Why Every Church Wants that Red Keyboard | Nord Stage for Worship
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- Опубліковано 5 чер 2024
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Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:15 Nord History
2:25 Nord Keyboard Models
7:24 Who are Nords for?
9:33 Hybrid Nord Rig
10:28 Why NOT to Buy a Nord
12:57 Alternatives to a Nord
13:50 Software Rig
15:09 Tips for using a Nord
16:05 Final Thoughts
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It’s red for all the demons they harbor.
Independent Baptist missionary Spencer Smith would agree.
@@dustys5512lol
Beat me 2 it.
One modern evangelical cookie cutter mega church is the same as the next.
Like going to McDonald’s. Tastes the same foul disgusting food as the next.
Well, our church uses Johannus organs.
😬
It seems like the Nord and Nord fans are like Apple and their fan base. It’s definitely high quality…but it’s hard to see the price tag being justified. If you’re a fan, then it’s the best keyboard on the planet. If Yamaha works for you, then the Nord is just a, “maybe if I win the lottery” keyboard.
My first (serious) keyboard was a Roland D-50 that I bought in 1988, so I think I have some experience. :) I still use and love Roland (probably my favourite brand), and I've also owned Korg, Yamaha and other brands. I can tell you that my Nord Stage is probably the only keyboard I've owned (and that I still use daily) that I think I'll never sell. It's simply an almost perfect tool, it has fantastic sounds that will never get old, it's built much better than any other keyboard I've had, it's light and compact despite being made of metal and wood, it's versatile, and its "analog' user interface is easy and immediate to use. Trust me, the price tag is justified. It's something you'll use for the rest of your life and it's unique, meaning that there are basically no alternatives. That's why it sells so well. Plain and simple. Consider that I have the Nord Stage EX version, so almost 15 years old, and I don't need to change it... Because it's been supported with sample updates for many years. That's another thing to consider, whereas other manufacturers stop updating a model as soon as the next one is released.
Spot on comment
So what does that mean for those that control their Nord Stage with a MacBook Pro? 😅
There is no overlap between Apple and Nord users. Nord-users are the quintessential PC-guys.
Apple fans at least have the real arguments. Not Nord fans :)
We just bought a Yamaha cp88 for our small church. I love the fact it has a built in digital audio interface. A single usb cable from the keyboard goes into our ipad with sunday keys, the same usb cable returns a usb audio signal that connects to the keyboard outputs. So if one keyboard play wants to use the keyboard they have 3 layers they can turn on or off with the switches. If another one wants to use Sunday keys they just plug in the ipad and turn off all the keyboard layers - no other cabling changes required. (The xlr connectors mean we also got rid of di boxes on the stage)
YES! I purchase the CP 88 AND the YC 61 and also use Sunday sounds for Ipad as you described… and I spent less than a flagship Nord. Yamaha sounds GREAT! CP 88 key bed is the best “feeling” action I have ever had, short of a real piano.
I love that option! The CP and YC 88 have a much better keybed than the Nords, and the built in sounds are great too. It's a shame they don't have the option to upload your own samples to the instrument the way the Nords do.
I’ve tried to steer so many churches and personnel in this same direction. The keybed is amazing, the sounds are still A quality for what you’re gonna be using it for. And you still have the look of a sleek and modern aesthetic you want on stage. Nord has so much power into it that like he said, majority of folks will never explore the true power of what they’ve spent their money on. It’s so much of an unnecessary cliche if you’re not going to get your moneys worth. And then you’re just gonna run and get the next one when the upgrade the model 😂. I’m an avid Nord user and I would tell anyone, spend the $2500 9. The CP/YC rather than $5-6k.
Agree. Had cp88 since it came out. Love it. No need to spend all that money on something that is red.
I was going to buy a Nord, i’ve played Nords, i was willing to pay for a Nord, then i played the YAMAHA CK88, rest is history 🎹
Amen!!!
Would you like to elaborate?
sounds great feels great, sounds even better after dialing in and tweaking and layering sounds. piano, organ and piano layered with pads is my go to and the CK does just what i need
Its in vogue. A few years ago it was the Motifs, now we are living “Nord’s time”.
Exactly, and the fashion inflates the price of the fashionable "object of desire"
“A few”
Yeeeeeep
🎶I love you, NORD 🎶for your sound never fails me 🎶All my days, you've been held in my hands.
I really shouldn't laugh at this😅
😂😂😂
from the moment that I bought you, until I set you up. Oh, I will play the most ambient pads of all.
