Nord User Forum

Hello,

I'm doing some research on the Nord Stage 3 to see if it would fit into my setup and I found something strange.

I would be using the Stage 3 as a master keyboard for an Elektron Digitone and Elektron Syntakt. I would also use the built-in MIDI sequencer in the Elektron boxes to sequence the different sound engines on the Nord.

Onto the "something strange":

There doesn't seem to be a way to engage the sound engines individually via MIDI. This is something that the Nord Stage 2 seems to be able to do. I can configure MIDI channels for the sound engines individually and I assume that I could sequence them individually too. (I don't have a Nord Stage 2 so I'm assuming based on the manual)

The manual for the Stage 3 doesn't seem to mention anything about MIDI channels for the individual engines.

Am I missing something or Clavia removed the functionality?

I see why this can be a problem, but (as obvious as it might be) this is far from what the Stage line is designed for. The intent is to emulate 3 (or 6) instruments in one enclosure, with a shared user interface. Not a sound engine for sequencing externally. Something like a Lead or Wave is much more suitable for this kind of application.

I already have a Lead A1 and while it works, it's kind if annoying to use it as a master keyboard because I have to disable local mode every time I turn it on. The Wave is the same in this regard.

My setup involves a MIDI keyboard going into two Blokas Midihubs. The notes are routed to different devices via pipelines and the pipelines are mapped to MIDI CC messages which lets me bypass them. Right now the Nord Lead is indirectly engaged by itself, if the keyboard is routed to my Digitone and I have a MIDI track selected.

Hlaalu wrote:using different panels for different engines, or send a program change as a way to "change" sound engine, etc.

Yes, different panels could work, it just feels somewhat limiting compared to the four individual sound of the Lead A1. Changing the program would not always be feasible because I'm thinking that I would want to play the different sounds at the same time.

szszoke wrote:I already have a Lead A1 and while it works, it's kind if annoying to use it as a master keyboard because I have to disable local mode every time I turn it on. The Wave is the same in this regard.

FYI almost all keyboards reset the Local ON at startup, but most also accept Local ON/OFF msg via MIDI, so you may send Local OFF messages to it from the computer i.e, the DAW or apps like Mainstage etc., to automate that,

My Nord Lead A1 didn't react to the standard local mode off message. The manual is unclear about it. There is a table where it is mentioned but other columns are empty. Other messages either say that they recognized or that they are not.

I gave it another try and it still didn't work. My global channel is set to 10. I sent the following bytes: B9 7A 00. This would decode to a channel mode message on MIDI channel 10, the message number is 122 - local mode - and the value is 0 or off.

I also tried the use the MIDI channel of the individual tracks but that didn't work either.

As a sanity chrck I tried to send the bytes for a note on message as well which worked, so there is no MIDI/cable connection issue.

The "all notes off" message is also ignored.

I understand that other synths flip back the local mode to "on" as well when they start up, but I don't have the legacy of playing on synthesizers, the Nord Lead A1 is my first synthesizer ever. It is weird that I can't set a default position for local mode.