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Re: NAMM is just around the corner
Posted: 22 Jan 2021, 17:55
by JayDee
Perhaps Nord will get nervous with all the criticism and realize they need to price their keyboards to be competitive with companies like Casio, then the legacy keyboards decrease in price as well. $500 for a used Stage 2, it could happen....
Re: NAMM is just around the corner
Posted: 22 Jan 2021, 18:26
by Rusty Mike
JayDee wrote:Perhaps Nord will get nervous with all the criticism and realize they need to price their keyboards to be competitive with companies like Casio, then the legacy keyboards decrease in price as well. $500 for a used Stage 2, it could happen....
Doubt it highly. Chances are pretty good they enjoy the cache nature of the brand.
Re: NAMM is just around the corner
Posted: 22 Jan 2021, 19:02
by Fritz Frigursson
Rusty Mike wrote:Tasten-Bert wrote:Basta.
Agreed.
I would hope we have better things to talk about.
Forum is pretty inactive anyway
Re: NAMM is just around the corner
Posted: 22 Jan 2021, 19:08
by Fritz Frigursson
CountFosco wrote: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 have played Nord keyboards in the past, but thanks for assuming that.
Like I said, Nord is not going to cry because I said bad things about them, no need to be defensive about hurting Nord's feelings with my criticism. I was going to have a conversation, but if everyone has to make snark remarks about everything, gg. If you don't have any criticism towards Nord, that's good for you, but don't try to shut down others, because there are evidently many things about Nord products that are insufficient.
Re: NAMM is just around the corner
Posted: 22 Jan 2021, 19:13
by tsss27
Surprised at how plain those new brass samples are...definitely not what I expected. Strings sound great but we've got tons of those. The bass is definitely the most useful for me as that is an upgrade to what was already there.
Re: NAMM is just around the corner
Posted: 22 Jan 2021, 19:16
by StrangeAeons
Either a new EX Stage or a Nord Lead 5 (featuring an OLED display like all of the other Nord keyboards) is what I'm expecting. I don't think, what with the pandemic and the quality level they reached, we'll necessarily see a new Electro this year. But if Nord does release an Electro 7, then, aside from 1 GB of sample memory and possibly 1,5 or 2 GB for the pianos, I would expect some Hammond improvements, either on the Leslie/CV side or through new features (e.g. new cabinets, like the 147, or additional organ models like Crumar and Viscount've been offering for years). I don't think there's much room for improvement on the piano and sample sections at the present time. If Nord wants to be competitive again on the Hammond side, then they might have been working on a new C2D or a double-manual Electro (which would make much more sense and put the Mojo to shame, flexibility-wise).
The improvements need to be substantial, though. I recently sold my Legend Solo in order to buy an Electro 6. The Nord organ simulation isn't nearly as outdated as most forums would lead you to think (the base sound's flawless, if I were to buy a Mini Vent or an actual Leslie I'd get a top-notch simulation), especially if you tweak the rotor settings. So, all in all I'm satisfied: a slightly worse Hammond's well worth the beautiful pianos and the faithful Mellotron samples Nord offers. But the C/V (the chorus mainly) isn't as faithful as its competitors' (I don't use it much, but still), the percussion is a little too on the aggressive side (a dedicated setting would be useful: if I recall correctly, such settings were available in the Electro 5) and the Leslie, even though it's actually pretty good, is not great like the Mojo's (I run its software counterpart, the VB3 II, on Mac). Still, I prefer Nord's fast setting for the Leslie + C3 over my "old" Legend's (it's that wobbly sound that a Hammond should be able to produce: Viscount's was in part more accurate, but also way too subdued), and I can't stress enough how much better the overdrive is, or how beautiful it is to play the organ through Nord's old but still amazing guitar amp simulations, Jon Lord style (the Legend's nice if you aim for a subtle drive, but anything Deep Purple or Uriah Heep-style sounds bad). Oh, and the 9th drawbar cancel issue: I'm going to write Nord about it, like many of you already did, in the hope they'll change their mind. We need a dedicated setting in the organ menu, I don't want Nord to leave things at that before the Electro 7 comes out, thus marking the end for any further Electro 6 updates.
Anyway, we'll see what Nord's going to showcase this year. We can't even rule out an entirely new product, as they did with the Piano Monitors, especially if there'll be no Electro 7.
Re: NAMM is just around the corner
Posted: 02 Feb 2021, 00:37
by bartley99
I really wish Nord would get their act together. I have to admin that it is getting embarrassing when I have to explain to other musicians that my Stage 3 is from 2017. They laugh that my rig has gear in it from the 20-teens. I often leave gigs hanging my head in shame because I'm not cool anymore. All my keyboard friends have flashing macro knobs, light up keybeds and made keyboards made from exotic plastics. Not mine. Their keyboards even come in a choice of colors. Just remember, It doesn't matter how good it sounds or how flexible it is on a stage because people listen with their eyes first.
Re: NAMM is just around the corner
Posted: 02 Feb 2021, 01:51
by 23skidoo
Re: NAMM is just around the corner
Posted: 02 Feb 2021, 15:44
by Nord33
bartley99 wrote:I really wish Nord would get their act together. I have to admin that it is getting embarrassing when I have to explain to other musicians that my Stage 3 is from 2017. They laugh that my rig has gear in it from the 20-teens. I often leave gigs hanging my head in shame because I'm not cool anymore. All my keyboard friends have flashing macro knobs, light up keybeds and made keyboards made from exotic plastics. Not mine. Their keyboards even come in a choice of colors. Just remember, It doesn't matter how good it sounds or how flexible it is on a stage because people listen with their eyes first.
Man I don't get you at all!
What you wrote can mean only one thing, your friends haven't found a good enough keyboard, yet, but you did! Why on earth would you ever need flashing knobs and all the magic on the keyboard? If you want to play, buy a Nord-like keyboard which purpose is to be played. But if you're one of the IT-only guys and you want one button playing, buy arranger or workstation, program everything up and press one button and bamm.
Where are we keyboard players that we discuss about having an old keyboard that's no longer popular or anything like that. I had a chance to use for a while Roland Fantom 6 from 2006, and man that was really really good workstation. That doesn't mean there is no better versions out there, but I would never say it's too old yet. If your friends buy new keys all the time, that means they're not satisfied enough to stay with one for a while. Okay, sometimes, you just want to upgrade, but wait a minute, Nord is a handmade keyboard. Production is slow, and development is more of a thing. If someone asks me, I would rather prefer quality of a sound and best possible user experience and control over the flashing knobs and all that magic.
And I don't know about you, but for me it's definitely not embarrassing to have a 4 years old keyboard.
Re: NAMM is just around the corner
Posted: 02 Feb 2021, 16:20
by alex78
Nord33 You don't seem to understand the irony behind that post. He is obviously making fun of people thinking this way, and yes, those people live among us apparently!