Do you need a backup Nord Stage?

[igneousrock]

Hi y'all,

I bought a Nord Stage 3 used a couple years ago. I'm a young gigging musician, and this was a big investment. I've built all of my sounds and setlists around this instrument, with success until recently.
However, a couple weeks ago, just as I am preparing to go on my biggest tour yet, buttons began failing during a rehearsal. I took it for repair, and it will be out for 3 weeks while parts are ordered. I'm a bit at a loss of what to do as the tour is fast approaching, I'm missing gigs, and no local shops rent Nords.

Do y'all touring musicians eventually buy.... (this is crazy) a backup Nord Stage? Do you have a backup plan using a laptop and a MIDI controller? What do you do if your all-in-one keyboard breaks on the road?

thanks
Jaren

[Schorsch]

Hi Jaren,

that's really bad, I hope you get your Stage back soon.

I am using two Nord Stage 3, a NS3 88 HA model and a NS3 Compact. The primary reason for me to buy two of them was that I am playing many songs with Piano parts and also Organ or Synth, and I feel much more comfortable playing Pianos on the NS3-88. Also organ/synth playing is much better using the keybed of the NS3 Compact. The nice side effect is that I can easily use one of them as a substitute if the other one fails during a show or a gig.

[Tasten-Bert]

Hi Jaren,

it would be lovely if I could afford a complete twin set of my gear, but I can‘t. I feel quite confident that, in case one of my two boards broke during a gig, I could continue with just a few limitations. If my nord broke, I would play everything on my korg then, only that the Hammonds and pianos would sound a bit thinner. If my korg broke, hmm, no more brass, sax and string sounds then, could work in my rock band but would be something strange in my Schlagerband. Might be interesting how the audience would look then, haha.

If I wouldn‘t find a dealer with rental boards I think I‘d try with classified ads to look for a private opportunity nearby.

Good luck and cheers from Germany

[hernjov1]

This has been on my mind as well! I'm not on a tour at the moment, but I would have to say for someone like you should always carry a backup board regardless if it's another Nord! I guess it depends on what kind of tour you're on that you could rent another nord... I'm not saying that you haven't already investigated this, but Google who rents nords for somebody in your position....Best wishes, and I like others know how you feel!

[Spider]

Another idea is to use a cheaper workstation as a backup, like a Korg Krome-Kross, Yamaha Moxf or Mx, Roland FA etc.

These will give you all the sounds you need (arguably even better ones for brasses strings etc) and cost 1/3 of a Stage.

[Skylight]

Ideally, I'd have a backup Stage 3 if I was in your position - in the end it will save you a lot of time and peace of mind. Other than a Stage 3, I'd consider finding a used Stage 2/2EX and either program the synths needed or sample what I created with the Stage 3 if easier. With a Stage 2 or 3, you would have a backup for either of your Nords. Depending upon how much you utilize the full features of the Stage 3, an option for you (or maybe an interim option) could be to look into whether the synth sounds you use in performance could be sampled in a way so that your Electro 4 could be your backup with the samples loaded. In some cases, what you currently cover with two layered panel synths could be put into a single sample. It's not ideal, but it would be better than having no backup at all. Good luck to you!

[Skylight]

I am firmly in the camp of having a backup of the same instrument, particularly if you are touring a lot or doing high profile shows. I don't tour like I did back in the '90s, at which time I was using the standard of the time, a Hammond XB-2. I had a couple of times during big festival gigs in the bright sun when the XB-2 would completely lock up after about an hour. This was not good, so I procured a second one and had our monitor tech prepped on the side stage to bring out the backup when the main one would lock up. Once things cooled down, the main one would work just fine. This experience has given me the desire to never be in a situation where I might not be able to continue a gig due to equipment.

When I was using the NS2, I at one point had a NS2 88, NS2 EX 76, NS2 EX Compact. I would carry the Compact mostly as a backup and needed to use it on a few occasions. Nowadays, the NS3 Compact is my main instrument and I have had rare weird things happen to the extent that I want a second one available if needed. So I have two of them. My newest one is kept in a flight case for gigs and the backup one is in a Nord soft gig bag for rehearsals and use at home for programming purposes. I make a point of uploading my gig bundles every few weeks to keep the instruments in sync, though things don't change that much unless I'm in an active mode of adding new songs or taking on a new gig, etc.

For big shows, I have the main NS3 on stage and I have the backup sitting side stage, in case I need it. For smaller/club shows, I often keep the backup NS3 behind the front seats of my car under a blanket. It would take a few minutes to grab it if I needed it, but that is less of a thing for smaller shows.

Likewise, I keep a spare set of IEMs in my briefcase, as I have had IEMs fail due to sweat or long use. I have some backups of cables and I haven't yet gone so far as to fully replicate my wireless IEM rig - though it is on my list. I have a gig version and a rehearsal version of my rack, with Radial KL-8, Vent and wireless IEM in the gig rack. The rehearsal rack has Radial Key Largo and Vent, minus wireless IEM as I don't always need this for rehearsals. I do have a wireless IEM at my main band's rehearsal space as well.

I'm in the camp of keeping backups available for peace of mind, even if they only get occasional use. You just never know. Making one instrument a gig keyboard and the other a rehearsal keyboard creates better logistics as well. At least for me.

[neomad]

As someone mentioned, my backup and rehearsal is a Roland FA07. Amazing value for money, and sometimes, it’s even my only keyboard for small gigs. Organs are not good to the awful Leslie, but I use a Lester K to compensate. Did more than 50 gigs with it, it rocks for the price.

[igneousrock]

Okay I got a used Vox Continental 73 for all the keys / organs, hoping to find a way to use my laptop for all the synth sounds.
This experience is making me think touring musicians should only buy a keyboard they can afford to buy twice.
A little disappointed in Nord Stage 3 quality control, but I suppose a repair every few years is to be expected with anything electronic.

[Skylight]

I am using two Nord Stage 3, a NS3 88 HA model and a NS3 Compact.

Same here. The combinations of splits, morphs, and synth programs I use are far to complex to attempt to recreate on a different board. It takes me less than two minutes to sync both Nords prior to a show as long I’m just updating songs and programs and not adding pianos or large samples.

I think the answer to the question of whether or not you need a backup (and does that backup need to be redundant) is determined by the type of programs you need, and the impact on you band, the venue, and the audience if you showed up for a gig and your only (or main) board didn’t work.