Whither Nord?

[Gambold]

While I'm sure the music industry was all hot and bothered over the release of the Grand 2 a few months ago...not exactly a touring instrument, but the schools probably liked it...we have to come to grips with the aging of the rest of the Nord line. To wit:

Stage 4 - this one is the baby of the group, about a year and half old. It's also $6000, so it's not exactly pouring out of the warehouses.

Piano 5 - 3 years old. Acceptable, but now in middle-age as far as digital keyboards go.

Electro 6 - 6 years old. This one has crossed the line into senior citizen land. What's dismaying is that any Electro 7 is unlikely to have significantly new tech or features than the Stage 4, which Clavia considers their flagship...and they can't let it be "up-staged," har har.

Lead A1 - 10 years old. Well, I guess it's a collector's item now. A lot has happened in the synth world in the past decade.

Wave 2 - 14 years old. I wonder if they even manufacture these anymore, or just have a stack of them in their warehouse and sell a few a year.

Meanwhile, the website was finally upgraded although it has problems with link consistency on downloads and general navigation. The piano samples, Nord's big marketing feature, have steadily declined in "excitability" over the past few years - we all waited for a new Grand forever and then got the Soft Grand, destined to slot at the bottom of anyone's permanent loads list. The last couple of Uprights haven't been particularly inspiring either, although that's a category that is probably tapped out. The Wurlitzer and Clavinet have been steadfastly ignored.

So yeah...I'm concerned. I'm not getting the sense that Clavia is much on the ball these days, and the aging product line and declining sample releases tell me this is a company on auto-pilot. As Nordelius enters his 80s, there appears to be a leadership vacuum. Maybe the really do need a buyer.

[jeffkeys]

The Wave 2 was released in April 2020. Not too long inthe tooth!

[analogika]

Yes, agree with your nice list of ages of the Nords (except the Wave 2 which was released only 4 years ago as jeffkeys rightly said), well collected

I am just a bit concerned that Nord still hasn’t died despite all your predictions over the past couple of years

[pianoharri]

Indeed, their sales seems to grow steadily despite of dark predictions at least until last year. Let’s see when the 2024 figures become available (sorry I guess the link is only available in Swedish):https://www.allabolag.se/5562463769/cla ... aktiebolag

[Gambold]

Sales are indeed "growing steadily" per the metrics of their annual report. I didn't say Nord was going out of business. I said they were stagnating. Sales can still grow as prices rise and the base market continues to purchase from them. That base market would be studios, schools, professional bands, and high-end retail.

I'm sure they can function for another five years or so selling 10+ year old technology to their loyalists. But if the Stage 4 is any indicator, the innovation has hit a wall, and an expensive wall at that. Most honest people would agree that the Nord line needs things like larger color screens, Wi-fi connectivity, better USB functionality, a revamp of their B3 emulation, an overhaul of their preset structure, and a measurable boost in memory capacity, since the Piano samples keep getting bigger. I'm sure there are other more technical or musical features that are needed that others could name. Finally, they could profit immeasurably by creating and marketing an "entry-level" Nord that would build a new customer base which could be drawn to the more expensive boards later.

i don't see any of this happening. The Electro 7, if and when it appears, is unlikely to have major improvements that the Stage 4 doesn't enjoy. The last four Sound Banks have been created for the Stage 4 only. Marketing, such as it exists, seems exclusively focused on pushing that board which at its cheapest iteration will cost a US buyer over $5300. If they want 88 keys, that cost jumps over $6000. Is there a future here?

[cphollis]

A counterpoint?

We're talking musical instruments here, not the latest tech gizmo ... it sounds like you're critiquing Apple or Dell for falling behind in some imaginary technology race. That's not the case here.

I think for most musicians the primary driving force is "can I make music on it?". Nord (Clavia) has carved out an enviable positioning at the premium end of the marketplace -- a place that Yamaha, Roland, Korg et. al. would like to be, but can't get there -- despite several efforts.

In the auto world, the comparison would be Porsche vs others. With Porsche, it's all about the driving experience -- and with Nord, it's all about the playing experience. None of the Porsche knock-offs drive like a real Porsche, by the way. And none of the Nord knock-offs play like a real Nord. I would expect to pay a premium -- and enjoy great resale value from both brands.

Me? I hope they never change what they're doing. I love it.

[Gambold]

>Me? I hope they never change what they're doing. I love it.<

Of course, but YOU are a long-time, dedicated Nord user. You aren't a new market or a new customer. And eventually like most of us here, you are going to age out. The brats coming up aren't going to necessarily share your passion for oldtro technology, no matter how well-built it is. That's a sad truth for a lot of things...the world is a flimsier, more disposable place. Drywall over plaster. Plastic over metal. Watch a 1940s movie and marvel over how heavy and substantive everything looks.

Your Porsche comparison would be argued by Porsche itself - they release annual models with updated engines, technology, and appointments. The old stuff is there for the classic car enthusiasts, but a first-time Porsche buyer wants today's tech. Porsche would go out of business quickly if they only updated their models every 5-8 years.

[cphollis]

The way that people become long-time users is that they try one, like it, and keep buying more. Plenty of evidence that is happening as we speak, including younger musos who are doing well in life and want something better. The Nord Electro is the gateway drug, and there's a boatload of those everywhere I look, along with the Stage and even a few Waves.

You don't make music with a Porsche, and you don't drive a Nord -- so the requirements for success in each market are quite different.

Given your distaste for Nord, why are you still here on the Nord User Forum? Why not the Yamaha, Korg, Roland or Behringer forums?

[Gambold]

Gambold why don’t you initiate a poll on the age of the forum members to prove your assumptions, like

- 15-30 years
- 30-45 years
- 45-60 years
- +60 year's

Would be interesting to see how it looks like for this forum, although it does not necessarily mean anything in terms of the age of Nord users in general

[analogika]

If ever the result of such a poll was that most users are not really very young anymore, you'd never know if it is because of being Nord customer or internet (and forum) user. There's a strong impression on me that young people aren't using internet a lot - and usually not for communication.