Help with pStick, Morph, Filter, Preset, and Slots A,B...

[Micah]

NOOB here. so please show me grace. Orginially i was posting in slots A,B thread but decided this was a bit more in depth than that so decided a new thread might be better.
SLOT A, B question.
Is there any way to achieve 2 different sound selections on the Nord. I thought I could do this selecting slot A changing the sound sample than going to B but it appears the sound changes for both. Is the main point of having 2 slots is to create more versatility with effects(like adding more)? Anyways I am new to Nord products so sorry if I'm not very clear. Basically hear is what I am trying to accomplish. Sometimes I play a sample that comes with an accompaning effect that trails each note, like a synth. However if one is using the synth you can always move volume control or frequency to change results.
Filter and Change sound settings of Preset Sounds from Soundbank/Transition smoothly between Presets
I have tried turning off all the modules(ex, piano, synth, effects,) and you still have the sound that was selected. This is fine but I want to transition better to another effect without having to abrubtly stop. To achieve this I would like to be able to do a few things. For one it would be nice to figure out how to make changes to the filter on the selected sample. The other thing I would like to do is be able to move between different songs without the effects just dying out. Like if I am playing one preset sample and move to another it just completely stops the one. I want to be able to merge the two without it created a drop of..Like mix the two so too speak. I was surprised to figure out the piano just didnt do this automatically for me. It seems like a no brainer to me. Anyways there is much to learn about this.
Pstick, Morph, Ex-Pedals/ midi controllers
Perhaps some people can recommend me how to set up a conrtoller with this to help give me some control over fading, mixing, and the synth section(I've considered buying an akai pad or something like this). Also it would be nice to figure this out because I also have alot of Midi samples i can use with my Komplete 8 library(also if i did use Komplete would it be better to run samples through Ableton Live or just store them in the sound bank on the Nord Stage?...). Before I go buying things I want to know if anyone can see what I'm trying to accomplish and recommend the best way to go about this. Also to add one more thing. I am looking to understand the pedals/morphs more. I have played with the wheel and wooden/vibrato(pstick right?) but it doesnt always work with all the presets, even when trying to use SHIFT + pSTICK.
Conclusion
I was first a electric guitarist and was used to playing very long expression volume swells while bending the notes for a long time. It seems the swells are only for the organ section. I was also used to playing with a loop peddle to create layers of music. I want to achieve the same thing with the Nord. Create Layers with the synth libraries and smoothly transition between each sample in memory bank. I'm kinda confused and yes have looked at the manual but sometimes people can be more reliable than a manual. Thanks in advance. Hope one of you guys here can make sense of all this. haha.

[Micah]

First of all, I would suggest take a deep breath, calm down and relax. It sounds like you're trying to do everything at once with a brand new instrument you haven't learnt how to use yet. Before you try all the fancy stuff, take some time to work through the manual properly and get to know how your new machine actually works. People will, I'm sure, give you plenty of good advice, but it won't help you much if you don't really know what they're talking about.

To start with, yes the two slots A and B do allow you to switch between two different sets of sounds. Secondly, the effects will always cut off abruptly when you change Programs. Unfortunately there is no way round this.

Other than this, I'm sure other people will be able to help you sort out the rest of the things you are asking about.

good luck.

[Micah]

First of all, I would suggest take a deep breath, calm down and relax. It sounds like you're trying to do everything at once with a brand new instrument you haven't learnt how to use yet. Before you try all the fancy stuff, take some time to work through the manual properly and get to know how your new machine actually works. People will, I'm sure, give you plenty of good advice, but it won't help you much if you don't really know what they're talking about.

To start with, yes the two slots A and B do allow you to switch between two different sets of sounds. Secondly, the effects will always cut off abruptly when you change programs. unfortunately there is no way round this.

Other than this , I'm sure other people will be able to help you sort out the rest of the things you are asking about.

good kuck.