Can you change "sound" to "music"? Starts with "M" but more importantly it's two syllables. I can't believe you were this close to a perfect comment.....
Using the Nord Stage as a $5000 midi controller seems excessive (unless your operating with a huge worship ministry budget). Personally, the Yamaha CP and YC series stage boards are half the price and have great onboard sounds.
*Any decent board around that CP/YC range all sound great. Nord is just on another level and is the standard for a reason.*
@@Dadee3Nord is the Apple of keyboards. It's a perception thing.
@@kerylmcjohnson9537 *Hate away, casual 😂*
@@Dadee3 I don't hate. Love Nord for their organs. Their organ emulation is the best on any portable keyboard. Was a fan of the C2D before this current Nord wave. But I'll also tell you Nord is not any superior to other flagships
@@kerylmcjohnson9537 *Nord is the standard in the industry though is all I'm saying. That's a fact. Everything else is just your opinion.*
I think the reason why Nord became popular in some churches is because a popular worship song/singer/group featured it in the music and people wanted to recreate those sounds, this wasn't the popular keys years ago Roland and Yamaha were and still is, use by many churches worldwide, now with the use of software/midi interface these sounds can be easily recreated.
yeah, pretty much. People want to feel cool, so they buy the stuff the cool kids buy. Not rocket science, nor ironically Christian. You know, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's keyboard. But why actually listen or do what the Bible says? It's not like there's actually a big guy enforcing his own rules anyway, so rock on, but pretty please, could you make better music with theses?
@@ardbegthequestion if you read some of the other comments you would have seen people debating it I believe with the use of software emulator and DAW you can get the sound you want but it can come down to key bed feel and hardware control (knobs,faders) I play a 88 Yamaha at church with MainStage I personally own a krog Kross 61 and they both do what I want if I need those special sound I can buy the sample by the way look at what midi controller he using plus I wouldn't just use a midi controller for live performance but a hybrid setup 😢 in case MainStage stick and I go to my original statement it is the SOUND you want to hear for that particular song
@@rors4stu well that was a bit of a non sequitur. I am making the case that Christian worship culture is just falling prey to the same trappings of any other group wanting to be hip & cool. I not making any issue with what other stuff works for people, just impugning the church that looking flashy and concerned with having the cool toys is not only what other believers judge as being a huge case in missing the point, but also comes across as vein conceit wrapped in false humility. And I can say this coming from and out of that world.
@@ardbegthequestion well you're true it falling into a hip and cool culture, these should be instruments use in worshipping and glorify God not for style and vein glory
*This ain't 2005, Yamaha and Roland are now in the back seat for the normies. Nord is king.*
1st pianist chapter 2 and 2nd keyboardikist chapter 9 have changed my life. Thank you for sharing such powerful chapters from the Wood Book 🙏
The new Yamaha Ck series is an insane and affordable worship machine. Fantastic organ tones and control, wonderful Yamaha piano samples, and of course great EPs. There’s also really straight forward on the effects that doesn’t lead to getting lost down rabbit holes.
Been waiting for CK 61 in my region but still not available!!
I want that ck 61 now. I currently have a Roland Juno DS 6
loooove my CK88
The problem is, it’s not red so it’s just not the right color for the modern image of a worship musician. Follow the crowd folks. Become one with the Borg…
Ich habe den Viscount Legend 70 Artist W ! Er ist schwarz so wie sich das für ein EPiano gehört und die Pianos und EPianos sind die besten die ich je in einem Stagepiano gehört habe! Die Farbe der roten Nords ist absolut hässlich sieht aus wie Spielzeug.
I’ve used a Vox Continental for worship settings for about a year; and so far it has served me very well with its high-quality onboard sounds
We re using the app for layers on a digital piano 515 which provides a very good sound from its self also(for those who knows good this keyboard) , and excellent action for pianist. It is just amazing. Thanks to you guys.
Just connect the ipad with the keyboard, nothing more, - and both sounds (from keyboard and ipad) comes out from the keyboard output sound system its self.
I bought a ck88 for myself because I play in several different bands outside of churches and I get compliments on it all the time. Amazing 1 to 1 interface and killer sounds.
I have a CK61 and it's just 1/4 the price of these red keyboards...but I'm happy with it.. I'm sure it sounds pleasing to God's ears as well.
@@rrod6738 right on man. Glad to see a fellow CK player.
@@rrod6738 *Pleasing to God's ears? Lol wtf*
@@Dadee3if there is a god, she has been very, very angry about the whole Nord-trend. The Bose of the keyboard world.
