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Love Nord sound but need it in Black


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I love the Nord Piano sounds. I have owned Stage 2, Piano 2 and now a Stage 2 ex hp76.

 

I love the 2exhp76 for my general gigs.

 

However, I have started doing wedding ceremonies and it is just so red! It is not the low key look I need.

 

I bought a Korg D1 which is absolutely the look I am after. Slick, black, low profile. However, it obviously does not sound as good. So, options...

 

1. Link the Nord via midi and hide it out of the way. Not really that practical, but I could try it.

 

2. Get a piano module for the D1. Would the Dexibell SX7 or Roland Integra 7 have high end piano sounds? Appreciate the thoughts of any who have tried these. Don"t want to go the iPad or MacBook route as I prefer midi modules. I"m a bit old school.

 

3. Buy a new board? What would you recommend for the ultimate portable piano replacement for wedding ceremonies. Wouldn"t really want to go much heavier than the D1. Would anything non Nord have the top end piano sound? I know it is all subjective. Probably wouldn"t want the brighter Yamaha tone for this specific purpose. Does anyone know if Kawai ES110 has the same tone as the ES8. I guess that could be a good option if I can live with the keybed.

 

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

Kurzweil PC3x

Technics SX-P50

Korg X3

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I"ve seen people cover the Nord with duct tape to make it black. Or better, spray it black yourself. If you search for 'escaperocks custom paint job' on this forum you"ll find some threads from Escaperocks doing this.

Rudy

 

 

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You might try this, I have heard good things about it. Though I don't own one. There is a thread on it here https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2904798/V3_Grand_3GB_Piano_Module

 

V3 Sound PIANO XXL

 

banner-grandpianoxxl.jpg

Boards: Kurzweil SP-6, Roland FA-08, VR-09, DeepMind 12

Modules: Korg Radias, Roland D-05, Bk7-m & Sonic Cell

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If you do look into a new board for this purpose, I'd check out the Casio PX-S1000... in white.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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My first thought was Korg Grandstage.

Life is subtractive.
Genres: Jazz, funk, pop, Christian worship, BebHop
Wishlist: 80s-ish (synth)pop, symph pop, prog rock, fusion, musical theatre
Gear: NS2 + JUNO-G. KingKORG. SP6 at church.

 

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If you do look into a new board for this purpose, I'd check out the Casio PX-S1000... in white.
I was just about to say Casio PX-S3000. Black or white, whichever you think will work best. The 3000 will give a fair choice of organ sounds if you need those for weddings. Strings too. But the pianos are very good. It's lightweight, with very good piano action.

 

These are only my opinions, not supported by any actual knowledge, experience, or expertise.
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I hope y'all don't mind a little bit of a contrarian viewpoint here, but... Is playing a wedding ceremony â where nobody is looking at you or your rig, or critiquing your choice of piano samples, worth all this trouble? It's very interesting to see the different priorities some of us have. I used to play a lot of weddings, and the main thing I would have wanted in a keyboard for ceremonies is something as small and light as possible â since I was usually shlepping it to the "cocktail hour" area right after the ceremony ended, then shlepping again to the main reception area to play with the band. The sound quality of the piano, for what was probably going to be at most 15 to 20 minutes of playing, was not uppermost in my mind! And, looks never came into the equation either. Most of the time I'm set up in the back of the space anyway. As it happened, I wound up using my regular rig since I was too cheap to buy a second keyboard â but my regular keyboard is a 10lb. Roland controller so it wasn't that big a deal. Wait until you show up at a fancy wedding place and the manager tells you the ceremony is down the hill by the lake, the cocktail hour is on the patio, and the reception is on the second floor of the main house. Stuff like this happened to me quite a few times! Are you really sure that clients will be somehow offended by a red keyboard? They might think it looks cool! Linking two keyboards, or spending money buying a new module or keyboard? That seems like overkill to me. Also, the sound of any piano is gonna depend on what you bring for amplification. Are you that commited to this? My hat is off to you â and your chiropractor will be very happy too, I'm sure! :)
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Yes. No bide really wants anything that detracts from her and her color choices for the wedding.

That"s why we use black keyboards. And often use gaffers tape to cover the big Korg and Yamaha branding.

Fair enough, if you're set up in front where everybody can see you. I would say that 80% of the time I did a ceremony I was in the back of the room. If I was dead set on using the Nord I might use black stage skirting. With a few pieces of adhesive-backed velcro strips around the sides & back of the keyboard you could have a skirt on & off in seconds.

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I have played dozens and dozens of weddings over the course of the past 35 years and for the weddings where I haven't used the church's organ, have never once had an issue about what color my boards are (currently white, and red).

 

Not. Once. If I ran into bridezilla who was THAT much of a control freak about colors, I'd probably pass on the gig.

 

 

However, if you really are worried about color, buy a nice black piece of cloth and velcro it across the back and sides of your keyboard so it drapes down. It'll hide your stand and wires as well.

