Exploring the New Nord Website: Features, Navigation, and Training Opportunities!
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- Опубліковано 29 чер 2024
- 🎵 Hey, Nord keyboard enthusiasts! 🎵
✅ Master your Nord keyboard: www.MyKeysToMusic.com
✅ Patreon: / mykeystomusic
✅ Price your Nord keyboard and get a two-year warranty (U.S. Customers Affiliate Link): bit.ly/Sweetwater_MyKeysToMusic
✅ Learn how to program synthesizers: Syntorial Affiliate Link: www.syntorial.com/#a_aid=MyKe...
In this video, I discuss the updated Nord website, highlighting its modern design, improved navigation, and enhanced product comparison tool while promoting my Nord keyboard training at MyKeysToMusic.com.
🔗 Nord Keyboards History: • Nord Keyboards History...
== Chapters ==
00:00 - Intro
02:33 - Nord Website Review Begins
15:49 - Nord Comparison Chart
19:52 - Recap and learn more!
Great video, thanks! However, I belive their website was already perfect and didn't need any improvements. What really worries me is that it looks like some Signature Sound Banks are missing. For instance, for the Nord Lead 4, there is only one bank available now. I am pretty sure there were many more available on the old website. I feel so disappointed that I didn't save those before. Also, though I'm not 100% sure, but it seems like there are fewer banks available for my Nord Drum 3 and Stage 3, though I'm not certain. Could someone please comment on this? Many thanks.
@ukrop-chik You are 100% correct about the Nord Lead 4. If you hurry, you might be able to pull these down from the "way back machine" archive of their old site starting here: web.archive.org/web/20231201042540/www.nordkeyboards.com/sound-libraries/product-libraries/synthesizers/nord-lead-4/nord-lead-4-asl-bank
You are an asset to Nord. One of the key reasons I got a Nord is because of your excellent training program.
@RodACovey Rod, you are a fantastic student and a steadfast supporter of My Keys To Music. Your comments and support here and within our private community are much appreciated! Keep up the good work!
I clocked on my manual link today and got a 404!! Thanls for explaining!
@enterprisesoftwarearchitect Ah, yes, Eugene, that would explain it! Truth be told, they did a fairly decent job of preserving most of their old links/pages so that they arrived where they should. I have always downloaded the manual, but you just gave me the idea to link to it instead so that I always get the latest version. Light-bulb moment! 💡
Hey Marc, love your stuff and the valuable instruction carefully laid out so beginners to advanced can understand the instruction. The new Stage 4 has a different approach to the Extern feature, but I have yet to see a video that walks through how to maximize it showcasing how to utilize softsynths from a laptop to either play them exclusively or in combination with the Stage 4. I'm reaching out to you to see if this is something you could do since I am behind the curve in not only setting this up but then to begin using this incredible feature. Thanks!!
@timjohns8547 Hi Tim! Thanks for your kind and thoughtful comment here - it's appreciated. So, regarding the Extern option on the Nord Stage 4, I decided that on this go around, I would leave the training reserved for those investing in the "Master the Nord Stage 4" course (at least for now). I wanted to find a way to honor those making the investment in the course, so I drew a big line in the sand at the Extern section. This area is a little more advanced - especially when you introduce the notion of having it switch programs on external devices and the many other MIDI options one gets with the NS4. The good news is that it works pretty similar to Stage 3 in a lot of ways. So, I hope that explains my position on things (for better or for worse).
The NS4 course has been a monster to create (nearly 300 hours of nights and weekends for the last year). So, I didn't feel right about turning around and releasing all the lessons for free here on UA-cam. (Although, to be honest, the thought had crossed my mind a couple of times because, at the end of the day, I really cherish the idea of helping everyone - not just the ones who invest). But then again, the NS4 is a huge investment for your typical musician, and I'm a big believer in investing a small portion of that overall investment in pro-education for one's equipment for those who think they may benefit from that. In any case, I cover the MIDI options as well as the Extern options (along with everything else) in my new "Master the Nord Stage 4" course (www.MyKeysToMusic.com) if you still need to get your hands on it... 👍
@@MyKeysToMusic Marc - I totally respect that and support you in this decision. I really appreciate all your insight with Nord products. The entire keyboard coral is both simple straight forward, and has deeper advanced tools for those who want to go there.
Terrific video. Very useful. Nicely done.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for your comment Thomas!👍
Great one!!!! Thanks!
@philfisher8962 Thanks Phil!
Still rocking my Nord Stage 2 Compact! Love it still!
Right on! There are a ton still in used today.
Hi. Congratulations from Brazil. Do you know where we could find a list of all programs and presets of the NS4? I tried to look for at the site, but I did get it out.
