Are Nords worth it?

David B · 2025-01-25T06:49:10+00:00

I'm sure this question has been asked a lot, but I just found out how expensive Nords are. I was looking specifically at their new Piano 6 and the Grand 2. That's $3800 and $4500. Why so much? what are you getting? No audio interface. Lower end Fatar action on the piano 6 and a custom Kawai RHIII on the Grand 2. The RHIII on the Grand 2 isn't even a graded hammer action. The key weight is the same across all 88. How can you have Grand in the name and not even have a graded hammer action which is on every acoustic piano built? The demos of the acoustic pianos on their website and the demos on YouTube showcasing the acoustic pianos and strings sound really nice to my ears coming through my Genelecs. However, I don't know if I can justify the expense. Also, the red color is really an assault both visually and emotionally. I've actually been looking at options (vinyl wrap) if I were to ever purchase one of these. The red color would actually keep me away from the piano. ❌ I know the color is just a preference and many people enjoy the red color, but what about the other issues I raised. Why are people willing to pay higher prices for Nords in a competitive market with many options? God Bless, David

_sem_

David B Wow, you guys are talking me off the edge and saving me from my GAS induced psychosis. Kudos. My wife has been trying to do that for years. 😀

How about your faith? I suppose you should meditate, say prayers, and play piano more. Not sure if it works though 😉

HZPiano

Pete14 they were humble-enough not to call it the “N1X-Grand"

Indeed! Just "Avant-Grand".

😁

Pete14

HZPiano

😊

Vinkelheimer

David B

Hello, David B - I saw a photo of your set with the table top music stand sitting on a platform that rises about 6 inches above your keyboard. Where did you get that?

David B

vagfilm My suggestions for free VST (I am no VST expert, but I don't think there is any good free VST using solo instruments to recreate a string quintet; so you are stuck with orchestral samples):

I'm going to download the free BBC discovery today and give it a try. I've been experimenting with the strings in Logic Pro, but after spending a half-hour trying to figure out how to adjust the release, I thought, "this is why I want a Nord." 🤬

EssBrace What do you think you'll really gain though?

The biggest gain would be the convenience of sitting down at the piano and having access to decent sounds/layers/patches without having to put much effort in. Currently, I do that with my Numa X GT, but literally the only piano sound I like is the Stage D. In my mind I envision having my Numa/TP400 action available for solo piano/VST playing, and a Nord (whatever) next to it with other satisfying sounds.

I think sometimes I'm looking for validation and this was not the place to come for Nord validation. 😀

God Bless,
David

jdg78

David B I think sometimes I'm looking for validation and this was not the place to come for Nord validation. 😀

LOL...Seems like you got an intervention instead. GAS-aholics Anonymous.

vagfilm

David B I'm going to download the free BBC discovery today and give it a try.

I would start with the OT Helix… Less things to configure and less "orchestral" and more ambient.

Khuja Wangtishvili

@David B
Have you considered maybe Korg Nautilus or Krome?

David B

Khuja Wangtishvili Have you considered maybe Korg Nautilus or Krome?

I did see that the Kronos was reintroduced at NAMM. I haven't looked at the difference between the Kronos/Nautilus/Krome.

I'll take a closer look. Thanks for the suggestions.

God Bless,
David

David B

Pete14 you’d be better off buying a Yamaha!

I've kind of been there and done that and I'm not inspired by the CFX/Bosendorfer samples. I'm not closed to a Yamaha, but right now nothing seems interesting. The CP88 got a software update at NAMM, but still the same board from 5 years ago.

God Bless,
David

EssBrace

David B I've kind of been there and done that and I'm not inspired by the CFX/Bosendorfer samples. I'm not closed to a Yamaha, but right now nothing seems interesting. The CP88 got a software update at NAMM, but still the same board from 5 years ago.

I recently bought another CP88. Had a Grandstage X for a few weeks but replaced it with CP88. I think this is my 3rd or 4th period of CP88 ownership. Yes, there's a completely different CFX on it with OS 2.0 (CFX2). And a re-voiced Bosendorfer (Imperial+). The CFX2 is not a 'jack of all trades" piano that the original CFX is. It's got a definite flavour. I like it. The re-voiced Imperial is just plain better than the original. When you had your CP88 had they already released the Hamburg Grand? In the right circumstances that's pretty good. And although I've never really bothered with 'felt pianos' I do think the CP88 version is very nice. The Studiologic felt piano is not very well done in my opinion. It's also worth mentioning that there's now two adjustable parameters related to the 'damper resonance' and although it's certainly not a perfect substitute for genuine string resonance it does provide something very worthwhile. I'd say the CP has a decent set of pianos now. And it's still possibly the most immediate and intuitive board to use.

