This 'unofficial' Forum is dedicated to the Clavia Nord Keyboards, including the Nord Stage, Nord Electro and Nord Piano. Discuss any issues around Nord's keyboards, share your favorite patches, samples, and music. We are not affiliated with Clavia!
GpKey wrote:The list of bugs on the NS4 is endless, and I don't think that with the next updates, Nord Stage 4 will become, as Nord itself says, "The new Standard".
I must say I disagree on several points in your rather negative view on the NS4 and the company. The list of bugs is quite messy and need a cleaning and update, it also includes wishes for new or changing of excisting features.
I'd say current state of NS4 and how bad it is depends on use of it. Those who use it standalone (not connected to external gear) it's not perfect but maybe quite ok. But to those of us like myself who use it with other midi gear (sequencers, synths, computer) situation is really bad. I came from NS3 which works smoothly with other gear. Of course when Nord unveiled NS4 it seemed to be perfect update to NS3. Well, on paper. It has been a huge disappointment to realize that you cannot do things do did easily with NS3. After over a year of release and you still you cannot use wheel or control pedal with your Midi controller is something that has not been seen in Nord history.
Last edited by Ecaroh on 22 Apr 2024, 21:34, edited 2 times in total.
To keep this unfortunate topic alive I'll put my updated list once again here:
1. external control: wheel, exp pedal, aftertouch do not work externally. Especially in Aux KB mode this is very annoying: MIDI controller with mod.wheel, aftertouch and exp.pedal simply cannot use those to control NS4!
2. local off: you cannot put individual parts to local off mode (for giving them for external control)
3. EXTERN mode of synths: This shuts off corresponding synth. In my opinion this is waste of power of NS4. (In NS3 extern panel was independent of other panels and thus much more convenient and effective)
4. EXTERN Midi Channels. You can only set those channels on global level. Again this is a setback if you compare NS4 to NS3. In NS3 you can set those ext channels on program level which is much more useful if you work with for example full 16 ch multimbral sound module or synth.
For me personally these are all horrible setbacks. But to be clear only #1 is clearly a bug. Others are very badly thought but maybe still more like "features". If I'd pick up one of those, maybe #4 is the worst in my case and in my setup. Let me explain why. I have Access Virus Desktop synth which is 16-part multitimbral and I have around 80 Virus multi presets which all have different midi channel configuration. With Stage3 I could make Program X to control midi ch y in panel A (extern) and midi ch z in panel B (extern). Now NS4 has fixed channels for three EXT slots. So with NS4 all these 80 Virus multis are pretty much useless. So I wouldn't call this "feature" as improvement.
i've had all the Nords since 2006 (18 years!) and nothing but, but the 4 is my last one. The lack of midi control is a deal breaker for me. I waited for 6 months with all kinds of kludge fixes then I switched back to my Stage 3 for a while then transitioned to the Montage M7. Its completely crazy that a new flagship machine would do less than all the previous editions before it. I need my days on the road to go smoothly. It still remains that the Stage 3 with an external keyboard is way more capable that and Stage 4 with an external. That's wrong. Once any new samples became available i just loaded them into my 3. The 4 sits in storage for now. The always capable C2D still gets used every day.
These users thanked the author mrgkeys for the post:
This forum behaves strangely at the moment. For some reason I can’t see my own post. So here it is once more:
To keep this unfortunate topic alive I'll put my updated list once again here:
1. external control: wheel, exp pedal, aftertouch do not work externally. Especially in Aux KB mode this is very annoying: MIDI controller with mod.wheel, aftertouch and exp.pedal simply cannot use those to control NS4!
2. local off: you cannot put individual parts to local off mode (for giving them for external control)
3. EXTERN mode of synths: This shuts off corresponding synth. In my opinion this is waste of power of NS4. (In NS3 extern panel was independent of other panels and thus much more convenient and effective)
4. EXTERN Midi Channels. You can only set those channels on global level. Again this is a setback if you compare NS4 to NS3. In NS3 you can set those ext channels on program level which is much more useful if you work with for example full 16 ch multimbral sound module or synth.
