New to Nord: A few questions

[firstnorduser]

Hi there. I'm brand new and really close to buying a Nord Piano 6 but hopefully a few experts can help me with a few questions. I've tried to figure these all out by reading but just want t confirm. Thanks in advance.

From what I understand, the big difference between Piano 6 and Stage 4 is the additional "organ" section which of course comes with the drawbars for granular manipulation of the organ sounds. For someone who would rarely use the B3 style organs, Vox, farfisa, etc. this isn't really beneficial to me, right?

Mostly I'll be playing piano, but I would use it from time to time to play CLASSICAL organ (i.e. pipe organ). The Stage 4 doesn't give me anything the Piano 6 wouldn't give me in this regard, right? It seems the classical organs you download from Nord all would be in the "synth" section of both keyboards, right? In that case, the Piano 6 has "2 independent Sample Synth Layers" so I could potentially load, for example, Principal Organ in one slot and Organ Flute in the other spot and just raise/lower the volume slider for either organ or both to create a more layered sound as if I were playing a pipe organ and pulled the stop of the Organ Flute, right?

When it comes to the sounds you can load onto the piano 6, I notice there isn't a single B3 style organ available! Am I missing something? I get that it doesn't have the B3 organ "section" of the Nord Stage, but I'm not even seeing a preset jazz organ sound as a sample. That leads me to...

The Nord Sample Editor. I was under the impression at first that I could "combine" sounds from Nord into a single sound with this app, but it can't open the nsmp4 files from Nord (which I guess are already packaged and ready for the keyboard). I was hoping I could take the Nord Piano, strings, and harp, for example, and layer them and turn them into a single sound on the Nord that would be one single layer in the Sampler section. I think I might be misunderstanding this Sample Editor. I have lots of VSTs in Logic Pro and I'm wondering I can utilize some of these, for example, a B3 organ preset?

I know this is long so I appreciate any help for any part of it. Thanks again and I'm looking forward to being a part of this forum.

[cphollis]

Hi, and welcome!

The Nord Piano 6 plays piano samples (multilayered) and "everything else" samples (single layer) -- flutes, organs, strings, classic synths, etc. You can't really modulate the sample section much, e.g. pitch-bend, etc. although there is some control.

The Nord Stage 4 has basically the same piano section, two organ engines as well as a very deep synth and sample section. Did I mention per-engine FX? Those are cool too.

If you're going to try classical organ on the NP6, you'll be doing sampled organ parts on piano keys -- something I can't do. I do like the pipe organs from the organ engine on the NS4 -- I can easily layer with other organ samples or horns from the synth/sample section -- many more options on the NS4. And, yes, you can use the sliders to set levels across voices.

This site has many Hammond-ish user samples, but you can't control leslie, you don't get an expression pedal, etc. None of them worked for me, which is one reason I went for the Stage way back when. It has a real organ engine

The only way you can "layer" samples is by re-recording them, e.g. set up an instrument the way you want, and sample it. Most people will use it to "partition" the keyboard into different sounds using a single sample, which is kind of cool for special FX.

Hope this helps?

[firstnorduser]

Thanks for all this! Thankful for your time!

So I've done some searching and found a few third-party libraries (and cheap) like this:
https://www.patchfoundry.com/piano6/org ... samplepack

Again, I'd rarely play B3-style organ, but it seems a pack like that has an organ sample for both "slow" and "fast" Leslie...so theoretically I could just load each in the two Sample Layer sections and fade in the "fast Leslie" sound (since the samples are just that and don't have those FX). I'm probably overthinking it because I'll almost never use those, but just trying to figure it out! Can I assign an expression pedal to control a layer in the Synth section essentially giving my foot the ability to fade in/out, for example, Layer 2?

Back to Organs and layering: I didn't know the Organ section on NS4 had any classical organs! I would never need to layer Organ with anything other than Organ (I think I'd be covered by the Sample section on the NP6 just layering 2 of the organs from the Nord Downloads).

Not to completely change the subject, but I just realized the Nord Grand 2 is on sale in the US and since this keyboard won't ever be moved, I'm thinking I'd probably get that over the Piano 6 for the more piano-centric action. Both keyboards have essentially the exact same feature set, right? Thanks again for taking the time!

[vojtech-h]

Hello and welcome to NUF.

I'll ask some questions for a broader perspective

Piano and organ have different types of keyboards ... do you have any experience with the opposite use?
For piano playing, a weighted keyboard is suitable (for some, even necessary) ... good with NP6 88 or even NP5 88, excellent with NG2.
For organs, a waterfall keyboard is used ... e.g. Semi Weighted waterfall with NS4 Compact, has 73 keys (maybe not enough for a piano).

Pipe organ ... sound, pedalboard, couplers ... do you have the requirements given by experience?
Nord Stage 4 offers 2 Digital Pipe Organ models (in my opinion, the sound is very far from a pipe organ, there are no couplers).
Here, the best tool from Nord would be C2D, today it is only second-hand.
You write about your experience with VST, in combination with a waterfall MIDI keyboard it could be a solution for organ sounds.

I see that the instrument will not be transported, the weight may not be a problem.

Nord instruments always need to be supplemented with speakers.

You do not write about the intended use of the instrument or indicate the budget.

When using both types of keyboards, I can imagine various setups:
- NG2 or NP6 88 + NS4 Compact
- NP5 + NC2D
- or weighted MIDI kbd + waterfall MIDI kbd + VST (e.g. PIANOTEQ + ORGANTEQ)
- or from another production ... Johannus ONE (now also ONE-2) + possibly supplemented with a weighted MIDI kbd

Note. If you have the opportunity to touch and listen to the models you are considering at the dealer, do it. It is a great help.
(I tried Hammond, also Viscount Duo, before I chose the NordC2D).