David B

EssBrace When you had your CP88 had they already released the Hamburg Grand? In the right circumstances that's pretty good.

I never owned a CP88. Yamahas I've owned are DGX 650, P45, P125, P515, and N1X. I'd definitely consider a Yamaha in the future, but right now the Nord onboard sounds seem to be the best I've heard demoed online.

I like the variety of the acoustic pianos on the Nord and the overall sounds seem to be really good for onboard, ready to go sounds. It's just the color and price of the Nords that gives me pause. The color even more than the price. That red almost evokes a gag reflex when I look at it. 🤮

God Bless,
David

Jose EB5AGV

If you want flexibility and a powerful way to combine sounds coming from virtual instruments, Gig Performer is also a good candidate.
It does not take physical space, is not red, and you would rediscover / use all those VSTs you have and for sure add some more.
That way you are not attached to any particular keyboard brand and can improve any sound type you want. The possibilities are just immense.

EssBrace

David B I'd definitely consider a Yamaha in the future, but right now the Nord onboard sounds seem to be the best I've heard demoed online.

Yes they are. The best to HEAR. But to PLAY and experience in person?…

As a previous eager owner of Nord Pianos, full of joyful anticipation in advance of each acquisition: The original Nord Piano, Nord Piano 3, Nord Piano 4, Nord Piano 5 and Nord Grand. In the days and weeks prior to each purchase I would be all over the Nord website intently listening to the demos, marvelling at the variety and personality of each piano sound. A sense of organic reality oozes out. It's intoxicating. So much more interesting than the boring old Yamahas and weird sounding modelled Rolands.

But…BUT…the ownership experience was always the same for me. I'd toggle through each piano sound, one after another. I'd download whatever the latest, greatest patch was. I'd shuffle the sounds around in the Nord Sound Manager. But the toggling through never stopped. It was endless. What is sonically so impressive in the first few seconds just would fatigue my ears within a few minutes. On to the next sound. And then the next. White Grand, Royal Grand 3D, Velvet Grand, Imperial, Italian, Bright, Silver, Studio 1 and 2, Soft Grand etc etc. I could never settle. Could never stop listening so critically I just couldn't find a sound that didn't grate on me in some respect. They don't play softly enough. The dynamic response can be somehow exaggerated or annoying in ways I find hard to describe. A couple of weeks and I'd be done with it. I'd sit on it for a few months and then sell it on at a loss. Until the next time…

It seems to me that you just want a Nord. You need to scratch that itch. You might love it. Countless pro players wouldn't play anything else. But audio demos - and even the experience of gigging musicians - just might not tell you quite what the real ownership experience at home will be like.

CyberGene

David B sounds like you’re having a dangerous bout of GAS 😃 I think I know you and I’m sure you won’t be happy with the onboard sounds of any keyboard, Nord included. BTW, not sure why you loved so much the strings sound in that demo, to me it’s rather dull and similar to what I hear in many keyboards. And you can certainly get much better strings from software. Knowing Nord, I wouldn’t be surprised if those strings are a heavily cut version with no expression at all. Yes, it comes as a ready made patch and you’ll have to make your own with the software but I don’t think the ridiculous price premium of the Nord is worth it for just a piano/strings patch 😃 I think you’re just having GAS and that’s OK. The good news is Nords are easy to sell and keep their prices, so even if you make the mistake to get one (which I’m sure will be a mistake), you’ll be able to sell it for a good price.

HZPiano

Hello,

@David B ,

As the chaps above say!

(@Jose EB5AGV , @EssBrace , @CyberGene , et al).

Cheers and be wise,

David B

EssBrace What is sonically so impressive in the first few seconds just would fatigue my ears within a few minutes. On to the next sound. And then the next. White Grand, Royal Grand 3D, Velvet Grand, Imperial, Italian, Bright, Silver, Studio 1 and 2, Soft Grand etc etc. I could never settle. Could never stop listening so critically I just couldn't find a sound that didn't grate on me in some respect. They don't play softly enough. The dynamic response can be somehow exaggerated or annoying in ways I find hard to describe.

