My top "wishlist" item is....

[area51recording]

A Nord piano sample (Upright, grand or both) in.........MONO. That's right, something actually sampled and meant to be played in MONO, not something that "doesn't sound too bad with the mono button engaged" or whatever. I LOVE playing pianos from my Electro 3 in my studio space in stereo, but take those samples out on the gig (where 99% of the time I'm in mono, due to the fact that NO ONE around here runs a stereo PA) and most of them are unplayable. Thin, phasey, with a useless "plinky" non-sustaining high register that sounds like a toy piano. I wind up using pianos from my Casio Px5s. Even stereo samples from that keyboard when played in mono are at least playable. In stereo, in my controlled enviornment at home, the Nord wins that shootout, no contest, but onstage at a gig it's another story....I love the organ, rhodes, wurli, clav, and strings from my E3, and the one piece that's keeping it from being a 1 keyboard solution for gigging is the miserable sound I get when running the pianos in mono. And yes, I really think at this point I've tried them all, still no joy....ok rant over, Happy Holidays everyone!!

[area51recording]

Hey, just in case I'm being overly harsh.....is anyone here using any of the pianos in mono (On the E3 that is) that they are happy with? Maybe I've missed one somewhere. I think the stereo experience on the Nord really spoils you. I can't find anything else that has that organic, woody quality, especially in some of the uprights. I guess that's why the seeming lack of mono capability is such a bummer...

[playsabadguitar]

Are you sure the issue is because of mono vs stereo? I am a noob so take this with a grain of salt.

I have a mono set up at home. nord electro 6->mixing board->qsc 12.2. Sounds good but it is mono. I also have Audit Technica ATH-M50 headphones. On those I hear in stereo. I can tell the difference and stereo is better, but not to the degree you are talking about. No thin phaesey sound, definitely no toy piano feel.

I wonder if it is EQ or compression on the PA systems?

[Rusty Mike]

The trick that has worked for me is to simply use both L/R (Electro) or 1/2 (Stage) outputs together directly into a powered speaker. I use a QSC K8.2 and just plug into both the A and B inputs. I get the full spectrum of the piano sounds, and don't hear any phasing issues. Simple fix and works just fine.

Yes stereo is ideal, but I can't be bothered with the setup complexity for most of what I do (and it doesn't make a difference to the audience). If I need to send a mono signal to FOH, I would use a small mixer that reduces the two inputs to a mono out and send that to FOH. On occasion, I've even used a Mackie SRM-150, where the inputs go into the two front channels and the send goes to FOH - no direct box needed. I can then hear myself close up without relying on the house and control the output.

The K8.2 can do the same thing as well, since there is a summed output on it. It's just a tiny bit trickier to play with the volume controls since the speaker is either on the floor or on a stand further away, and the summed output is after the gain control.

[playsabadguitar]

The trick that has worked for me is to simply use both L/R (Electro) or 1/2 (Stage) outputs together directly into a powered speaker. I use a QSC K8.2 and just plug into both the A and B inputs. I get the full spectrum of the piano sounds, and don't hear any phasing issues. Simple fix and works just fine.

This is what I do also, so maybe that is why the "mono" does not sound that bad to me.

[area51recording]

Are you sure the issue is because of mono vs stereo? I am a noob so take this with a grain of salt.

I have a mono set up at home. nord electro 6->mixing board->qsc 12.2. Sounds good but it is mono. I also have Audit Technica ATH-M50 headphones. On those I hear in stereo. I can tell the difference and stereo is better, but not to the degree you are talking about. No thin phaesey sound, definitely no toy piano feel.

I wonder if it is EQ or compression on the PA systems?

Pretty sure. Running in stereo at home it sounds great. The range that suffers the most is the high end, where notes really thin out. The low end in mono is not great, but usable....

[Mr_-G-]

Have any of you tested if (in addition) pressing the mono button while in that L+R setup actually sounds any different?
In theory the mono button mixes L and R channels in a 'weighted' manner (that was mentioned by Clavia some years ago). If there were any differences, they would be noticeable.
I must say I never heard any phasing in the NS2.

[gitarrenzupfer]

most of them are unplayable. Thin, phasey, with a useless "plinky" non-sustaining high register that sounds like a toy piano.

when I hear this sound description in connection with MONO, I immediately think of an unwanted phase shift on one of the two channels.

What is in the complete signal chain from the L + R outputs to the (mono) PA. Are there any DI boxes, XLR cables, sub-mixers or other potential sources of error installed?

edit:

I just tried this in Studio:
load Piano sound, flipped the phase on one channel, hit MONO-Botton @ Monitor Controller and booomm: sounded like s***

In Stereo, the flipped phase was not that audible as it was in MONO.
But on the other hand, without flipping the phase the pianosound in MONO was absolute OK (I used an Electro 5 , but I think the sounds are pretty much the same)

[area51recording]

The "phasing" aspect I mentioned is really subtle. I guess the biggest problem I experience is the high notes having no sustain and no power, compared to what they sound like in stereo.....

[Rusty Mike]

The "phasing" aspect I mentioned is really subtle. I guess the biggest problem I experience is the high notes having no sustain and no power, compared to what they sound like in stereo.....

To my ears, some of that is associated with the piano sample set. I have found the Italian and Imperial pianos to have very “tinkly” upper ends. I like the White Grand and Amber Upright because they have singing treble sections.

It also helps to knock the treble down a bit to tame the transients.