Hi everyone,
Sam here! This is my first post on these forums. I did join a few days ago when I first received my Nord Wave (absolutely loving it) which was my very first Nord purchase. After seeing some of the great features that Clavia has to offer which other keyboard/piano/synthesizer companies don't, i.e the fact that Clavia Nord understands the users want to be able to isolate sounds to the absolute core and work from there, I don't think I'll ever actually stray away from Nord keyboards. So, I was wondering because apparently I have the money to do so, which Nord should I get for an all-round piano/organ/ep sound? I've been thinking the Electro 4 would suit my particular gigging situation in the sense that it's quite a versatile instrument and also fairly lightweight... but, I've heard some great things about the Stage series.
I understand that posting this in the Electro forums would probably get a very one-sided opinion as far as answers go, so if a forum mod wants to move this post somewhere else I would be more than happy for you to do so. I just didn't really know where to post this is all.
Cool! Thanks very much!
Sam out.
Nord Electro buy decision! Please help!
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JoeCool
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Re: Nord Electro buy decision! Please help!
Hi Sam, welcome. Electro or Nord Stage depends on your needs, especially the need of playing more than just one sound at the same time (so called multitimbral). If you are ok with just one sound, the electro is right. If you need to play piano, organ and synth sounds together or want to layer sounds, then you need the Stage. The sounds are (almost) the same. The electro has no active synth part, only samples. Organ: Electro 4 has drawbars. NS2 no drawbars. Electro has the newer organ engine. I downsized from NS2-76 to NE3-61 and am happy how small and lightweight it is. The NS2 had so much what I really did not need.
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mjbrands
Re: Nord Electro buy decision! Please help!
Hello and welcome to the forum.
The Electro series is meant to be light and portable, while the Stage is more of a do-it-all-with-one-board kind of affair.
The biggest difference is probably that the Electro can only make one type of sound at the same time (organ, piano or synth/sampled instrument), while the Stage has two of everything (organ, piano and synth) and can use all of them at the same time (so 2 x organ, 2 x piano and 2 x synth at the same time). Layering or splits is very much a standard thing to do on the Stage, while it is not possible on the Electro.
Since you already have a Wave, it is good to realize the synth section of the Stage 2 doesn't really bring anything new to the table for you. It has some arguably minor things the Wave doesn't have, i.e. double the memory, better effects, a unison mode that doesn't eat up additional voices and an arpeggiator and LFOs that can be synced to the master clock (which could potentially be an external MIDI clock). The synth section on the Stage 2 is very usable however and WAY more useful than that of the Electro.
You can also use the Stage 2 as a controller for external MIDI gear (such as maybe a small analog synth module, like the Mopho). You can do that on the Electro (or Wave for that matter), but the Stage 2 is more flexible; you still shouldn't compare it with a dedicated MIDI controller though. Also note you don't have a mod wheel or pitch stick on the Electro, while you do have those on the Stage 2 and Wave.
Only one of the three Electro 4 models has physical drawbars; the other two have the LED drawbars, just like the Stage 2. You can always connect an external set of MIDI drawbars, like the ones for Ocean Beach Digital: http://www.oceanbeachdigital.com/products.html
The Stage 2 also features Long Release, String Resonance and dynamic pedal noise (when you use the Nord triple pedal, which is not included with the Stage 2). The organ emulation on the Electro 4 is slightly newer than that of the Stage 2 and some people say the difference is noticeable.
Note that they upped the amount of memory in the Electro 4 when compared to the Electro 3. Also note that the Electro 4D (the one with the physical drawbars) has less memory than the other two models.
Since you'd be getting a second keyboard, would you want a weighted or semi-weighted keyboard? Both are a heavier action than the Wave (which has a synth action). The Hammer Portable keybed you can get on the Electro 4 is a compromise between the feel of a real fully weighted Hammer Action keybed and a much more portable semi-weighted one.
Speaking of weight: the Stage 2 SW73 ('compact') is with its 9.7 KG about 60% heavier than the Wave, but I think it is still fairly light. The Electro 4 SW73 is slightly lighter, but that's only a 7% difference.
The Electro series is meant to be light and portable, while the Stage is more of a do-it-all-with-one-board kind of affair.
The biggest difference is probably that the Electro can only make one type of sound at the same time (organ, piano or synth/sampled instrument), while the Stage has two of everything (organ, piano and synth) and can use all of them at the same time (so 2 x organ, 2 x piano and 2 x synth at the same time). Layering or splits is very much a standard thing to do on the Stage, while it is not possible on the Electro.
Since you already have a Wave, it is good to realize the synth section of the Stage 2 doesn't really bring anything new to the table for you. It has some arguably minor things the Wave doesn't have, i.e. double the memory, better effects, a unison mode that doesn't eat up additional voices and an arpeggiator and LFOs that can be synced to the master clock (which could potentially be an external MIDI clock). The synth section on the Stage 2 is very usable however and WAY more useful than that of the Electro.
You can also use the Stage 2 as a controller for external MIDI gear (such as maybe a small analog synth module, like the Mopho). You can do that on the Electro (or Wave for that matter), but the Stage 2 is more flexible; you still shouldn't compare it with a dedicated MIDI controller though. Also note you don't have a mod wheel or pitch stick on the Electro, while you do have those on the Stage 2 and Wave.
Only one of the three Electro 4 models has physical drawbars; the other two have the LED drawbars, just like the Stage 2. You can always connect an external set of MIDI drawbars, like the ones for Ocean Beach Digital: http://www.oceanbeachdigital.com/products.html
The Stage 2 also features Long Release, String Resonance and dynamic pedal noise (when you use the Nord triple pedal, which is not included with the Stage 2). The organ emulation on the Electro 4 is slightly newer than that of the Stage 2 and some people say the difference is noticeable.
Note that they upped the amount of memory in the Electro 4 when compared to the Electro 3. Also note that the Electro 4D (the one with the physical drawbars) has less memory than the other two models.
Since you'd be getting a second keyboard, would you want a weighted or semi-weighted keyboard? Both are a heavier action than the Wave (which has a synth action). The Hammer Portable keybed you can get on the Electro 4 is a compromise between the feel of a real fully weighted Hammer Action keybed and a much more portable semi-weighted one.
Speaking of weight: the Stage 2 SW73 ('compact') is with its 9.7 KG about 60% heavier than the Wave, but I think it is still fairly light. The Electro 4 SW73 is slightly lighter, but that's only a 7% difference.
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rb4u1
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Re: Nord Electro buy decision! Please help!
These guys will give you the straight info.
I have had several electros and only one Stage.
The electro 3 has made great strides in sound quality over the 2.
The 4 is even better than the 3. The stage does do splits and layers.
None of the electros have a traditional weighted action. The HP is interesting
But still not a traditional weighted action.
I have had several electros and only one Stage.
The electro 3 has made great strides in sound quality over the 2.
The 4 is even better than the 3. The stage does do splits and layers.
None of the electros have a traditional weighted action. The HP is interesting
But still not a traditional weighted action.