Good choice, and let it play!

[cphollis]

Thanks for all this! Thankful for your time!

So I've done some searching and found a few third-party libraries (and cheap) like this:
https://www.patchfoundry.com/piano6/org ... samplepack

Again, I'd rarely play B3-style organ, but it seems a pack like that has an organ sample for both "slow" and "fast" Leslie...so theoretically I could just load each in the two Sample Layer sections and fade in the "fast Leslie" sound (since the samples are just that and don't have those FX). I'm probably overthinking it because I'll almost never use those, but just trying to figure it out! Can I assign an expression pedal to control a layer in the Synth section essentially giving my foot the ability to fade in/out, for example, Layer 2?

Back to Organs and layering: I didn't know the Organ section on NS4 had any classical organs! I would never need to layer Organ with anything other than Organ (I think I'd be covered by the Sample section on the NP6 just layering 2 of the organs from the Nord Downloads).

Not to completely change the subject, but I just realized the Nord Grand 2 is on sale in the US and since this keyboard won't ever be moved, I'm thinking I'd probably get that over the Piano 6 for the more piano-centric action. Both keyboards have essentially the exact same feature set, right? Thanks again for taking the time!

Functionally, I think the NP6 has a feature or two that didn't make it to the NG2, but otherwise they're identical except for the case and the action. Personally, I love the action(s) on the NP5 and NP6 (I play a Bosie grand at home) so I rarely find them lacking. I found the NG2 Kawai-sourced action a bit more responsive, but only at the distant margins. The real appeal of the NG2 is as a nice piece of furniture, which it is -- a high WAF (wife approval factor).

The Patch Foundry organ samples are about as good as it gets, and a great value. Since I like to "play" the organ settings (drawbars, percussion, leslie start/stop, drive, etc.) samples wouldn't do it for me.

Also, start thinking about speakers.

[firstnorduser]

Thank you for this!

The keyboard will be used in a Synagogue setting. No speakers needed as everything goes through a mixer with monitor speakers involved. The NG2 looks nicer than Nord Piano and is actually cheaper in the US right now, so we might go for that. It's rare that we'd use Organ (and have put up with Yamaha organs in the past so don't have the highest expectations). A single registration per song or maybe two would be the use case so I'm happy to load 2 organs in the 2 Sample slots so my pulling of stops would just be to slide the fader up. On that note, I've looked but cannot find a definite answer: Can you assign an expression pedal to control a layer? That would make it easy and almost like a "crescendo" pedal on an organ or like operating the swell box pedal.

[firstnorduser]

Hello and welcome to NUF.

I'll ask some questions for a broader perspective

Piano and organ have different types of keyboards ... do you have any experience with the opposite use?
For piano playing, a weighted keyboard is suitable (for some, even necessary) ... good with NP6 88 or even NP5 88, excellent with NG2.
For organs, a waterfall keyboard is used ... e.g. Semi Weighted waterfall with NS4 Compact, has 73 keys (maybe not enough for a piano).

Pipe organ ... sound, pedalboard, couplers ... do you have the requirements given by experience?
Nord Stage 4 offers 2 Digital Pipe Organ models (in my opinion, the sound is very far from a pipe organ, there are no couplers).
Here, the best tool from Nord would be C2D, today it is only second-hand.
You write about your experience with VST, in combination with a waterfall MIDI keyboard it could be a solution for organ sounds.

I see that the instrument will not be transported, the weight may not be a problem.

Nord instruments always need to be supplemented with speakers.

You do not write about the intended use of the instrument or indicate the budget.

When using both types of keyboards, I can imagine various setups:
- NG2 or NP6 88 + NS4 Compact
- NP5 + NC2D
- or weighted MIDI kbd + waterfall MIDI kbd + VST (e.g. PIANOTEQ + ORGANTEQ)
- or from another production ... Johannus ONE (now also ONE-2) + possibly supplemented with a weighted MIDI kbd

Note. If you have the opportunity to touch and listen to the models you are considering at the dealer, do it. It is a great help.
(I tried Hammond, also Viscount Duo, before I chose the NordC2D).

Good choice, and let it play!

Thanks for the help! I'm a pianist that also plays organ (classical) so I'm aware of the keyboard situation. It would be rare to play organ in my case, so I'm okay with the piano keys for the rare scenario I'd play organ. Definitely don't want to involve multiple keyboards, VSTs, etc. I'm not interested in a pedal board for this. In terms of couplers, stops, etc. I'm happy to just have 2 different organ sounds (say a Principle 8' and a 4') loaded in the same program, one in each of the sampler layers, and just bring in the 4' sound as me "pulling" another stop. (Basic example but I think that makes sense.) Do you know if you can assign the expression pedal per program? So maybe it's generally just volume of the keyboard as a whole, but on a program with 2 organs loaded in the Sampler section, the pedal can control the volume of Layer 2 and not affect layer 1? It could kind of act as a "crescendo pedal" (like on classical electric organs). Thanks again.

[cphollis]

Thank you for this!

The keyboard will be used in a Synagogue setting. No speakers needed as everything goes through a mixer with monitor speakers involved. The NG2 looks nicer than Nord Piano and is actually cheaper in the US right now, so we might go for that. It's rare that we'd use Organ (and have put up with Yamaha organs in the past so don't have the highest expectations). A single registration per song or maybe two would be the use case so I'm happy to load 2 organs in the 2 Sample slots so my pulling of stops would just be to slide the fader up. On that note, I've looked but cannot find a definite answer: Can you assign an expression pedal to control a layer? That would make it easy and almost like a "crescendo" pedal on an organ or like operating the swell box pedal.

Yes, if you download the manual, you can see the button and LED that enables the control pedal for that section.

https://www.nordkeyboards.com/wt/docume ... tion-B.pdf