This 'unofficial' Forum is dedicated to the Clavia Nord Keyboards, including the Nord Stage, Nord Electro and Nord Piano. Discuss any issues around Nord's keyboards, share your favorite patches, samples, and music. We are not affiliated with Clavia!
Well i am kind of wondering if there is a NS2 EX in the pipeline ?? Its seems the most logical progression. i did mention this possibility before but site members agreed it was all speculation.
I'm very keen on upgrading. I really do like some of the features of the 2. However, it's not good enough yet to get me to chop in the EX.
The 2EX is total speculation, but I do believe and have reasons to suggest that the 2EX will be along sooner than expected. It will probably be shortly after some very big electric piano files. We are talking really big ones with all the super features and then the EX will be totally inadequate and a lot of 2 owners will be struggling.
I may sound mad, but we shall see who is right. I reckon we'll see some big e piano samples metered out across this year which will come in a super tide and then even more pianos and then first half of next year, a 2EX with a few improvements here and there. Probably not involving a new pressing for the front panel. That's just my total speculation. If I was them, that's what I'd do. I imagine their 2 sales figures are not what they could be.
jazzystu wrote:I may sound mad, but we shall see who is right. I reckon we'll see some big e piano samples metered out across this year which will come in a super tide and then even more pianos and then first half of next year, a 2EX with a few improvements here and there. Probably not involving a new pressing for the front panel. That's just my total speculation. If I was them, that's what I'd do. I imagine their 2 sales figures are not what they could be.
But do you think one of the things they might increase (if there is to be the release of a NS2 EX) is the Piano Section Memory size ?? If Nord release Rhodes samples that are (say) 50MB in size each then the current 500MB Memory will soon get zapped up !!! And so the story goes on................
The only reason I reckon they are holding back the EPs is that it's a part of the business strategy and they're going to be big and brilliant. Like really really game changingly good. Apart from you'll only get limited numbers in the brain.
I have full faith in them to do this and then I will chop the EX in. As they know, as will many other EXers.
jazzystu wrote:I have full faith in them to do this and then I will chop the EX in. As they know, as will many other EXers.
Thats kind of how i feel. And thats why i did not rush out and buy the NS2 last year. So i think i will hang on another 6 x months and see what Nord release. If i trade in my Stage Classic (which i paid £2,000 for) then i want it to be for something which is a vast improvement (and so i am ot just upgrading for the sake of being in fad).
The main upgrading factor for me was the organ engine. Samples load capability is also nice. The samples are only one layer but are still ok to cover the majority of the sounds I need. NS2 EX will most probably have the new organ model and more memory. I'm fine with the current organ emulation and I mainly perform in a band so I don't need XL samples. I'm gonna probably stick with my NS2 SW73. I would go with Kronos if it would have less weight and more capable organ.
PS There is a chance NS2 price goes down once NS2 EX is released but it didn't happen to NS EX when NS2 was released. NS2 EX SW73 probably will cost about $4k. It's going to be the most expensive board (comparing to Kronos and Motif). Actually NS2 is already most expansive and it's going to be even more expensive. I suppose Clavia will keep the prices until they see customer consumption reduction.
Each time Clavia issue a new generation they raise the price for 20%. NS EX was about $3k. NS2 is 3600$. So the NS2 EX may cost even more then $4k. it's street price could get up to 4360$.
They release new generation every 2 or 3 years. So that's the way they reflect the inflation (the real one ) The other manufactures keep the price low as they have more ways to cut the expenses as they are bigger companies. They relocate facturies to the countries with low labor price. get lower prices for components due to higher volume of purchased parts. So if Clavia keeps their factory location they will have to keep increasing the prices to have thir business profitable. Actually they keep the value of their instruments as the buying value of money is dropping. 3600$ is about the same as 2500$ was 6 years ago the sad thing as they could be one of the companies that will not survive in the current crises (
I would err on using this approach to calculate likely prices. The Stage 10 will be £60,000!
It's like buying a basic car with basic features. I'd say the sort of going rate for that is about £2k (for what the Stage Classic did). You add on bits and bobs and you get something which people want and buy, plus an "added value" over the £2k which people with the basic machine are prepared to pay for.
