Nord Stage 4

[reggoboy]

I still find joy in my 1963 Hammond A101 and '80s Yamaha CP80 - those instruments don't have any new features and are really old, yet I have a lot to learn in how to get the most out of them.

I feel similarly about my NS2 and NS3 - they have so much power that I've been able to harness, that I can't really foresee too many new features that would improve things for me.

I spent a decade touring 20 nights a month from late '80s to late '90s and the the longest running gear I had during this time was a Hammond XB2 with Dynacord CLS222 and either Korg M1R or Roland JV880. At the time, this was a great rig for a touring original band playing ska, reggae, world beat, rock...however compared with today's technology really falls short. I feel blessed on stage with NS2 or NS3 compared to what I was using and sometimes think, "what if I could have had a NS3 on the road with me back in those days?"

I'm sure Nord will eventually release some updates and they will be awesome. In the meantime, these instruments are really complete and very deep. I'd love to learn more about the use cases that outgrow the features.

[DJKeys]

I still find joy in my 1963 Hammond A101 and '80s Yamaha CP80 - those instruments don't have any new features and are really old, yet I have a lot to learn in how to get the most out of them.

I feel similarly about my NS2 and NS3 - they have so much power that I've been able to harness, that I can't really foresee too many new features that would improve things for me.

I spent a decade touring 20 nights a month from late '80s to late '90s and the the longest running gear I had during this time was a Hammond XB2 with Dynacord CLS222 and either Korg M1R or Roland JV880. At the time, this was a great rig for a touring original band playing ska, reggae, world beat, rock...however compared with today's technology really falls short. I feel blessed on stage with NS2 or NS3 compared to what I was using and sometimes think, "what if I could have had a NS3 on the road with me back in those days?"

I'm sure Nord will eventually release some updates and they will be awesome. In the meantime, these instruments are really complete and very deep. I'd love to learn more about the use cases that outgrow the features.

Like yourself, I toured in the 80s with just a Yamaha CP-70 and a Prophet 5. Just the two cases for the CP-70 weighed more than 100 lbs. Now I have just two keyboards that weigh 20 lbs apiece and I am still finding things about them that blow me away. I agree, the current instruments are great and much, much deeper than they appear. I also hope for the awesome updates as well!

-dj

[M1tsos]

People are always talking about "New Features" and "More Memory" and in many cases it seems clear that they haven't really mastered their instruments and fully explored the features they already have.

Thanks for the reply. A few things to note:

1. You don't have to master all the features of your instrument in order to know it lacks features you need. There are several things on NS3 I wish I had on my NS2, and there are things that NS3 lacks that I already know I want (don't want to go into details here).
2. Anyway, you don't even have to be in want of new features to know that technology is always improving and that, if you are also growing as a musician, your needs will also grow with time. And so if you're going to spend $4500 of money that you can't easily replace on an instrument, you want to buy one that is a bit future-proofed and leaves you room to grow.

I'm at a strong growing stage as a musician, and I've already outgrown the NS2 I got used not long ago (besides the fact that it's acting a bit flaky). This means I have to upgrade, which also means reprogramming all my patches from scratch. If I buy the NS3, that's $4500 and a ton of reprogramming to get 5-year old technology that already has a few shortcomings I know about, and I don't have a lot of money.

If you understand this use case, it should make perfect sense why someone like me would be eager to place that same money and time into an NS4, that I won't outgrow or have to reprogram for maybe a decade.

I agree in everyway with you.. if i had the ns2 ex for years like you i would stay there until ns4… lets just wait and see what nord will announce for namm show at june.. if it is just ns3 ex then i would still wait if i had ns2 as i already said

[reggoboy]

[Spider]

IF and when a Stage 4 comes out...that will be the perfect time to buy an "obsolete" end-of-production Stage 3!

That’s what I would hope. But the NS2 HA88 is still selling used for $3200…

Will a NS3, NS3EX or NS4 ever be cheaper than that? The problem is not the money: you clearly are able to spend that amount. The problem is you're looking for features not present in the current portfolio of Nord products, and that may never be there.
What happens if the NS4 comes out and doesn't have the exact features that you want, and is therefore equally limiting to your growth?
It makes no sense to wait. Be happy with your NS2 (I can assure you there are MANY things you still don't know about it), get a NS3 knowing its pros/cons, or get a workstation from another brand that will give you millions of features that will allow you to grow endlessly (I can safely bet nobody in the whole world has ever used each and every feature of a Kronos, Fantom or Montage).
But don't wait for something that may never come, and if it comes, it will probably be different from what you wished for.

[M1tsos]

IF and when a Stage 4 comes out...that will be the perfect time to buy an "obsolete" end-of-production Stage 3!

That’s what I would hope. But the NS2 HA88 is still selling used for $3200…

Will a NS3, NS3EX or NS4 ever be cheaper than that? The problem is not the money: you clearly are able to spend that amount. The problem is you're looking for features not present in the current portfolio of Nord products, and that may never be there.
What happens if the NS4 comes out and doesn't have the exact features that you want, and is therefore equally limiting to your growth?
It makes no sense to wait. Be happy with your NS2 (I can assure you there are MANY things you still don't know about it), get a NS3 knowing its pros/cons, or get a workstation from another brand that will give you millions of features that will allow you to grow endlessly (I can safely bet nobody in the whole world has ever used each and every feature of a Kronos, Fantom or Montage).
But don't wait for something that may never come, and if it comes, it will probably be different from what you wished for.

My friend i agree a lot with you for the most keyboard players your opinion and advice is 100%right..

For me i want a stage 3 with triple sensor keybed or even better with the kawai from nord grand..

Or i need all the features from stage 3 on nord grand…

I don’t care for all the things nord stage can do.. i just care for the maximum possible piano action combined with all the synth and organ plus wheel etc things..

Sorry for bad english i hopw you understand my meaning

[Elijah Hultz]

I really hope the Nord Stage 4 will have the cathedral reverb.

[Elijah Hultz]

I also hope the Nord Stage 4 has the ability to play two samples in one panel.

[neomad]

Which Nord Stage 4 ???

[neomad]

Which Nord Stage 4 ???