Nord User Forum

Hello! First time posting here, hope im in the right section

I know this is a common thread, but yea im hesitating betwwen a Nord Stage 3 88 and a Piano 5. I was pretty confident to buy a mint Piano 5 after i tried one at my local store, really enjoyed the keybad and the sound library.

But i found a second hand Nord Stage 3 88 for around the same price.

Im a pianist who do lots of ambient /experimental music, so having a great variety sound at my disposal could really be a great thing, so in this regard the NS3 feels appealing. I cannot be sure about the keybed tho, how would you say it is compared to the Piano 5? Ive tried to gather info about it but it seem that lots of people dont realize that NS 88/73/61 all have different keybeds, so lots of those threads are full of bias. Also i know that ultimately i will be the only one that can really judge according to my personnal feel, but i cant see were i could try a NS3 (the second hand is pretty far away, i cannot go there without knowing if i will get it or not)

Overall, even if i would like having those, i would also say that synths and organs are not my priority, its more about Piano, EPs and Samples (orchestral, plucked, winds, Traditionnal, et..c) and i was wondering if the new sample format could play a role in favor of the Piano 5 here! Also the fact that NS4 is out, and that Piano 5 is pretty new, i guess the best invest/value over time would be the Piano 5

The fact that i can have both at the same price is really the reason im having hard time to decide. Any advices? Thanks

The new sample format brings better authenticity to sample playback, and the triple sensors in the Piano 5 might tip the scale if piano is your focus. Triple sensor is demonstrated in this video around 11:20 -->

I love my NS3, and the dual-sensor keyboard covers piano just fine for me (as it does for thousands of others), however based on your post, the Piano 5 might well meet your needs given the sample section to cover the other sounds you are interested in. It really depends on how much you want to be creating your own sounds and whether a pitch bar and morphing via a morph wheel, aftertouch, and/or control pedal are areas you would like to explore. I mention those because you can utilize apps or other keyboards to create your own sounds and load the samples into your Piano 5, but to dynamically change them in performance you need the synth capabilities of the NS3.

Thanks for your answer! Yes i already watched this video

The thing is that i was like "mmh for the same price i could have a organ and synth engine, even if i dont use them a lot those are still interesting sounds that i like", but indeed the new sample format could really make a great difference because im not really experienced with mod wheel. Regading sampling, im not really interested into putting sample inside the nord (stage or piano) because im already using other devices for that.

You are right in the end the Piano 5 is better suited for my needs

sipsip wrote:Thanks for your answer! Yes i already watched this video

The thing is that i was like "mmh for the same price i could have a organ and synth engine, even if i dont use them a lot those are still interesting sounds that i like", but indeed the new sample format could really make a great difference because im not really experienced with mod wheel. Regading sampling, im not really interested into putting sample inside the nord (stage or piano) because im already using other devices for that.

You are right in the end the Piano 5 is better suited for my needs

I wouldn't say the new sample format is a great difference; it provides a better vibrato and "round robin" capability, but its not a selling point IMO over the synth capabilities of the NS3 that afford a much better experience in terms of sound creation, even if you never use the additional morphing capabilities. I'm sure others will chime in with their thoughts as well. Good luck to you!

I have both, and they are different tools. Given that you're a piano-centric player, I would agree with the others that you'd likely be happier with the Piano 5. It nails the piano fundamentals, plus brings a big helping of musically useful extras to the table. I always look forward to playing mine!

While it is true that a Stage 3 (or Stage 4!) covers a lot more sonic ground (organ and synth), I never connected with any of the 88s from a piano player's perspective, and I'm not terribly picky on piano actions.

The NS3C is a joy to play in its own right -- big, tasty servings of great organ and synth with a side dish of great pianos.

The new shorter weighted NP4 has the same keybed as the NP5 which I know I like, so that upgrade is likely to be in my future before long.

cphollis wrote:I have both, and they are different tools. Given that you're a piano-centric player, I would agree with the others that you'd likely be happier with the Piano 5. It nails the piano fundamentals, plus brings a big helping of musically useful extras to the table. I always look forward to playing mine!

While it is true that a Stage 3 (or Stage 4!) covers a lot more sonic ground (organ and synth), I never connected with any of the 88s from a piano player's perspective, and I'm not terribly picky on piano actions.

The NS3C is a joy to play in its own right -- big, tasty servings of great organ and synth with a side dish of great pianos.

The new shorter weighted NP4 has the same keybed as the NP5 which I know I like, so that upgrade is likely to be in my future before long.

