Nord User Forum

Nord just released a new update for the Electro 6. Unfortunately, it looks like they didn't fix (and I guess never will, at this point) the 9th drawbar issue, nor the percussion volume settings.

Here's the changelog:

v2.60 (2020-04-22)
New feature:

Added MIDI Out Velocity Curve page to System menu, with Heavy, Medium and Light options (Heavy is default).
Added MIDI Out Velocity Legacy page to System menu, set to Off by default. To use the MIDI velocity scaling of previous OS version, set this to On. When set to On, the curve selections on preceding page are not applicable.

Other updates:

Fixed potential bug where user samples with silent zones could theoretically cause stability issues.
Under certain circumstances long release times for samples would not be dampened on program changes. Fixed.
Improvements to seamless transition mechanism.
Improvements to Sample Synth dynamics.

StrangeAeons wrote:Nord just released a new update for the Electro 6. Unfortunately, it looks like they didn't fix (and I guess never will, at this point) the 9th drawbar issue, nor the percussion volume settings.

Well the E6 is the most recent Electro and it isn't that old. To call this the "last" update seems a bit premature to me. Also, the 9th drawbar isn't a bug but a deliberate choice, like it or not (I know many people don't...). The percussion volume setting I am not sure what you are referring to. You mean the possibility of adjusting the volume of the percussion more precisely for normal and soft?

Hlaalu wrote:

StrangeAeons wrote:Nord just released a new update for the Electro 6. Unfortunately, it looks like they didn't fix (and I guess never will, at this point) the 9th drawbar issue, nor the percussion volume settings.

Well the E6 is the most recent Electro and it isn't that old. To call this the "last" update seems a bit premature to me. Also, the 9th drawbar isn't a bug but a deliberate choice, like it or not (I know many people don't...). The percussion volume setting I am not sure what you are referring to. You mean the possibility of adjusting the volume of the percussion more precisely for normal and soft?

It's true that the 6 is the most recent iteration in the Electro line, but Nord has been releasing a new model every three years, since 2009 (Electro 3). Even if Nord is planning on skipping 2021 (because of many reasons: not much to update, the Piano 5 that was just released, prioritising a new Stage or Lead and so on), the Electro 7 should nonetheless be released next year. And if you take a look at past changelogs, Nord keyboards usually get new features during their first year of life, two at most: after that, it's just either bug fixing or pretty minor additions.

The 9th drawbar's behaviour isn't a bug, you're right on that. In my view, it's much worse as it's an irrational design choice: just like with the percussion volume (which you could regulate on the Electro 5), there wasn't a single good reason to purposefully leave out those settings; if Nord thinks people found an accurate Hammond behaviour confusing, they should simply let the 9th drawbar always on by default whilst adding a setting for those who know how a Hammond works (I'd say close to 90% of the Electro owners). Since a lot of us periodically ask Nord to change their mind, their stubborness' frankly unexplainable: it's as if they're making a point of justifying a mistake and not listening to their most loyal customers. It's the only gripe I have with an otherwise amazing (the Electro 6 is the best keyboard I've ever owned, and I've owned and played many!) instrument.

"Past performance is not indicative of future results".
Nord makes some of the most amazing boards. If you think you can do better, why haven't you tried? It's real easy to play armchair quarterback as opposed to actually developing a product to satisfy everyone's whims.

I played B3's for over 20 years, I have the Hammond SK1.
Just got the Electro 6D 73. Very impressed with the website and all the free downloads. Hammond USA has zero support and you have to go to the Europe site for the latest system updates; USA site is behind about 3 years...

This is not the place to debate which is better, but I'd LOVE to see fixes/tweaks for the Electro 6:

The Vibrato Chorus too strong, just doesn't sound 'right'. ...
Percussion also too strong/loud; need more control of loudness... I can live with the 9th drawbar...
More control of leslie horn and rotor speeds; low, normal, and high still aren't quite correct. Lower rotor ramp up and ramp down too short. Need a more control there...
Still learning and love this forum; you've all been very helpful.

Regards,

Mike

mrsugmad wrote:More control of leslie horn and rotor speeds; low, normal, and high still aren't quite correct... ...Need a more control there...

I agree.

I'd like to have independent controls for these speed related properties:
Speed of Horn Slow
Speed of Horn Fast
Acceleration time of Horn
Deceleration time of Horn
Speed of Rotor Slow
Speed of Rotor Fast
Acceleration time of Rotor
Deceleration time of Rotor

JohnT wrote:"Past performance is not indicative of future results".
Nord makes some of the most amazing boards. If you think you can do better, why haven't you tried? It's real easy to play armchair quarterback as opposed to actually developing a product to satisfy everyone's whims.

Is that what you wrote on the Wishlist topic too, since we aren't allowed to think we can give Clavia good/better ideas? I dislike getting into arguments, but you should bear in mind that if consumers/customers never "complained", a lot of bugs wouldn't be fixed and many features wouldn't be added to many products (remember the "innovative" Windows 8 GUI? People bashed it, Microsoft scrapped it). The Electro 6 retails for 1600€: honestly, I've received much better support for way, way cheaper products. A couple examples? Gigabyte sent me a custom EFI for my 70€ motherboard when I wrote them asking for a small modification to the CFG Lock behaviour, whilst Viscount actually took the time to fix a product of theirs with an update, a few weeks after I had emailed them: should I have just said "Nah, companies can't be wrong, I should just build myself my rig"?

I'm no programmer, but I'm fairly sure implementing a software setting that was already available in your past OSes can't be an insurmountably difficult, time-consuming and unreasonable task, especially since it doesn't do any harm to the 9th drawbar-always-on team, but does benefit most (or at least a good share) of us. Besides, that's how any other clonewheel behaves (including past Electros).

I am a programmer, 40 years dealing with "wish lists", perceived bugs, and real bugs. I never had a problem with user's requests and changes, only those that assumed they knew how the software should be built.
Maybe it was in the translation, but, it sure sounds like you know better then the Nord team. "it's much worse as it's an irrational design choice", "there wasn't a single good reason to purposefully leave out those settings", "their stubborness' frankly unexplainable", "I'm fairly sure implementing a software setting that was already available in your past OSes can't be an insurmountably difficult".
Maybe sit in on the next development meeting, it might be enlightening.
Or, just lighten up. As you said it's a great board.

JohnT wrote: Nord makes some of the most amazing boards. If you think you can do better, why haven't you tried? It's real easy to play armchair quarterback as opposed to actually developing a product to satisfy everyone's whims.

Sorry, I have to jump in on this "let's see you do better" canard. It's the classic dodge when someone doesn't want to address legitimate (or non-legitimate) criticism...of anything.

The simple response to JohnT is to ask him if he's ever criticized a film, a restaurant, or a President - and to inquire if he first made his own movie, started his own eatery, or ran for the highest office in the USA before doing so.

I doubt it.

Gambold wrote:Sorry

StrangeAeons wrote:I dislike getting into arguments

You sure? I think I'm sensing the budding of a tendril of a tendency