 

 

 

Muzikteechur is Lonnie, in Kittery, Maine.

 

HS music teacher: Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Chorus, Music Theory, AP Music Theory, History of Rock, Musical Theatre, Piano, Guitar, Drama.

 

 

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Thanks, Lonnie, it was getting lonely in here! I also never sweated what a bride or anyone else might think about what my gear looked like! If anybody did care â I didn't hear about it and no bandleader ever mentioned it to me. And I've been doing weddings for as long as you! (Not in the past few years though â though that might change at any point!)
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Thanks all. I enjoyed every response, one way or another. So many varied suggestions. That"s what I love about this place.

 

V3 module looks decent.

 

White battery-powered Casio looks handy.

 

Korg Grandstage looks and sounds great.

 

Black cloth idea is such a neat solution.

 

Turning down Bridezillas is also another great option.

 

I"m gonna hook my D1 into a pair of EV ZXa1"s tomorrow and see how it sounds. Might just go with this setup.

 

Thanks all

Kurzweil PC3x

Technics SX-P50

Korg X3

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Did 20 years as a wedding band leader. Not once was there word one about about the color of any equipment. Now once I had a bad reaction to some skin medication, and the wedding coordinator wanted my red face far from view. It was close to Nord red.

 

What did happen often was the request that the band provide PA and instrument/amp for an outdoor ceremony with the power source located where a power cord over the bridal and guest path was unavoidable. And nobody was in love with portable speakers, especially the photographers.

Barry

 

Home: Steinway L, Montage 8

 

Gigs: Yamaha CP88, Crumar Mojo 61, A&H SQ5 mixer, ME1 IEM, MiPro 909 IEMs

 

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Would the Dexibell SX7 or Roland Integra 7 have high end piano sounds?
I briefly had the Dexibell SX7 module, and IMO the pianos are where Dexibell shines. Several to choose from in the module, and a lot more that can be downloaded from the Dexibell site. Rather pricey, however. I currently have an Integra-7, which I primarily obtained for non-piano sounds, but also features their Supernatural pianos. You have to dig the Roland 'piano sound' which I generally feel works well in a band context. Again, a lot of $$$ just for piano. Between the two, overall I probably prefer the Dexibell pianos, they are of exceptional quality. For your situation I"d probably go with a Casio, Yamaha, or Kawai with built-in speakers; they may even be adequate for a small/quiet church.

 

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

- George Bernard Shaw

 

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I used to play a lot of weddings, and the main thing I would have wanted in a keyboard for ceremonies is something as small and light as possible â since I was usually shlepping it to the "cocktail hour" area right after the ceremony ended, then shlepping again to the main reception area to play with the band.

That's my priority as well, which is one of the main reasons I picked up a Korg PA1000. It was the lightest thing I could find that had good enough, loud enough built-in speakers that I felt I could cover even decent sized outdoor ceremonies and good sized cocktail hours. The keys are semi-weighted, but passable enough to be able to play piano on, and I make do with its 61 keys. If it had been available at the time, I might have checked out the aforementioned new Casio PX-S1000 which adds the virtue of battery operation (hopefully enough to last through ceremony and cocktail), though I have a feeling that it would not have enough oomph in its speakers, based on other Casios I've played. And I'd rather use the PA1000 and live with having to be near AC power (and suffer it's minute-ish bootup time) if the alternative were to have to bring a keyboard of comparable weight AND an amp of some sort.

 

As for any bride complaining about a red keyboard... no they probably won't complain, but we all probably do lots of things that we know we don't need to (i.e. they wouldn't complain regardless), just because we know it creates a better overall experience. And for the times we do end up in the front for a ceremony, you should think about how it's going to look in the pictures. Yeah, I know, by then you've already been paid, but still... ;-)

 

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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I understand that typically no, a bride is not going to interrupt her special day to comment on the color of a keyboard. But in a business appearances are important. The strong suggestion of uniformity in attire and look of band typically comes from band leader and/or agency - and obviously depending what market you"re in and how competitive it is - these guys look for selling points. When we shoot promotional video everyone follows attire, setting and lighting are carefully set, all branding on instruments is gaffed over. And when we arrive at the party we bring what we sold them, and often agency will bring a bride to see the group at a showcase or wedding in progress. I personally wouldn"t show up to a woman"s wedding ceremony with a bright red keyboard, or allow a big advertisement for YAMAHA or KORG to be in the photos and video. But that"s just me. Obviously the OP had a similar inclination. But ya, I see from posts above everyone feels differently about this. No big deal. It"s minutia in the grand scheme of things.

 

:cheers:

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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LOL, I just had an image of a board with bubbly "MOJO" written on it, and being right in the "Wedding Kiss" photo. Yeah, That could be a problem.

Puck Funk! :)

 

Equipment: Laptop running lots of nerdy software, some keyboards, noise makersâ¦yada yada yadaâ¦maybe a cat?

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I really like the trend of hiding the digital stuff we play in vintage looking stands. To look like an acoustic or electro mechanical.

