Nord User Forum

Hey!

I'm a fresh owner of NS3 compact (y) However I'd be glad if you could give some advice.

I've used it in a couple of rehearsals and something has been off with the tuning. The problem seems to be the b3 - it's tuned a bit low and is very distracting especially when playing with a guitarist for example. And it's very noticeable when I start layering the engines.

I understand that a modelled b3 should sound a bit old and not perfect, but in this form it's unusable when playing with any other instrument. Tonewheel options doesn't solve it.

Added a test file, where I put a sine wave against pure b3. Sine is perfectly in tune, confirmed by the logic tuner.

So basically I'd like to know if I got a fully functional unit, or should I send it back? I'm coming from a NS1 and never had a problem like this...maybe this is how NS3 comes nowadays.

Thank you very much in advance!

Hello. It would be helpful if you shared another mp3 comparing individual notes, such as playing a middle C with each and then at the same time to hear the beats. Thanks

I'm not sure I understand what you are hearing. I don't have perfect pitch. Some combinations sound a bit odd.

But maybe this is due to a more detailed reproduction in the NS3 of a real Hammond with it's tone wheels (cf. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammond_o ... generation). Tone wheels are toothed, so they can only be close to an equal temperament - the only note in perfect tune is concert A.

I just set up a synth sine wave on my NS3 on one panel, and the 16' B3 stop all the way out, no rotary, no effects. I equalized the volume between them. I then played different chords and went back and forth between them. The tone of the B3 stop was slightly more "raw" then the sine wave, but I heard no difference in the tuning.

-dj

FZiegler wrote:I'm not sure I understand what you are hearing. I don't have perfect pitch. Some combinations sound a bit odd.

But maybe this is due to a more detailed reproduction in the NS3 of a real Hammond with it's tone wheels (cf. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammond_o ... generation). Tone wheels are toothed, so they can only be close to an equal temperament - the only note in perfect tune is concert A.

It's definitely very detailed and one of the reasons I decided to upgrade. But I'd really like a minor to sound minor and not have a hint to a diminished one. I ran it against sine again and it seems that the most problematic octave is c5-c6. And that's the range what gets used the most.
When I played some tunes with a band, the p4 for example was just off from the guitar and bass, so a distorted power chord got really nasty.

WannitBBBad wrote:Hello. It would be helpful if you shared another mp3 comparing individual notes, such as playing a middle C with each and then at the same time to hear the beats. Thanks

here's another one the range between c5-c6 sounds off the most. the rest sounds like it might just be the modelling and it's not distracting.

DJKeys wrote:I just set up a synth sine wave on my NS3 on one panel, and the 16' B3 stop all the way out, no rotary, no effects. I equalized the volume between them. I then played different chords and went back and forth between them. The tone of the B3 stop was slightly more "raw" then the sine wave, but I heard no difference in the tuning.

-dj

thank you for the effort! I uploaded a second test file, maybe you could give it a listen? the the drawbars are all out on mine, but maybe you could tell if it sounds different compared to yours.

Even though you are playing different octaves (I would think they need to be the same for a test), I still don't hear any beating between the two tones when played together. The timbre is different for sure, but nothing sounds out of tune to me.

-dj

captainkeys wrote: the range between c5-c6 sounds off the most. the rest sounds like it might just be the modelling and it's not distracting.

I haven't yet listened to your sample, but the highest octave is historically where the tuning quirks of the b3 lie... so up to a point, it's normal.

By the way do search in the forum because this issue has already come up in the past.

captainkeys wrote:

WannitBBBad wrote:Hello. It would be helpful if you shared another mp3 comparing individual notes, such as playing a middle C with each and then at the same time to hear the beats. Thanks

here's another one the range between c5-c6 sounds off the most. the rest sounds like it might just be the modelling and it's not distracting.

Thanks for the additional comparisons; it would be better to compare the tone against the comparable B3 note using the just 16', 8', or 4' drawbar rather than all the drawbars together. Adding harmonics create slight beats in the B3 note making it difficult to hear the difference we're looking for.