flatfender Posted June 16, 2016 Share Posted June 16, 2016 My TE76 is getting a little long in the tooth and buttons are glitchy. I 'm gonna retire it to home studio use, but I wanna get a new / current live board with 73 or 76 semi weighted keys. I'm using a Kronos X-73 as my bottom board. I have it narrowed down to a Nord Stage 2 EX Compact or a Electro 5D 73. I'm leaning heavy towards the Stage 2. Nobody has Nords out here in western South Dakota to try out, so looking for anyone who has used a triton extreme and a stage 2 and how they compare sound wise and how well it would complement the Kronos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Mullins Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 I would go for the Stage only if you are really interested in having a knobby VA synth. As a ROMpler, the synth section pales in comparison to your Kronos (and MOXF and Roland FS and Kurzweil)..So don't spend the extra money if that is yourprimary goal. Nord Stage 3 88, Korg Kronos 2 61, Moog Sub 37, Yamaha U1 Upright, Casio CT-S500, Spacestation V.3, QSC K10.2 www.stickmanor.com There's a thin white line between fear and fury - Stickman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Well the big difference between these units is price of course, but more so the Electro drops the Stage's synth engine - the Electro depends heavily on the sample synth for its additional sounds. And of course it has a lot less storage for the APs and no pitch bend and mod wheel. With that said, you don't really need the Electro or Stage for sound categories, as the Kronos does it all. So I guess the question is what do you need the 2nd board to do? Because I'm thinking you could just as well throw a controller up there and get all your sounds from the Kronos. Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatfender Posted June 17, 2016 Author Share Posted June 17, 2016 I play about a third of my gigs with one board and that is usually the Kronos, and but I wouldn't mind moving to one lightweight board for all the gigs. The Kronos is wonderful, but at 45 lbs plus the case, I'm kinda tired of schlepping it around and the Stage comes in at 21 lbs or so. I'm thinking now, I'll probably sell the Triton, keep the Kronos at home and get a Stage 2 for live. Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Decisions, decisions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 The Kronos 73 is 45.26lbs because of the weighted keys. The Stage 2 EX Compact it's 21lbs because it has the 73k semi weighted action (waterfall keys). So you have to play it for sure to see if you like it for AP and EP sounds. I believe it's a Fatar TP-8O. The HP76 version of the Stage has a hammer action and is 27.3lbs. The 88k is 40.7lbs. The weight difference makes me want to say the 76 has the TP-100 action which is a pretty mediocre action (YMMV) and the 88 must have the TP-40 which is a pretty decent compromise action - heavy enough for pianos, light enough for synth and organ. Point being, it's hard to find one board you like to do it all sound wise and have an action you can live with all around. Always a compromise. So make sure you try before you buy, particularly when your talking $3600-$4500 dollars. Ouch, I'm not even the one shopping and I'm feeling the sting. Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 EJF +1. If I understand correctly, you are looking for a semi-weighted 7x to use on its own and/or above a Kronos 73 - but looking to move to one board for all gigs. Certainly the Stage 73SW is a good contender for do-it-all semi-weighted 73 (there aren't many 7x boards these days). Piano nice, VA synth, OK Organ. You might consider the Kurzweil SP4/7 or Artis 7 as alternatives. It would be helpful if you tell us which sound categories are important to you: AP? EP? Clonewheel? Orchestral? VA? Other e.g. Mellotron? Cheers, Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatfender Posted June 17, 2016 Author Share Posted June 17, 2016 I'm using mostly clonewheel and AP/EP with this band with a little bit of other sounds like clavinet, horn stabs, strings. The next band, the sounds may change. The Trition has the fantastic Yamaha FS keybed which I hate to lose. It's a bit tiring playing Hammond all night on the Kronos. I'm leaning towards a simpler / lighter / quicker setup and don't want to go to a midi-controller with Mainstage or rack mounted gear. We're using IEMs with this band which makes it an easy setup too. Like some of you, years ago I hauled around enough stuff to make Wakeman proud. Load-in & outs were a bunch of work. OK when I was in my 20's. Don't have to do it nowadays thiough. If Korg made the Kronos in a 73/76 semi-weighted version, I'd be all over that. The Artis7 looks interesting though. I'm gonna have to go to Denver this summer and play a few different contenders this summer. The keybed is important, but I could get used to most anything. I did have a Krome-88 (ugh) that the Kronos replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 The Nord Stage is a good choice based on your sounds (provided the clonewheel meets your standards). Check the waterfall keyboard action on it though. Alternatively, keep the Triton, add a Roland Integra? One board + one module, is that too much schlep? Cheers, Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richforman Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 "If Korg made the Kronos in a 73/76 semi-weighted version, I'd be all over that." Me too...wonder if Korg will ever become aware of how many of us out here have said and thought that! Rich Forman Yamaha MOXF8, Korg Kronos 2-61, Roland Fantom X7, Ferrofish B4000+ organ module, Roland VR-09, EV ZLX12P, K&M Spider Pro stand, Yamaha S80, Korg Trinity Plus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Tom Coster said it iirc. Cheers, Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennyray Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 I play about a third of my gigs with one board and that is usually the Kronos, and but I wouldn't mind moving to one lightweight board for all the gigs. The Kronos is wonderful, but at 45 lbs plus the case, I'm kinda tired of schlepping it around and the Stage comes in at 21 lbs or so. I'm thinking now, I'll probably sell the Triton, keep the Kronos at home and get a Stage 2 for live. Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Decisions, decisions... I was faced with the same decision. I use a Kronos 288 and it's heavy and i am no wimp. I bought a Nord Electro 5d 73 and love the keyboard especially the piano sounds. The organ on the Electro 5D is much better than the Nord Stage 2. The leslie sim is impoved. I us some small gigs with the Electro now but the synth sample engine is limited somewhat. But i do not use many synth sounds for one of the bands i am in. Something about that RED keyboard. I only have been a NORD user for about 3 months. They maybe overpriced a little but look on tv and see all the bands playing live and Nord is represented well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherry Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 I've been asking for 73/76 semi-weighted since the Kronos was first released. I doubt it'll happen though. Sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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