Hey Thanks for the quick reply. You are right! I need to slow down and grasp slowly all there is too do here. It can be a bit overwhelming. See right now I play the piano and like ambient/indie/tech sounds but I want to head more in the direction of live dj-ing while creating my own spontaneous songs on the fly. I really appreciate you clearing up what the sample was called..PROGRAM!!!!!! HAHA. Yes I was having an issue between switching Programs but it appears there is no way around this like you said. Well that clears up that, I will have to figure out away to accomplish this through a Midi Controller maybe. Thank you very much RedLeo!

[Micah]

if what you want are effects trails when switching programs, you'll need to go to external effects for that unfortunately. If what you want is envelope sustain from a sample, nothing can keep that going when you switch programs.

That being said, you can switch SLOTS and maintain the effects trails. I do this to great effect when I cover Fly Like an Eagle: http://www.norduserforum.com/nord-user- ... t3294.html

On one slot I do the synth run with a heap of echo on, I turn the feedback up to 10 so that the echo repeats infinitely, and then I switch slots to comp the organ part, the synth keeps looping forever. Then to end the song I switch slots back to the synth, dial the feedback down slowly until the sound stops, and I'm done. No external controls needed.

I'm not getting a good read on what exactly you're trying to do unfortunately, if you might be able to simplify your quest and explain it maybe a little more, I'm sure we can help you even further.

[thedberg]

Perhaps some comfort, Micah: I have been using electronic keyboards since the 70:s and even I found the Stage's layout a bit confusing at first. They have made quite a few compromises in the "understandability" and the functionality in order to make the number of knobs tolerably small. If they built a knob for every feature we all want it would take a wall or two But when you get a hold of it, it's really rewarding - it's a breeze to dial in the sounds you want, even under pressure.

With that said, it certainly is a bit annoying that sounds can't trail out after switching to other sounds. Other keyboards have had this feature for years.

[Micah]

I know that there is no way round this, but sometimes it is also confusing to look at the panel and think that the no-led-dials are pointing to the right positions, when in fact the sound generators are set according to the stored patch. Fortunately with the shift key pressed you can move a dial, see the set value without changing it.

[bazhill]

Hi,
I'm still a bit of a newbie myself but I can let you know what I do to smoothly change sounds and alter sounds.

I use a swell type pedal in the ctl pedal input and using the morph function can get a smooth transition of sounds within a song. For example I bring in an organ from a piano; alter the synth parameters, or fade in a synth sound over a piano. I often fade strings in and out of a piano patch simply with the swell pedal. You can do this with one or both slots in a single program. You can also increase/decrease some effects.

I'm not good at pushing buttons and dials while in the middle of playing so this is great for me. I also use a pedal to increase/decrease the speed of the rotary speaker.

I hope this helps

Baz

[Micah]

Thank you all for your great feedback. Many of you have helped me figure some things out. I also read the manual a little more. One pointer for some noobs though.. When using slot A, B. Layered effect is by default. If you want 2 distinct(different) sound banks you must hold A,B down together. This makes one slot with a Red light and the other light is off. I just learned about the morph function and it is pretty awesome that it can remember multiple dials to assign to it. Unfortunately I cannot get the ctr pedal input to work as "bazhill" suggested. I tried to go into System settings even and make sure my ctrl pedal gain was up and I even tried assigning the function as a dual mode pedal(ctrl+volume). Im getting no sound even on the keyboard. when i unplug the pedal i get sound though. the pedal is throwing things off. Anyone have any suggestions? I even flipped the pedal over(btw its an M-audio pedal) and switched the paramter to Ex- vs the default latch....

[bdodds]

latch....... that tells me that the pedal you're trying to use is a sustain-style pedal? the control pedal is meant to be a volume-style pedal with a potentiometer in it and a stereo plug. this is probably your problem, judging from your statement.. the sustain and rotor speed jacks expect a sustain-style pedal while the control and organ swell jacks expect a volume-style pedal.

[Micah]

Ok I take that back, after reading up on the M-Audio pedals you are using an EX-P? Then I think the switch is a polarity switch, not latch? What is the pedal type set to in the system settings? Have you tried the EV-5 or EV-7 settings?