New Electric Piano Samples - Great.. but....

[Nordmutt2]

I am a proud Stage 3 owner, so I love the new Electric Piano Samples!

However, I am also a Proud Nord Piano 2 owner (unfortunately, the last of the 73 key pianos, would love a HA Piano 4)

Live, I use the Piano 2 for most of my Piano playing and the Stage 3 for everything else (strings, synth, organ...)

Here's the problem - the new samples (6.0) cannot be used on the older Piano's.
Is there any chance of an update for the piano 2?

One of the reasons that I switched to Nord was because I felt the keyboards would not get outdated - due to constant updates and a great user forum.
I had a Korg Sv1 that I loved, but IMO Korg dropped the ball. They gave it one IOS update and never returned. Goodbye Korg.
Lifelong Roland user - but who needs another workstation! I love my Nords!

[23skidoo]

No company will forever support old hardware. Nord does far better than most, as you yourself have noticed. They have said they will likely support the Electro 5, Stage 2, and Piano 3 with these new samples. No statement of support was issued for any other model.

Whether they're able to bring the new features to even older boards like the NP2 is not certain nor stated at this time, but considering that there was a large hardware shift in the meantime, it's unlikely, if you ask me. Others may have a different opinion. However, up until last year all new samples included support for your model, so you got a very good run out of it, and of course it won't in any way get "worse" ... it'll keep on being just as awesome as it is right now!

You may want to consider controlling the Stage 3 from your NP2 so you can have the benefit of the action of the piano with the sounds of the NS3.

[Nordmutt2]

Thanks for your response 23skidoo.

I would love it if NORy released the Piano 3 or Piano 4 in a 73 key versions - HP or HA.
Maybe there is no market for it? I do not need 88 keys live.

I like having 2 keyboards live - I do not want to control the Stage with the Piano. I like to always have a piano sound (El or Acoustic) on the bottom while I get the Top keyboard ready. Else I could spend a lot less money on just a weighted controller.

So - hopefully Nord is able to update the Piano 2 to accommodate the new samples OR I wait for the Piano 5?

Keep it Red!

[23skidoo]

My understanding is that the NP is viewed as "A Piano" and therefore they dropped the smaller formats because pianos, more or less by definition, have 88 keys. If you want "a piano, but smaller" you're looking at at Stage 3 or Electro at this point, depending on what frills and stuff you're expecting to come along with it. The Electro 6 would be a probably excellent companion for you, since it's likely to be supported with all the updates for the next 10 or more years just as the previous versions have been.

That said, it comes down to your budget and your needs. But I wouldn't hold my breath for a non-88-key Nord Piano 5, so maybe consider some other options that suit your current needs? The NP2 is a very versatile instrument as it is, though, and the fantastic samples that are available for it are still pretty friggen' great, so unless you're really *needing* something in the new set you can't get even with a little external EQ and compression/distortion you might be able to solve your problem "well enough" with just a little multi-effects box!

[anotherscott]

I would love it if NORy released the Piano 3 or Piano 4 in a 73 key versions - HP or HA.

You can get an Electro 6 HP which is close. At one point, I think the HP choice would have been between an Electro 4 which had organ but could only play one sound at a time, and a Nord Piano 2 which could play two sounds at a time but had no organ. Once the Electro line could also play two sounds at a time, there was probably less need for the distinction of a model that merely omitted the organ. But I think the ELectro 6 HP would give you the equivalent of a Nord Piano 4, except for the triple pedal. Though I think that old SV1 could be a nice board to put under a Stage, too.

[stringtapper]

Though I think that old SV1 could be a nice board to put under a Stage, too.

An SV-1 88 running Dual Keyboard with an NS3C is indeed a killer combo!

[cphollis]

I'd second the notion that you should consider using your existing Nord Piano as a controller for your Stage.

Lots of good reasons for this? First, you dial in one preset that controls everything. Song mode is amazing for automating set lists. All performance adjustments a single panel: voices, effects, volume, etc. One set of pedals. And you get 2GB of piano memory in the Stage 3, so XL pianos all around!

If it helps, think of your Stage 3 as two distinct keyboards, the A panel and the B panel. My B panel I use for weighted piano sounds: AP, EP, clav, etc. And the A panel for everything else: organs, samples, synths, etc. That arrangement seems to be more than sufficient for 99% of what I do.

And the other 1% doesn't matter in a bar band that doesn't pay much.

Best of luck!

[catosim]

[quote="cphollis"
.....And the other 1% doesn't matter in a bar band that doesn't pay much.![/quote]

[dannyrichardson]

Totally agree on using your Nord as a MIDI controller. You can take advantage of some great piano sounds with your VST's.

Here's some great electric piano samples that I've been using:

https://keyboardkraze.com/best-electric-piano-vsts/