I paid about £2400 ish for an EX88 with Soft Case and Retro Legs. I thought this was pretty good value. Pretty soon after, the 2 was released for an extra £1000. For me this extra £1000 didn't represent £1000 of improvements over the EX. For the Classic owners amongst us, it did. All of the instruments are pretty damn good. In light of the sizes of the files now (as well as the superduper piano features of the 2) the Classic is getting pretty sorry looking. It's perhaps looking like Piano wise, it's gone as far as it can quality wise (can't fit much quality in it's weeny memory) and with the latest files, the EX is looking a bit thin as well. For instance, I have deleted the harpsichords, the electric grands and the EPiano3 and EPiano4, I have 2 grands which are decent files one decent upright and one "small" upright, neither of which I bother using. I am very aware that if Nord were to release the lovely big electric pianos which I so want....I'd probably have a problem stuffing them into the EX.
I would want a big grand piano, a couple of big Rhodes and a Clavinet. I have a horrible feeling that this might be a tall order. Which clearly then, if I'd want to not be mucking about with a laptop all the time, I'd need to upgrade.
As I've said, Nord are in business to make money and the problem with the stage is that if they make it too good, people won't buy another. That's no good for sales. Have a look at the market. You are looking at people with a load of money who want a nice keyboard to play at home. They probably aren't that bothered about the latest sounds, then you've got the overstretched semi-pro musician, who wants the best and will struggle, but will pay for the best possible kit. Nord have priced this just right for getting these people.They are also the sorts of people who are very concerned about being the best, sounding the best and having the best.These are your serial updaters. Then you have the big boys who throw loads of money around and have 2 of everything. The first and second groups are the biggest, I imagine.
So, we hear over and over and over, "When are we going to get new wurlitzers, rhodes and clavinets?" We have the dyno my piano 45 whacky key sound piano and the running it through amoog filter Rhodes and all the crap that we don't want. Meanwhile, the piano library grows and grows and grows. That's fine, the main people who are buying Nord Stages are not after acoustic pianos. There are better value bits of kit for people wanting those. The key are the EPs.
Nord know that they are sadly and inevitably walking towards the door where people say "Yep, my Stage 5EX is great, I won't bother with the 6 and I have enough sounds....thanks Nord!" and this is a real problem for them. As people say "That'll do" their sales will drop off, which means that they will have to offer more for less, otherwise people won't buy. It is for this reason that I'd expect to see sales figures drop off. In fact, I would be so confident, I'd be prepared to put my money where my mouth is.
If I were them, I would know they are getting to an evolutionary plateau and put in a couple of good sales years and then sell out to a bigger firm, who can paint their keyboards red and write nord on them as some sort of premium line. The Stage 2 is pretty bloody good. Apart from some small problems (like lack of flashing leslie indicator) it has the great organ, ability to play samples and it's just about there. All I would want really, for an instrument I say "that's it" is perhaps the ability to play multilayered samples and a load of much better electric pianos. Due to the fewer number of people who want their instruments, this will come sooner than later. However, they will go down the "devalue" route first.
Feel free to disagree with me, or even insult me, but that's how I'd do it as someone who is primarily about money.
Yep, sad to say Monsterjazzlicks, you have to do all that programming again- and of course, if you use synth patches, the architecture is different anyway.
I had to do the same thing when moving from my Stage to my NS2. Given that, like you I make a lot of use of the external section, what made it worse was a bug in the early OSs which stopped the section being active without an associated keyboard zone. Man that took me a while to work out a solution to. (Thankfully they rectified it by 1.73 (I think).
It was a hassle, but to me, worth it for getting the sample capability (even though I use a Wave too) and the larger piano sample space.
) The other manufactures keep the price low as they have more ways to cut the expenses as they are bigger companies. They relocate facturies to the countries with low labor price. get lower prices for components due to higher volume of purchased parts. So if Clavia keeps their factory location they will have to keep increasing the prices to have thir business profitable. Actually they keep the value of their instruments as the buying value of money is dropping. 3600$ is about the same as 2500$ was 6 years ago 
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