Nord Stage 2

[Jefsong]

I have been considering buying a Nord Stage 2 but I have a couple of MIDI questions that I haven't been able to find the answers to and the Nord Forum seems to be down. I am hoping that someone here might be able provide some insight.

 

My current rig consists of a Motif Classic 88 as the main board with a Korg CX-3 on top and on top of that I use a Korg R3 to trigger horn sounds from the Motif on a different midi channel. This way I always have my horns samples available when I am playing Piano or Rhodes on the Motif. It has worked great for me this way for years. I wanted to know If I replaced the Motif with a Nord Stage 2, I could trigger horn samples (from the Nord) using the R3 while still being able to play the Piano on the Nord. Additionally I would like the sound on the Nord to also have a layer of strings as well. Is this possible? Any input would be greatly appreciated. The Nord as you know would be a considerable investment so it would be nice to know if this is possible. Thank you guys.

[dazzjazz]

Yes that's possible using the external channel section of the NS2.

You might be able to ditch the R3 altogether and just use the Nord.

[Jefsong]

Thanks Dazzjazz. Just to be clear I also want the Nord to be playing a layered sound as well. So technically 3 individual sounds would be playing at once. The piano/Strings layer on the Nord manual and the horns from an external manual i.e. R3. Thanks.

[eric]

Yes that is possible as the Stage 2 has multiple engines that can all be tapped at once:

 

2 piano or electric piano sounds at once

2 organ sounds

2 synth or sample sounds

 

In your scenario, you could have a piano and string layer played by Stage with horns triggered over midi and still have room to add more piano and organ sounds.

[dazzjazz]

Yes and these could be on different zones of the Nord keys. Bear in mind though the Nord has fixed split points, which can sometimes, but not always, be an issue.

[Sam Mullins]

Beyond the midi issues, you should play a stage 2 with the desired samples...the samples on the nord are single layer and I find many of the acoustic emulations to be rather static compared to a modern ROMpler set. My reference point is the stage 2 vs. motif ES/XS.

[Jefsong]

Thank you Eric. So that means each section, Piano, Synth, Organ etc has their own external section which can each be programmed and setup independently as a single patch?

[eric]

Agreed that romper sounds are a bit better. But with some patience, one can coax excellent sounds from the NS2. I keep watching for a cheap Motif rack to help bolster my sound as I sometimes miss the days when I was using a S70xs or S90.

[eric]

Thank you Eric. So that means each section, Piano, Synth, Organ etc has their own external section which can each be programmed and setup independently as a single patch?

 

Yes. They can be triggered across the stage board in a variety of split/layers or via discrete midi from external boards. Pretty flexible.

[Jefsong]

That's a good point. I have been very happy with my Motif for years now but upgrading to another Motif seems redundant since I also own an S90ES and a motif rack. The light weight of the Nord is very appealing. Do you have any experience with the samples in the Nord library?

[eric]

Yes I was a Yamaha guy for many years and took awhile to find my way on the Stage. There are great samples and synths you can dial in, but I still give the edge on romper capabilities to Yamaha. If I were you, I'd think hard about getting the NS2 compact to replace the CX3 vs. the motif.

[Jefsong]

Yes I was a Yamaha guy for many years and took awhile to find my way on the Stage. There are great samples and synths you can dial in, but I still give the edge on romper capabilities to Yamaha. If I were you, I'd think hard about getting the NS2 compact to replace the CX3 vs. the motif.

 

This definitely makes sense. The CX-3 needs an upgrade too however I not sure I could get used to the "electonic" drawbars in the Nord. With that said perhaps I should go with my first plan which would be to upgrade to a Motif XF8 and be done with it.

[eric]

Consider a more modern clonewheel like Hammond XK3c or nord electro 4d and keep everything else the same. The Yamaha stuff is solid.

[Sam Mullins]

That's a good point. I have been very happy with my Motif for years now but upgrading to another Motif seems redundant since I also own an S90ES and a motif rack. The light weight of the Nord is very appealing. Do you have any experience with the samples in the Nord library?

 

Some experience, but I mostly use it for the piano, e-piano, and organ. There are clearly areas where the sample library is thin (particularly guitars). I haven't used the horn samples on the stage but have on the motif series. One area where I did an extensive comparison was acoustic bass samples and it was really obvious that the Motif offerings were far more expressive...sample switching, articulations, etc. for other samples ( e.g. Mellotron, pipe organ) the nord is probably better ...but those are by nature more static sounds.