99% of worship musicians using Nords, either just use the piano patch or use it as midi controller. Either way is a waste of church or personal funds.
Its for clout to attract new attendees to the seeker friendly social group that is the western church.
Haven't seen Nord in the various churches in our country. 😂
@@bvrbvt05 sounds like your churches might actually know God.
Agree. Decent piano sound, atmospheric pad and maybe organ, that's all that we need to use. In my opinion the cost and complexity of the instrument is overkill for most churches. Plus, I personally do not find it very user friendly compared to other keyboards. I'm sure there is a degree of fashion following here too.
@@austin33785yes because obviously the nord keyboard is of the devil
I love my Nord Piano and my Nord Lead 4 and they are amazing ... the keybed is great, the sounds are good and they are easy to use. I use this in a Top 40 Band - btw i use Sunday Keys in this band too and works great.
Based on watching multiple UA-cam keyboard tutorials and actual church experience, the majority of Nord Stage users love it for its piano patches and rarely, if ever, do more than on occasion layer one pad sound beneath the piano. Keyboard tutorials from Worship Artistry, Worship Online, and Sunday Sounds all utilize a software/VST approach, which facilitates covering the multiple parts in current CCM songs and I would concur. It's a subjective opinion but I believe there are more options with equal or superior sounds, and you get more "bang for your buck" spending your hundreds of $$$'s on computing power and software. Those "big churches" with their Nord Stage keyboards typically have more than one keyboard player with the Nord dedicated to piano. Many smaller and moderate sized churches with Nord keyboards use tracks to cover synth and organ parts for that "fuller" sound.
or get both lol. Nord imo feel the best out of all the keyboards out there. What I do is use a couple pads underneath from sunday sounds but use the piano and a pad from the Nord
I have been playing in Church for over 35 years... went through all the keyboards stages from the early 90's. Save your money. The price for this board is way over the top and more than likely you will use it mostly for the piano and a pad or string layer in a Church setting. You can pull that off today almost anywhere for a FRACTION of the cost. Be Smart. God is not impressed with your keyboard at all, He is concerned ONLY for your heart. Get any controller keyboard and find a basic module or use a Mac with mainstage and Keep It Simple, thats you need. Hope this doesnt offend anyone but I have been through all of them over the years and still stay up with it but I watch the hype and the costs. In todays time both are running crazy. 5500 - 6000 for this in nuts.
There are SO MANY free or inexpensive VSTs that will give you gobs of capability for a pittance. Grab a second had laptop. Pick your denomination - linux, WIndows, Mac OSX - load up your software and a few select VSTs, and get yourself a good MIDI keyboard controller and if necessary a control surface like a Launch Control XL or a NanoKontrol, and you're all set, and you'll have enough money left over to buy your guitarist a JC-120 and a Helix :D :D : D
bro trust me i have plenty of gear and software lol. I've played so many different keyboards but imo the Nord keybed feels the best. Not only that, but just having something that you don't need to plug a computer into is super freeing. I have omnisphere and keyscape (before I got a nord) but still choose to just run through a nord sometimes. Feels good and sounds good and let's you be free. Don't get me wrong tho you're absolutely right that you don't need it but when you get it, it's gamechanging.@@mrz80
@@mrz80 exactly correct! Boards are getting nuts now it’s pricing. Rip off
Where the Nord is, there the Lord is🙏🏿😁
We have a Nord Stage 2 and the storage space on the piano has been a huge limiter for how good and dynamic sounds we can use. The grand piano patch you showed takes half of the entire storage.
Both Roland and Yamaha make stage pianos and we got a Yamaha YC88 in addition to the Nord and it has blown our minds on how good it is, especially that it is half the price of the Nord!
Its about the price. Its not about functionality.
You would be impressed by the new Casio Clav's they are insane! I tried one out at a piano store and the owner actually said it sounds better than a 20,000 dollar electric Yamaha at only 2,000 dollars.
Yamaha have always been quality. I have a Yamaha Calvinova. I can’t deny Yamaha is high quality. I’d pick Yamaha over Nord because if you’re looking for organ simulation, Yamaha has an excellent one too.
