Got a chance to play an Electro 5HP

[Rusty Mike]

I made a trip into NYC yesterday to sample some keyboards at the "flagship" stores of some big music retailers. My Electro 3HP has been my steady gig machine for over 3 years now, and I'm thinking about upgrading to something multitimbral. I have to confess I've been spoiled by the sound quality, ease of use and size/weight of the Electro, so the E5HP is currently at the top of the list as an upgrade. I'm also curious to try the Kurzweil Forte/7/SE as a comparison, despite the weight differential.

My first stop was B&H Photo on 33rd St. Despite being a camera shop, they have a fairly comprehensive pro audio and MI department, with several keyboards on display. They had an E5HP lit up an ready to demo, but it was in awful condition. The OLED display was dying, buttons were missing and the sound was really screwed up. I had a regular piano patch up, turned off the effects, and was just cycling through the different AP and EP samples (even though I know what they all sound like). Once I switched from AP to EP, there was no sound to be heard. I wasn't in the mood to debug it, but I know the issue was limited to this particular unit.

The one impression I did have about the instrument was how different the HP action feels from my 3, particularly when it was new. The 5's action was much smoother and easier playing. I remember when mine was new the HP keyboard was rather stiff. It's eased up a fair amount over the past years due to my playing as well as a few very thorough re-lubrication jobs. But I was impressed by whatever Nord or Fatar did to improve the action of the TP100. It felt nice to play.

Stop #2 was Sam Ash's flagship store around the corner. This was a huge disappointment. The only Nord on the floor was a Lead 4. Jeff, the main keyboard sales guy there, told me Nord instruments don't sell. There were 0 Kurzweil's on the floor, and he told me it was because they had bad quality so they didn't like to sell them. I don't believe him, for what it's worth. He told me the same thing about the Kawai's last year, but had an MP7 and MP 11 on display. The last time I was there a year ago, they had at least an Artis, several Electros and Stages to play. At least half the keyboard department has home electric pianos, and then a full complement of stage keys from Roland, Korg, Yamaha and Casio. I told him I was looking to upgrade my Electro to something just as light and simple. He recommended the Montage 88, which shows how much was really listening or really cared. When I told him the Montage doesn't interest me, he just started talking about other Yamaha alternatives. Ironically enough, they had a Waldorf Zarenbourg on the floor, despite this guy talking about not carrying stuff that doesn't sell. It's probably the only one in the US right now. I was planning on spending some time there testing stuff out, but left after a very short time.

The last stop was the Guitar Center at Times Square. Their selection was pretty much the same Roland/Casio/Yamaha/Roland as Ash (and no Kurzweil), but they at least had a functioning Electro 5D on the floor. I got to fiddle with it a bit more, and it's a nice unit. But there was one thing I could not get it to do.

I understand in Split mode you can use the same engine on both sides of the split. I was trying to create a patch that used one of the Rhodes samples on the the Lower and a different Rhodes sample on the Upper, but could not seem to get it to work. Can anyone verify that this can indeed be accomplished? I do not need to know how right now, but just that it can be done.

Overall, though, I was let down about the inventory these stores carried. The market really has changed. When the time comes, I just may order the 5HP from the Internet retailer I've used in the past.

[pablomastodon]

Hi RustyMike,

The NE5 will allow organ on both sides of split, but it is NOT possible to split or layer Piano with Piano or Sample Synth with Sample Synth on that instrument.

Thanks for your comments and research.

Bless, Pablo

[Rusty Mike]

Pablo, thanks for the response.

I'm confused then by the September 15 review of the Electro 5. Here is a quote about the splits:

"Unlike with layers, in split mode you can select the same sound source for both the upper and lower parts. You still can’t have two different Synth section or Piano section sounds on either side of the split, but you can note-shift them and change how they interact with controllers. For example, I found it quite useful to assign the Synth sound to both sides of the split. I set the Lower Part with sustain pedal enabled to serve as my pad and the Upper Part without sustain to serve as my lead. This lets me hold a chord on the left side of the keyboard and solo over it with the same sound—again, with different octave-shift and effects—on the right."

I guess that means he used the same sample from the Synth section, but adjusted the effects and controls so they would behave differently.

Thanks for the clarification Pablo.

[OrpheusNY]

The review is accurate, you can use the split function to put the same piano or synth sample on the upper and lower parts and make independent adjustments.

[Davyk Al]

I had a nord electro 2 and a nord lead 2x. Sold them 6 years ago. Now I have a Kawai mp8 and an Andromeda 06 plus a Moog Voyager and a waldorf xtk. Love all of them however I regret selling the Nords. The friendly interface, looks, lightweight and sound is awesome. Saved for years and ordered an electro 5HP. I will give you my opinion when I receive it and play it. 25 pounds and quality sounds especially in pianos and organs plus the layering and splits is what interests me. Glad to hear the action feeling is great!. I'll let you know as soon as it arrives.

[venro]

Just tried it out. There are 6 splitpoints and you can use the same or different organ/piano/synth for both sides and adjust the balance, octave and the other effects on lo or up as well as the equalizer on lo up or both.