A Matter Of Tasteand Quality
Although the decision to make Nord digital pianos bright red has been a brilliant marketing decision, the consumer may not be too keen on it. It can be distracting to see a bright red keyboard on stage, and as a player, it may be difficult to shake the idea that, on stage, youre a billboard advertising Nord keyboards to the world, because everybody knows what brand youre playing thanks to the bright aesthetic.
What it really comes down to is, do you like the color? What I can say is that, regardless of your taste, the coloring of the keyboard is high-quality and does not fade or chip easily.
The Nord Piano 3 is a slick, clean keyboard with a visually comfortable front panel. Modern keyboards often fall into the trap of providing players with a daunting amount of knobs, buttons, sliders, and controls on the front, and this can often discourage players who simply want a portable keyboard that sounds like a piano.
While options are good, they can often clutter up the front panel of a stage keyboard . The Nord Piano 3 boasts an appropriately busy editing panel on the frontit offers options for editing, but it isnt too busy that it distracts from the keyboards main selling pointthe piano sounds and piano feel.
Best Keyboard I’ve Ever Owned Hands Down
This is the best keyboard I’ve ever owned. It has super genuine realistic acoustic piano/organ/ep sounds for live performances. I used to own Roland, Yamaha Motif, Korg and I can surely say nothing compares to the sound of Nord pianos eps and organs. Seriously. I am a pianist so I got the HP version and the key action feels great! Plus this keyboard weights only about 25lbs. Perfect for gigging. There is no other keyboard on the market with hammer action keys that is less then 30 lbs. Plus in this particular model you can now layer sounds such as Piano/strings, piano/organ etc. This is basically a small portable version of the Nord Stage . I specifically bought a Yamaha MX49 and is super light and cheap keyboard for all the other synth sounds I might need on the spot.
Nord Piano 3 Vs Nord Stage 3
Nord offers the Piano 3 and Stage 3, two similar options focused on live performances but with slightly different performance. The comparison between the two models is shown below:
- The Nord Stage 3 is available in three keyboard sizes, while the Nord Piano 3 has only one version with 88 keys.
- The 88 keys on the Nord Piano 3 are weighted and pressure-sensitive, as well as having a triple switch system accurately simulating a grand piano, while Stage 3 has weighted keys and sensitivity without additional technology.
- The Nord Piano 3 allows us to divide the keyboard into 2 sections and Stage 3 allows in 4. The capacity of Stage 3 is 2gb, while Piano 3 has 1gb.
- The Nord Stage 3 has more piano voices, as they have 120, while the Piano 3 has 54.
- The Stage 3 polyphony is larger, with full polyphony in synthesizer and 120 notes in the piano, while the Piano 3 has polyphony with 40 notes in stereo and 60 in mono.
The Nord Stage 3 is a clear winner, as this model wins in all areas except the quality of the keyboard. On the other hand, the Nord Piano 3 has a keyboard more like a grand piano, so it is ideal for those who prefer the experience of playing the piano over functions and sound quality, however, for those who want a more complete choice or prefer to sacrifice a little experience to gain functionality and quality, the Nord Stage 3 is the best choice.
If you want to know more about Nord Stage 3, dont hesitate to visit our analysis and opinion.
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Nord Piano 4 Vsnord Stage 3
The Nord Piano 4s closest competitor is the Nord Stage 3. The Nord Stage 3 is a synthesizer and Nord offers 73,76, and 88 key models of this instrument. The Nord Stage 3 88 is the most similar to the Nord Piano 4 because they both use a fully weighted Hammer Action keyboard whereas the other two models do not.
The Nord Stage 3s Piano section rivals that of the Nord Piano 4. The Stage 3 comes loaded with a wide selection of grand pianos, uprights, digital pianos, electric pianos, clavinets, and harpsichords. Stage 3 buyers have the option of buying the Nord Triple Pedal with this synthesizer, which allows them to add realistic damper lifting and releasing sounds to their playing.
While the Stage 3 comes with amazing onboard sounds, owners of this synth can always add additional sounds from the Nord Piano Library. All of the sounds included in this library can be downloaded for free by Nord owners, and the library is constantly expanding.
The Piano section on the Nord Stage 3 has 120-voice polyphony like the Nord Piano 4 and includes the same creative filters.
The Organ section features Nords award-winning C2D Organ simulations of B3 Tonewheel, Vintage Transistor, and Principal Pipe organs. The B3 Tonewheel boasts four tonewheel settings. The Organ section also features realistic simulations of classic 1960s Transistor Organs and two new Pipe Organ sounds.
There are 6 Filter types within the Synth section and a synchronizable arpeggiator and LFO .
Nord Piano 4 Vs Kawai Mp11se
The Kawai MP11SE is pretty comparable in price to the Nord Piano 4. This Kawai digital piano retails for about $2,799, which is just about $200 less than the Nord Piano 4.
