Monophonic Mode - workaround

[vcfvca]

For those people who are missing monophonic mode for lead or bass sounds here are 2 workarounds. Both require additional hardware but you may already have them at your disposal.

1) iPad Solution

You need an app by Audeonic called mfx Channel Strip which is £2.99 on the App Store. This has a convert poly to mono option:
https://audeonic.com/mfx/ this little app supports true monophonic playing with last note retriggering - great for trills.

mfx Channel Strip

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Set Electro to Local Off and using a CCK connect it to your iPad. You will need another app like MidiMittr (free) as mfx Channel Strip has no routing options.
A better option is MidiFlow as you will be able to set up a split on the Electro so the Upper part is Monophonic and the Lower part is Polyphonic.

Midiflow Patch

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2) Midi Solutions - Event Processor

If you have one of these then it's very easy to make the Upper part monophonic and the Lower part Poly. It just uses 3 lines of code - thanks to John Fast at Midi Solutions for solving this problem for me! The best thing about the Event Processor is you could send a program change from the Electro that turns it on

Caveat: unlike the mfx Channel Strip it does not support retriggering.

[anotherscott]

Also, though, if you have an iPad, there are lots of mono-capable synth apps you can run. In fact, you'd get many more synth capabilities than you have in the Nord, and you don't have to turn Local Off so you still get the high trigger on organ. However, for all practical purposes, you'll need to do your synth patch selection on the iPad itself, and since it will always be playing, you'll want to have quick access to silence it when you don't want it (could be something like a volume pedal on its audio output, or a MIDI kill switch to stop the MIDI from getting to it).

[vcfvca]

Also, though, if you have an iPad, there are lots of mono-capable synth apps you can run. In fact, you'd get many more synth capabilities than you have in the Nord, and you don't have to turn Local Off so you still get the high trigger on organ. However, for all practical purposes, you'll need to do your synth patch selection on the iPad itself, and since it will always be playing, you'll want to have quick access to silence it when you don't want it (could be something like a volume pedal on its audio output, or a MIDI kill switch to stop the MIDI from getting to it).

Yes that is doable and you will need to get the audio out of the iPad although on the E6 you can patch that into the Monitor In mini jack and unlike the E5 the audio will appear at the main outputs. Also the E6 does not have the Upper Split function found on the E5 so it's not straightforward to play an external module.

However, this post is focused on a workaround for the lack of a Mono mode when playing Nord samples. I posted the iPad option for players who own one and who may be quite happy with the synth sounds from the Nord Sample library or want to use their own. I do a lot of sampling on the Nord and the results are usually very good. But for mono synths you need that mono retrigger mode for fast playing and for it to feel convincing - trills for example.

The Event Processor is good but can be improved if retriggering could be implemented. For the Nord patches that need to be in mono mode the Event Processor responds to a program change and turns the setting on. I use about 6 lead sounds from various synths which I've transferred to the Nord. So I don't need to take those synths out for live - it's a good solution and means I only use 1 keyboard.

Hopefully, the E7 will get Mono mode.

[CountFosco]

on the E6 you can patch that into the Monitor In mini jack and unlike the E5 the audio will appear at the main outputs.

Yes, I thought it was a strange decision to change that behaviour. It's not really a Monitor In on the E6, you can't use it to record a track while playing along to a backing track (my understanding of what a monitor signal is), seems like it should be called External In. Mon In and Ext In are both useful in their own way, I think an enhancement could be to have the choice whether or not to route that signal to the main outs.

[vcfvca]

Yes External In would be closer to it. Why do Nord make these minor changes with each release? As you say they could make it a menu option in the System Menu.

[anotherscott]

the E6 does not have the Upper Split function found on the E5 so it's not straightforward to play an external module.

Yeah, the E5 was more flexible in the MIDI department. The biggest functional change is probably that you can no longer internally split the Nord to play an internal sounds on the bottom and an external sound (alone or layered with a Nord sound) on the top. Though I don't know if there's a way to do that with your mono soluitions either...?

I think an enhancement could be to have the choice whether or not to route that signal to the main outs.

Why do Nord make these minor changes with each release? As you say they could make it a menu option in the System Menu.

I wouldn't assume it's a software thing. The physical wiring between the models could be different, the monitor in signal may need to actually be wired in one way or a different way, depending on which of those things they aim to do. I agree, both are useful, but I think the way they do it now is probably more useful to more people.

[CountFosco]

Changing, or allowing switching of, the internal routing of the Mon In signal clearly requires a redesign of the wiring. I meant it could be an enhancement of the concept of the Mon In socket for future hardware iterations.

[vcfvca]

Changing, or allowing switching of, the internal routing of the Mon In signal clearly requires a redesign of the wiring. I meant it could be an enhancement of the concept of the Mon In socket for future hardware iterations.

Yes it would need additional wiring and an IC under software control to route the monitor in to Main or headphone. The cost of the parts would be peanuts. CMOS 4066 analogue switch costs 50p!

But the mono function does not need any hardware mods, other than the mono/poly switch on the panel. Nord could add about 10 lines of code to the existing keyboard routines. This is very easy to program and would not stop people buying the Nord Stage. That’s a different market.

Yes the Midi Solutions Event Processor can emulate the E5 Upper Split mode. It is a very versatile unit.

[CountFosco]

But the mono function does not need any hardware mods, other than the mono/poly switch on the panel. Nord could add about 10 lines of code to the existing keyboard routines. This is very easy to program and would not stop people buying the Nord Stage. That’s a different market.

Yeah, but without stuff like glide and legato, what would be the benefit of such an implementation of monophony?

[anotherscott]

Yeah, but without stuff like glide and legato, what would be the benefit of such an implementation of monophony?

Kind of like "if you give a mouse a cookie..."