Namm 2026 will nord show breakthrough instruments??

[Eumel]

I agree, it would be too soon for a NS5. I hope they will embedd the new organ generation in the NS4.

[dansnord]

Way too soon for anything new on the Stage 5 front. I'm wondering if we might see a Stage 4 EX in a year or two, with some things like more storage/memory, slight changes to the panel and possibly the updated organ engine. With respect to memory, my guess is the current limit of 2GB is an OS limitation not easily overcome without a complete OS overhaul that Nord is reluctant to do. It would require a lot of work and the current OS is mature and stable. I wonder if, to get around that, Nord might separate Grand Pianos from everything else in the piano engine. So maybe 2GB for Grands, and then 2GB for EPs and uprights and Other (clav, digital, etc.) I would also expect 2GB for samples. So possibly 6GB total. Would be nice, eh?

[Gambold]

An Electro 7 - or a completely new model to replace the Electro's product category and price point - is now quite overdue.

Given the underwhelming upgrades on the Stage 4, I would hope for something new, and not just another Electro with a few tweaks and another $500 added to the price. They've already had 6 models and the platform has conceivably reached a plateau in functionality and capability.

[cphollis]

Another unrealistic, negative take from @gambold ...

- the Electro 7 is not "overdue"
- the Stage 4 was a big upgrade and is selling very well
- you are claiming that no future enhancements are possible on the Electro

Jeeez, dude, get a life!

[analogika]

- the Electro 7 is not "overdue"

Something is only "overdue" if there was a fixed timetable that's been missed, true.

The 6D has now been on sale for about as long as the Electro 2 (and if you count the original Electro, which could be software-updated to Electro 2 spec, it's got one more year to go).

2001–2002 (Nord Electro)
2002–2009 (Nord Electro 2)
2009–2013 (Nord Electro 3)
2011–2013 (Nord Electro 3 HP)
2012–2015 (Nord Electro 4D and 4 HP)
2015-2018 (Nord Electro 5 and 5D)
2018-present (Nord Electro 6D and 6 HP)

[Gambold]

>the Electro 7 is not "overdue"<

Kinda sorta is. The last Electro was 7+ years ago. If they don't release one soon, it will be 8 years old. That's a long time between models, even for Nord. If you have to go all the way back to the Electro 2's 7-year term to justify this gap, well, that's a reach.

>the Stage 4 was a big upgrade and is selling very well<

If you have access to factual sales for Nord products, you are a very special person indeed. I've been on this forum for years and no-one has ever managed to find that kind of information. Please, share your source that illustrates how well the Stage 4 is selling.

- you are claiming that no future enhancements are possible on the Electro<

I think I'm about the 13th person to say this here. Most of the other statements have been made to defend Nord from a lack of real innovation on keyboard. It has been long argued that the reason memory stays limited is due to the infrastructure of the boards. Notice that the Stage 4 did not increase its piano memory capacity from the 3EX. It's also been stated many times that it's highly unlikely Clavia will engineer wifi capability or anything else that could be considered a true move forward, because the cost of doing so would be prohibitive. Honestly, what big change do think is even possible on a board that not really changed for a dozen years?

[Schorsch]

I agree that Nord tends to pursue a strategy of gently refining existing instrument types rather than pushing for radical innovation. There are a few things I would like to see, but for me personally, this is of very little importance because, as I think I have often mentioned elsewhere, the Nord Stage 3 meets all my requirements. If I ever need more, I would probably supplement the Stage 3 with an instrument from the Yamaha Montage/MODX or Roland Fantom/FA series.

To be honest, however, it must also be said that Yamaha has not fundamentally renewed or further developed its YC series since its release in 2020. Yes, there was an OS update last year with some new sounds and features, but this is also more of a minor addition to the existing range than an innovation. And yes, compared to the Electro 6, they have been on the market for two years less with the YC series, but also three years longer compared to the Stage 4. I am curious to see when Yamaha will release its next generation of the YC series and which improvements, or maybe groudnbreaking innovations, they will offer.

[Isai+]

Disclaimer: this is largely speculation on my part, so take everything below with a grain of salt.

I don’t think Nord will release a Stage 5 this year for two reasons:

1. Nord seems to release a new Stage roughly every six years (not counting EX models, as they’re basically the same board with extra memory): 2005, 2011, 2017, and 2023. Following this pattern, Nord would probably release the Stage 5 around 2029.

2. Apart from the new organ engine in the Organ 3, I don’t think there’s any newer tech that puts the NS4 that far behind. I’d argue it’s still exactly what it’s meant to be: the do-it-all flagship.

I also don’t think the Nord Stage 4 will receive any updates to its organ engine. The Stage 2 didn’t, even after the release of the C2D back in 2012. In fact, the newer engine at the time ended up in the Electro 5 (released in 2015), only making it into a Stage model in 2017 with the Nord Stage 3.

There is, therefore, precedent for the newest organ engine appearing in an Electro before the Stage, so I think it’s quite possible that the next Electro will show up before the Nord Stage 5. This year would be a reasonable guess, as the Electro 6 is nearly eight years old at this point.

[hugoka]

New Hammond announcement

[analogika]

Doesn't look or sound like a "breakthrough"…?