The keys on the MP11SE are made entirely of real wood just like on an acoustic piano. Combined with the Grand Feel weighted hammer action, these wooden keys make for an astoundingly realistic playing experience and lend themselves to expressive, dynamic playing.
This digital piano features a large backlit LCD display, four assignable control knobs, and an easy to use panel interface. Pitch and mod wheels make it easy to tweak sounds quickly.
The MP11SE has 40 onboard sounds, including three grand pianos, vintage electric pianos, concert pianos, jazz pianos, strings, and pads. Sounds are split up into three sections: the Piano Section, E-Piano Section, and the Sub Section.
The Sub Section contains all of the non-piano sounds, like synths, strings, and pads. The MP11SEs 6 reverbs and 129 effects make it easy for players to customize this digital pianos onboard sounds. All of the effects and reverbs are tweakable, which makes for a truly customizable playing experience.
The MP11SE has four modes: full keyboard, upper split, lower split, and zone .Also, players can layer up to three sounds together. With 256-note polyphony, owners of this digital piano can layer sounds and add multiple effects without worrying about latency or note dropout.
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Nord Piano 4 Review: Better Than Piano 3 And Stage 3
The Nord Piano 4 is the latest entry in Nords Piano series. The latest Nord digital piano builds off of its predecessor, the Nord Piano 3 as well as the Nord Stage 3 and Electro 6and lends itself perfectly to the stage and studio.
And so in this article, were going to examine the Nord Piano 3 and help you determine if this beautiful red instrument is worth your money. And to better help you, weve created the interactive guide below, which allows you to compare the Nord Piano 4 to other pianos made by Nord .
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How Do The Prices Compare
The Nord Stage 3 88 retails for roughly $4,499, a noticeable jump from the Piano 4s about $2,999. For most digital pianists, the Nord Piano 4 should be perfectly adequate. The Piano 4 has the same amount of polyphony in the Piano section as the Stage 3 and has the same split and layer capabilities.
Players who do not intend to do synth-heavy performances and do not typically customize their playing with lots of effects will be extremely content with the Piano 4. For those who love experimenting with multiple effects and who need a powerful synth engine for their performances, the Stage 3 might be the way to go. Also, the Piano 4 clearly wins out over the Stage 3 on price despite being considerably more expensive than other digital pianos.
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Nord Electro 5 Hp Reviews
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Nord Stage 3 Versions
There are three versions of the Nord Stage 3.
The version that has most capabilities of all is the largest version of the three, the Nord Stage 3 88. It has a fully weighted 88 key keyboard. This is the best choice for musicians who are interested in having the full piano capability.
The next version down the line is the Stage 3 HP76.
As you might already have guessed it, it has 76 keys in total and features a lighter hammer action. Its recommended for people who want a lighter more portable keyboard, without sacrificing too much on the functionalities.
The last, but not the least, is the smallest of the 3, the Stage 3 Compact. This version has only 73 keys and a semi-weighted key action. Its recommended for organ players, as its most similar to the C2 series from Nord.
This compact version of the Stage 3, is the only of the three versions that has physical draw bars within the control panel. By using these, you can interact on a closer level with the digital organ models.
There are no differences between the three versions, apart from the dimensions, weight, and the draw bars on the compact version.
The things that really matter, such as the sound engine, built materials, and organization of the control panel are basically the same on all three versions.
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Nord Piano 3 Vs Roland Rd 2000
The Nord Piano 3 and the Roland RD 2000 are two keyboards with very similar features and functions, the two models are focused on simulating a piano and offering a diversity of functions for musical production. Below is a comparison of both models:
The characteristics of both models are very similar, however, for those seeking a keyboard focused solely on piano and music production, with good versatility the Nord Piano 3 can be a good alternative, on the contrary, those seeking quality and greater diversity of functions should go for the RD 2000, as it is the most complete option.
If you want to know more about the Roland RD 2000, dont hesitate to visit our review and opinion.
Nord Grand Vs Piano 4 Vs Stage 3
With the release of the Grand, Nord have further cemented their position as titans of the stage piano world. The Grand elevates Nords piano selection to new levels of authenticity and immersive playability. But what sets it apart from its 88-key peers, the Piano 4 and Stage 3? In this article, we compare these three world-class instruments in terms of feel, sound and features.
Sam Beattie
Nord have a reputation for making some of the best keyed instruments in the world. From jazz bars to international stadiums, rehearsal spaces to award-winning studios, Nord pianos and keyboards are a common sight.
Everything in the Nord range is handmade in Sweden by Clavia Digital Musical Instruments. Founded in Stockholm in 1983, they quickly earned a reputation for combining intuitive user interfaces with world-class features and their recognisable red enclosures. While they earned their golden reputation making a variety of synthesizers and drum machines, their pianos are arguably their most lauded products. Offering unprecedented authenticity in both feel and sound, theyve become something of a self-perpetuating industry standard.
