Roland RD700NX vs. Yamaha CP5 vs. Clavia Nord Stage 2

[Octopus]

Dont sell your cp5. Keep it for home. I have à Yamaha cp 300 for homeplaying and à ns2 ha88 when i play with the band. The good thing about à cp300 is the low price, the internal speakers and the action in the keys. Just press the on-Button and play!!! Does cp5 have internal speakers too?

[agoldstraw]

Although a better keybed on the NS2 would be nice, I don't think we're going to see it any time soon because of two factors:

a) Weight: a better keybed would almost inevitably be heavier. That seems to be the lesson from any other DP you can name.
b) Choice: If you don't manufacture your own keybeds, you have a limited range to choose from. Fatar is pretty much the only game in town, which is why both Nord and Kurzweil use them.

What Nord could do almost immediately to improve the Stage would be to adjust and/or augment the internal velocity curves of the piano sounds. Playing my Kronos 61 from my NS2, it's quite apparent that the Fatar keybed IS capable of feeling more controllable providing the sound generator is responding appropriately.

[jazzystu]

I don't mind a heavier keybed. It is no problem at all.

I just remember carrying the top of my Rhodes Suitcase 88 by myself....and then the bottom.

[agoldstraw]

You might not, but I suspect it might alienate a lot of Stage users – myself included – if for the sake of a better action, the Nord was suddenly rocketed into the 25kg range inhabited by the behemoths of Yamaha, Roland and Korg.

[cphollis]

Always good to read other opinions. No practical experience with the Roland RD700X, so I can't comment there ...

I've now been gigging with the NP2 and E3/E4 for a while, usually with blues bands, bar gigs, etc. My Yamaha CP5 is now sitting in its gig case, lonely and unused. I'll be selling it soon.

No arguing the slightly better key feel on the CP5. It's pretty consistent with my other Yamaha acoustic pianos, which I thought would be a big deal for me but isn't. And, sure, maybe the EPs on the Nords don't have the same nuanced bite as the CP5, but I can tweak a bit and I'm mostly good. Lots of very useful EP programs on the NP2 -- don't know about the Stage 2 in this regard.

The pragmatic side for frequent giggers like me is that the CP5 is a beast to lug around, and I've thrown out my back more than once trying to move it solo. Especially when there are stairs involved

The other compensating attribute is the wonderful acoustic piano section on the Nords -- everyone in the band(s) commented on the improved Nord sound compared to the CP5. The Nord downloadable libraries are also nice insurance when someone decides on a tune that needs "that sound", and I know where to go get it

I also think stage amplification is a big factor as well -- upgraded to a pair of QSC K8s on-stage (stereo!) and the Nords got much, much better -- at least to my aging ears. The previous K12s were a bit too bass-y, and also have a Bose L1 Model II that isn't getting much use these days -- maybe useful if I get back to playing acoustic gigs.

Just to prove I'm a total fool, I just ordered a NS2 76 HP for smaller gigs and practices where I can get by with a single board using splits and a single K8 for amplification. Less gear is good, especially for us keyboard players who are infamous for bringing way too much stuff wherever we go ...

[pjstingray]

Very good to hear everyone's opinion - bottom line is, the perfect keyboard doesn't exist yet, and even then wouldn't suit everybody. What I really want is, the sounds and the action from the CP5 with the programability of the RD700 and the organ and synth sections and the weight from the Stage 2. Is that too much to ask?

[michael_C1]

Personally, I'd like to see an Electro 3/4 RACK, or even a Stage Rack (!) allowing multiple zones with different sounds. Then whichever controller we prefer could be used.

Realistically, I doubt we'll see this because it might undercut current products. But since the keybed IS the one component that Nord doesn't produce itself, a rack unit would be ALL Nord, with no reliance on Fatar for a keybed.

[pjstingray]

Hi Michael - Been there done it and bought the T-shirt so to speak. It is definitely the best option, which I used to have with a KX88 and numerous modules, but that involved multiple mains leads and thus a distribution board, a stack of MIDI leads and input leads, thus needing a mixer - admittedly all fitted in a rack but it was more to carry. I just really want a single board that isn't too heavy and does all the jobs. The Stage 2 is the closest yet to do that job.

[pjstingray]

Maybe we all hassle Clavia to produce some EPs with more velocity layers, but I guess that has been dealt with on another thread?

[michael_C1]

Hi Michael - Been there done it and bought the T-shirt so to speak. It is definitely the best option, which I used to have with a KX88 and numerous modules, but that involved multiple mains leads and thus a distribution board, a stack of MIDI leads and input leads, thus needing a mixer - admittedly all fitted in a rack but it was more to carry. I just really want a single board that isn't too heavy and does all the jobs. The Stage 2 is the closest yet to do that job.

I agree that having several modules would complicate things a lot, but a single Stage Rack Module could do it all, with one midi cable coming from a good controller. It's almost painful to think about it though, because it's unlikely to happen.

Incidentally, I had a Yamaha KX88 myself, a beauty to play, a beast to move