Clean Acoustic Piano Problems

[Bachman]

Hi all, I am new to both Nords and Forums. This is my first time posting anywhere so forgive me if I don't know the rules. I've read through some posts and tried to search the forum but nothing comes up to help me so here goes.
I have just taken delivery of a brand new Nord E6D Sw, it's all set-up, going through a very good Hi-Fi amp and speakers (sounds good) no probs there.
I am struggling to find a clean acoustic piano sound that does not sound like it is amped/electronic. When I hold down the key for sustained notes it gets even worse, with a kind of ringing/phasing electronic noise. The note does not have a natural sustain or decay. I have checked all effects are off, I have tried varying levels of volume and gain. I have tried headphones and gone through all the presets, they all sound like Electric Pianos to varying degrees, some worse than others, but none of them are bone-dry clean.
My main piano is a RolandFP-7F which has very good A.P sounds (to my ears anyway)and I play quite a few proper A.P's too. My questions are:
1. Have I been spoiled by having good A.P sounds from Roland and real A.P's ?
2. Am I doing something wrong with the Nord set-up wise?
3. Anyone else have this problem, and what did/do you do; i.e Live with it, download a better sample, change the board?

Please can anybody help, I feel gutted after spending such a lot of cash on this board. I don't wanna send it back, I like all the other sounds and functions.

[fieldflower]

To me Long release, String resonance and using the XL samples is the key to happiness on the pianos of my 5D.
With Long release and String resonance off it sounds sterile, and there is a huge difference in the feel of the sound with the individual key sample of the XL, where the notes aren't perfectly tuned to each other.

But if You get an electronic side-sound that sounds like a faulty board rather than a settings problem...

[PScooter63]

To clarify, Roland uses their SuperNatural engine in that model. This is fully synthetic modeling, not sample-based. Clearly, opinions can vary: I play a late-model SuperNatural Roland twice weekly (in fact, I recommended it for this particular situation)... but I would pick my Nord over it if I could.

When you say you auditioned through headphones, were they plugged into the back of the instrument, or your hi-fi?

[baekgaard]

The Roland sounds are very different from the Nord ones, so if your "ideal sound" is like the FP-7F, then it may take some getting used to the Nord ones. Once you do, you probably don't want to go back, though

I've played Yamahas and Rolands before (> ~20 years) and much prefer the Nord sounds. They do require good amplification, and in my view, HiFi speakers are NOT the best solution. It should sound good in headphones, though. Make sure you're in stereo, directly connected to the instrument, and experiment a bit with string resonance and try out maybe the XL samples. Try the Bright Grand, if you like the typical Roland or Yamaha (more processed) sounds. Long release only has an impact of the sound when you lift the keys.

[harmonizer]

I have a Roland FA-07 and have tried its main acoustic piano sounds. I don't know how its AP sounds compare to the Roland FP-7F.
But I did compare the AP sounds of the FA-07 to that of the Royal Grand "L" in my Electro 3 (it's the largest one I can fit).
Even when using just a single speaker, for me the Royal Grand is a better sounding AP sound than anything I have gotten out of my Roland FA-07.
But for me the Roland AP sounds sit better in a mix when playing in a 7 piece covers band.
There are a lot of sounds I get from Roland which sound unimpressive when played alone, but that work just right in the mix of a larger band.

[baekgaard]

Even when using just a single speaker, for me the Royal Grand is a better sounding AP sound than anything I have gotten out of my Roland FA-07.
But for me the Roland AP sounds sit better in a mix when playing in a 7 piece covers band.
There are a lot of sounds I get from Roland which sound unimpressive when played alone, but that work just right in the mix of a larger band.

For busy mixes where Rolands (or Yamahas) cut well, the Bright or the Silver Grand usually cuts well for me You could even experiment with the Velvet here, it's even more mellow when you hold back but can still cut through when needed.

Alternatively, the Amber Upright works for me in many more busy mixes... and survives quite well even more crappy amplifications.

[anotherscott]

To clarify, Roland uses their SuperNatural engine in that model. This is fully synthetic modeling, not sample-based.

I believe the SN piano is a hybrid of sampling and modeling. The purely modeled Roland piano is their V-Piano, which is also in the RD2000 but not in the FP-7F (or the FA-07 also mentioned).

[cphollis]

Cheer up. Lots of people who are accustomed to the processed piano sounds from other boards are sometimes disappointed when they first hear the raw Nord samples. It's not what they're used to. However, if you're used to real, unprocessed acoustic piano sounds, you are delighted.

To me, the Nord approach is the best of both worlds. If I've after something totally authentic (playing as part of an acoustic act, or recording), it works great for that. The only thing better might be high-end software pianos, and I'm not going there. If I'm playing in a loud electric band and need to cut through, I can process the sound to do just that. Once you know how, it's just a second or two to get the sound you're after.

Think of the Nord samples as the best raw ingredients you can get. But it's up to you to cook the meal.

[Bachman]

Cheer up. Lots of people who are accustomed to the processed piano sounds from other boards are sometimes disappointed when they first hear the raw Nord samples. It's not what they're used to. However, if you're used to real, unprocessed acoustic piano sounds, you are delighted.

I am used to playing acoustic pianos in churches (as I don't own one) so I know what sounds I want to hear. I am hearing a very processed sound, but it's mainly when the notes are sustained. Like I tried to use damper pedal to play some Erik Satie and it's just not do-able. The sound becomes a big collision of false overtones.
Having said that, I didn't buy the thing to play Satie and such; I have to cover some songs with the band I'm in (Louie Louie, Green Onions etc) and I'm sure it is great for that.


Think of the Nord samples as the best raw ingredients you can get. But it's up to you to cook the meal.

O.K, maybe I need some recipes guys. And some time with this particular oven. I don't want to give up on this board just yet (I have a week of "cooling off") I will try headphones straight into the Nord and download some XL samples, but any and all advice will be most welcome. And thanks for the replies so far.

[dhbp-nord]

Make sure you are not using a cheap headphone adapter 1/8" to 1/4" - there are loads of junky ones out there that mess up the sound.

DHBP