Nord Stage 3 HA88 Piano Sounds

[bratic]

Hey fellow Nord users! I just got my first Nord Stage 3 keyboard! I used to play on a Nord Electro 6D 61 at church and loved it. So far, I'm loving the Stage 3. The keybed feels amazing, and I'm having a blast with the synth engine. But I can't help but feel like all the piano sounds have too much mid-range. At first I thought that my EQ settings were bad however I get the same feeling when the EQ is off. Same goes with the timbre settings. In comparison with the Electro 6 I get the feeling that it has less mid-range with the exact same sound (Studio Grand 2 for example) and settings. I tweaked the keyboars touch settings and it makes a difference but not much.

I am used to a brighter piano sound and I kinda model the sounds to TOTO's Steve Porcaro piano sound. I'm still an amateur but I can't help but notice the differwnce between Electro and Stage.
I've been messing around with the EQ settings on my amp, but I can't seem to get the sound I want. The treble knob makes the sound too bright and unnatural, and the higher notes sound clicky. I think it's boosting the frequencies around 2k-4k, and while that gives me the brightness I want, it also brings out the hi-mids. And when I try to cut the frequencies around 500-1k, it feels like I lose a lot of body, even with small cuts.

The timbre settings don't seem to help either. The soft and mid settings are too much, and the bright setting is okay, but it still has too much mid-range. I'm not sure if I'm imagining things, but when I did an A/B test with my Electro, I felt the same way about the mid-range. I even tried doing an A/B test with stock sounds on YouTube, and I had the same feeling. I know that's not the most reliable test, but I had to try it.

I hope you understand the issue and sorry about my english, its not my first language. Looking forward to your replies!

[cphollis]

What are you listening through? Headphones, monitors -- ???

[FZiegler]

You might need to start with adapting key sensitivity. The key action changes piano sound a lot. I wouldn't start with the EQ.

[bratic]

So I've been listening to my M Audio BX8 monitors and DT770 headphones, both in mono and stereo.

The key sensitivity is a bit new to me, but I'll get used to it. It's still a bit confusing, I could be wrong with my hearing but there is noticable difference with the exact same settings on Electro and Stage

[ericL]

The base samples are the same. The actions are VERY different. If you're getting acclimated to moving from a semi weighted waterfall action to a hammer action, that could be playing a trick on your ears.

[cphollis]

The base samples are the same. The actions are VERY different. If you're getting acclimated to moving from a semi weighted waterfall action to a hammer action, that could be playing a trick on your ears.

I've been using many of the same piano samples across NE3-4, NP3-5 and NS2-4. They sound slightly different on each keyboard.

Keypress sensitivity matters. I have heavy hands, I have to use the hardest setting, and I still dial back how I'm hitting the keys. Not a problem on a grand piano, but on a digital keyboard ...

The DAC technology Nord uses varies over time as well. That's the bit that changes digital into audio. The DACs on my NS4 are stronger/brighter/detailed as compared to the NS3, which was stronger/brighter/detailed compared to the NS2.

That being said, with a bit of tweaking and layering, I've always been able to come up with very pleasing piano sounds on all the Nords.

[harmonizer]

Many people have reported that they perceived differences in tone, EQ, brightness, etc, when using the same Nord samples in different generations of Electro or Stage keyboards. Others pointed out the difference between the lightly weighted Electro 6D and your Stage3 HA88 keyboard actions could be part of this. If you still have your 6D, try using your Stage 3 HA88 as a MIDI controller into your Electro 6D and see how that changes the sound, or do vice versa (use the Electro 6D as the MIDI controller into your Stage 3).

My own story is that I still don't perceive the same brightness in the EP Nefertiti sound on my Stage3 that I did in my Electo 3-73.

[bratic]

After some hours spent playing on the Stage, I am slowly getting used to the hammer action. I still feel that my piano presets on Electro 6D sound a touch brigther and present in comparison to the Stage 3. I think I got used to the sound and keyboard touch. It will get better in time! Thanks everyone for replies!