topic? E.g. material played, venues, other members of the band, etc.

I could write dozens and dozens of paragraphs about what I do with EQ, but to what purpose? Simply to entertain you? Give us a situation to solve, we'll all do a lot better.

If this topic does not interest you, then why do you feel the need to comment? You can post "dozens and dozens" of paragraphs somewhere else. No, you do NOT entertain me. It is quite obnoxious. This is a forum to share techniques, strategies, ask for help. If it is not a topic that you have anything to offer, then post somewhere else.
It is predictable - which is why I said "I know it depends on our own ears" because I KNOW what some will post. PLEASE. I have been playing out for over 30 years - I don't need anyone to tell me that it depends on the room. C'mon! Before the NORD and perhaps some other keyboards, there was no EQ setting readily available to adjust your sounds every song. Besides, if you did, the sound guy would have a heart attack! Many of us create patches at home before we get to a gig, then make adjustments accordingly. This post is for those users - who create different Piano patches for different situations / songs / styles -and would like to share their thoughts!

I’m a big fan of EQ. Use it all the time. I prefer a particular sound character and try to shape the pianos to suit it.

I almost always knock the treble down, and reduce bass on mostly the grand pianos. This helps me blend in with the rest of the band. Midrange will vary based on the sample, room/space, volume level, etc. I will either scoop out in the lower midrange (somewhere 200-400Hz area) to get rid of mud or bump up around 1kHz or so to increase the presence.

Focus on the sound you’re looking to get. Look for some reference recordings to help you. Find the piano sample(s) that get you close, then use the EQ to get you rest of the way there.

Bear in mind also that your reverb selection will affect the sound profile. The room is rather bright wile the hall is very warm. Start your sound shaping with the reverb off.