Nord User Forum

It sounds like a guitarist problem. At least it will keep them as far away from you as possible. Try a power conditioner, and/or a different outlet.

I do not think that a power conditioner would make a difference, this EM interference is normally produced by the transformer itself.
I wonder if there is some way of shielding the instrument better (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage).

Mr_-G- wrote:I do not think that a power conditioner would make a difference, this EM interference is normally produced by the transformer itself.
I wonder if there is some way of shielding the instrument better (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage).

Guitar players have to deal with hum from lights, cheaper dimmers, and all sorts of electrical noise. Big culprit is the guitar itself so there's various types of shielding foil that they use to line the control cavity of the guitar to block hum. I wonder if the same sheets of shielding could be used inside the Nord to shield the transformer area to reduce the hum.

One more note: I definitely only have this problem with my Nord instruments (both Electro 5 and Nord Stage 3).
I can stand with my guitar right next to my Motif XS or next to my Roland XP 30 without producing the slightest background noise, why Nord can't or isn't willing to fix this problem I don't understand. After all, it has been known for years.
I am really not a notorious complainer, apart from this problem I am very happy with my Stage and Electro.

rudiratlos wrote:why Nord can't or isn't willing to fix this problem I don't understand. After all, it has been known for years.

I would like to know that too. Some possible reasons include manufacturing costs, weight and space. I might be wrong though.

Elias wrote:

rudiratlos wrote:why Nord can't or isn't willing to fix this problem I don't understand. After all, it has been known for years.

I would like to know that too. Some possible reasons include manufacturing costs, weight and space. I might be wrong though.

I think the simple answer is "inertia": The existing power supply meets Nord's needs so they lack an incentive to change. Nord probably does not want to invest in the design effort to change and certify it for sale.

I looked into this a few years ago. Modern switching power supplies are lighter and smaller. These operate their transformers at frequencies out of the audio band so this kind of (guitar) noise problem diminishes or disappears. These modules or assembled units usually meet the certification requirements already. The costs have gone up from when I last checked this (used to cost USD55, now about USD60):
post59258.html?hilit=tdk#p59258

pterm wrote:I think the simple answer is "inertia": The existing power supply meets Nord's needs so they lack an incentive to change. Nord probably does not want to invest in the design effort to change and certify it for sale.

En excellent poine this one. Goes together with any other reason not to redesign the power supply: They have deemed it unnecessary.

Revisiting this thread as it's still a big issue for me since I quite often sing and play guitar and KB so I have to stand with my guitar right by my KB. I've played MANY different guitars and it's definitely the Nord which I LOVE aside from this. And as others have said, it's not a problem with any other KB. If it truly is the unshielded transformer causing so much noise in the guitar, this makes me wonder if there's any home solution that could be done. I really want to solve this issue but I know nothing about internal electronics. I watched a tear down video and it looks pretty simple in there. I wonder if there's some way to shield it myself.

If it's EMI that you are trying to shield against, you might attempt building a small box made of carbon fibre to "wrap" the transformer with. Carbon fibre does work well as a electromagnetic insulator, but I am not sure how much you'd need of it, in terms of thickness. If you can find some CF sheets for a small price, it's easy to see whether it works or not. I would start with a couple of millimeters in thickness, if it's of the kind already glued rigid with resin. Cut them and glue them so that they cover the transformer as much as possible. If it's raw CF, you can try and test if it works by wrapping the transformer as if it were a piece of cloth, but once you determine it works you'll have to glue it yourself in some way with epoxy resin or the like.

There are chances this could work. I don't think the EM noise coming from the guitars is that strong anyway.

Has anyone tried to stand close to the back of the Stage 3 with their guitar to confirm it's the transformer?