@joaovalterf Good news João Valter! I made this list today as it was something I had to do for another student as well...
www.patreon.com/posts/nord-stage-4-106710616?Link&
Nord Lead 2 owner here, just starting to scratch the surface of the product and can't thank you enough for making videos like these! Would you have a recommendation for memory card for the lead 2?
The Nord Lead 2 came out in 1997 when portable memory like this was coming of age. Actually, I don't know exactly what will be compatible at this point. Here's a thread on it: www.norduserforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=17120
*And I pulled this from Page 23 of the manual:*
Using PCMCIA Cards
You can use a standard PCMCIA computer memory card in the slot at the back of the instrument. This allows you to save another three Banks for a total of 297 programmable memory slots and 30 programmable Percussion Kit locations, and 100 Performances (which in practice includes an additional 400 Programs). PCMCIA cards are also perfect for “backing up” (making safety copies of important Programs and Performances).
If you purchase the card at a computer retailer, you should ask for this: a 64-kilobyte S-RAM-based, battery PCMCIA card. There are cards with larger memory capacities than 64 kByte, but using one with the Nord Lead 2 is simply a waste of money.
Formatting of New Cards
For the Nord Lead 2 to use a new PCMCIA card, it must be formatted. The instrument will do this for you if you perform the following steps:
1. Check that the card is not write-protected.
This is done with a switch located directly on the card.
2. Insert the card.
The display will flash with the letters “Fo”.
3. To format the card, press Store.
Storing Programs On the Card
This is nothing different from storing into the internal memory Bank. When specifying where to store Program, select one of the memory slots above “99”, as when selecting Programs from the card (see page 11).
Storing Performances On the Card
This is described on page 35.
The other option that looked interesting was to potentially purchase a low-cost converter and use a standard SD card which can both be purchased on Amazon today. However, I'm not sure it will work in the end - might be worth a try however as the old KB cards are not exactly cheap. The other thing I wonder about this solution is that Nord says that you need a "battery backed" card which tells me there is no power for the card from the Nord? So, I don't think the adapter thing will work. Proceed with caution and be willing to experiment a bit if you are going to pursue this.
Pls report back what you learn... Good luck!
The new website looks nice, modern, and clean. My biggest beef is that the Product Comparison doesn't show Nord Piano Library Memory and Nord Sample Library Memory (e.g. 2GB, 1GB, 512MB) anymore. The Product Specifications are also inconsistent for providing this info. For example, for the Nord Grand 2 it doesn't say what the Nord Sample Library memory is, so I don't know if they increased capacity or not over the Nord Grand. I can't even find this info in the manual. I don't know if this is an oversight or if it is by design since customers are often critical of these numbers. Nevertheless, often this specification is used as a deciding factor of whether to upgrade or not.
@musicaficionado4890 Thanks for your comment and astute observations. I hadn't realized they removed the detailed memory for the sample/synth sections! I was able to find this blog article on it: www.gearnews.com/nord-grand-2/#:~:text=Moreover%2C%20the%20two%20sample%20synths,the%20same%20at%202%20GB.&text=LED%20faders%20for%20each%20layer,in%20split%20and%20layer%20configurations.
_"Moreover, the two sample synths can now access twice the amount of memory (1 GB). However, the piano section memory remains the same at 2 GB."_
Hmm, I'm hoping it was an oversite since they don't hide the Piano memory (and people are also very critical of that). I'm starting to think that maybe I shouldn't be too quick to scrap my plans to make a more complete comparison tool and one that goes back to more of the legacy models. I think they have the right idea, they need to take the concept further (we need more older models and more details within each comparison). I also believe they have a duty to include the memory somewhere on the website - at the very least, list the specs in the manual, perhaps.
@@MyKeysToMusic Thank you for finding this. It's good the info is still out there, but there should be an official source, and I believe it still needs to be part of the official specification. I hope this is just an oversight that will be fixed.
@@MyKeysToMusic I didn't realize that the piano memory didn't grow from 2 GB and I was very sad when I got my NS4 88, which costed me an arm and a leg to upgrade from my NS3 Compact, which also costed me an arm and a leg to get a few years ago. I would just love to have all the XL pianos on the NS4 to be able to enjoy them, see how they sound different, etc. without messing all the programs up in the instrument. And all the biggest piano samples of the rest of course too. Nord should really have doubled those 2 gigs. Probably they will .. and throw out the NS5 for even more money, cus they can... But this is my only complaint. I love the bloody thing, not planning to sell it anytime soon. Sound is very important for my stupid sensitive ears, and I never heard a better sounding digital piano sound on any other top of the line instrument. But all the rest of the sounds are pretty good too IMHO. Amazing videos as always from Marc, I always learn a lot as a hobbyist, please don't stop making them. Cheers!