For me personally these are all horrible setbacks. But to be clear only #1 is clearly a bug. Others are very badly thought but maybe still more like "features". If I'd pick up one of those, maybe #4 is the worst in my case and in my setup. Let me explain why. I have Access Virus Desktop synth which is 16-part multitimbral and I have around 80 Virus multi presets which all have different midi channel configuration. With Stage3 I could make Program X to control midi ch y in panel A (extern) and midi ch z in panel B (extern). Now NS4 has fixed channels for three EXT slots. So with NS4 all these 80 Virus multis are pretty much useless. So I wouldn't call this "feature" as improvement.
If nothing happens soon I’ll start selling my NS4. It’s a bit expensive furniture.
Having owned an NS4 since last January, I just tried today to add a midi keyboard with the "Aux function" and I think I have the same problem as the users of this topic, but my English is not very good, so I'm not sure I understand everything well.
Here's my problem : I can assign a synth layer to my aux keyboard without any difficulty. Then, the pitch of the aux keyboard works fine, my control pedal connected to the NS4 works fine with the layer on the auxiliary keyboard BUT the sound does not react to the modulation wheel of the auxiliary keyboard and the aftertouch of the auxiliary keyboard ...
Can you confirm that this is indeed one of the MIDI bugs known to NS4, and not a simply MIDI bad setting ?
It's a shame because I really enjoy playing with an auxiliary keyboard rather than splitting the keyboard of my NS4 too much, but there, it's impossible to play a simple synth lead with use of aftertouch and modwheel on the aux keyboard ???
This is just a quick reminder that if I am right all these Midi issues are still there. Now we are near 2025, I’ve pointed out this since May 2023. We can argue if these are bugs or features. But one thing is sure: together 1-4 make NS4 much worse than its predecessor NS3. With NS3 you could use your instrument in way that is now impossible.
1. external control: wheel, exp pedal, aftertouch do not work externally. Especially in Aux KB mode this is very annoying: MIDI controller with mod.wheel, aftertouch and exp.pedal simply cannot use those to control NS4!
2. local off: you cannot put individual parts to local off mode (for giving them for external control)
3. EXTERN mode of synths: This shuts off corresponding synth. In my opinion this is waste of power of NS4. (In NS3 extern panel was independent of other panels and thus much more convenient and effective)
4. EXTERN Midi Channels. You can only set those channels on global level. Again this is a setback if you compare NS4 to NS3. In NS3 you can set those ext channels on program level which is much more useful if you work with for example full 16 ch multimbral sound module or synth.
These users thanked the author Ecaroh for the post:
I also still have the problem that the ns4 does not process external aftertouch. I already reported this 1 year ago.. and received a message that this was known and might be adjusted.. I always look forward to new updates.. but unfortunately.. you are just kept on a string.. I think it is outrageous that such a caliber keyboard has such defects and nothing is done about it.
I have doubted for a long time whether I should switch to Nord.. and the sounds are ok..
I don't know if Nord follows this forum?
Last edited by Macnl on 17 Mar 2025, 15:22, edited 1 time in total.
Another MIDI control problem is not being able to assign the same MIDI channel to AUX KBD and EXT. Sometimes I want to use the second keyboard in AUX mode to drive Nord synth seftion, with other programs I want to use the split NS4 keyboard to use the synth section of the second tier board (A Sequential Take 5).
The workaround is to have the second tier board to receive all MIDI channels and transmit on ch1, but this stops me also using a multitimbral module on other channels.
Come on, Nord. Sort out this MIDI! I will take care of managing my own MIDI feedback loops.
NS4 compact, Roland Juno-X, Waldorf Iridium Core, Sequential Take 5 and Micromonsta 2. Roland KC-400 amp
