Nord Electro 6D 61 vs 73 different sound?

Everything about the Nord Electro series; features, specifications, how to operate, and questions about technical issues.
Andreu79
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Nord Electro 6D 61 vs 73 different sound?

Post by Andreu79 »

Hi!
I bought on april an Nord Electro 6D 61 (my first Nord) and it was great, but I realised I needed some more keys. I have just bought Nord Electro 73 keys, and comparing both keyboard sounds, I felt as the 63 keys sounded slighty better to me, with more bass sound, more round. I checked that with the same presets (they have the same), the same volume and the same headphones. I think it shouldn't be, as it's all digital and have the same exact sounds, but I'd like to ask if somebody knows something more about possible sound diferences in the same models.
Thanks! Andreu
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Re: Nord Electro 6D 61 vs 73 different sound?

Post by cgrafx »

the two models are identical. The only functional difference would be the keypeds, as both use the exact same mainboard.
Current Gear: NS3C, NP5-88, NP5-73, Alesis QS7.1 & QS8.2, Hammond B3 with Leslie 122, Yamaha CP70, Yamaha C3 6' Grand, Roland D-05
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M_a_c
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Re: Nord Electro 6D 61 vs 73 different sound?

Post by M_a_c »

I like to say, it´s also simply a question of Feeling... I had the same Combi in my House during Programming-Sessions for a collegue... I thought, the 73er plays much easier and nuanced than the 61... And I also always thougt, my old NE5-73c Organ sounds warmer than the NS4-73 one... With that I use the NS4-73 (Hammer) and the NE6-61 today with the same Sounds and the different Keybed brings out different Feelings... I have to say, the NE6-61 is not always the cheaper one... ;)

In the end - even if we´re talking of (told "handmade" but surely in many ways) industrially manufactured units - each Instrument still has it´s little peculiarities and own touch... Let us tell it "a Soul"...
... onstage since '78 on the endless (?) hunt for the perfect stage keyboard...
Current Gear: NS4_73 - Crumar7 - GSI Gemini - Roland Fantom-06 / VR-09 / RD-300GX - Yamaha PSR-SX900 / MX49 - Studiologic NumaX73
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Re: Nord Electro 6D 61 vs 73 different sound?

Post by Nico38 »

Andreu79 wrote: 08 Jan 2025, 02:23 Hi!
I bought on april an Nord Electro 6D 61 (my first Nord) and it was great, but I realised I needed some more keys. I have just bought Nord Electro 73 keys, and comparing both keyboard sounds, I felt as the 63 keys sounded slighty better to me, with more bass sound, more round. I checked that with the same presets (they have the same), the same volume and the same headphones. I think it shouldn't be, as it's all digital and have the same exact sounds, but I'd like to ask if somebody knows something more about possible sound diferences in the same models.
Thanks! Andreu
This difference in sound does not come from the fact that it is a 73-key Nord Electro 6D compared to the 61-key, this change would rather be due to the generation of Nord Electro 6.
I had the same sound phenomenon with my old Nord Electro 6D which sounded better than the 2 Nord electro 6D that I bought in 2024 (a 61-key model and another 73-key).

I made a recent post about it: viewtopic.php?t=26177
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Re: Nord Electro 6D 61 vs 73 different sound?

Post by maxpiano »

Nico38 wrote: 08 Jan 2025, 12:16
Andreu79 wrote: 08 Jan 2025, 02:23 Hi!
I bought on april an Nord Electro 6D 61 (my first Nord) and it was great, but I realised I needed some more keys. I have just bought Nord Electro 73 keys, and comparing both keyboard sounds, I felt as the 63 keys sounded slighty better to me, with more bass sound, more round. I checked that with the same presets (they have the same), the same volume and the same headphones. I think it shouldn't be, as it's all digital and have the same exact sounds, but I'd like to ask if somebody knows something more about possible sound diferences in the same models.
Thanks! Andreu
This difference in sound does not come from the fact that it is a 73-key Nord Electro 6D compared to the 61-key, this change would rather be due to the generation of Nord Electro 6.
I had the same sound phenomenon with my old Nord Electro 6D which sounded better than the 2 Nord electro 6D that I bought in 2024 (a 61-key model and another 73-key).

I made a recent post about it: viewtopic.php?t=26177
@Andreu79: since you wrote "63 sounds better" it is a bit unclear: is the older 61 or the new 73 sounding better? If the 61, then it looks like a second confirmation of what Nico38 says.
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Re: Nord Electro 6D 61 vs 73 different sound?