One minor correction. The NS4 73 and HA88 do NOT use the same keyboard action as the Piano 5. The only thing they have in common, is that the Stage 4 weighted actions, are now triple sensor - which they have never been before. The Piano 5 action is a different Fatar action than the Stage 4 88 or 73. I cannot give you names for the people who have communicated this information to me, but I can tell you they are industry insiders and in a position to know more than any of us, and I trust their info implicitly. I am with Cphollis though...the NS3C is an excellent action, and paired with even a decent piano action controller, or other keyboard (I'm thinking a Roland PHA4 on the low end or Yamaha P515) works wonderfully if you wanted to keep the Nord portable, but use either what you already have, or potentially have a setup that is far more flexible than a single keyboard. I had this very dilemma when I had my Stage 3HA88, and I ended up being far happier with a Stage 3 compact and weighted bottom board. Now that the Stage 4 is out, and I have sold my Stage 3, I will soon take delivery of an NS4C and pair that with my Yamaha YC88 for the weighted action. Best of luck!

cphollis wrote:I have both, and they are different tools. Given that you're a piano-centric player, I would agree with the others that you'd likely be happier with the Piano 5. It nails the piano fundamentals, plus brings a big helping of musically useful extras to the table. I always look forward to playing mine!

While it is true that a Stage 3 (or Stage 4!) covers a lot more sonic ground (organ and synth), I never connected with any of the 88s from a piano player's perspective, and I'm not terribly picky on piano actions.

The NS3C is a joy to play in its own right -- big, tasty servings of great organ and synth with a side dish of great pianos.

The new shorter weighted NP4 has the same keybed as the NP5 which I know I like, so that upgrade is likely to be in my future before long.

Thanks for your input! Yea i saw this about NS4 and the keybed, but its way ahead of my budget, im already on the edge for the Piano 5 aha.. I also saw a used Piano 2 for 1200 bucks but i dont know if it would be worth considering the fact that its gonna be difficult to sold in the future if i want to switch on something else

Macsaint777 wrote:

cphollis wrote:I have both, and they are different tools. Given that you're a piano-centric player, I would agree with the others that you'd likely be happier with the Piano 5. It nails the piano fundamentals, plus brings a big helping of musically useful extras to the table. I always look forward to playing mine!

While it is true that a Stage 3 (or Stage 4!) covers a lot more sonic ground (organ and synth), I never connected with any of the 88s from a piano player's perspective, and I'm not terribly picky on piano actions.

The NS3C is a joy to play in its own right -- big, tasty servings of great organ and synth with a side dish of great pianos.

The new shorter weighted NP4 has the same keybed as the NP5 which I know I like, so that upgrade is likely to be in my future before long.

One minor correction. The NS4 73 and HA88 do NOT use the same keyboard action as the Piano 5. The only thing they have in common, is that the Stage 4 weighted actions, are now triple sensor - which they have never been before. The Piano 5 action is a different Fatar action than the Stage 4 88 or 73. I cannot give you names for the people who have communicated this information to me, but I can tell you they are industry insiders and in a position to know more than any of us, and I trust their info implicitly. I am with Cphollis though...the NS3C is an excellent action, and paired with even a decent piano action controller, or other keyboard (I'm thinking a Roland PHA4 on the low end or Yamaha P515) works wonderfully if you wanted to keep the Nord portable, but use either what you already have, or potentially have a setup that is far more flexible than a single keyboard. I had this very dilemma when I had my Stage 3HA88, and I ended up being far happier with a Stage 3 compact and weighted bottom board. Now that the Stage 4 is out, and I have sold my Stage 3, I will soon take delivery of an NS4C and pair that with my Yamaha YC88 for the weighted action. Best of luck!

Thanks! Ideally i would love to have just one keyboard. How does the library of the CP88 sounds compared to the Nord ? Curious to thear your thoughts about that since you own both

I think what you're seeing here are people like me that appreciate the power of the NS3 88 but don't really connect with its action: either as a straight piano, or as a replacement for an unweighted keyboard action.

I've been playing with a NS3C above and a weighted controller below, and have found it ideal. I simply march through Song Mode for my setlist (not really the same on the NS4), and end up enjoying the night as there's zero preset fumbling. As of now, I'm using my NP5 73 as the controller, but it's the best weighted keyboard I own. I'm sure I'd be fine with a VPC1 or whatever.

If I went with a NS4 HA 73 (assuming the keybed feel is equivalent to the NP5 73, and the jury is still out), that would be my "single board", and I'd use a nice unweighted MIDI controller for the synth and organ parts. Except I have this nice NS3C that does that job very well. Choices, choices.

I had a NP2. They were the best at the time, which was a long time ago. I'd steer clear, unless you're thinking about using it primarily as a MIDI controller. I found the action somewhat rickety vs. solid and confidence-inspiring.

Thanks for your answer. I think im gonna go for the Piano 5 then. Right now my local seller got some Piano 73 for 2400 bucks, im really hesitating because it is 600 less than the 88 keys version. Really hesitating here, im not using that much the last 15 keys but i can sometimes happen. i've made a new topic about it here nord-piano-grand-forum-f10/im-hesitatin ... 23582.html