But my back ain"t about to carry it.

 

The Crumar Seven is nice and neat looking as is.

And the CRUMAR facing audience is aesthetically low key compared to the Korg Grandstage"s KORG that lights up and changes color. :laugh:

 

 

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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The thing I'd most love to do to my Electro 5D would be to have reverse color keys (Black naturals, white sharps and flats).

I love the retro "60's combo organ" look.

Plus, harpsichords and organs of Bach's time had the same color scheme!

I'm surprised there aren't more options for keyboard "looks", like those offered to guitar players...

Guess we need to take spray paint in hand, and "roll our own"...

Any suggestions?

Tom

Nord Electro 5D, Modal Cobalt 8, Yamaha upright piano, numerous plug-ins...

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The thing I'd most love to do to my Electro 5D would be to have reverse color keys (Black naturals, white sharps and flats).

The bottom octave of the Numa Organ and Numa Organ 2 use reverse keys, and they use the same TP/8O Fatar keys as the Electro does. (Spring tension is different, but the keys themselves should be entirely interchangeable.) It might be pricey, but if you could get some service center to order you 5 octaves worth of those keys (or more if you have the 73), you should be able to have what you're looking for. I don't know how straight-forward key replacement is, you might want to have the service center handle that for you as well.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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it's probably cost prohibitive.

I just wonder if it were offered, how many keyboardists would really be interested in the "cosmetic upgrades"?

If it were reasonable, I'd go for it. In the case of the Nord, if it were $200 more for the reverse colored keys, I'd go for it. Maybe even $300!

Tom

Nord Electro 5D, Modal Cobalt 8, Yamaha upright piano, numerous plug-ins...

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I doubt anyone give a dam, it's all about the wedding couple not anything else. But doing media work for church and slab keyboards onstage for some events to hide the stand and cables with would black gaffers tape and black tablecloths around the edges of the slab keyboards so nothing but black from floor to top of keyboard. We'd rent the table cloths from places that rent chairs and etc for events. One keyboard used in a lot of video shoots we just got velcro so the black material could be removed easily for setup and put back on. Simple solution and looked good from audience and on camera.

 

If you know someone good with a sewing machine they could make you a custom cover that slips on that would cover top and sides down as far as you want.

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Well, lots of great commentary here as usual. Allow me to add a few new thoughts?

 

I'm starting to do a lot of "artiste" gigs: weddings, wealthy people cocktail parties, donor charities and the like. Acoustic vibe, great amplification, etc. Aesthetics are starting to matter a lot more than I'd like. Like I now show up dressed to the T -- suit, no tie, expensive shoes, etc.

 

Time to re-evaluate what I bring. Instruments, stands, amplification, etc. The Bose L1 columns I own do well aesthetically, and I get great comments on the Stay stands I'm now using universally. But what about the keyboard?

 

My next target is the Nord Grand which (although reddish) is all about natural grain wood, so it looks more like an acoustic instrument. I can't offer a practical review, because they're just now becoming available, although all the usual online dudes are raving. That's encouraging.

 

All the unique Nord piano goodness in a killer wood shell. Plus a supposedly more-killer action, although that's not my motivation. Oh yes, and enough piano memory to go wild on XL samples. White Grand, bring it on!!

 

The shiny acrylic faux piano shell thing is an aesthetic dead end, in my opinion. Shiny plastic is not cool, generally speaking. Maybe if you're doing dueling pianos on a cruise ship in front of a bunch of drunks.

 

The guitarists (and some drummers) usually have this aesthetic thing nailed -- wonderful looking instruments with plenty of enhanced wood grain. So I'm starting to pay more attention.

 

Nord has their real wood cheekblocks, but it's not enough. I'd love to drag a world-class grand to some of these gigs, but that is just not going to happen.

 

Bottom line, even if people don't explicitly complain, aesthetics matter in the world you're playing. So it's worth focusing on if that's your thing.

Want to make your band better?  Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band"

 

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Vinyl Wrapped Nord Electro

 

y34mneioanidlf8gdpll.jpg

 

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/pichosterforme/BrownNord.jpg

 

Nord Lead

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0GNE1JAy-JE/ToTWHjpUKrI/AAAAAAADBOQ/O-wAXG47NII/s1600/DSC_0180.jpg

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rScBRKlTdoE/TKUY9re9ThI/AAAAAAABkM4/KAHzrySvGDI/s1600/2946797926_a1da110b8d_o.jpg

 

Eventually all of our conversations come full circle:

For the Nord lover that hates red.

https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2727261/all/For_the_Nord_lover_that_hates_

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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I"ve played many ceremonies through the years and am sure no cares about the color of my gear. I"ve even setup up front with my red Nord and no one cared. Truth is there"s so much going on that me and my gear are virtually invisible. All eyes are on the bride.

 

Lightweight is where it"s at. Gotta get to the cocktail hour quickly in one trip on a warm summer day while wearing a suit and without sweating.

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