@@totallyfrozen I actually think Yamaha's quality has gone down a bit. That said, the one company that a decade ago I would not have recommended is Casio, their quality is really insane and has gone up massively and undercuts Yamaha. Like Casios WK-6600 is a very powerful and excellent workstation, granted it needs a major update and revision, but the lowest level Yamaha Workstation is like 3500 dollars. The Casio WK-6600 is around 400 and it has all the same bells and whistles and while it doesn't have the SY or DX sounds, it does have a lot of older Casio sounds from the XW and CZ1 synthesizers.
@@totallyfrozen the one company that has really good organ simulation and draw bridge sliders is Casio. I tried out their entry level Celviano and was blown away, it sounded better than our churches organ. I mean the WK-7700 is the flagship workstation by Casio and it came with draw-bridge sliders and it sounds great for the price of 500 bucks.
Fun fact: Nord lead was used in the crystal method's vegas album and most of their other albums. Get Busy Child had the nord used a lot, you can even see it being used live on youtube in their 1997 debut live performance. If you don't know who the crystal method is, they are one of the best electronic dance music acts of the 90s and early 2000s and have been featured in many movies such as: Blade 2, Tropic Thunder, Bones, Spawn, and a bunch of others.
I weighed many of these options when presented with the opportunity to choose a new keyboard for our large church. I went with the Piano 5 for 2 reasons: We didn't need an organ engine, and I wanted the panel to be approachable and useable for anyone on our team. If the many buttons and knobs on the Stage felt overwhelming to someone like me who plays 4 out of 5 weeks in the month, I knew it wouldn't be the most sensible option for the other members on our team. Great info and insight as always!
A great option for a great sounding piano + pad is the Nord Piano, especially the 5 with it's new reverbs. I sampled a great pad from Omnisphere into it and it's beautiful and simple
did you get permission to sample a great pad from Omnisphere? God won't honor stolen goods.
I love the made-up quotes. The first one has something in it. I love playing my Nord Lead intuitively - it's soothing for my soul and sometimes nice melodies come out of it. :)
Hear me out. I waited a very long time before buying my first Nord. I bought my Stage 3 Compact just under two years ago, and my only regret is that I didn’t get it sooner. I can’t really put it into words, but I have never felt so connected to an instrument before. Yes, I have a whole library of software instruments, including many beautiful pianos and synth plugins. There’s just something inspiring about playing my Nord. I can sit down and just lose myself in it. I just love playing it.
Buyers guilt ? - Meaning, I have to use it no matter what…
@@rumar4u😂😂😂
@@rumar4u no bro
It feels different
The various voice patches and the sounds you could layer is just crazy
@@rumar4u Not at all. I have a small home studio with multiple synths/boards. They’re all great in their own way, but the Nord is just the one that I love playing the most out of any instrument I’ve ever owned. I’ve bought and sold multiple instruments over the years, and I’d just sell it if I didn’t enjoy it.
@@rumar4u *Maybe you'll be able to afford one in the future.*
I upgraded from a Nord Piano 2 to a s/h Nord Piano 4. The upgrade cost me £500(granted I got a great price on the Pno4). I use my own pads from softsynths but still have the killer range of Nord pianos, to choose from. I also think the keybed (same as pno 5) without it’s aftertouch ‘wobble’ feels better than a Stage. It does everything I need inc Hammonds samples in.
Another big reason Nords became so popular is that until more recently when Yamaha and others started making lighter weight (plastic) versions of their flagship synth, Nord was already known for compact and lighter weight keyboards that a musician could walk in carrying in a shoulder bag. Clavia didn’t spend time trying to design the perfect hammer-action piano key bed. In fact, that’s still one of my complaints about the Nord stage, the touch. And for keyboards like Stage 88, whose meat and potatoes are piano libraries with multi-velocity-layers and response curves, the physical action of the actual key mechanics matters a great deal. Nords aren’t terrible, but they aren’t ideal for piano.
The other things not available to Nord Stage user (because they are designed more for ease than for complexity) is the ability to go in depth to program the individual sample velocity switch points for pianos, EPS, which again is a matter of personal taste and physiology, and probably beyond the wants or needs of the typical keyboardist. But as someone who has been programming patches for 40 years, I love the deep architecture of Yamaha Motifs, Montages, and all their AWM2 babies.
If someone gave me a Nord or offered a deal too good to pass up, I’d consider having one in my setup. I kind of like the red case, too. But shelling out $4-5k for this level of tech? I won’t even talk about the latest Montage being priced up there, and those things weigh 60 lbs! But in terms of how much bang I’m getting for my buck, I’d still stick with Yamaha.
Oh, also, Clavia set a nice standard for premium keyboards by offering amazing customer support and free sample library upgrades for the life of their products. Who else was doing that early on?!
