Page 2 of 3
Re: I want to change my keyboards
Posted: 02 Oct 2021, 16:24
by anotherscott
Roty34 wrote:I am currently in possession of a Korg Kronos LS and a Yamaha Montage 7, managed by Camelot pro IOs...Can the Stage 3 (76 or 73) and add possibly a Nordwave 2 (or other controller) do exactly the same job?
Along the lines of what others have said, no, the Nords can't do exactly what those other boards can do; in fact it's rare that ANY board does exactly what some other board does. Even the Nord Stage 3 doesn't do everything that it's little Electro 6 brother does. But whether it can serve your particular purposes equally well is a different question.
Roty34 wrote:my groups are pop / rock cover (piano, organ, brass, strings, synth). I don't use sequences but samples, a lot of splits (although I think I will have to change my working method)./quote]
Overall, Nord Stage 3 will be better at organ than Kronos than Kronos/Montage. Kronos/Montage will be better at brass and strings than NS3. Kronos will be the strongest of the three for synth functionality, but the Nord will be the strongest of the three for real-time synth control. NS3 will be weakest at splits, in terms of how many sounds you can split at once, more freedom in terms of which kinds of sounds you can split in what combination, and being able to assign more precise split points.
If you're simply trying to duplicate what you're doing today with lighter gear, Nord is probably not the best choice. There are other lightweight boards that are closer in functionality to the Montage (like Yamaha's own MODX7), and there are also other lighter boards that are arguably closer in functionality to a Kronos, at least depending on which aspects you emphasize (you could find a Korg Krome EX 73 or Kurzweil PC4-7 or Roland FA-07 to be closer to a Kronos than the Nord is, depending on how you look at it). The reason to get a Nord Stage 3 is that you're willinng to trade-off some of the things those boards can do because you want some other advantages that are specific to the Nord, like more/easier immediate hands-on controls, better organ, the ability to easily load your own samples (and process them through synth parameters), a very large range of different kinds of piano sounds you can download into it, etc.
ajstan wrote:This looks like the perfect question for @AnotherScott, but here are a couple of ideas:
- The MODX7 could replace your Montage 7 at a significantly lighter weight and I believe it can load and play all Montage 7 programs. The MODX does not have aftertouch.
- The Korg Nautilus could replace your Kronos, but I'm not sure how well it plays Kronos programs and what the differences are.
Yes, Nautilus is a strong contender for "Kronos Lite," -- my only reservation is that the 73 is only 7 lbs lighter than the Kronos LS, so the weight savings, while certainly noticeable, is not as substantial as these other options. But yes, if it crosses the threshold to "light enough," that's another viable alternative for sure.
Aftertouch is hard to find in a lightweight multi-function board. You're right that the MODX doesn't have it, and also neither does the Nautilus. That's a nice feature on the NS3. Of the other alternatives I mentioned, only the Kurzweil has it. It's one of the things that prompted me to mention it.
Re: I want to change my keyboards
Posted: 02 Oct 2021, 19:39
by harmonizer
You wrote that you use a lot of splits.
In this case, the Nord Electro 6 is probably not the answer for you, since its split capabilities are quite limited, and you cannot use two "Piano Bank" sounds on the 2 sides of a split - this means you cannot use an Acoustic Piano and EP sound at the same time. The Nord Electro also lacks a pitch bend control.
The Nord Stage 3 has a lot more split flexibility than the Nord Electro, including the ability to use an Acoustic Piano and EP sound at the same time, but even the Nord Stage 3 has less split flexibility than many other boards. (I know from direct experience that certain Roland boards are much better at splits, but I also own a Nord Electro because its Organ and EP sounds are much better than what my Roland FA-07 can produce).
Have you decided whether you want a weighted keybed or a semi-weighted keybed?
Re: I want to change my keyboards
Posted: 02 Oct 2021, 19:49
by MarkJames
harmonizer wrote:You wrote that you use a lot of splits.