Post by cphollis »

Andreu79 wrote: 08 Jan 2025, 02:23 Hi!
I bought on april an Nord Electro 6D 61 (my first Nord) and it was great, but I realised I needed some more keys. I have just bought Nord Electro 73 keys, and comparing both keyboard sounds, I felt as the 63 keys sounded slighty better to me, with more bass sound, more round. I checked that with the same presets (they have the same), the same volume and the same headphones. I think it shouldn't be, as it's all digital and have the same exact sounds, but I'd like to ask if somebody knows something more about possible sound diferences in the same models.
Thanks! Andreu
I believe it's all in the keybed feel.

I play a NP5 76 (weighted) controlling a NS4C (unweighted).

If I try NP5 piano parts on the NS4C unweighted keybed, I end up smacking the keys too hard and getting max velocity out of way too many notes -- so it "sounds" quite different. That would take me a while to unlearn.

The same program and part immediately played on the weighted controller sounds much better, even though it's a single NS4C generating all the sounds. My bet is you're experiencing the opposite -- I'm guessing you're used to unweighted (vs weighted) keybed actions.

You can test this by feeding pre-recorded midi notes to each and comparing.
I think I have gear issues ....
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maxpiano
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Re: Nord Electro 6D 61 vs 73 different sound?

Post by maxpiano »

cphollis wrote: 08 Jan 2025, 20:51
Andreu79 wrote: 08 Jan 2025, 02:23 Hi!
I bought on april an Nord Electro 6D 61 (my first Nord) and it was great, but I realised I needed some more keys. I have just bought Nord Electro 73 keys, and comparing both keyboard sounds, I felt as the 63 keys sounded slighty better to me, with more bass sound, more round. I checked that with the same presets (they have the same), the same volume and the same headphones. I think it shouldn't be, as it's all digital and have the same exact sounds, but I'd like to ask if somebody knows something more about possible sound diferences in the same models.
Thanks! Andreu
I believe it's all in the keybed feel.

I play a NP5 76 (weighted) controlling a NS4C (unweighted).

If I try NP5 piano parts on the NS4C unweighted keybed, I end up smacking the keys too hard and getting max velocity out of way too many notes -- so it "sounds" quite different. That would take me a while to unlearn.

The same program and part immediately played on the weighted controller sounds much better, even though it's a single NS4C generating all the sounds. My bet is you're experiencing the opposite -- I'm guessing you're used to unweighted (vs weighted) keybed actions.

You can test this by feeding pre-recorded midi notes to each and comparing.
But he didn't say he got a NE6 HP 73, just a 73 as he needed more keys, so it could well be a SW (like the former 61 he had)
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Re: Nord Electro 6D 61 vs 73 different sound?

Post by Nico38 »

cphollis wrote: 08 Jan 2025, 20:51
Andreu79 wrote: 08 Jan 2025, 02:23 Hi!
I bought on april an Nord Electro 6D 61 (my first Nord) and it was great, but I realised I needed some more keys. I have just bought Nord Electro 73 keys, and comparing both keyboard sounds, I felt as the 63 keys sounded slighty better to me, with more bass sound, more round. I checked that with the same presets (they have the same), the same volume and the same headphones. I think it shouldn't be, as it's all digital and have the same exact sounds, but I'd like to ask if somebody knows something more about possible sound diferences in the same models.
Thanks! Andreu
I believe it's all in the keybed feel.

I play a NP5 76 (weighted) controlling a NS4C (unweighted).

If I try NP5 piano parts on the NS4C unweighted keybed, I end up smacking the keys too hard and getting max velocity out of way too many notes -- so it "sounds" quite different. That would take me a while to unlearn.

The same program and part immediately played on the weighted controller sounds much better, even though it's a single NS4C generating all the sounds. My bet is you're experiencing the opposite -- I'm guessing you're used to unweighted (vs weighted) keybed actions.

You can test this by feeding pre-recorded midi notes to each and comparing.
In both versions of the Nord electro 6D that he mentions, we are of course on the waterfall, therefore exactly the same keyboard.
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Re: Nord Electro 6D 61 vs 73 different sound?

Post by Nordi »

I have a 73 and a 61 Electro 6D. Both with the same age. And both with the same Sound. No difference between them!
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Re: Nord Electro 6D 61 vs 73 different sound?

Post by harmonizer »

Can join your two Electro 6 machines via a traditional MIDI cable?
If yes, it might be interesting to do some tests where you plunk on the keys of keyboard 1, but hear only the sounds produced by keyboard 2, based on the MIDI signals sent from keyboard 1 to keyboard 2 (and then vice versa).
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