Nord Stage 4 73 Compact vs. Nord Stage 4 73 (hammer)

[krupa809]

I'm really conflicted here...I'm a classical player but also play a lot of rock/jazz that requires some organ playing. I like the waterfall keybed of the Stage 4 73 Compact but at the same item I really value and appreciate the hammer action of the Stage 4 73.

Of both, which one should I be getting or do you have alternative ideas? Maybe getting the Stage 4 73 (hammer) and if needed down the road get a Electro?

Note - I do not want a Nord Stage 4 88. I have a Nord Grand 2 at home and only keep it there. The keyboards above noted would be for home use but also gig traveling.

Thanks!

[cgrafx]

Two points in favor of the Compact

1. The Compact is significantly lighter than the Hammer Action.
Nord Stage 4 73: 16.7 kg (36.8 lb)
Nord Stage 4 Compact: 10.4 kg (22.9 lb)

2. You really can't do a good job of playing organ/synth parts on a weighted action keybed.

[WORSHIP_KEYS]

In favor of weighted:

1. It will add more comfort to your playing. A big reason why I don't sit down to play piano as much as I should is because I have a semi-weighted. I regret with every ounce of my being not getting a fully-weighted.
2. Overall sound is better. This only applies to the actual piano sounds. It makes them sound fuller and more realistic.
3. You could simply get an external keyboard and run the sound from the NS4 into the midi keyboard using a couple midi cables. So if you want to play organ on a semi-weighted, you can do that.

[M_a_c]

Again there is the basic question, what you do with the NS - gigging or composing - professional, semi-pro or just hobbyist.
(In my case I´d earned money with local music jobs in the 90ies, but I have a bread&butter job today and I just still like (or let me say my soul needs) to play music and end up on a stage or a recording-session more times than I want to...)


Well - the compact one is on the same level as the weighted one... I like the waterfall-keybed... I like the less weight... I like the comfort when carrying...

But when it comes to play and I like to have an all-in-one key, it appears (subjective) that the weighted keybed offers more flexibility than the waterfall (or let us also say "Synth"-)one. Okay - the compact let you play faster and the Organ-shredding is quite hot, but none of the Pianos or EPs will respond the same touch and feel as with the weighted one. With that, I like synth sounds (especially the pads) on the hammer-keybed as there is again more nuance.

I bought the NS, because it sounds wonderful, cuts through the mix and gives me all I need in one package. IF YOU WANT TO HAVE ALL IN ONE, YOU HAVE TO DECIDE and I decided to take the weighted one. The little more transport-effort is okay (it is no great difference - even the compact is not that "compact") and if I really want an Organ-Keybed, I use a Midi-Key above the Stage. So what - I prefer the weighted...


To be honest... Sometimes for a small gig or a small rehearsal, I would like to have my NS2compact again, because I want to feel any "effect" of less effort when carrying or put the key on the stand. And maybe there are some Organ-parts I would like to get some back in the days M100 waterfall keys feel when wiping over the keybed - but in the end I had a mobile solution for my playing and must choose / had choosen my side of this conception.

If a had the money and 2 guys who do my rigging, I surely would have a NS4-88HA and a NS4-73comact above... Till then, the NS4_73HA is my thing

[anotherscott]

You really can't do a good job of playing organ/synth parts on a weighted action keybed.

It also depend on the demands you're making of each type of playing. If you're banging away rock and roll a la Jerry Lee Lewis, and not worrying about dynamic nuance, a hammer action becomes less important for piano. Similarly, if you're playing organ basically for simple chordal comps without organ-specific techniques (like smearing/palming, squabbling, and the like) , then a hammer action may not be too much of an impediment either. (Fortunately, Nord's hammer action isn't as bad for organ as some hammer actions are; nor is their compact action as bad as some non-hammer boards are for piano. But the difference remains.)

To me, synth is an unpredictable middle ground, it depends on the sounds. For the most part, I'm okay with any synth sound on either action. But is a synth sound is programmed to make use of a lot of dynamic control, a weighted action is better; whereas an unweighted/semiweghted is better for speed. In the early days, when most synths were not velocity-sensitive to begin with, dynamic control wasn't a concern, but it can be now. Especially when "synth" functions have expanded to include more realistic emulations of orchestral instruments, for example.

Back to the OP, as others have suggested, you can get a hammer action NS4 and trigger its organ/synth sounds (where appropriate) from an attached non-hammer keyboard; and similarly, you could get the Compact and play its pianos and such from an attached hammer action keyboard. There are potential trade-offs though. The NS4's pianos only get the benefit of 3-sensor behavior when played from the internal keys; and, for the most part, you'll only get the benefit of high trigger on the organ when the organ is played from its internal keys.

(Personally, travel weight alone would restrict me to the Compact.)

[cphollis]

I'm really conflicted here...I'm a classical player but also play a lot of rock/jazz that requires some organ playing. I like the waterfall keybed of the Stage 4 73 Compact but at the same item I really value and appreciate the hammer action of the Stage 4 73.

Of both, which one should I be getting or do you have alternative ideas? Maybe getting the Stage 4 73 (hammer) and if needed down the road get a Electro?

Note - I do not want a Nord Stage 4 88. I have a Nord Grand 2 at home and only keep it there. The keyboards above noted would be for home use but also gig traveling.

Thanks!

I started as a piano player, but In my cover band world, I need two keyboards to cover everything: a NS4C on top with a weighted controller underneath.

So, if it were me, I'd start with the NS4C and then add a good weighted controller to the mix when you're ready.

I love my current setup -- simple, powerful and expressive.

[MrLeoMadrid]

As others have said before, if you need advanced techniques and mainly use organ sounds, the NS4 73 HA will fall short and limit you quite a lot. If, like me, you only use the organ occasionally and need more control and expressiveness with piano sounds, the HA can be your best option. But personally, I find it very difficult to use the weighted keyboard to play organ, and that forces me to carry a second semi-weighted keyboard (MODX7+) for more demanding performances.

[ZeroZero]

Po: (look up the word if you don''t know it).

Why not both? too expensive? Yes, but if you can look past this.

I play a Stage 4 and Hammonds both real and digital. The stage 4 is a compromise. i don't like swiping the keys (ditch those ledges Nord!).

I dream of a double manual where one manual is hammwer action. then all sorts of things are possible:

One can play the hammer action as a piano and if necessary supplement bass notes on the waterfall

As a Hammond one can play the melody on the waterfall, and use the hammer action for e.g. walking bass.
As one can have both manuals on Hammond or both on Piano and, one can havce either on either, there are lots of options and no need to compromise much about using waterfall keys to play piano, or vica versa. Playing a piano bass on a waterfall is not a big deal in my opinion, neither is playing an organ bass on a piano.

Z

[M_a_c]

Why not both? too expensive?

Yeah - that´s unfortunately the point for me...


But well... How I wrote moretimes in this forum:
I´m convinced and if you´re honest - deep inside our serious keyboarder-soul, we all prefer a hammer-keybed below and the organ/synth-on above/beside. That´s the mimimum to reach real happyness, even if the job for the audience can be done with a single manual.


But back to topic:
sometimes there´s no place, no time, no money or somehow only one key on the plan.
So what NS4 keybed would you refer krupa809 to choose for what reason?

This point is interesting for me two, since I´m already thinking about a compact above.
I tried a NE6-61 above, but it brought not the full NS feelings...