In this case, the Nord Electro 6 is probably not the answer for you, since its split capabilities are quite limited, and you cannot use two "Piano Bank" sounds on the 2 sides of a split - this means you cannot use an Acoustic Piano and EP sound at the same time. The Nord Electro also lacks a pitch bend control.
The Nord Stage 3 has a lot more split flexibility than the Nord Electro, including the ability to use an Acoustic Piano and EP sound at the same time, but even the Nord Stage 3 has less split flexibility than many other boards. (I know from direct experience that certain Roland boards are much better at splits, but I also own a Nord Electro because its Organ and EP sounds are much better than what my Roland FA-07 can produce).
Have you decided whether you want a weighted keybed or a semi-weighted keybed?
I know OP said "no computer" but this is something that a product like Gig Performer on a laptop handles really well.
Re: I want to change my keyboards
Posted: 04 Oct 2021, 06:23
by Roty34
Hello
that's it, I ordered the NordStage 3 HP 76, I can't wait to receive it !!!
for now I will keep the Montage and I will see later
thank you all for your advice and I feel that I will soon ask you (I am starting in the North architecture) things even if I have already browsed the forum: a mine of information !!!
Re: I want to change my keyboards
Posted: 04 Oct 2021, 08:28
by Tasten-Bert
Congrats and lots of fun exploring it. And in case of questions don‘t hesitate to come back to all the specialists here. Cheers
Re: I want to change my keyboards
Posted: 04 Oct 2021, 09:53
by NoDirection
Roty34 wrote:Hello
that's it, I ordered the NordStage 3 HP 76, I can't wait to receive it !!!
Good choice with Nord Stage 3 - But I hope you have testet the HP action before you ordered. Have have 3 different nords with all 3 actions, and HP action is not my favorite. Its OK for piano, but much worse than the others for organ and synth...
Re: I want to change my keyboards
Posted: 04 Oct 2021, 20:01
by Roty34
NoDirection wrote:
Good choice with Nord Stage 3 - But I hope you have testet the HP action before you ordered. Have have 3 different nords with all 3 actions, and HP action is not my favorite. Its OK for piano, but much worse than the others for organ and synth...
yes i tried it
I imagine that it must be simple to send the organ sounds to the Montage to benefit from a more suitable touch
Re: I want to change my keyboards
Posted: 04 Oct 2021, 20:16
by maxpiano
Roty34 wrote:NoDirection wrote:
Good choice with Nord Stage 3 - But I hope you have testet the HP action before you ordered. Have have 3 different nords with all 3 actions, and HP action is not my favorite. Its OK for piano, but much worse than the others for organ and synth...
yes i tried it
I imagine that it must be simple to send the organ sounds to the Montage to benefit from a more suitable touch
You don't/can't
'"send sounds to the Montage", MIDI is about execution data not audio, so what you actually can do is
"use Montage as a MIDI master keyboard for" the NS3 (Organ Section or any other or a whole Panel, see DualKeyb chapter on NS3 manual and take a look also at
The Nord Stage MIDI Tutorial )
PS: of course you need to setup the Montage to act as a master i.e. define the part that will transmit on the appropriate MIDI Channel, etc.
Re: I want to change my keyboards
Posted: 09 Oct 2021, 09:17
by Roty34
that's it, I received my Nord Stage 3 HP
wow, I regret not having bought it before.
it is quickly taken in hand, everything seems simple and effective
I have a job ahead of me to redo my repertoire but I'm having fun like crazy !!!
Re: I want to change my keyboards
Posted: 10 Oct 2021, 13:07
by neomad
I cannot recommend enough the extremely lightweight and polyvalence of my beloved Roland FA07 (I used FA06 for years, upgraded a few months ago). 16 parts, can be changed on the fly with the pad buttons, good sound (more than 50 gigs and counting) and boot in 10''or so. The keyboard of the 07 version is way better than the 06. Using exactly for the same purpose: rock, pop, soul covers.