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What do you think bout the new Nord Stage Compact?


Killerloop

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Hi i have an electro and a P120 Stagepiano.- And I really would be interested in the new Stage Compact (I need a very good Organ and would like to have a Synth with Mod Wheel and Pitch too.

Has the Stage Compact Waterfallkey) any disadvabtages to the Nord Electro 73?

I heard from problems with to loud release Samples on the unweighted Keyboard.

 

Is there any reson (please don't say PRICE) not to buy one?

Thanks a lot, greedings from Austria, Killerloop

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The sound of the Nord Stage has generated some controversy - some people prefer the more clinical pianos in the Big 3 workstations, some prefer the more natural sound of the Stage pianos.

 

I own the Stage 76 (not the compact) and think it sounds marvelous.

 

Eric on this list just bought a Compact a month ago and has decided to part with it, he might give you a great deal.

Moe

---

 

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I recently got the Nord Compact and have done a couple of gigs with it. Love the Rhode and B3 - but the piano sound is unusable - I am talking the Yamaha XL 64 meg voice.

 

I don't know if it's the keybed or what but it just sounds awful. I did a jazz gig last night and tried to use the piano sound and quickly switched back to a Rhodes.

 

I think Clavia needs to fix the velocity curves on the Compact - it just sounds awful.

 

I was using a single Barbetta Sona se41.

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I guess I was - I two chords out of the compact to two separate channels on the Barbetta - same way I ran my Kurzweils for years - Kurzweils sounded fine.

 

I have heard in the wind that Nord is developing a mono version of their piano sounds - hopefully that will happen soon.

 

So everybody who uses piano sounds live uses two amps?

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Ron,

 

That's still mono... The amp is summing the two signals into a single mono output. You'd be better off running only one cable from the Stage.

 

Try a stereo amp (K-4)(or a couple of Sona's), or a couple of good speakers.

 

aL

Gear: Yamaha MODX8, Mojo 61, NS2 73, C. Bechstein baby grand.

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RonL,

 

The Stereo/Mono debate is one of the more common discussions on the board - maybe right after "should I learn Theory".

 

kanker uses mono, and the mono piano sound from the Nord electro and he get great results from that.

 

I go mono but summing L and R from a kurzweil and am happy with the results.

 

Many people on this board go stereo.

 

My opinion is to find something that works for you and go with it. My opinion is that most of the audience will not notice much of a difference between an okay piano sound and a really good one. The biggest impact is on the playing - we will all play better when we can connect to the sound that we are playing...

I'm just saying', everyone that confuses correlation with causation eventually ends up dead.
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I haven't played the Compact, but my guess is that it's difficult to control the piano from the keybed since it's the electro keybed. I think it would best be played from a weighted controller.

 

aL

Gear: Yamaha MODX8, Mojo 61, NS2 73, C. Bechstein baby grand.

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Ok - I have a gig 12/15 - I will bring two Barbetta's and see how it goes.

 

I play the Compact at home through two BX8A monitors - it does sound a lot better but the velocity response is just not there IMHO - the connection between the compact keyboard and it's internal sounds just isn't there for the piano - I have read that the stage owners like the keyboard/sound connection but I don't think the compact works as well.

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Originally posted by RonL:

Ok - I have a gig 12/15 - I will bring two Barbetta's and see how it goes.

 

I play the Compact at home through two BX8A monitors - it does sound a lot better but the velocity response is just not there IMHO - the connection between the compact keyboard and it's internal sounds just isn't there for the piano - I have read that the stage owners like the keyboard/sound connection but I don't think the compact works as well.

As Music*aL pointed out, it the 'disconnect' you're feeling probably is because of the keybed. I have an Electro Rack and an Electro 73. I trigger the Rack from a hammer action keyboard. The difference in the playability of the piano sounds from the Electro's action to the hammer action is night and day. The sounds go from barely useable on a good day on the 73 to inspiring (to me) on the hammer action.
A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable.
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If its just the action that's holding back the acoustic pianos on the Electro, shouldn't the non-Compact versions of the Nord Stage (with a weighted keybed) address that? And yet it seems some people are still complaining about it? It's all so subjective of course... i'll really like to play one soon.
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The velocity mapping on the Stage 88 makes the piano patches very playable. I think they did a really good job and quite liked the piano sound. Haven't played the Compact but I'd suggest with others here that it's the combination of the velocity mapping and the semi-weighted keys as the piano sounds are the same as on the Stage. As for it sounding awful, well it's either phase cancellation due to the mono summing or you just have different taste in pianos.

Gig keys: Hammond SKpro, Korg Vox Continental, Crumar Mojo 61, Crumar Mojo Pedals

 

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The Nord Stage rocks. You can read my initial review here, and then my sad story of why I'm selling my Compact here.

 

As for the keyboard action on the Compact, it is almost identical to the Electro. It has a smooth interaction with all the sounds. Might not be the world's best for acoustic piano (I would only use my S90 weighted action for this). But how many waterfall/synth actions are as good as weighted actions for playing piano?

 

Regards,

Eric

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If you try to play a real piano miked through a keyboard amp it sounds awful. I play keyboards in different settings but always through a PA system and with in ear monitoring. Then the Compact piano is ok compared to the real thing and much better, in my opinion than the Roland, Yamaha, Korg ( I dont wanna play either) and Kurzweil ( Ok ). I live in Norway and I guess there is a reason for you Americans to play through Keyboard amps..
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Originally posted by engelen:

I live in Norway and I guess there is a reason for you Americans to play through Keyboard amps..

:idea:

 

If you played through a keyboard amp in the middle of the Norwegian woods and nobody was around to hear it...

 

would you still wanna kick the living sh*t outta Yoko? :D:P

"Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo
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Originally posted by soundscape:

Originally posted by eric:

But how many waterfall/synth actions are as good as weighted actions for playing piano?

Depends on the kind of playing, surely?
Very true. Some folks thrive on unweighted action for everything. I used to do this myself until spoiling myself with a weighted action and now it is very tough to go back. I should have added "IMHO." :)
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Originally posted by engelen:

------------------------------------

I live in Norway and I guess there is a reason for you Americans to play through Keyboard amps..

------------------------------------

 

Generalizing will ALWAYS get you in deep do-do Engelen. Most American KB players don't use KB amps. They're OK for background music or possibly light jazz gigs with acoustic instruments, but they don't cut it for classic rock, playing in a band with deaf GUITAR players, etc. I've been using a small PA which is expandable for larger outdoor gigs for years, and its the only way to play live music.

 

 

Mike T.

Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1.

 

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Originally posted by MikeT156:

Originally posted by engelen:

------------------------------------

I live in Norway and I guess there is a reason for you Americans to play through Keyboard amps..

------------------------------------

 

Generalizing will ALWAYS get you in deep do-do

Isn't that generalizing? :D:cool:

"Oh yeah, I've got two hands here." (Viv Savage)

"Mr. Blu... Mr. Blutarsky: Zero POINT zero." (Dean Vernon Wormer)

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Quote by Ed Coury

-----------------------

Isn't that generalizing?

-----------------------

 

:D

 

Mike T.

Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1.

 

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Originally posted by Ed Coury:

Originally posted by MikeT156:

Originally posted by engelen:

------------------------------------

I live in Norway and I guess there is a reason for you Americans to play through Keyboard amps..

------------------------------------

 

Generalizing will ALWAYS get you in deep do-do

Isn't that generalizing? :D:cool:
Ed,

 

I think you may be generalizing about generalizing. But, then again, I am generalizing!! :D

 

aL

Gear: Yamaha MODX8, Mojo 61, NS2 73, C. Bechstein baby grand.

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