When it comes to full-range stage pianos, there are three to choose from: the Stage 3 88, the Piano 4, and the most recent addition, the Grand. Each one has its own unique traits, catering to different needs. To begin our comparison, well take a look at the specs of each model side by side.
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Nord Stage 3 88 Stage Piano Review
Just a cursory glance at the Nord Stage 3 will let you know that it is a serious player and if there are any lingering doubts about its capabilities then all you need to do is look at the price tag. This is a premium keyboard that promises to be the ultimate replacement for a piano and a host of other instruments. We have seen products that have made this claim in the past and while they had us excited for a minute, they turned out to be duds. In this review we put the Nord Stage 3 through the grinder to see if it truly deserves the moniker of being the ultimate keyboard on sale right now.
Virtual Hammer Action Technology
Our unique Virtual Hammer Action Technology in conjunction with the physical hammer movements delivers outstanding authenticity and dynamic response resulting in a keyboard action that handles dynamic playing with amazing control at any velocity level. The Triple Sensor keybed also provides authentic features like repeating a note without lifting the key completely to ensure the smooth repetitions and fluent transitions associated with an acoustic Grand Piano.
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Transpose And Velocity Curves
With the Transpose feature, you can set a transposition value between -6 and +6 semitones, directly from the panel. This setting will be saved in the programs if you want to make this an integrated part of your parameter selection. There is an additional global transpose setting in the system menu that can be combined with the panel transpose.
The Kbd Touch feature enables you to alter the response from the keyboard. There are four curves available. These make it progressively easier for you to reach the maximum velocity from the Nord Piano keyboard. This can make a huge difference when you want that special touch on an electric piano, or if you hit a bad patch of wrist fatigue during an intense show.
All of the acoustic pianos in the Nord Piano Library are stereo pianos. If you use a mono amplifier or sound system, sometimes it is preferable to playback the sounds in mono. This can be achieved by using the Mono feature that is directly accessed from the panel.
Nord Triple Pedal
The included Nord Triple Pedal offers an unprecedented functionality, with the addition of a dynamic control of the mechanical noise during operation, and the ability for you as a player to use half-pedalling and “release and catch” techniques.
The right pedal is the sustain pedal. When the sustain pedal is operated on an acoustic grand or upright piano, many different sounds are produced by the mechanical components, several of the sounds can be reproduced by the Nord Piano.
Is The Nord Stage 3 Worth It
The Nord Stage 3 can be best described as a track-only race car of the keyboard world. Just like any normal driver cannot take full advantage of the capabilities of a race car and you need a specialist driver who has trained all his/her life to be a racing driver to be able to properly drive it, you need to be a very accomplished musician to take advantage of the Nord Stage 3. Now let us say that you are indeed such a keyboardist. The question now is whether you should invest in the Nord Stage 3. For that, you need to figure out exactly what you need from a keyboard. If all you need is a keyboard that has a great keybed, awesome sound quality and a decent level of customization then you could go for the cheaper options. If however, you need the cutting edge in live music production then you cannot go wrong with the Nord Stage 3.
The biggest problem we have with the Stage 3 is its long term viability. This is a costly instrument and as such is expected to last a long time. Do not get us wrong. It does not have any glaring issues with build-quality. The problem is that other manufacturers are nipping at its heels and it is only a matter of time before equally awesome keyboards are launched by other manufacturers at a cheaper price point. If and when that happens, you will be filled with an incredible sense of buyers remorse and that is the last thing you want to feel after spending nearly $5000.
No complicated menu navigations required
Super high-quality sounds
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Two Independent Pianos And Sample Synths
The Piano and Sample Synth sections of the Nord Piano 5 each contain two independent Layers. The two Pianos and two Sample Synths can be used simultaneously in a variety of split or Layer configurations. Combined with the versatile effects routing, a wide range of combinations can be achieved – from classic ensemble settings to rich soundscapes. The LED equipped Level controls allow for quick and precise balancing of all Layer volume levels. A Volume Pedal and/or Sustain Pedal can be assigned to each Layer.
At Nord We Do Things Differently
The Nord Piano 88 is a professional stage piano with 88 keys, designed with the performing musician in mind without compromising quality or means of expression.
The Nord Piano comes loaded from the factory with 19 different piano and harpsichord sounds. The program memory is filled with 120 programs that showcase the possibilities you have with the selection of pianos and the Nord Piano effects.
Acoustic, electric, vintage or contemporary piano sounds – it’s all here. And with unique features like String Resonance, totally replaceable sounds from the extensive Nord Piano Library and the dynamic Nord Piano Pedal, the Nord Piano delivers in every aspect.
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