NS3 to NS4

[matje]

This question is put on this forum multiple times.

But now after some years my question is if the allround coverband players still would trade in the NS3 for a NS4.

[ericL]

I have at least one or more posts about this over the years and have considered it multiple times. I remain in the NS3 camp primarily as I have so many custom programs along with high reliance on Song Mode that it’s not worth upgrading to me. I have been using a pair of NS3 Compact units since around 2018 for a wide array of bands and they sound great plus I am very familiar. NS4 has some nice things though I am still content with my NS3. Heck, I even kept my original NS2 and could gig with that tomorrow if needed.

[cphollis]

Do you NEED to upgrade? Definitely not. Do you WANT to upgrade? That's the question. I did, and am quite happy.

I had two NS3 Compacts at one time, so heavily invested. I held off on the NS4 for a good six months, and then crumbled. I played both side by side for a while, and you could really see/hear the differences that way. Not so much buried in a cover band, though.

Here is what I liked about the NS4:
- per-engine FX
- improved organ engine and FX
- sounds a bit cleaner and fuller, new DAC perhaps?
- enhanced synth section
- a bit nicer action
- section presets (organ, piano, synth) saves time when programming

Could I be playing a NS3C these days and still be happy? Yes, certainly, the NS3 is an awesome instrument.

Was it worth the $$$?? Yes, to me.

[matje]

If I would upgrade to the NS4, I would do it for the synth section. 3 instead of 2 layers would be a great update. But that would be the only argument.
I think also the community for the NS3 is bigger then the NS4. I'm not a sound designer and use a lot of programs shared on this forum.

[DJKeys]

Since I already got the Wave 2 (which has the same architecture as the NS4) and my NS3, I never considered getting the NS4. Those two boards have everything together that I will need for my bands.

-dj

[jeffkeys]

For me that upgrade was determined by 2 major factors. Firstly, I have (still) a NS 3 HA88. Totally love the the hammer action keybed, but wanted to reduce weight and footprint because of the shoebox stages I play on. That was foremost. I also wanted the drawbars for the organ section. I really dislike the drawbuttons and using the OceanBeach drawbar module was good, but sometimes would overload the MIDI transmission and the response wouldn’t be immediate. I love the effects per section, but those first two points really pushed me to upgrade. The NS3 is now my practice/backup board (sold my NS Classic).

[matje]

Since the Nord Sound Manager v9.10 it is possible to convert NS3 programs to NS4 programs. It seems a great feature. There is not so much information on this forum or videos on Youtube which cover this? Who has tested the converting feature and what to expect from it?

[audios]

Since the Nord Sound Manager v9.10 it is possible to convert NS3 programs to NS4 programs. It seems a great feature. There is not so much information on this forum or videos on Youtube which cover this? Who has tested the converting feature and what to expect from it?

I used it on about 10 or so programs from the NS3, and several of them didn’t appear to be remotely close to expected. Some did turn out though. For synth parts, I’m not quite clear what makes or breaks the transfer. For example, one that broke was a Cars synth patch consisting of two parts on the NS3, but once imported on the NS4 it’s almost as if it’s just a default initialized program. I tried it twice too just in case.

They still have some bugs to work out, but I’m glad it’s available.

[anotherscott]

Copied from another thread, these were the main things that led me to prefer the NS4 over the NS3, personally, listed roughly in order of importance:

* 8 patch recall buttons instead of 5, with a screen that tells you what sounds would currently be invoked by each of those buttons (the lack of this kind of functionality is probably the biggest reason I sold the NS3, even before the NS4 came out)

* Section presets (esp. piano/EP), with their own EQ/effects settings, making it much easier to re-use your favorite piano/EP etc. sounds in new Programs

* vibrato settings within samples... The NS3 bugged me because there was a single universal synth vibrato setting, and I really wanted two, selectable by Program. I could come up with one setting that worked well with synthy sounds but was terrible for acoustic instrument sounds, and I could come up with one setting that was the reverse. No matter what, that vibrato function was basically useless for half my sounds. NS4 is much better in how it handles vibrato.

* LED indicators next to the drawbars

* double the sample memory

* possibly improved action (e.g. triple sensor)

I do miss the endless encoders for part volume control. I know some people miss some of the external MIDI functionality, and a lot of people miss Song Mode, though I've written about why I think it is often not as big a loss as some people think it is, with various potential workarounds available depending on your needs. But yeah, it remains a NS3 advantage, especially if you frequently call up different Programs during a song AND you want to have LOTS of such songs loaded into the Nord (e.g. hundreds). But for me, in terms of patch navigation, my first item listed above is more valuable than Song Mode.

[jazzmonger]

But now after some years my question is if the allround coverband players still would trade in the NS3 for a NS4.

100%. Pink Floyd cover band here. I just posted my initial thoughts on this topic a few min ago. As a live rig, I can't imagine going back to a NS3. EVER!

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