Nord User Forum

Is it possible to send only a program change to an external synth but do not send the notes that are played on the Nord Stage 4?
in the manual that came with my Nord there was a part that described the 'NON-KEYBOARD extern setup' but it is gone in the latest manual on the website.

Regards,
Toine

I figured it out..
I thought I had to use the external synth engine to do this (and sacrifice a synth) but you can send a program change for each synth engine (on three different midi channels) in the background to external gear by setting the program change information in the extern settings (next to midi) for each program and switch send on load to on. This does work even if your synth engine is on Analog, Samples or switched off.

EXCELLENT NEWS...this was my pain point...will go try out the NS4

Does this mean that it is possible to have the 3 synth layers active + extern session active only for program change? THANKS

You should be able to send three different program changes on three different midi channels after selecting a sound AND use all three synth engines on the NS4.
I haven’t tried that (yet) to be honest.

Uh, whoa, this would be huge for me if true. I use external on my stage 3 to run click (which also sends master clock back to the Nord so that everything is locked to the clock.) I use this program change message to change tempo for each song with patch changes, so if the 4 could do that without sacrificing a synth like I’ve been assuming, that would change the proposition of this entire keyboard for me.

I just assigned program changes to layers A, B and C (on different midi channels, send on load) using the extern menu.
On the NS4 I still can use all three synth layers.
So you don’t have to sacrifice a synth….

TvR69 wrote:I just assigned program changes to layers A, B and C (on different midi channels, send on load) using the extern menu.
On the NS4 I still can use all three synth layers.
So you don’t have to sacrifice a synth….

So you only sacrifice a synth if you want to send note data using Extern and play the external keyboard sounds from the NS4?

-dj

DJKeys wrote: So you only sacrifice a synth if you want to send note data using Extern and play the external keyboard sounds from the NS4?

-dj

That is correct, I just verified it using a MIDI monitor.
The NS4 was sending 3 program changes on channels 13, 14 en 1 when I selected a program but when I played a note, there was nothing send on these channels, I heard only all three the synth engines.
When I switched a layer in the synth to External instead of Samples or Analog, the played notes where send on the selected midi channel for that layer.

I've had this working for some time now, the only problems I have have are :

1. Aftertouch is sent to external keyboards even when they are not active layers (recorded as a bug)
2. Sustain pedal is not transmitted to external devices when the layer is not active

I realise that the two behaviours are kind of mutually exclusive, but I'd prefer them to be the other way around - so I can use one sustain pedal for two boards, and not have aftertouch being triggered accidentally on the external keyboard. Or am I missing something?