Nord User Forum

For years, I've been using various Nord's for live performance, but I'm very curious about whether anyone has done any solo piano recordings using Nord piano samples.

I've gotten mixed results using piano software, with the warm, full, more midrangy recordings coming out best. Some of the Nord samples, like the Royal 3D that I like the most these days, are capable of both warmth and upper range clarity, as well as excellent expressiveness, so I'm considering whether or not to go a different route for the next recording.

Has anyone used Nord pianos for solo recordings, and were you satisfied with the results? Do you think listeners feel they're hearing a real acoustic piano?

Thanks.

I've had nice results as you with the Royal 3D and I've been using the White Grand more recently as well. I don't record solo but have heard plenty where I couldn't tell you if it was a Nord or an actual acoustic piano. I've often wondered what it would be like recording a Nord direct and using the sound of it played through quality speakers in a studio setting to mix in the room ambience rather than relying only upon the reverb effects available. The approach may help with keeping some fullness to the piano when the recording is played back in mono, which is the one downside of some of the Nord Pianos. Good luck to you.

I've recorded with my Nords several times, and have loved the results each time. It sounds like a perfectly recorded piano (which it is) and the recording engineer never has to spend any time with me.

That being said, if you're doing solo piano and are looking for a lot of piano character and depth when critically listened to -- you will find some of that, but not best-in-class. For that, you'd want a top-end software piano.

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

That idea about adding room ambience the way you described is interesting WannitBBBad, maybe one of these days. And I agree that in mono a lot is lost with Nord's pianos, as with all sampled pianos, some more than others. I'll be checking out the White Grand again, it's been a while.

It's nice to know that you've gotten some good results recording Nord pianos, cphollis. I guess the next step should be to try it myself.
I've been a piano software junkie for a long while, but haven't ever found one piano that can cover it all convincingly for solo stuff. The most success I've had is with the Best Service Vintage D, I keep going back to that one.
Here's a link where I used the Vint D:

I struggled to record solo piano on Nord, then I found my solution where recording is quite the same as from the live piano enviroment. I found very realistic for solo piano Velvet Grand and Rain Piano. It is true that if you are recording some classic music stuff it is hard to fake the real piano, but with some improvements with hall and EQ you'll get it. Here is my solo improvisation on Velvet Grand. It is with bit of distortion, bit of delay and hall stage 2 https://m.soundcloud.com/marekskvarenin ... d-seedsman

Hi michael_C1,

one more thing to consider is the keyboard action used to record pianos, it can be much of a difference in terms of expressive playing when using a hammer action compared to a (light weighted) waterfall/synth action, so it's not just all about the samples. Which action did you use so far to play the software pianos?

ChillOnTheSun wrote:I struggled to record solo piano on Nord, then I found my solution where recording is quite the same as from the live piano enviroment. I found very realistic for solo piano Velvet Grand and Rain Piano. It is true that if you are recording some classic music stuff it is hard to fake the real piano, but with some improvements with hall and EQ you'll get it. Here is my solo improvisation on Velvet Grand. It is with bit of distortion, bit of delay and hall stage 2 https://m.soundcloud.com/marekskvarenin ... d-seedsman

Thanks, I enjoyed that recording, very atmospheric, and the piano sounds good. Nice use of the hall reverb and delay!

Schorsch wrote:one more thing to consider is the keyboard action used to record pianos, it can be much of a difference in terms of expressive playing when using a hammer action compared to a (light weighted) waterfall/synth action, so it's not just all about the samples. Which action did you use so far to play the software pianos?

Hi Schorsch,

Thanks for the response! I totally agree, and I've always used a weighted controller when recording piano. Interestingly, I learned the hard way that some digital pianos aren't suitable controllers. Early on, I was using low end Yamaha digital pianos like the P35/P45 as a controller and was blaming the piano software for sounding dull and lifeless when it was actually the poor dynamics over MIDI that was at fault. With a decent controller those sounds came alive!

These days I'm using a Kawai ES8 to control my Electro 5 pianos, and the responsiveness is excellent. The combination works well.