I remember when Nord was barely on the map, roughly 20 years ago. The big selling point, at the time, was their Hammond B3 emulation. It was the best on the market back then.
I'm surprised most church musicians were not on that piece too. smh they really don't know about gear past what they see other famous musicians use because they just copy them wanting to be them. Like how every drummer wanted to be Spanky when tye tribet was first out lolol copycat wannabees
I use the Nord as an all in one for worship!
It looks like a Nord keyboard may be more a flex than anything else. I bought a Yamaha S-90 in the early 2000s (I forget which year) when it was basically new for $2,000, and that keyboard has served me faithfully in church services and band gigs for almost 20 years now. It may not be as user-friendly as the Norg regarding creating and utilizing patches, but it sounded great then and it still does.
There’s a delightful video by the main keys player at That Big Church You’ve Probably Heard Of where he demonstrates how he uses a Nord Stage as a MIDI keyboard to control Mainstage running Sunday Sounds and Omnisphere . . .
Fun fact: Since Nord keyboards are Swedish, they are quite a bit cheaper here in Sweden, so I just checked, and if you as an American were to fly from San Francisco to Stockholm, buy the keyboard here, and then fly back again, you would save about $170.
EDIT: For reference, the Nord stage 4 88 cost about $4720 over here.
Great let me grab a $6000 plane ticket
Including the cost of enough of a flight case to survive the flight? :D
We purchased the Piano 5 88 last year and encountered an issue with the sensitivity response, so we returned it. We tried again this year, but it arrived missing some knobs, leading us to return it once more. Now, on our third attempt, we've noticed that the prices have risen compared to last year. Meanwhile, If the keyboardist has the anointing, even an old piano is enchanting.
Well if you notice the BIG churches he mentioned in the beginning know nothing about Anointing and everything about top hired guns for their stage and are there for a show with smoke and mirrors
I used to be one of those musicians that thought Nord Keyboards were way over hyped until I eventually needed a waterfall 73 keyboard and Nord fit that mold. I'm 2 months in with my Stage 3 and I could not be happier and I don't even need a 88 key anymore
There are optional extras with Nords, for:
(1) black out window blinds.
(2) extra guitar players for stage presence.
(3) deletion of other gifted players / 'non band' instruments.
(4) all things show church package - includes 1 - 3 and comes with a "yes" man worship department leader.
Dude, like uve ben around too i see..........................
I have a nord piano 5 and Nord stage 4. I also own Roland’s and Yamahas. Nords workflow and samples are not even close. Also the ability to swap out samples and create your own/ purchase 3rd party sounds. which you didn’t even mention. They are also way easier to repair than anything else on the market.
The second one is Yamaha Montage
I’m biased. I’ve played Yamaha’s for 20 years. Love my Yamaha YC, the new Montage sounds amazing as well. Nords are the “IN” thing now. It’s a great product but seems to be overpriced especially if you’re not using the board to its full capacity. I’m also guilty of not using my keyboards to their full capacity 🤷♂️🤷♂️. Great video.
You should make a red midi controller for Sunday keys. Make what doesn’t exist though… like a 61 key hammer action midi controller with 32 pads.
Glad you did this video. I did a video on my channel featuring pianoteq 8 titled “why you shouldn’t buy a high end keyboard”.
You said it. Nords are samples. Good samples but samples. Pianoteq 8 is physically modeled.
If one doesn’t want to use a computer, buy a high end keyboard for the sounds. If one has no issue with computers, that SL88 would be perfect. There is too much out there in the VST world to not be using a computer. Including Sunday keys. I’m a Yamaha guy. Used to want a montage. Now I am glad I didn’t get one.
I use an Arturia Keylab 88 MK2 with ableton live. I use Sunday keys for tonics. I use pianoteq for Steinways/Rhodes. DEXED for DX7/TX816 when needed. HanonB70 for B3’s. Multiple Roland cloud VST synths for pads and strings.
I study at a music institute for pop and jazz. Nords are pretty standard here too, not only in churches.
Modular approach. Great realistic sounds. The best organ emulation. Thats all we need
Well, we *could* use a lower price of entry maybe? :D :D :D Nords are neat but they cost a LOT.
