Nord User Forum

It seems Hammond Suzuki was first to develop my dream rig; dual manual organ with synth, pianos and other sounds. Must admit it is a cool and tempting product. Come on Nord you have all that is needed and more!

Combine what you already have and blow the SKX Pro out of the water.

Yes, they would be able to pull that off well. This reminds me of how nice it was playing my dual-manual Prophet 10 back in the 80s. Though one could have dual-manual capability today by simply adding a MIDI keyboard, having the lower manual placed closely with functionality fully integrated in the design really made performance a breeze. It looked really cool too

Yes, SKX Pro looks like a really nice piece. While Hammond has had versatile dual manual boards before (SK2, SKX), this is the first one with pitch/mod wheels, and editable synth sounds instead of just presets, as well as synth sounds that are VA instead of only ones that are sample-based.

There was actually one other board that was kind of similar... the GSI DMC-122 with the optional Gemini module installed. That also gave you two manuals with the full range of sounds/capabilities, and even had aftertouch... but most of the editing had to be done via computer.

I had always thought that the Electro 5D would have been a natural to adapt to 2-manual, because unlike any other model, its architecture/interface was already completely centered around the idea of a Lower sound and an Upper sound. It seemed like they could pop those electronics into a 2-manual chassis and be done, with almost no other changes necessary. Though if they had wanted to, it looked like there was even enough free panel space to add pitch stick/wheel and a small synth section.

anotherscott wrote: Though if they had wanted to, it looked like there was even enough free panel space to add pitch stick/wheel and a small synth section.

is it not NS compact??

anotherscott wrote:I had always thought that the Electro 5D would have been a natural to adapt to 2-manual, because unlike any other model, its architecture/interface was already completely centered around the idea of a Lower sound and an Upper sound. It seemed like they could pop those electronics into a 2-manual chassis and be done, with almost no other changes necessary.

Totally agree ! But Nord should consider improving B3 engine, including percussion, C/V, leslie effect and maybe some additional tweaking (like leakage) features.
In addition to that, I think it wouold be a killer with a removable lower keyboard (as Crumar Mojo 61)!

Yes the SKX Pro looks really REALLY great.
Feature-wise, it is essentially a double-manual Nord Stage, a bit more centered on organ and synth but also with full tweakability of all the sounds, even the pianos (opposite from Nord).
Unfortunately even the price is comparable to a double-manual Stage...ouch!

Spider wrote:Feature-wise, it is essentially a double-manual Nord Stage, a bit more centered on organ and synth but also with full tweakability of all the sounds, even the pianos (opposite from Nord).

Yes, though it also lacks some big things from the Nord Stage, like custom sample loading, lots of real-time effects controls, and aftertouch. But the Hammond also has some other nice advantages over the NS3 (like more split/layer flexibility, more MIDI zones, more patch select buttons).

Yes there are differences, but I think the basic design concept is converging more and more.
The Nord is more focused on pianos, (custom) samples and effects with real-time control, while the Hammond needs menu diving but has probably deeper sonic possibilities and a better interface for organ and (mono)synth. And of course the two manuals.

can anyone here speak to the quality of the piano and rhodes sounds on the hammond comparatively to the nord?

Sounds are always somewhat subjective, but I'd say Hammond's usability for piano does not come close to Nord's. That is, you could choose Nord if piano were your primary sound, but I would not suggest Hammond if piano is your primary sound. You can check youtube videos and hear the pianos for yourself. But you're certainly not going to get the resonances of the larger Nord sample sets, or the sheer variety of different models of piano sound.

EP is a closer call, in part because, personally, Nord doesn't have my favorite EP sounds anyway. With some tweaking (and Hammond does provide for more user tweaking than Nord), I think I actually prefer Hammond's. But that also varies with the kind of EP sound you're looking for. I'm a rock player. If I were a jazz player, I might have a different answer.