Wish List for Nord Keyboards

[w4ve808]

1. The Feature Request - Headhphone sub-mix
I would like to see future Nord Stage models (or a major OS update if hardware permits) include a dedicated Headphone Sub-Mix menu.

This feature would allow the Headphone Output to function as a separate cue mix, independent of Main Outputs 1-4. Additionally, I am requesting that the Monitor In (or a new set of Line Inputs) be routable specifically to this headphone cue mix with its own dedicated volume control, rather than just being a fixed-level pass-through.

2. The Current Limitation
Currently, the Headphone output mirrors the Main Outputs (or routed outputs). There is no way to hear a sound "locally" in your ears without also sending it to Front of House (FOH) or the recording interface.

Furthermore, the current "Monitor In" is useful for practice, but its lack of volume control and routing flexibility makes it difficult to use in a professional live setting. To get a proper cue mix with a click track or band director comms, I currently have to carry an external mixer to blend the Nord’s audio with the cue signal before it hits my in-ears.

3. Proposed Solution & Workflow
I propose a "Headphone Mix" mode in the System Menu that allows:

Cueing: The ability to route specific panels or instruments (e.g., testing a synth patch) to only the headphones before fading them into the Main Output.

Input Mixer: A digital gain stage for the Monitor In/Line In that sits before the headphone amp.

Routing: A setting to send "Monitor In -> Headphones Only" while keeping "Keys -> Main Outs 1-2," allowing me to hear the click/cue track from the band without sending it to the PA.

4. Use Case
This would effectively eliminate the need for a small external mixer for many keyboardists using IEMs. It would allow us to control our own "me-mix" directly from the board, integrating external band cues or click tracks seamlessly.

[glombi]

I would like to double on that proposal 100%. This would perfectly match my use-case and significantly simplify my live setup (though I would be missing USB-audio, mainly at rehearsals).
Thanks for the elaborate description.
Regards, glombi

[maxpiano]

1. The Feature Request - Headhphone sub-mix
I would like to see future Nord Stage models (or a major OS update if hardware permits) include a dedicated Headphone Sub-Mix menu.

This feature would allow the Headphone Output to function as a separate cue mix, independent of Main Outputs 1-4. Additionally, I am requesting that the Monitor In (or a new set of Line Inputs) be routable specifically to this headphone cue mix with its own dedicated volume control, rather than just being a fixed-level pass-through.

2. The Current Limitation
Currently, the Headphone output mirrors the Main Outputs (or routed outputs). There is no way to hear a sound "locally" in your ears without also sending it to Front of House (FOH) or the recording interface.

Furthermore, the current "Monitor In" is useful for practice, but its lack of volume control and routing flexibility makes it difficult to use in a professional live setting. To get a proper cue mix with a click track or band director comms, I currently have to carry an external mixer to blend the Nord’s audio with the cue signal before it hits my in-ears.

3. Proposed Solution & Workflow
I propose a "Headphone Mix" mode in the System Menu that allows:

Cueing: The ability to route specific panels or instruments (e.g., testing a synth patch) to only the headphones before fading them into the Main Output.

Input Mixer: A digital gain stage for the Monitor In/Line In that sits before the headphone amp.

Routing: A setting to send "Monitor In -> Headphones Only" while keeping "Keys -> Main Outs 1-2," allowing me to hear the click/cue track from the band without sending it to the PA.

4. Use Case
This would effectively eliminate the need for a small external mixer for many keyboardists using IEMs. It would allow us to control our own "me-mix" directly from the board, integrating external band cues or click tracks seamlessly.

That would be interesting, but requires a new design of the analog outputs section, so it could only be done on a new model (and if I m not mistaken no other brand/model I can think of has such a feature at the moment, so probably is not yet seen as a requirement and not just by Nord, )

[Scorps]

More encoders instead of potentiometers, please! Especially for synth filter!

I'm still using a Stage 2 and I love the fact that the synth section filter cutoff knob is an encoder with LED ring. I often adjust the cutoff of two layers alternatively and it's so handy to always see the active position instead of the value jumping to the position of the pot. Even Stage 4 has an ordinary pot there - despite its price...