Nord User Forum

I think Nord did a good job with its Nord Piano 5. indeed, the budget is higher than a Yamaha CP88 but for me, the offer of Nord is better.
Besides, I tested the Yamaha CP88 2 weeks ago (in version 1.10, I did not have the new sounds of version 1.40) and I must admit that I was very disappointed with the machine. Of course, the feel is flawless and the build quality is top notch, but the rest: disappointed with the piano sounds, it sounds soulless, it's not super defined, nothing charming. The effects are quite average, no stereo delay or ping pong, the overall reverb seems to come directly from the modest Yamaha Reface CP. The ergonomics although inspired by north is not at the top because there are controls which require to go in menus to have access there (like the assignment of the pedals whereas on North it is directly in front panel ). The synth sounds are quite mediocre and few in number (on version 1.40 there are fortunately more), without depth, you get bored.
The worst is the release and attack controls of the sub section: completely bad, the range of adjustment is very limited and depends on the type of sounds used, it reminded me of the Yamaha MX49 that I had, it sucks my old Roland Juno DS-88 was 10 times better in the field of synthesis. Basically very disappointed with this CP88, I got bored, nothing transcendent, nothing explosive, nothing really great. I had a lot more fun on a friend's Nord Electro 6 73 than on this CP88.
In short, Nord offers better than Yamaha: better piano sounds and much more varied, the alternative sounds are beyond measure thanks to the Nord Librairie, the reverb effects are much better at Nord especially thanks to the reverb section of the Nord Wave 2 which will undoubtedly be implemented in all their next keyboard starting with this Nord Piano 5, the ergonomics are better, the sound possibilities are extremely extended thanks to the use of its own sound samples, Yamaha can go and get dressed, my money will go for a furtur nord electro 7 that's clear.

I own a NP4 since 5 months now.
Of course if I had to make my choice today I will seriously considering the NP5 but I'm very happy with my NP4. I don't need 2 piano layers simultaneously and the effect section is enough for me.

The double memory (piano + synth) is a good improvement but I'm ok with what I have and don't need more.

One thing could make me change my mind : the add of modulation / pitch bend. The NP4 is my master keyboard in my home studio and this is the main improvement I wish to find on a future Nord piano.

CountFosco wrote:Not complaining, a new Piano, hot on the heels of the Grand, great. But straw poll, who, of the posters in this thread (I see mostly S, W, L & E's) sees the P5 as their next board? Will such a small incremental update (let's be honest - who ever needed two simultaneous pianos more often than that one song they already found a workaround for?) tilt the market in any meaningful way? Happy to be told I misread the market (but I didn't (but I am)).

I agree that multiple synth and sample engines are much more useful than multiple piano engines.
In 7 years of using my Stage 2, there have been maybe 2 or 3 times when I programmed a patch with 2 split/layered pianos. Conversely, I can't count the number of times when I'd wished for more than two synth/sample layers.

The fact is that apart from some very specific uses (layering an acoustic with an EP, an acoustic with a DX7...) for some specific songs or genres, piano players just play, well, piano. Very little need to have 2 slightly different grands or uprights on the same song.
Of course it's nice to be offered the option, but almost at Stage 3/Nord Grand prices? I think the NP4 still had a reason to exist as a much cheaper alternative to the Nord Grand, to those players who can sacrifice touch and feel for price and portability. The NP5 73 would be perfect as a high quality portable piano, but at €3K? That's a very tough sell.
I think many players (me, for example) would either spend a few bucks more and go for a Grand or Stage3, or spend half as much by going for some other competitor.

themixtape wrote:I've said this before on a bunch of posts... the XL versions of the pianos are nice (they are) but the Mediums are very, very nice, too... and the audible difference is minimal.

I think maybe it depends on the piano. S, M, and L all sound similar (the only differences are the resonances), but XL can sound very different, since something like two thirds of the keys are actually reiggering entirely different samples. Sometimes I have actually preferred the NON xl version, despite being technically less accurate, it just had something that worked for me.

My philosophy for a gigging board is to select ONE piano for any "solo" work you may have, where you want your very best, and that should be an XL or a Large depending on which version of your favorite piano you like better; and then all the rest can be Smalls since once you're not playing solo, you're not likely to notice any of the resonances anyway.

If I had to choose one Nord, I'd spend $500 more than the NP5 88 and get myself the Stage 3 Compact. For those who are simply counting engines (piano, organ, sample) you might miss some of its appeal.

For starters, the dual panel organization works perfectly with an external controller. The "extern" section is super-good at controlling external midi. The morph feature is freaking brilliant. Samples are a heckuva lot more useful on the Stage, thanks to filtering, envelope, unison, drive, gliss, etc. Aftertouch. Mod wheel and pitch stick. Modest synth section. On and on and on.

It's an amazing instrument that gets deeper and deeper the more time you spend with it.

If you're agonizing over the NP5 because those dual engines and more memory look good, I'd suggest looking at the NS3C with a weighted controller, and never looking back.

Hlaalu wrote:

Eumel wrote: Imho Clavia was forced to switch to a completely new DSP architecture as the current one is short before being discontinued. [...]
Furthermore, if I should be right, the time to issue the next keyboards using the new architecture wouldn‘t take too long as they might be forced to before running out of old DSPs. But again, this is all guessing...

Are you sure about the DSP thing though? This gets repeated every so often on this forum but I am not sure I have heard a clear source other than "someone else has said it". If I am not mistaken a couple of months ago or so someone on the forum even said the switch had in fact already been done some time ago, and that present models already use the new architecture. As long as Clavia themselves don't make any claim about this, I have no basis to judge whether all the above is true or just hearsay...

I think I've read that the Stage 3 already uses a new chip, which is this one (found in my browser history from a few weeks ago)
https://www.analog.com/en/products/adsp ... t-overview

So this would mean that they did already switch - which would explain the Sample 3.0, and that the Sample library 3.0 is not backwards-compatible

I doubt very much that the sample library 3.0 compatibility (which is just data) has anything to do with a change of DSP architecture.
The library 3 has some extra (and unconvincingly useful) parameters. I think it would make sense to carry on using here (for sharing purposes) nsmp2 files as those are still compatible via the sample manager anyway.

All: according to my rep at Kraft Music, they expect to begin shipping out the NP5 in "June/July." just an FYI for anyone interested. I was planning on returning the NG but I don't think I will now with that long of a lead time

greatbarrier86 wrote:All: according to my rep at Kraft Music, they expect to begin shipping out the NP5 in "June/July." just an FYI for anyone interested. I was planning on returning the NG but I don't think I will now with that long of a lead time

I'm very curious as to why you'd return a NG for a NP5? Put the two in front of me and I'd go for the NG 4 out of 5 times, choosing the 73-key NP5 in only very specific situations. I really like the action on the NG (vs. NP4/5), and don't have much use for all the additional hardware. Besides, the NG is a real charmer in the flesh.

Seriously, I'd consider a new NG (vs. existing NP4) if I was doing more lounge-type duo/trio work, just for the look and the action.

I think the Tru Vibrato and Unison modes are nice additions. Especially they target the vibrato to mimic real instruments and not just use it as a fun effect. Can’t wait for demos.