@@istvanzoltankiss The memory issue is a sensitive topic for a lot of folks. Yes, we all want more (so long as it doesn't increase the price, right!!) 😄 It's funny that you mention memory, too, because I was researching a Nord Lead 3, and it came with a feature to use an optional external storage card which allowed for the storage of additional programs/patches. I think this could be a solution for people today (and many have already suggested this on the Nord User Forum and within various Facebook groups). But it's really a good idea if they could make it work. Perhaps needing more memory is one of those things that push people to purchase the "next" Nord model or the "bigger" Nord model, and making that a nonissue going forward could hurt sales on their flagship/newer products as they get released? Hard to say. Other manufacturers (like Apple) have a similar strategy. I don't work at Nord, so I don't know how they make their decisions but this could explain why memory is hard to come by. 🤷🏻♂
Thanks for your kind words and we'll keep on making content on this end...
@@MyKeysToMusic I don't think NS4 - especially the 'biggest' or call it 'flaship' 88key version - users are asking too much for some sort of update of the piano memory. I sold my NS3 Compact for the hammer action of the NS4 88 and some of the extra effects, and in some ways it was worth it, other ways .... Mmm .... I miss the synth section in the NS3, could squeeze out some beefy classic Prophet and Oberheim sounds of it which I love ... But again, not complaining, at least I'm trying not to (it doesn't work ... 🤫😉). So yeah, extra 2 gigs, so that I don't have to mess up the whole thing if I want to change the pianos or just load all the XL pianos, just so that I can enjoy those nice sounds. That's it. It would make a lot of us Nord-nerds happy I think. 🤓 I can't believe that in 2024 this is not possible. So let's keep in hoping..
One more thing... the Product Comparison also doesn't tell you which sound library is used. For example, the Nord Grand 2 uses Sample Library 4, while the Nord Grand uses Sample Library 3. What is disappointing to me if that I lose some favorite sounds if I upgrade. For example, I play Bach's Cello Suite 1 using one of the 3 Strings Solo cellos. In the Sample Library 4, there are NO cellos offered in the Strings Solo section.
@musicaficionado4890 I agree that the product comparison should surely include sound compatibility because that's another critical data point. They do break down the sound compatibility on this page: www.nordkeyboards.com/sounds/how-to-get-sounds-to-your-product/
And I have some news that will potentially make your day here. You can go right now to the new website and locate the Nord Sample Library 3 sound (pretend you have a Nord Grand for a minute when you filter for the library version 3). If you were to download the solo cells that you know and love, you should be able to easily drag them into the Nord Sound manager while your Grand 2 is connected! It warns you that it needs to convert the samples, but just say OK. Boom!!! The entire library 3 is available to you on your Nord Grand 2. This wasn't the case when the Library 4 came out, but if you upgrade to the latest Nord Sound Manager and ensure that you have the latest OS for a Grand 2, it should just "work." I tested this just now on my Nord Stage 4, which is also library v4 compatible, and it worked out of the box. 👍
P.S. I just did another test with my Nord Piano 5 (also v4 library compatible) and the technique worked there as well!
@@MyKeysToMusic Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! This is a game changer. I had identified several sounds that I use that were missing in the Sample Library 4. You indeed made my day. However, this good news may ultimately cost me money as I'm looking hard at the Nord Grand 2.
@@musicaficionado4890 I hear you! The Grand 2 is in many ways is a big upgrade. It's like buying a second Grand without needing two boards...
That's good that they made a new comparison tool, but it's so disappointing we can't compare legacy products! And what is really terrible, is that they removed their old comparison PDFs. I remember they have Nord Lead's comparison charts - they all gone! You can't compare A1 with 4 or 2x using the tool! In my opinion, they would better keep the old site as it was. Very disappointed.
@ukrop-chik I hear ya. I plan to have a solution for this on my website. In the meantime, look what I found!!! web.archive.org/web/20240207021522/www.nordkeyboards.com/products/nord-lead-a1/comparison-chart
FYI: you'd be wise to take screenshots of these while they last... The links to the other boards work too (I only tested the comparison charts).
@@MyKeysToMusic Yeah, thank you, I downloaded lots of stuff from there yesterday!!!
I have a Nord Stage 3. Its not really a very good keyboard. It has "issues" that if I had known about, I would have bought something else. The sustain sticks and the only way to fix it is change the patch then change back. It also changes parameters randomly at times. Its like it's not ready for prime time. I don't trust it. My Roland Fantom is better in nearly every way.
@socasack Yes, Nord keyboards can certainly have issues. Although the sustain pedal sticking is something new. I can't slight Roland as I was a Roland guy from 1987 through 2012. I went mostly Nord after that as it was the first keyboard I took the time to "learn" - and once you learn something, it's more fun to use. But yes, they have their quirks at times - and they are a tiny company compared to the likes of Yamaha, Korg and Roland, so maybe that has something to do with it - not sure.