New EP, "Stockholm"

[Gambold]

>At this point, I don't think we can ask anything else of Nord: the piano library's more or less "complete". <

Easy, Tiger...nothing is ever complete. Still waiting for Clavia to publish the updated Wurlitzer files that are sorta secretly hidden away on one particular Piano factory reset file. And I don't think anyone would agree that the 2019 White Grand is or should be the final word on a flagship sample...you know, the piano used in the coveted A-11 preset sample, the preset that everyone starts with in the showroom and out of the box. The sample that gets compared to every other brand's flagship Grand, also in their own number 1 preset spots.

I know they ported it out on the $6000 2023 Stage 4 without shame, but I presume they plan to continue releasing new keyboards for at least another decade, and yes, they will need to update their Grand piano sample library as the years trundle on. As well as every other category in the piano library.

[Winds]

I might regret stirring up the hornet’s nest but I’ll ask anyway: what’s wrong with the White Grand? At least in my opinion, it’s an amazing piano. I also feel there’s enough variety between the grand and the upright collections: sure, they botched is the 3D Grand, but the other XL samples sound great and cover literally any genre. On the other hand, Nord lacked a “definitive” Rhodes.

Concerning all of the updated Piano 5 samples, I believe they simply don’t care or keep forgetting, being a low priority task. Or, and this is much more likely, Nord want to keep refining them so that they can release them with great pomp in Autumn, as part of their policy of slow but steady updates to the sound libraries.

[Hlaalu]

I might regret stirring up the hornet’s nest but I’ll ask anyway: what’s wrong with the White Grand?

It's old. Remember that whenever a new sample gets released, it becomes everyone's favourite for about six months, then it is forgotten.



Forgive me Gambold, it was just a good willed joke handed to me on a platter... too White for me to resist!

[Gambold]

> might regret stirring up the hornet’s nest but I’ll ask anyway: what’s wrong with the White Grand? At least in my opinion, it’s an amazing piano.<

I totally agree! I'm still debating if it's better than the Royal, but it's a pleasant issue to have. My point is that Clavia cannot be done with releasing new samples. If so, they'll have to change their marketing, because continuing new samples are part of their sales pitch (and pricing). Plus I think we are all assuming a technology leap is coming, and that will call for newer samples to work with it.

The current EP Stockholm XL is 3.5 times larger than the Nefertiti XL. Why? Clavia will never tell us, but we can assume through better sampling technology. The samples just keep growing, so we should expect even more detailed (and huger) Grand Piano samples in the future.

And hopefully more memory on the boards to contain them. The Stage 4 had no memory bump - THAT was not a good idea.

[Gambold]

>Remember that whenever a new sample gets released, it becomes everyone's favourite for about six months, then it is forgotten<

Sometimes yes, but sometimes no! The Royal Grand is still favorite of a lot of players. The Velvet flopped right out of the box, and was never anyone's go-to. The Silver continues to have supporters and detractors. But probably the biggest fall from grace was the Italian - once upon a time it was King of the Castle and now nobody talks about it.

On the Upright side of things, the Felt was also a bit of a flopperoonie - too specialized. The jury is still out if the Pearl supersedes the Amber, which is possibly the most positively-discussed sample of all of them. It's hard to find any post dissing on the Amber Upright. The Baby - well, someone was drinking too much schnapps in Sweden they day they decided to release that one. The strangely similar-named Bambino has fared a lot better, mostly because we Americans grew up on Baldwin pianos in school

In EP land, the EP7 (the one with the added amplifier) never makes a top ten list. And the Sparkletop seems to have faded away too. The battle between the Stockholm and the Nefertiti will be interesting to watch - but the Stockholm file size is so large it seems unfair. Meanwhile, the Wurli samples with Dyno functionality are still hiding in a Piano 5 factory reset file.

[docbop]

People expect more because Clavia charges boutique prices especially now with a $6000 Stage 4. You pay that kind of money you expect high end support for the whole product including the sound library being kept up to date with refreshed and new sounds. The Nord sound library with free updates for life is a big selling feature for all the Nord's. I wonder how often Nord regrets that marketing decision all these years later.

[Rusty Mike]

I never warmed up to the Sparkletop or the Amped Rhodes pianos. Nefertiti is okay except for the C above middle C which has that weird quirk about it, making it pretty much unusable. I regularly play a tune where that note stands out in a solo and it sounds awful. EP2 Suitcase has been my go-to for years, and the EP1 Deep is a recent discovery which works well with the Dyno filter. All of the others are either too much or too little in their own regards. And I don’t think I’ve heard a Rhodes sim with less personality than the Mk V in EP4.

This one has some legs though. I loaded the XL into my Piano 5 and the L into the Electro 6 - both sound great. It’s a well tuned and well cared for sound with a lot of versatility. Good sound dry out of the box, but also responds well to the filters, EQ settings, effects and amp sims. It can replace pretty much everything for me except the EP1 Deep, which is great for mellow pad style playing that is felt more than heard.

Since this thread is about the Stockholm sample, I’ll save my thoughts on the other stuff for another thread.

[Gambold]

EP1 has been my favorite forever. The Nefertiti just couldn't beat it, and I really wanted it to, since it had to be the best one, right? The only time I used the Sparkletop was when we played Get Back because that's what Billy Preston played at the time, but that was just me thinking I was being period-correct - I'm sure no-one noticed. And the Sparkletop isn't that great of a Rhodes, it can sound too much like a vibraphone.

The rest of them - I tried the Chick Corea patch from Ondre J and it helped the EP4. But I only loaded the Ep4 on because I felt I should have something other than a MK 1 on my Nord, since almost all the EPs are from that model (for good reason - history has ruled it's the best one).

The Corea and the Tea Phaser were the two best patches from the Ondre J collection, IMHO, so I still have Brite Tines on my board for the Tea Phaser sample. The others were too subtle for me to catch my interest, and the EP7 amplifier didn't sound great. None of them had that special bell quality I heard in EP1.

I just loaded the XL of Stockholm on. I had to remove a few things to fit it. While it too doesn't quite have EP1's bells, I can tell it's a dense sample. This one will take a bit of time to explore. Thank you Clavia!

[daniel70]

Tried it on a gig today evening and it sounded and felt great. Best Rhodes sample so far for me. Thanks, Clavia!

[Nordine]

The Baby - well, someone was drinking too much schnapps in Sweden the day they decided to release that one.

I'm afraid if he changes the drink by now...not sure what God will bring us...maybe a "Broken" piano model?!