Nord User Forum

Fritz Frigursson wrote: It's not a big deal people, is wanting a company to release stuff regularly a bad thing? Is it too much to even think of expecting it?

Wanting companies to release new stuff is nothing bad in general, but wanting them to release stuff regularly and complaining if this regularity is not kept up is inappropriate from my point of view. Professional behaviour is to release something new if the time has come for them and they are ready to launch something. Launching something because regularity demands a new products just because of regularity is mass-market style, not driven by invention and improvements

FZiegler wrote:Hi Fritz,

you don't seem to want to spend your money on a well established model whose development is more than three years old. I understand your approach to wait for the big new deal. And you are right: Some people on the forum have pushed that expectation. But I'm quite sure the teething troubles of the Stage 3 are over. And I don't like you blaming Nord for not being in your schedule and, looking into history on that forum, I'd wait a bit with buying if a new model appeared. How long do you want to wait in total?

Fritz Frigursson wrote:What have Nord been doing for the past 3 years with the Electro and Stage?

For the Stage 3, they published hardware Rev.B in March 2019 and developed some firmware revisions (for NE6, too). The people who already own one are just awaiting another FW update for the latest issues.

I'm not exactly seething with anger because a company didn't make a new keyboard this year. That would be childish. I'm just saying, Nord usually puts out a new key every 3 years or so for each series, so it would have been quite correct to guess that this year we would have seen a new electro and stage. Am I going to buy any of these? Probably not. But I am always excited to see what brands have to offer, and Nord being an industry leader is going to have to start doing something if they want to stay competitive (even if some people will still buy their pianos for being red). Yamaha I think got pretty close to the Electro and Stage models with their new YC73 and 88, and I really hate having to wait 10 years for a feature we already have in other instruments. It's like this in the Electronic drums industry, every brand is slowing innovation to almost 0 in order to sell as many outdated but well advertised products as possible while doing no real work. Not a rant, just my opinion. I'm more interested in seeing older model prices dropping.

Significant price drops for Nords are quite unlikely, maybe just in case some inventory of a previous Nord generation have been left at a shop. Other than that prices for Nords are very stable, which you can also see when looking for used Nord instruments

Schorsch wrote:

Fritz Frigursson wrote: It's not a big deal people, is wanting a company to release stuff regularly a bad thing? Is it too much to even think of expecting it?

Wanting companies to release new stuff is nothing bad in general, but wanting them to release stuff regularly and complaining if this regularity is not kept up is inappropriate from my point of view. They should release something new if the time has come for them and they are ready to launch something, not because regularity demands a new products just because of regularity

Why is regularity so bad? I'd rather see a new piano every 3 years instead of every 10 honestly. But I guess expecting 3 years to develop minor hardware fixes and a couple features is too much for some? I don't get it. We're not slaves of Clavia, we shouldn't just accept the mentality of "oh we'll get a new board when Nord feels like it". We have a right to criticise, and I think it's not something we should frown apon. Nord keyboards are not criticisim-proof by any means, I could go on about how there's literally 2GB of memory on the highest end 4000 piano, I could talk about how a Nord Grand, a 3500 dollar "acoustic piano emulating board" has plastic keys, I could talk about how most of their competition have better actions, I could talk about how the screens on the keyboards are freaking tiny and not even close to 2021 standards. There are even numerous QC issues that are emerging from recent threads on this very forum, and that's something we shouldn't just ignore and accept. Clavia aren't gods, they aren't perfect, we shouldn't set our expectations to 0, because then our expectations would ALWAYS be met.

Fritz Frigursson wrote: Why is regularity so bad? I'd rather see a new piano every 3 years instead of every 10 honestly. But I guess expecting 3 years to develop minor hardware fixes and a couple features is too much for some? I don't get it. We're not slaves of Clavia, we shouldn't just accept the mentality of "oh we'll get a new board when Nord feels like it". We have a right to criticise, and I think it's not something we should frown apon. Nord keyboards are not criticisim-proof by any means, I could go on about how there's literally 2GB of memory on the highest end 4000 piano, I could talk about how a Nord Grand, a 3500 dollar "acoustic piano emulating board" has plastic keys, I could talk about how most of their competition have better actions, I could talk about how the screens on the keyboards are freaking tiny and not even close to 2021 standards. There are even numerous QC issues that are emerging from recent threads on this very forum, and that's something we shouldn't just ignore and accept. Clavia aren't gods, they aren't perfect, we shouldn't set our expectations to 0, because then our expectations would ALWAYS be met.

True, criticism is not bad at all, but arguing against criticism is isn't either - just a valid exchange of different opinions

Tasten-Bert wrote:Basta.

Agreed.

I would hope we have better things to talk about.

Fritz Frigursson wrote:I could go on about how there's literally 2GB of memory on the highest end 4000 piano, I could talk about how a Nord Grand, a 3500 dollar "acoustic piano emulating board" has plastic keys, I could talk about how most of their competition have better actions, I could talk about how the screens on the keyboards are freaking tiny and not even close to 2021 standards.

It's a clever strategy, I like it. You're thinkin I'll go on the Nord Forum and complain that Nord haven't released anything new then they'll read it and get worried about all my criticism so they'll quickly release something new then the market for the older stuff will come down then I'll be able to get a Nord on the cheap and then I won't be the only one in this conversation full of criticism about Nord keyboards who hasn't actually played one. Brilliant. I, for one, do not think you're pushing water uphill with a rake at all =)

I guess we just got Nord’s contribution to “NAMM 2021”

https://www.nordkeyboards.com/sound-lib ... collection

Well, what do you know? Can't wait to try these sounds out:
https://www.nordkeyboards.com/sound-lib ... collection

On a separate note, if your intent is to be a gadfly, then please read @Gambold's posts before you engage and learn how to be entertaining about it! Presenting yourself as whiny and entitled is not entertaining.

So near to being amazing.

The string and bass sounds are lovely - the "big band" sounds that we have in this package (I hope there's more to follow) are weak. I'd love a separated out sax section with sensible mapping over the keyboard (brass would be good too, but nord has some fairly decent brass sounds already). I've been worrying my credit card looking at the VSTs these are taken from... I guess it'll keep worrying...