Pitch bend on Electro 6

[Tasten-Bert]

I thought this was easier - guess I need some help, what I kindly ask for.

From the above mentioned apps I installed „ModWheels“. The chain is: iPad mini 5 (iOS 13.3.1) via apple Lightning USB 3.0 adapter and standard cable USB A to USB B into the nord‘s USB port. The way from the board to the iPad works, i. e. the keys can play the app iMini and others.

The other direction does not work! Since OS update 1.20 pitchbend should be addressable. Yes, I‘ve set the sound to upper, split the keyboard and tried all MIDI channels. Still nothing. Surprisingly with my old, cheap and simple korg X50 it works quite well, having the same chain. What do I oversee?

Is there any trick for the nord electro 5D responding to external MIDI pitchbend? Thanks in advance and sunny regards from Germany. And stay healthy everyone!

[Tasten-Bert]

This morning I had a little hope, but still nothing. In details:

After I searched this forum for similar threads I found that there is another new function in the keyboard‘s Split menu: where you change the split point just turn the knob further up to „MIDI Split Upper Receive“. I did, but unfortunately the sound which I intend to pitchbend is not hearable anymore.

I tried different MIDI channel settings as well as various output routings - no success. That leaves me with the impression, that I can pitchbend a tone from an external source, but only if I play the notes from this same external source. ??

Does anybody have any experience with this?

Thanks in advance and sunny regards from Germany.

[reedmnweep]

Seems to be true: if we Electro users want pitch bend, we must bend over and upgrade to a NS3. It’s probably the most expensive but least frustrating of all the solutions. If the Covid-19 pandemic hadn’t cancelled every live gig on the planet (it’s nuts!), I was planning on upgrading by now. With all this time on my hands to learn and program it’s a real shame I’m suddenly too broke to do it. Sending positive thoughts to all out-of-work brothers and sisters. Here’s hoping our grandchildren won’t have to ask what it was like to play gigs in front of crowds back in the good old days!

[CountFosco]

If the requirement for pitch bend is for bending mono lead sounds, I'd recommend getting something like an Arturia Minibrute or a Korg Monologue. They're both relatively cheap, 2 octave, quite capable multi oscillator monosynths. The brute has full sized keys, the logue has mini keys. I have often used an Electro to control my Minibrute, which turns 2 octaves into 6, while operating the wheels on the Minibrute itself. If the solution is going to involve extra hardware anyway, why not just skip the hassle of pedals and boxes and ipads and apps, and just get yourself a synth?

[harmonizer]

I still don't get the rationalization for why the E5 and E6 don't have a pitch bend. The Electros do have a MIDI out for a reason, and the lack of pitch band control on the Electros makes the execution incomplete. There are lots of people who have intended to use an Electro as a controller for some external device, in addition to generate noises from its built-in sound generation. The Electro is the most expensive keys instrument that I know of which lacks a pitch bend control. This does not make sense.

[CountFosco]

The Electro is the most expensive keys instrument that I know of which lacks a pitch bend control. This does not make sense.

Korg SV-1 and SV-2

[Jeffmac]

I still don't get the rationalization for why the E5 and E6 don't have a pitch bend. The Electros do have a MIDI out for a reason, and the lack of pitch band control on the Electros makes the execution incomplete. There are lots of people who have intended to use an Electro as a controller for some external device, in addition to generate noises from its built-in sound generation. The Electro is the most expensive keys instrument that I know of which lacks a pitch bend control. This does not make sense.

The reason is that the Electro was born to emulate "Electromechanical" instruments (hence the name): Electric Pianos, Organs, Clavinet, Mellotron etc... and none of these had a pitch bend (but they were used to make great music, regardless).

PS: CountFosco mentioned two other notable examples, I would add the Roland V-Piano, more expensive and had no PB, for a similar reason, it was not part of its "mission" (though it had "pitch bend-able" sounds on board as well, in the GM bank) and there are more such examples (Hammond Sk1...?)

[anotherscott]

change the split point just turn the knob further up to „MIDI Split Upper Receive“. I did, but unfortunately the sound which I intend to pitchbend is not hearable anymore.

Yes, according to the manual, the only mode where receiving pitch bend is enabled for the upper sound ALSO functions to assign the lower sound to all the internal keys and the upper sound is only triggered from external keys. But I wonder if there may be a workaround. Your iPad is sending the wheel commands over the Nord's USB port. The Nord's USB and standard DIN MIDI jacks are all active all the time. What if you simultaneously used a cable to go from the 5-pin MIDI OUT back into the MIDI IN? Then its own keys should be seen as "external" keys triggering the UPPER sound. (You'd want to silence the Lower sound while doing this.) I think this might work.

I still don't get the rationalization for why the E5 and E6 don't have a pitch bend. The Electros do have a MIDI out for a reason, and the lack of pitch band control on the Electros makes the execution incomplete. There are lots of people who have intended to use an Electro as a controller for some external device, in addition to generate noises from its built-in sound generation. The Electro is the most expensive keys instrument that I know of which lacks a pitch bend control.

MIDI Out is useful for lots of purposes, not all of which require bend, but yeah, unlike the Stage, the Electro is not really designed with much in the way of controller functions (the E6 being even worse than the E5 in this respect, as you can no longer split the keyboard between an internal and external sound).

As for other pricey boards that lack pitch bend, besides the boards already mentioned (Korg SV1/SV2, Roland V-Piano, and yes Hammond SK1 along with the rest of the SK series), others include Hammond XK5 (though its predecessor, XK-3C had one!), Dexibell P7 and Combo J7, Crumar Seven, Roland FP90, and of course Nord Piano/Grand.

[CountFosco]

As for other pricey boards that lack pitch bend, besides the boards already mentioned (Korg SV1/SV2, Roland V-Piano, and yes Hammond SK1 along with the rest of the SK series), others include Hammond XK5 (though its predecessor, XK-3C had one!), Dexibell P7 and Combo J7, Crumar Seven, Roland FP90, and of course Nord Piano/Grand.

These, including the Electro, are all either piano or organ emulators, and it kind of makes sense that they don't have wheels. But I don't think any in this list straddle both worlds nearly as well as the Electro.

[Tasten-Bert]

Thanks, anotherscott, for giving me this idea. I do want to try it, only that I‘ve just realized that nowadays you have lightning to usb adapters or usb to midi cables but no more standard midi cables at home. I used to have one - do remember that it was pink with metal plugs - but don‘t know where. Just wanted to give some feedback. The day will come ...