why do my samples (harp, violins etc) sound very synthetic?

[ronstar]

Hi I recently bought a nord stage 2 and I will mostly be using it for musical theatre, weddings, school concerts etc The piano and organ sections are amazing, but I am a bit disappointed with the samples - I get the feeling that they are probably great for a pub/club sound with a band, but I find that they sound very synthetic - the harp is very plastic for example, and the violins arent great - I am trying to get as realistic a sound as possible.

I know that synthesisers won't sound like the real thing (theres a clue in the name there i reckon) but I have heard better, clearer sounds overall on cheaper keyboards. For example the choir and male/female voice sounds dont sound very good at all.

I don't know if it is becuase the settings arent great or because I have not been able to find better samples to replace those on my nord already.

Are there any thoughts on this? Are there better samples available apart from those offered on the nord site?

Specifically I am looking for Oboe, Solo violin (non vib) and uileann pipes.

I am a newbie so sorry if the answers should be obvious, thanks

[Hanon_CTS]

Hi I recently bought a nord stage 2 and I will mostly be using it for musical theatre, weddings, school concerts etc The piano and organ sections are amazing, but I am a bit disappointed with the samples - I get the feeling that they are probably great for a pub/club sound with a band, but I find that they sound very synthetic - the harp is very plastic for example, and the violins arent great - I am trying to get as realistic a sound as possible.

I know that synthesisers won't sound like the real thing (theres a clue in the name there i reckon) but I have heard better, clearer sounds overall on cheaper keyboards. For example the choir and male/female voice sounds dont sound very good at all.

I don't know if it is becuase the settings arent great or because I have not been able to find better samples to replace those on my nord already.

Are there any thoughts on this? Are there better samples available apart from those offered on the nord site?

Specifically I am looking for Oboe, Solo violin (non vib) and uileann pipes.

I am a newbie so sorry if the answers should be obvious, thanks

Hello ronstar,
Welcome to the forums.
Which specific samples are you referring to?
If you're referring to the Mellotron samples (Harp, Violin, and Choir) these are from a vintage instrument that is about 40 years old and not intended to be state-of-the-art.

There are a number of samples shared on the forum by members found at this link:
http://www.norduserforum.com/nord_sample_collection.php
Some are quite good.

Cheers, Hanon

[Klangwerk]

Hi ronstar,

Do you use the NS2 as a stand alone or do you play it with same other synths via MIDI?
In that case, don´t forget to switch the NS2 to "local off".
Cheers
Helmuth

[RedLeo]

Hi ronstar,

Do you use the NS2 as a stand alone or do you play it with same other synths via MIDI?
In that case, don´t forget to switch the NS2 to "local off".
Cheers
Helmuth

I always thought this was neccessary too, but after some experimentation I found I could leave Local On and just switch the different sound sections to work locally or not as required. I use all six sections set to different MIDI channels, and leaving Local On means I can fully operate the front panel without having to patch the Stage to itself. Of course, this all depends on your individual setup and needs, and I'm sure it won't work for everone. But armed with Tor Larsonn's excellent MIDI tutorial, I took an afternoon to find out how the MIDI system worked on the Stage, and I was pretty amazed at how much more it could do than you'd think.

oops, sorry for being OT.

[agoldstraw]

Ronstar, to answer your original point, it's mostly because, I believe, the Nord sample structure only uses a single velocity layer. Most modern workstation "romplers" (eg Yamaha Motif series) use multiple layers to alter things like articulation etc so it's possible (with some knowledge of how the "real thing" works) to play such voices in a way that makes them sound more realistic.

To be fair, this is not the Stage's main focus. The samples are nice to have but are really more of an adjunct to the synth section. I know this isn't what you want to hear but for your projected use, you may need to consider adding another keyboard, or maybe a Motif rack unit, and use it in conjunction with the Stage. The good news is that its External section makes this relatively painless, though it is one more thing to buy and carry.

On the upside, the Stage's acoustic and electric pianos beat the living daylights out of most romplers, and the organ section too is more organic and controllable than most of those found in workstations.

[DJKeys]

I rarely use the samples by themselves. I find that the best string/horn sounds are created by using a combination of a sample and an onboard synth sound. The Synth can respond to velocity nicely so it is possible to create really beautiful, usable sounds by incorporating the samples into a program which uses the synth oscillators as well. Listen to some of the programs and samples that Hanon refers to and you will see that the Stage 2 is capable of some unique and gorgeous sounds.

[nordyboy]

if scrolling through the samples (rather than whole patches) make sure the attack control is is not in the wrong position as that will screw up the starts of every note and it will sound fake

[azwel]

oboe; The sonatina oboe in sample library is excellent.

the choir does suck, but use mellotron choir then add resonance to the sample and a bit of reverb and you have a great choir.

The violin i am using is as realistic as possible, i forget which, but it was either from this forum or the clavia site

uielilian pipes?