 

I do really like my stage 2. In my last rig change I had an idea that I would go from two boards to just the stage ...but that idea lasted about three days. Too many sounds where I missed the expressiveness mentioned above and also really wanted un-weighted keys to drive the e Nord organ.

[Dave Ferris]

Jeffrey, fwiw you might want to shoot me a pm regarding pricing on the Nord before you pull the trigger..they are expensive. . A good chance I could save you a few $$$s.

 

Also fwiw, I have the Nord Piano 2. You can split & layer but no organ or synth. The Nord along with the Yamaha CP5 have the best pianos imo. The CP5 action is way superior-also imo.

[Jefsong]

Consider a more modern clonewheel like Hammond XK3c or nord electro 4d and keep everything else the same. The Yamaha stuff is solid.

 

You know what...you are right. If it ain't broke why fix it. I guess I have been gassin for something new. The CX-3 is definitely the weakest link in my rig. Thanks for the advice. I was looking at the XK3's.

[Jefsong]

Jeffrey, fwiw you might want to shoot me a pm regarding pricing on the Nord before you pull the trigger..they are expensive. . A good chance I could save you a few $$$s.

 

Also fwiw, I have the Nord Piano 2. You can split & layer but no organ or synth. The Nord along with the Yamaha CP5 have the best pianos imo. The CP5 action is way superior-also imo.

 

Dave, thank you. I am still on the fence about purchasing one. I agree. I love Yamaha actions.

[orangefunk]

I have been holding out on buying the Stage 2 because I reckon (at least by previous release dates) an update is imminent...

 

I played one last week on two sessions in Warsaw and I think the sounds are superb. Though the rhodes sounds needed some extra layers I reckon. They sounded great with amp emulation and a bit of overdrive.

 

 

[AnotherScott]

A number of posts here refereed to the Nord's External section, but that is used to allow the Nord to control other instruments, which does not seem to be the OP's concern. It is possible to control different Nord sounds from external keyboards while playing different sounds on its own keyboard, but that has nothing to do with the board's External function. Basically, you assign a MIDI channel to a Nord "slot" (layer), or a Nord "instrument" (piano, organ, or synth/sample).

[Jefsong]

It is possible to control different Nord sounds from external keyboards while playing different sounds on its own keyboard, but that has nothing to do with the board's External function. Basically, you assign a MIDI channel to a Nord "slot" (layer), or a Nord "instrument" (piano, organ, or synth/sample).

 

Thank you for that making that distinction. This is exactly what I was looking for when I posted.

[whitenoise]

I guess the main point is that Nords are designed to deliver the best emulations of traditional electromechanical keyboards.

The last generation of Nords have a build in sampler but it's just one layer. it is perfect for what it's deigened for: mellotron, chamberlin, synth sounds. The rest of the samles as brass, bass, guitar etc are just optional sounds. If you need these sounds the regular romper is much better option. The good point is that Nord Stage has a section called External. It is specifically designed to attach an external module to cover the rest of the sounds. You may also consider to buy a used Nord Stage EX. Here is stage 2/EX comparison sheet http://www.nordkeyboards.com/products/nord%20stage%202/Stage2vsStageEXcomparison.pdf

 

[Jefsong]

First off I just want to thank everyone for their quick and informative replies. I very much appreciate the insight I get from this forum!

 

In response to my original post, I have come to a decision about how to change my rig and I wanted to share it with you. I decided not to replace the Motif. In fact, I also own an S90ES which has an excellent piano feel as well. I am going to make the S90ES the bottom tier for the Piano, Rhodes, Wurly, Strings Etc..Then on top of that I am gonna get an SK2. This way, (I was thinking), I could use the top manual of the SK2 to trigger some additional sounds from the S90ES and use the lower manual for my main organ sounds. This way I only need to lug two boards as opposed to the three boards I am using now. This solution seems to cover all bases for me. If anyone has any experience with this type of setup it would be great to hear about it.

[Sam Mullins]

I gigged for several years with an S90ES on the bottom and a clone on top (first Roland VR-760 and later Nord Electro 3). I was quite pleased with this setup (except for the bulkiness of the S90ES). I had them MIDIed to each other in both directions.

 

S90ES Master mode is your friend. You can set up splits, send program changes to the SK2, program sounds to be triggered internally or externally. For some songs I might have 3-4 sounds split across the S90ES and a couple on the top keyboard. Even with the Electro (which doesn't internally support multi-timbral splits), I was able to make one of the organ parts at zero volume and trigger sounds on the S90ES from that half.