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Connecting triple sensor keyboard to nord stage
Posted: 29 Nov 2025, 18:00
by _Andromax_
Hey guys! I'm going to buy a nord stage 2 ex or a nord electro 6 in these days (thanks to your past help to decide!), but there is one thing holding me back:
I have a kawai vpc1 with a really nice triple sensor keyboard; I'm a classically trained piano player, and I really need that triple sensor action. When I connect thew kawai to the nord to use it as a midi player, will the triple sensor work? or will it not register at all? that would be a big dealbreaker for me. Thanks in advance guys
Re: Connecting triple sensor keyboard to nord stage
Posted: 29 Nov 2025, 20:27
by FZiegler
Yes and no.
MIDI 1.0 doesn't transmit triple sensor commands, there is only on and off. If the middle sensor is used, different brands translate it differently. Some transmit on, on, off, off, (Kawai IIRC), some transmit on, off, on, off (Nord, IIRC). No idea if MIDI 2.0 will change that problem, but for the moment, there is no guarantee that the repetition sounds correct when the damper pedal is pressed.
I don't recall properly if there were issues, when I connected my VPC1 to my Stage 3 Compact. I do remember that I wasn't fully convinced by the VPC1 damper pedal, so I don't bring in onto stages anymore. But I do not play classical music in that combination - it's mainly for pop/rock band music.
Re: Connecting triple sensor keyboard to nord stage
Posted: 29 Nov 2025, 21:30
by _Andromax_
makes sense, what do you mean by "I wasn't fully convinced by the VPC1 damper pedal"? it wasn't working?
Re: Connecting triple sensor keyboard to nord stage
Posted: 29 Nov 2025, 21:31
by maxpiano
FZiegler wrote: ↑29 Nov 2025, 20:27
Yes and no.
MIDI 1.0 doesn't transmit triple sensor commands, there is only on and off. If the middle sensor is used, different brands translate it differently. Some transmit on, on, off, off, (Kawai IIRC), some transmit on, off, on, off (Nord, IIRC). No idea if MIDI 2.0 will change that problem, but for the moment, there is no guarantee that the repetition sounds correct when the damper pedal is pressed.
I don't recall properly if there were issues, when I connected my VPC1 to my Stage 3 Compact. I do remember that I wasn't fully convinced by the VPC1 damper pedal, so I don't bring in onto stages anymore. But I do not play classical music in that combination - it's mainly for pop/rock band music.
This and if I remember well when I used the VPC1 with the Nord Stage I used to disable the triple sensor (and the problem is not just with damper pedal pressed, it is in the different sequence of midi notes on/off, which may cause the NS to not retrigger properly when using the middle contact in VPC1).
Re: Connecting triple sensor keyboard to nord stage
Posted: 30 Nov 2025, 01:00
by FZiegler
_Andromax_ wrote: ↑29 Nov 2025, 21:30
makes sense, what do you mean by "I wasn't fully convinced by the VPC1 damper pedal"? it wasn't working?
When I'm a little nervous on stage and playing a very rhythmic part, I might find myself tapping my foot on the pedal a little. This may not be meant as depressing the pedal.
My impression during a gig was that in that case the result of dry and wet playing wasn't as intended with the combination of VPC1 and Stage. But that's only what I felt among 20 other players in the big band - not sure if it was true. At home, it seemed OK.
Obviously, the VPC1 wasn't best bet for stage use anyway: Hauling it up the steps was an adventure.
Re: Connecting triple sensor keyboard to nord stage
Posted: 30 Nov 2025, 20:32
by vojtech-h
Hello!
I confirm, I use, the VPC-1 and its triple pedal work as a MIDI keyboard with NS2 (with OS 3.00) and NS4 as expected for the sustain, sostenuto and soft functions.
Note: If the VPC-1 is used with PianoTeq8 the sustain, sostenuto and soft pedals behave the same.
Here you can see the behavior of Sustain=continuous, sostenuto=on/off and soft=on/off on the monitor.
Let it play
Vojtech