Nord User Forum

Hi, newbie here considering buying a Nord Electro 6D 61. I would mainly be using it to play sampled pipe organ sounds as part of live performances, as a (not cheap) but easy way to accompany choirs in venues with no real organ.

I do this currently using a MIDI controller and software, but the extra setup time and the security concerns of leaving a laptop in the venue during intermissions or before performances is becoming an annoyance.

I have noticed some fairly convincing pipe organ sound packs available on SynthCloud, but in the demos, they all seem to have a lot of sampled reverb, which would obviously not be ideal in live performances use cases.

If anyone has used pipe organ samples with the Electro 6, specifically the Strassburg pack, but any pack will do, can you tell me if the reverb is included in the sample, and if so, if it’s possible to trim the releases to get a dry or mostly dry effect, or if the samples are dry, and what I’m hearing in the demos is being added by the FX module?

Thanks

Ps: I know something like a Viscount Cantorum VI Plus or a Johannes One would be a much better fit for my use case, at about the same price as the Electro 6D, but neither of those are available here in South Africa.

Hello and welcome to NUF

Are you sure the reverb you hear is in the sample and not in the Program? Synthcloud usually provides both Samples and Programs using them, so I expect the Reverb is added after. Anyway I suggest you write to them and ask directly.

Hello

I will try to encourage you to find a distributor or another way to get Johannus ONE.
I think it is a good choice for your purpose. Its options are not offered by the tool with sample sets.
It also has an integrated speaker. I have a very good experience with him.

Idea ... Could Thomann deliver to you? I carry the ONE in the Thon hard case for the NS3.

Edit ... Dexibell Classico L3, mentioned by maxpiano,
has identical technique to ONE, the same additional sounds (piano, harpsichord, vibraphone, winds, etc.) but different organ sets.
I didn't get my hands on either this keyboard, nor could I find a comparison of the organ registers.

Note ... I also had the opportunity to try the Cantorum DUO, but its sounds did not appeal to me personally.

Vojtech

badorganisf wrote:Ps: I know something like a Viscount Cantorum VI Plus or a Johannes One would be a much better fit for my use case, at about the same price as the Electro 6D, but neither of those are available here in South Africa.

PS: in the list of other options, have you considered also the Dexibell Classico L3 https://www.dexibell.com/en/prodotti/classico-l3/? Not sure they ship to South Africa (but maybe they do or you can find some international reseller with Google)

PS2: the NE6 has also its own Pipe Organ(s), one of which is modeled over a Baroque one, maybe that + existing Nord Library pipe organ samples https://www.nordkeyboards.com/sound-lib ... y-30/organ (you can combine them) would be enough for your purpose, without the need to buy 3rd party samples?

Asking the SoundFactory themselves seems a good idea to me concerning the question if the sample is dry or whet.

But: Recording pipe organ sounds for creating samples seems to be rather complex as a pipe organ is a big machine and would need dozens of microphone places (in- and outside the instrument) to get a dry sound. Therefore, I think, it's likely that the samples themselves contain at least part of the reverb/ambience you hear.

An Electro 6 has a pipe organ engine that's totally dry - but you can't find a lot users on this forum who are satisfied. Sounds quite close to a Hammond tone. Only big reverb makes it into something like a pipe organ sound. You may try a combination with a few samples from nordusersounds.com (Miniorgel4Fuss and OrganFlute). (Oh, maxpiano was faster)

I never tried to play an organ sound from my Nord Stage in our church - neither dry nor whet. But I doubt a dry organ sound would mimic a real church organ if I place the speakers in the front part of the church (close to the choir). In order to get a convincing organ sound, I think, you would need to place the speakers quite away from the audience, probably best from (behind) under the roof. So, I'm not sure your idea would basically work.

The thing I can imagine best with a Nord would be the sound of a small mobile pipe organ (chest organ or positive organ) which a Nord Electro should be able to mimic also from the front part of the church.

To consider a true digital pipe organ isn't a bad idea, either - I think.

Marc Larochelle has a video for an organ on an Electro 6 combining organ engine and synth engine - but I'm not sure how that sounds in a real church, not directly fed into a recording.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4KH9E7lslw

badorganisf wrote:I would mainly be using it to play sampled pipe organ sounds as part of live performances, as a (not cheap) but easy way to accompany choirs in venues with no real organ.

Why not using the organ layer swichted to PIPE1or PIPE2? These settings provide very good and realistic church organ sounds, which you may adjust using the drawbars exactly to your suggestions. In addition with a midi-keyboard you may simulate a two-manual organ with different sounds. All sound combinations can be stored as a (fixed or live) program for easy change.

Reverb can be added or swichted off totally according to your venues.
Adding a control pedal allows to change volume during playing like a swell pedal.

I use my NE6HP with above metioned mode in combination with a Roland D-20 to prepare at home for my weekly services in church.

Layering with a church organ sample of the sample synth section is also possible.