Electro 3 Program Navigation

[yanks01]

Hi Folks - Is there any good documentation that explains how you navigate the patches? I've been using my board for a couple of weeks and the sound layout doesn't make sense. I've been using keyboards since the early 80s. I took me a while to understand my NL2 too.

I didn't find the user manual very useful (except how to flip pedal parity).

I see there are groupings: pianos, synths, organs, keyboards. But then you can go up/down sequential 1 - 64 and each patch number has different patched beneath it.

Maybe I'm going at it all wrong. Maybe I should first go to the grouping like piano and then go up/down sequentially.

[rb4u1]

This is one of the issues with the NE3.
I tend to do things old school, so I don't know if this will work for you.
I put all my preset Organ patches in 1a,2a,3a, etc. I put my fav piano
sounds next to them with the effects turned off. I did similarly with 1b,2b, 3b, etc.,
Trying to keep in mind a program change from 1a to 1a piano or 2a-Wurly etc.
match levels where possible.
The E3 saves patches as you last used them if you like, so you can use the piano
w/out the FX and switch to organ with the Leslie amp sim if you saved it that way.
This allows you to store 2 sounds in one slot.

[pablomastodon]

Hi Yanks,

If you are expecting that the factory programs will be organized into some particular fashion, you are mistaken. Nord doesn't presume to guess what anyone's particular organizational scheme might be. They're just all thrown in there willy nilly.

The main point of factory programs is not to dictate what sounds you use for performance, but to offer a general idea of what kinds of things are possible. It is expected that users will want to rearrange things to suit their particular tastes and needs. This is very easily done when connected via USB to a computer running Nord Sound Manager. Just drag your faves to the front of the bus...

Also, please note that each program on your Electro 3 is a two-sided coin: there's an organ side and a piano side. That is, ALL programs contain both a complete set of organ settings and a complete set of piano settings.

Feel free to call or write if you have need.

Bless,

Pablo Mastodon
Nord Technical Support USA/Canada
pablo.mastodon@AmericanMusicandSound.com
(800) 994-4984 x3030 USA
(800) 431-2609 x3030 Canada
(813) 644-8480 (direct line)

[yanks01]

Thanks for the responses folks. What confuses me the most is how sounds are internally laid out.

There is PROG A and PROG B ( I assume you have 64 patches in each program bank)
There are models in each sound (sometimes numerous) - not sure what this does for me.
When I use the sound manager to load my sample area; I lost some of the non-sample sounds became a single old synth sound I loaded.
There are groupings of sounds (piano, etc.). When I use the grouping button to go into pianos, the original PIANO 1.a model 1 doesn't show up.

I guess I'm confused on how the E3 arranges and stores patches. It is not intuitive. I guess I'll have to play around with it more.

[stiiiiiiive]

You should definitely read the manual; it explains how the differents objects and concepts interact: samples, memory location, banks etc.

[Bootsy]

Also, please note that each program on your Electro 3 is a two-sided coin: there's an organ side and a piano side. That is, ALL programs contain both a complete set of organ settings and a complete set of piano settings.

Does this mean that you can save an organ patch and a piano patch to each number? For example 1A can store two sounds, 1 with the organ side (B3) and 1 with the piano side (Grand Piano)?

[stiiiiiiive]

Yep. As well as the status of each effect. However the effect type and amount are global to the two parts.

[Bootsy]

Hi Bootsy,

Not only does this mean that you can save and organ patch and a piano patch to each individual program location, but

IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO AVOID DOING THIS. Each and every Electro program (this applies to ALL Electros, boys and girls, from the 13 year old original straight through to the current NE4 models) will ALWAYS necessarily contain complete settings for both Organ Mode and Piano Mode.

Stiiiiive (sorry, but my eyes not good enough to accurately count the number if "i"s in your name and I can't find my reading glasses),

My recollection is that you are wrong about the effect type and amount being global. I believe that it is possible to have completely different effect settings for Organ and Piano modes. I'm not with my Electro at the moment, but will check this tomorrow or Monday when we are reunited. Meanwhile, I'll point out that only the original Electro and Electro 2 actually have amount controls for effects. The NE3 and NE4 do not.

Bless,

Pablo

[stiiiiiiive]

7 "i", Pablo, no worries

I've just double-checked: the effect type and the effect rate -not amount indeed- are shared by the piano and organ sections. At leat on NE3.

[Bootsy]

Thanks for your help. One more set of questions (I was going to put last set of questions but you never know!):
- If something is currently saved as an "Organ" set and I rewrite the piano side, will it impact the Organ at all?
- Is there a way in Sound Manger to see the Organ and Piano set?
- Is there a way to export the sound listing from Sound Manager?
You guys have been great! I've had the NE3 for about a year and am now really getting into reshaping sounds. Found the memory space limiting but with the stuff that I do, the NE3 works well.