Having second thoughts about my NS3. Sell or keep?

[zahush76]

I'm a long time Nord Stage user. I had a NS1, which then i sold and upgraded to NS2 - which i later on sold because i found i wasn't using it much and wanted to get an analog synth instead.
That was 6 years ago.
A year and a couple of months ago i got the NS3 76HP. I'm not a gigging musician. This is my hobby, and although i enjoy very much jamming on the NS3, it sits on my desk most of the time,
serving as a keyboard controller for me working/playing mainly ITB these days.
So i'm kinda torn between selling it since it is now, for lack of better words - "the most expensive keyboard controller to date". And as a keyboard controller it is not a very good one. I mean i like the action, but besides keys and pitch/mod wheel it's not really a controller like Konplete Kontrol or Novation sl mk3 etc. The nord only has one small clicking rotary encoder that you can set to midi learn one thing. It doesn't have transport controls to control a daw - nor is it supposed to have these kind of things. It is what it is: a gigging man's board. And i'm not gigging any more.

So my thought was to sell it, use the money to buy some kind of an 88 kb controller. Perhaps the Komplete Kontrol s88 mk2, since i'm heavily invested in NI stuff and have a lot of 3rd party plugins that support NKS. When in front of the computer and want to record, it is obvious i'll use a rhodes piano from Keyscape rather than the Nord Stage etc.
The rest of the money will go to cover some of the overdraft in the bank...

But i'm torn because it is my "dream board", regardless of whether i use it as a means of living. Interesting to check how many of you bought a nord stage just because you "felt like it" or "could", and not because your job depended on it.
Anyway, my dilemma is regarding those moments when i just want to turn the board on and start playing without needing to load plugins, or for those (rare) times when the computer crashes (haven't happened in two years).
I could get a cheaper digital piano like the Casio PX 5S, but then its abilities as a controller will also be poor (no expression pedal, no sophisticated communication with a daw etc).

So i'm conflicted. I advertised my NS3 and people started calling, but then i started to have my doubts.
What do you guys think? Is it a good move to sell it? Is it a good idea to keep it - when i'm using it mainly as a controller?
What else should i consider? What else should i look at - and which questions, perhaps, i should be asking my self?

Thanks!

[maxpiano]

Nord Stage as a controller only is indeed a waste, imho, because it is an instrument meant primarily to be played with its own sound engines and interact with them with its intuitive interface.

The last decision is yours, but if you really don't use it but as a controller for Virtual Instruments, then better sell it and invest into something more fit for that purpose (always imho).

[Schorsch]

Well, the answer is easy from a rational point of view - go and sell the NS3, and buy a Komplete Kontrol. This would fit best into your main use case which is playing NI stuff on your computer, and making use of the NS3 as a controller only which is not even satisfying due to the limited capabilites of the NS3 for this purposes compared to the Kontrol.

But this is only the rational view ... the emotional part is something else which I do understand very well

I would still sell the NS3 and go for the Kontrol as it seems to be more than luxury to use the NS3 only as a keyboard controller

[kbmatson]

The NS3 is very much meant to be used as a live, performance instrument. Using it "just" for the studio even is a bit of a waste, and using it in studio as only/primarily a controller for soft synths is a complete misuse. For your situation, I'd sell it and get a true controller.

[anotherscott]

but besides keys and pitch/mod wheel it's not really a controller like Konplete Kontrol or Novation sl mk3 etc. The nord only has one small clicking rotary encoder that you can set to midi learn one thing.

Actually, I think you're missing what a strong MIDI controller the NS3 can be! Forget the internal sounds, let's look at it just as a soundless controller (with a bonus of internal sounds if you ever have use for them). In that case, you're wrong about it merely having one usable encoder... it has gobs of them! Pretty much every single knob, slider, and button sends MIDI! True, you can't define the exact CC they send, but if you're using VSTs, you can define them on the receiving side. So it actually gives you a much better control surface than most controllers. 9 dedicated organ sliders and about 18 knobs already labeled and laid out for typical synth functions (or you can use them for other things), plus a whole bunch of other knobs and buttons. The synth controls are also specifically supported by Omnisphere, with no manual reassignment needed.

[cphollis]

@anotherscott for the win

[zahush76]

That's good to know!
Just tried it and it usualy works great. Depends whether i set Global to 1 or 2.
When i set it to 1 then it causes some problems and double triggers on some of the vst's but works great with others. When i set Global to channel 2 then vst's work great with the NS knobs but then Kontakt libraries don't respond (which they do when it's set to channel 1.

Any workaround? And should i set it to Local on (whic it is right now) or Local off?

[zahush76]

Assuming your NS (or hosting DAW) is "PortA" in Kontakt MIDI config, then you should set each Kontakt Instruments to Port A2 (or Omni) as well; maybe a little look at Kontakt Help/manual is worth, also VIs need to be studied a little bit and in general working with them still require a good knowledge of MIDI, to exploit all of their capabilities.

[zahush76]

@anotherscott for the win

Yes, anotherscott is right in that the NS3 has much more MIDI capabilities than just one encoder, but I still think that using a NS3 solely for the purpose of a midi controller keyboard is not just a waste but a Komplete Kontrol does the job much better, especially in combination with NI software

[zahush76]

@anotherscott for the win

Yes, anotherscott is right in that the NS3 has much more MIDI capabilities than just one encoder, but I still think that using a NS3 solely for the purpose of a midi controller keyboard is not just a waste but a Komplete Kontrol does the job much better, especially in combination with NI software

I agree, but don't get me wrong. It's not as if i don't play it at all. I just don't gig at the moment - and haven't gigged for more than a year.
I do, however, jam on it a couple of times a week and enjoy that - and it doubles as a controller for my vst's.
I just felt like it might be a "luxury" to keep a board like this just for the sake of "i feel like jamming on it from time to time".
On the other hand i think of it as my "backup" keys for when and if the PC crashes or something happens. Still, you might think it's quite an investment just for doing this, while other players use it on a daily basis for gigs and rehearsals.
I enjoy how immediate it is and how fun it is to create "mini arrangements" for songs with splits and morphs.
But as you mentioned - a Komplete Kontrol S88 mk2 will be the better controller. But then again i will be left without no keyboard with internal sounds. Certainly not in this quality.
So that's why the dilemma.