Stage 3 even worth getting?

[NordNerd431]

As a gigging musician who has had extensive experience with Roland, Korg, and Yamaha keyboards, I have always been intrigued with Nord’s Stage series of boards. I have always wanted an easy to use, but powerful, live keyboard for gigging. Pianos, killer organ, and synth were and are a must. Since announced, the Stage 3 seemed perfect, albeit very pricey.

Now that the board has been out for a little while, I have heard very little positives about it. And although forums like this seem to focus on the negatives, it is concerning to hear numerous complaints regarding the quality of the B3 organ sounds, as well as countless bugs.

In all my experience with the other 3 brands, I have never encountered any significant bugs - ever. Especially ones that would affect playing a gig successfully.

That brings me to my question. Is the Nord Stage 3 worth it? On paper, clearly yes. But for a price nearly double of the competitors, it is unacceptable to have so many issues and bugs. Either Nord’s quality control is poor, or the Stage 3 is merely a “beta” release, in which case it should be priced as such.

I would welcome all opinions, as i really want to buy the 3. It has, on paper, everything I need. But for the price tag, I feel I have the right to expect a little more from the company. Thoughts?

[analogika]

Check the Montage forums if you think Yamaha is perfect.

The Montage was all but unplayable for some patches until a recent update fixed catastrophic latency issues.

[NordNerd431]

Check the Montage forums if you think Yamaha is perfect.

The Montage was all but unplayable for some patches until a recent update fixed catastrophic latency issues.

But I find it questionable that the companies abuse their customers as beta testers. I must admire most people here in the forum how relaxed and helpful they dive with all these bugs. After all, you pay a lot of money and actually expect a functioning instrument.

[NordNerd431]

Check the Montage forums if you think Yamaha is perfect.

The Montage was all but unplayable for some patches until a recent update fixed catastrophic latency issues.

Bro, I'm not trying to attack your obvious love for the Nord. On paper, I love it too. And I never said Yamaha was perfect (again, your Nord love shows I'm just wrestling with the idea of what the Nord Stage 3 can be, what it is right now, and the huge price tag for a leap of faith.

[analogika]

Check the Montage forums if you think Yamaha is perfect.

The Montage was all but unplayable for some patches until a recent update fixed catastrophic latency issues.

But I find it questionable that the companies abuse their customers as beta testers. I must admire most people here in the forum how relaxed and helpful they dive with all these bugs. After all, you pay a lot of money and actually expect a functioning instrument.

Ever buy a new car?

Customer ideals vs. engineering reality — a battle for the ages.

[analogika]

Check the Montage forums if you think Yamaha is perfect.

The Montage was all but unplayable for some patches until a recent update fixed catastrophic latency issues.

Bro, I'm not trying to attack your obvious love for the Nord. On paper, I love it too. And I never said Yamaha was perfect (again, your Nord love shows I'm just wrestling with the idea of what the Nord Stage 3 can be, what it is right now, and the huge price tag for a leap of faith.

I'll be programming the Stage 3 over the next few days. I'll get back to you.

[Gospelkeys]

The "worth it" argument is a no brainer for me.

The NS3 is the only board that gives you top quality Piano / EP / B3 and VA synth in one package. I have been waiting for ( what seems to be ) a long time for Nord to update the synth and B3 engine in their stage model. All of the competitors have a compromise in some area and I either own or have owned all of the other options. ( OK I'm a gear junky ).

I type this as I am off to my first gig with the NS3 88. A classic rock gig with heavy piano / B3. I have had one day to program it.

As far as the bugs - they are getting cleaned up quickly. Only legitimate complaint is the lack of the sample editor. Many waiting for that - including me. I'm sure it is in beta and will be available soon.

Good luck with your decision.

[CraigW]

I am new to the Nord family having recently purchased the Stage 3. I was previously a huge divotee of Yamaha having owned a DX7, DX7IIFD, SY99, S80 and S90XS. However, when I checked out the Montage I was frankly disappointed with what I heard. Although I have only had the Stage 3 for a few days, I am absolutely blown away with the sound and the ease in programming the synth engine. And, unlike many of the posts, so far (knocking on the wood sides so I don't jinx it) I have had ZERO issues. Granted I have yet to delve into any serious midi programming (too busy creating sounds), so stay tuned. I do agree with many of the Posts that the B3 emulations are less than stellar (I've never played a Stage 2 or a C2D so can't comment on whether the organ engine on these boards is better than the one installed on the Stage 3) but fortunately I have a Hammond XK-5 and a Leslie so I was really more interested in the Farfisa/Vox/Pipe Organ sounds which I find to be spot on. It is also worth noting that from what I have read on this forum, Nord has been very responsive to almost all user complaints.

I have only had one band rehearsal so far but can tell you that it was awesome to be able to make one or two tweaks on the fly to tighten up a program or punch up the EQ. I can also tell you that the Stage 3 seemed to cut through the mix much better than my Yamaha and I suspect that the same will hold true at our next gig.

Bottom line: I am thrilled with my Stage 3 and can't wait until they update the Sample Editor so I can download additional samples. I agree that the Stage 3 is more expensive than the competition, but to (eventually) have free access to Nord's sample archive not to mention the support of all the loyal and extremely knowledgeable Nord users, I believe is well worth the investment.

[anotherscott]

Either Nord’s quality control is poor, or the Stage 3 is merely a “beta” release, in which case it should be priced as such.

There's no rationale to price it less, it doesn't cost them any less to make just because the software isn't finished, and ultimately you will indeed own the "non beta" version for what you paid. That said, they could have been a little more up front in the marketing. Even apart from bugs they may not have known about, some stuff was super obvious, like there being no downloadable samples or sample editor. It might have been better to make more clear, "The software is not yet complete. If you're looking for all the features to be in place, we suggest that you delay your purchase, or buy an existing 2EX model. But for those of you eager to get your hands on the 3, you can buy it now in its not-quite-finished form, and you will be able to download updates as they become available." The alternative would have been that they could have chosen not to ship until it was feature-complete, but really, that wouldn't serve anyone. There are users willing to buy in its current state, and I'm sure Nord wouldn't relish unsold hardware sitting in a warehouse when there are customers eager to give them their money. So I'm really fine with their shipping as is, I just would have preferred the status be more clear. Honestly I bet pretty much all the same people would still have bought it, but they'd feel better about the current limitations.

[NordNerd431]

Thanks for all who provided their opinions and perspective. It’s always helpful to hear from people who uses the gear.