Nord User Forum

You're welcome Miky, you'll friend we're a pretty friendly and helpful bunch on this forum.

Since you mention using a sustain pedal and making sure the Nord is receiving it, I have two small things to add.

The MIDI light below the display on the Electro will blink when a MIDI message is received. If it functions the same way as on the Nord Stage 2 (and I think it does), it will blink regardless of the MIDI channel used. So if you set up the Electro to receive on channel 1 and send the FP4 to send on channel 2, it will still blink. This is a bit confusing; it just lets you know it received a MIDI message, not that it received a message on the right channel.

As for the sustain pedal: I think on a lot (most?) keyboards you can't really configure to what split the sustain pedal 'belongs', so if you have a split configured on the FP4 and press the sustain pedal (while connected to the FP4), it might just send out 'sustain pedal pressed' MIDI messages on both MIDI channels. Maybe the FP4 does allow you to configure this (I don't know that board), but this might be something to be mindful off. Also, even if you play the Electro via the keys of the FP4 there is nothing preventing you from connecting the sustain pedal to the Electro (if that were convenient for some reason). Well, now that I think about it; turning off Local Control on the Electro might be one reason why that wouldn't work.

mjbrands wrote:Well, now that I think about it; turning off Local Control on the Electro might be one reason why that wouldn't work.

For what he's trying to do at the moment, there is no reason to turn off the Electro's local.

anotherscott wrote:

mjbrands wrote:Well, now that I think about it; turning off Local Control on the Electro might be one reason why that wouldn't work.

For what he's trying to do at the moment, there is no reason to turn off the Electro's local.

Indeed, so don't do that

Well.... you guys explain things so easy....
By the way I have downloaded the MIDI Implementation chart of the Roland FP4, and I'm beginning to be scared... :s

http://www.roland.co.uk/assets/media/pd ... P-4_MI.pdf

I prefer to wait till I have the 2 boards, and follow your easy instructions. When I'm used to them, I'll try to go deeper in this chart.

Wow, that MIDI implementation chart for the FP4 is sure extensive! These days you usually get a one-page summary with controller numbers (because that's the most relevant bit as a user) and a list of supported MIDI features. You could download the Electro manual (maybe you have already done this) and you'd see that there is about 2 pages of information, most of it tables. The table on page 25 with the MIDI CC numbers (MIDI controller numbers) is the most interesting.

You can 'line' up controllers from the FP4 to the Electro; for example, if you change the filter resonance setting on the FP4 you'll be changing drawbar 2 of the lower manual on the Electro (two things that have completely no relation) since both are using the same controller number (71). Luckily a lot of stuff is pretty standard, such as gain/volume (7), sustain/hold (64), expression/control (11), etc.

Unless you're looking to do real specific stuff, Sysex (System Exclusive), RPN and NRPN MIDI messages are generally vendor-specific and can be ignored. Sysex messages are often used for dumping/downloading programs as well as firmware upgrades, though these days you often use a USB connection for that.

Note that the Electro does not do MIDI-over-USB; right now only the Nord Stage 2 and (likely) the Nord Piano 2 can do that. You're not missing much though, since timing via the good old MIDI port is tighter (more precise).

Hi all again!

2 weeks ago finally I got my new NE3! I was so shocked with the B3 sounds (and spending much time in learning about it) that I couldn't reply here.
Well... I have good news and bad ones:

1) Good news: Just connecting MIDI OUT from Roland FP4 to MIDI IN into the NE3, it automatically allowed me to play with the FP4 weighted keyboard with the sounds of NE3 (as it was expected). I turned the volume knob of FP4 down to off (HW method to make a Local OFF ) and the sustain pedal worked as well, didn't mind if it was connected to the FP4, or to the NE3. I didn't need to dig into the FP4 MIDI implementation chart (see post above and you'll wonder), so, my main goal was achieved with ease!!

2) Bad news: I tried to split my B3 (trying to have the great manual in the FP4 and the swell in the NE3). According to the User's Manual of Nord, if I configure the MIDI SPLIT "ON", it automatically will use the second keyboard connected through MIDI port as great manual... well, the outcome of my tests are:

- if MIDI SPLIT = OFF (default) : the same manual which is played in NE3 is replicated in FP4 (if I select Preset 1, it plays preset 1 in both keyboards, if I switch to Preset 2, it switches to both keyboards as well).

- if MIDI SPLIT = ON (here's my sorprise!!) : it splits the great and swell on the NE3 keyboard, and so it does again in the FP4!!!! I mean, I have 2 phisical keyboards with the same replicated split of 2 virtual manuals!!! Obviously, it was no my expected result...

Could anybody suggest how to split it in order to have: 1) Great Manual on FP4 (ext. midi keyboard) and swell on NE3?

Thanks all for your support! And thanks as well for your patience...

Those are two different applications. Your original request was for the FP4 to duplicate the sound that was selected and playable on the E3's own keyboard. That requires that the two boards be on the same MIDI channel. Your new request is for the FP4 to generate a different sound than what you're playing on the E3, that requires that the two instruments be on different MIDI channels. So change the FP-4 to transmit on MIDI channel #2, and you should be all set for that second use.

BTW, this is clearly described in the manual. Page 12:

Using an additional MIDI keyboard in a dual manual fashion

You can connect an additional MIDI keyboard to the Electro 3 to use the organ in a dual manual fashion, with the external keyboard operating as the lower manual .

1 Connect the external MIDI keyboard’s MIDI out to the Electro 3’s MIDI in .

2 Set the MIDI channel of the external keyboard to the channel that is set in the MIDI menu, the Lower Channel setting .

The default Lower MIDI channel in the Electro 3 is 2 .

3 Select the MIDI Split option in the MIDI Menu and set this to On .

Read more on how to change settings in the MIDI Menu on page 18 .

Yeah... ok. I just got the sentence in page 18 of NE3 user's manua in my mindl:

"If MIDI Split mode is On and the Organ is set to a split operation, the lower manual will be exclusively controlled via incoming MIDI information to the Electro 3’s MIDI input. If you connect an external MIDI keyboard, the Electro 3 can then be used in a dual manual fashion."

I thought it was automatically detected. That's my mistake...

Thanks for your clue! Will test it!

Done!

Roland Lower set to ch.2 (default was ch.1), as well as in the NE3, and worked perfect! (however, I had to set to OFF the MIDI CH. (1-16, off) in the NE3, otherwise, the Roland didn't work as lower manual).

Thanks all for your support guys!