NS4 - Any way to disable Live Mode?

[Fairstar]

Am I the only one who may have accidently touched one of the LIve Mode buttons which sit just above the keys while within a program, mid gig and instantly and irretrievably been transported to a completely new setting mid song?

Maybe it's clumsy technique but in the heat of some songs I have touched these sensitive and dangerously placed buttons a few times now with instant disaster! I recall this problem back with Electro 5 - the shortened keys in the Compact and Electro D just put you that much closer to danger.

I personally have absolutely no use for Live Mode - is there any way to disable it ?

[Fairstar]

Sorry, but what do you mean by 'Live Mode buttons'? There is only one Live Mode button and it doesn't sit close to the keys.

Do you by any chance mean the lower row of the program buttons? Which won't switch you into Live Mode, just swap your program number. Which of course is the same disaster, but has nothing to do with Live Mode.

[Fairstar]

An extreme solution:
Remove the caps from the offending buttons, take out the spring contacts, replace the caps.

A better option might be to program each Live Mode similarly to avoid a catastrophic change if accidentally pressed.

[anotherscott]

Maybe you meant to post this in the Electro section? It doesn't seem relevant to any Stage model. On the 2/3/4, Live mode IS disabled unless you hit its gray button, which is far enough away from the keys that you'd hit other buttons first. Even on the original Stage, you'd hit other buttons before hitting either of the two Live mode buttons. (Which isn't to say that there aren't other buttons you could hit that might change your sound, but that can't be fixed by disabling Live mode.)

ETA: I see FZiegler posted something similar, but I left this because I referenced all the Stage models, while his answer seemed specific to the NS4, and your post wasn't specific about which Stage model you were thinking of.

[Fairstar]

Sorry, but what do you mean by 'Live Mode buttons'? There is only one Live Mode button and it doesn't sit close to the keys.

Do you by any chance mean the lower row of the program buttons? Which won't switch you into Live Mode, just swap your program number. Which of course is the same disaster, but has nothing to do with Live Mode.

This, if you play the keyboard keys and take care to not "play the panel" you won't have any problem. Otherwise pterm offered a valid "extreme solution"

[Fairstar]

Yes sorry my mistake, I did mean the 8 program buttons.

I've only had the Stage 4 Compact for a couple of weeks and did accidently touch one of the lower row of buttons mid song at my first gig with this board, and again at rehearsal - the result is of course, instant disaster!

I was just wondering if these could be disabled in any way as I can't see myself using them and haha now look at them with fear and trepidation!

I might design a velcro cover!

[M_a_c]

It couldn't... The only way is to change your playing and stay away from the keyboard interface while playing any wild solo on and above the keybed... This is not always easy and in my early Rockband-days I once broke 2 drawbars on a Hammond and on a guest gig with my first touch with a Nord Key I switched to the Live-Set of a NS2 during a wild solo without any clue, what sound could be where... Play with more discipline is the only solution, if you don't want to damage something or just change a setting... A John Lord didn't broke any drawbar (as far as I know) and a LangLang does not hit his musicsheets when he's flying over the keybed...

[anotherscott]

Yes sorry my mistake, I did mean the 8 program buttons.

I've only had the Stage 4 Compact for a couple of weeks and did accidently touch one of the lower row of buttons mid song at my first gig with this board, and again at rehearsal - the result is of course, instant disaster!

I was just wondering if these could be disabled in any way as I can't see myself using them

Interesting that you can't see yourself using them. Do you use only the top 4 buttons (i.e. only the first 4 locations of each bank)? Or only the "program dial" scroll knob, not using the buttons at all?

What I'd suggest is making sure you have the Program View set to show you the names of the 8 Programs that are currently under the 8 buttons. Then, if you accidentally hit one of the other buttons, you can look at the screen and probably instantly see which button will take you back to the sound you were just on. If it's a chronic problem, you could even put "silent" patches in all the 5-through-8 positions (or some known likely "inoffensive" sound like a piano/EP/basic organ), so at least in the few seconds where you've accidentally got the wrong sound selected, it won't be something too distracting (like some wild synth sound or arpeggiation).