I've read elsewhere that they don't include P and PP samples? One user of a Nord Grand described it this way on a forum.

The Nord samples pretty much start at an mp timbre and go up. The lower timbral layers are just not in the sample, and the brightness is accentuated by the very close mic positions used. To get softer, the sostenuto pedal brings it down, and one can use the EQ to soften it more, but it still isn't quite the same as having sample data. The Nord samples seem optimized for modern genre's where the softest layers really aren't needed. The piano gets very bright and loud in the upper layers and it is clearly optimized with more detail in the upper end than the lower end of the velocity range. This is likely the right choice, but it does again point out where they've saved sample space by under-sampling the instrument.

https://forums.musicplayer.com/topic/172410-nord-grand-with-kawai-action/page/4/#comments

I contacted Sweetwater and expressed my concern over the price/color and the information above, and was told I'd be able to try and not buy and only have to pay for the return shipping if I decide to send it back. I don't know if they do that for everybody, but perhaps because I've bought most of my gear from them over the past couple years. Keyboards, monitors, audio interface, etc.

I might wait until the Piano 6 comes out in March and try both that and the Grand 2 at the same time. I was really surprised that they were willing to ship two of those expensive pianos for me to try out. So having this critical information will give me something to look for while testing if I eventually go that route. All this information is very helpful.

I'm not closed to the VST route. Still more experimenting to do there. Thanks for the help.

God bless,
David

David B

CyberGene BTW, not sure why you loved so much the strings sound in that demo, to me it’s rather dull and similar to what I hear in many keyboards. And you can certainly get much better strings from software. Knowing Nord, I wouldn’t be surprised if those strings are a heavily cut version with no expression at all.

Since I started playing the piano 10 years ago I've only focused on acoustic piano sounds. I really have no experience with strings or other layering sounds. I didn't have much of a desire to do that until more recently. In January I purchased a used 2012 Mac mini that runs 32 bit apps. I started going through the David Sprunger piano courses I had gotten 10 years ago but never got around to trying. I'm really enjoying his material. However, it's all accompaniment and chord piano. I have to sing the melody. This is the exact opposite of what I've been doing for 10 years. I find that by adding layers to the piano makes the experience of learning this new style more interesting. Unfortunately, I just don't care for the sounds on my Numa, especially the acoustic pianos. Having no experience with layers and other sounds, the Nord seems to sound very good to my inexperienced ears.

All I really need is something that motivates me when I sit down and practice. I'm not going to be composing any orchestral scores. I don't even know how to do that. I just want to sit down, hit a button, and play. I want to like what I hear when I hit that button and be able to make simple changes easily. I have all of David Sprunger's courses. I'm sure it's going to take me throughout 2025 and possibly beyond to go through them all. I think I'll enjoy it more with some better onboard sounds.

God Bless,
David

CyberGene

Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of any piano layers with strings, pads, etc., they just sound cheesy to me. That being said, there were some patches on the CP88 which I thought were very well made, despite my aversion to such layers. You might want to test the CP88 patches and see if you like them. In my opinion many Nord patches (outside the core raw sounds such as pianos, organs, electric pianos) are very unconvincing to my ears which always makes me feel that their programmers are not very good. They have a huge library of uploadable sounds which is the big advantage, since if you're in a cover band, it might be very easy to find and upload sounds from famous recordings. However, the sample engine is pretty rudimentary and AFAIK doesn't support multi-layered samples (like e.g. using different sample for different velocity) but that's for their additional sounds. I've heard that their embedded sounds are better than that. Nevertheless, Nord samples and patches are not as advanced as on the Yamaha/Roland/Korg/Kurzweil workstations. Again, Nords are for gigging musicians due to their ease of use, intuitive interface and uploadable sounds. You should definitely go and test all the patches because that piano/strings patch you like may sound great but nothing can compare to actually testing it and seeing if it plays well. I've heard so many demos of patches that when played are meh. I used to participate on the Keyboard Corner forum until recently and the prevailing opinion is that if you like playing ready-made patches, Yamaha and Roland are your best bet because they come with thousands of great ones.

David B

CyberGene Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of any piano layers with strings, pads, etc., they just sound cheesy to me. That being said, there were some patches on the CP88 which I thought were ver well made, despite my aversion to such layers. You might want to test them and see if you like them.

That's right, I remember you owned a CP88 and really liked it. You only sold it because of the weight. Send me a link if you come across any good CP88 demos. I'll start looking myself.

God bless,
David

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