Nord Stage 3 Impressions Musikmesse

[Gospelkeys]

Are you certain the NS3 does NOT include the "122 Close" model in its Leslie sim? That would be really good to know. If not, then it will still need a Ventilator or similar to improve the sound, like the NS2.

I don't think we'll have the answer to this question until there's a finished product, and/or the user manual is online. So far - there is a degree of speculation regarding features of the NS3.

Agree and anyway the text on the NS3 product page states:

Vintage Rotary Speaker
The Nord Stage 3 features the latest generation of our vintage 122 Rotary Speaker simulation (...)

so I hope when they say "latest" they really mean it, including the Close version (but let's be patient and we will see or, better, hear )

It's hard to believe that the NS3 would have less functionality than the Electro series. The comparison chart for the Electro 5 states: "C2D 122 Rotary Speaker simulation" and it has both models. So cause for optimism.

[NordPH]

This raises a question for me.
Will the split organ functionality mean that Hammond A/B will have separate leslies?
That would not be very nice.
I hope we get the option to send it to the same rotary..

[jonilikeskeys]

This raises a question for me.
Will the split organ functionality mean that Hammond A/B will have separate leslies?
That would not be very nice.
I hope we get the option to send it to the same rotary..

Hey!
As far as I got it at Musikmesse you can apply the Rotary Speaker to Organ Slot A and Piano Slot B at the same time, for example, which is not possible on NS2.
I'm pretty sure the Lesley will be in sync between both slots! Everything else doesn't really make sense.

[Gambold]

It will be interesting to see what pianos they factory load.

It won't be a standard microphone sample of the Royal Grand which they promised months ago - that promise has been removed from the Royal Grand description page. Too bad, I was looking forward to that, and it would have been a nice inclusion on the new Stage 3.

SO...aside from the 3D surround-sound crash-test dummy piano, which will certainly be there, will it once again be the Italian and the Grand Lady D that lead off the list? With the hoary old Studio Grand 2 bringing up the rear?

[analogholic]

Thank you very much for you great report.

Very interesting, that the 122 close leslie would not be supported. That would be a step back from NE5 and C2D and no advance from NE2EX? I cannot imagine this is true. The comparison chart says "From Nord C2D", which would mean "normal" and "close".

Uli

This would be a HUGE mistake if they don't support the 122CLOSE leslie sim on the NS3.

That is the most popular and best sounding model by far.

Everyone I have spoken with that owns an Electro 4 / 5 uses that one.

Let's hope this information is inaccurate or it changes.

It would be totally ridiculous if the NS3 doesn´t have the 122 close...
NE4 which has it has been out for years...
Even the fact the NS2EX didn´t have it was annoying and a deal breaker for me...

I had to choose between a more versatile board with an inferior organ, NS2EX and a more limited board with a better organ, NE5...
The choice was easy...I chose neither of them...

[Rudy Wendt]

Something else I find important. They told me they were thinking about giving the NS3 three Slots (A, B, C). But with 3 slots the realization of seamless transition is much more complex than with 2 slots. And it was more important for them to have the seamless transition feature than 3 slots. In my personal opinion they made the right choice about this.

For my use, 3 slots would be better...

[anotherscott]

I had to choose between a more versatile board with an inferior organ, NS2EX and a more limited board with a better organ, NE5...
The choice was easy...I chose neither of them...

So what did you choose? What are you using for organ?

As I mentioned in another thread, you could theoretically have the best of everything by putting a Neo Ventilator pedal on whatever board you like best without having to worry about any shortcomings in its built in Leslie emulation. Though I suspect that most people are fine with the rotary emulations on any of the Nords, unil they hear one that is better.

Something else I find important. They told me they were thinking about giving the NS3 three Slots (A, B, C). But with 3 slots the realization of seamless transition is much more complex than with 2 slots. And it was more important for them to have the seamless transition feature than 3 slots. In my personal opinion they made the right choice about this.

For my use, 3 slots would be better...

Nothing is perfect for everyone, but if this was their tradeoff, I think they made the right choice as well. There have certainly been far more posts about wishing sounds didn't cutoff than there have been about people wishing they could layer a third slot. Even as it is, one reason people use up even two slots has been to be able to have seamless transition between one sound and another, and now you have seamless transition between any sounds at all... in that respect, hundreds of slots! But yeah, still only two of them layered at once. I find it hard to envision much need for splits/layers that involve more than two piano sounds or more than two organ sounds, so I guess it's really a matter of wanting to work with more than two synth/sample sounds at once, and yeah, that could be useful, and I wouldn't mind seeing it... OTOH, so much about the Nord is about immediacy and direct control... at some point, doesn't that maybe begin to get a little overwhelming if working with so many sounds simultaneously? Maybe that's where a more traditional workstation approach (like a Kronos) starts to make more sense?

[NordPH]

At one minute in, this definitely sounds like 122 close.
Am i wrong?

[waaldam]

Thanks; great post.
I agree with Marcelo Viana: it's a great pity the HA88 doesn't come with the best keybed.

[anotherscott]

At one minute in, this definitely sounds like 122 close.
Am i wrong?

For me, hard to tell. I have spent very little time with the E5D itself, but the place I really noticed the difference was during the speeding up and slowing down of the rotor, which wasn't demonstrated here.