@@mrz80 I agree. I have stage 3 and i doubt i will get stage 4 any time soon. You can have 2 stage 3s for one 4
@@josipbosnjak6808 Our main synth player just got a first look at our new Numa X Piano and she's thrilled with it. It sounds awesome, it's got a simple intuitive user interface without much if any menu diving, and with some judicious shopping we found one for around a grand. Nord is cool, but Numa is *reachable*. 😀
Don't have a Nord at our church, but this was a great video. Especially appreciated the biblical study of Nords influence in the Bible.
We're nothing if not theologically based when it comes to keyboard acquisition decisions.
@@SundaySounds 😂 love to hear it
Enjoying the comments about the piano sound of the Nord, how it "cuts" through the mix, and the role of the audio engineer etc., I was reminded of a video from Worship Tutorials responding to complaints that their guitar patches didn't sound the same at church as their demos or at home. If one watches other church's live streams the variability/quality of the keyboard sounds in the mix just drives the point home. There are so many factors contributing to the end result of what is actually heard, and for good or ill the audio engineer has the most influence on the sound of the mix. "Live" sound is an even more subjective opinion vs a studio recording.
In Indonesia, most of the mega churches still use the Roland RD series as the main piano keyboard. Some of the church starts to use Nord keyboard as their main piano keyboard and to be honest, nord's piano sounds are beast. But in Indonesia, roland RD still an icon of "Church Piano".
I think what makes church musicians start to use the Nord keyboard is because they start to explore the sounds and how versatile Nord keyboard is when it comes to plug and play on macbooks. And of course, influence from the US church's😅😅
Because RD are the last two letters of Nord🤪
I love my Nord Stage 2 especially for its excellent on-the-go adjustability - everything is laid out on the panel. I can use and adjust piano, organ drawbars and pad/synth sounds as necessary without digging in the menus during playing. Other keyboards I know don't have so good hands-on interface. On the other hand, although Nords sound good, they're not the best choice for churches where there amateur musicians who don't have time or knowledge to master the controls - they can't find the "Piano" button and may get frustrated.
This is very reminiscent of how so many worship drummers are plugging Ludwig Black Beauties as THE way to achieve "the sound". If you're putting 42-strand wires, a two-ply head, a zero ring, AND a moon gel, you are canceling all of the overtones you would normally get from a brass shell. Any old deep metal drum will do. We duplicated it successfully in our church with a steel Supralite drum for 25% of the price.
Where the Nord is, the Lord is. Did you really make that up? That’s hysterical! 👍
Ha ! Where the nord is.... The Lord is !!! Love It ! I have the Stage 4 .. Absolutely love it !!!! We do Praise and Worship music.
Nord is really capitalizing on some hype here. Dont fall for it dudes!
Nord has the best piano sound and mostly combined with a Yamaha Motif XF for organ and strings sound
I use the Electro 6d. I love it. It's small and easy to transport to and from church and to my other live gigs. It has all the things you need without all the things you don't.
Great video, very balanced and informative. As a church that has Nord boards, we use both onboard sounds and Sunday Keys of course, but certainly underutilizing the Nord’s capabilities. I’m now inspired to quit putting off digging in more on what we can do with them. Thank you!
Thats awesome!! Today, I see people all just using either one or none of the onboard sounds. I’m happy that it has inspired you in actually messing around with it. People who have the passion to learn such a board, will get the best out of it. I hv the NS3, still figuring it out to this day!!
we have 2 keyboardists in our worship band. me and the guy who uses the Nord stage 4. I use a Yamaha DX7 and a Korg triton Extreme, sometimes a Roland XP80 but the other guy only uses a nord stage 4. If i were to update my gear i would most likely get a Kurzweil 2700 and a Yamaha CK because those seem the closest to the types of sounds i already use and i think these would be the easiest to program and use for modern keyboards
I play a Nord Stage 2 regularly at church, but it's hard to justify that astronomical price. We generally only use the same piano, pad and occasionally bring in some organ. I personally own a Kawai MP7SE, which I think is comparatively extremely good value, and it's easy to have a fourth sound, e.g. a rhodes, to blend in at any time. I also prefer the action of the Kawai over the Stage 2.
Thank you so much for this video. I played a Yamaha P200 for almost 20 years as I loved the grand piano sounds. I layered pads from a Roland jv1010 and that was my go to setup in church - mostly smaller churches. The keybed sensors started acting up and I looked into the NORD line for most of the reasons stated but in the end couldn't justify spending that much money and only using 10% of the capability. I ended up with a Yamaha MX88 for around $1100 new and while the keybed feels 'cheaper' than the old P200, I like the piano sounds and now use the pads from the keyboard itself. I think if I went Nord it would be the Piano line but with comments about poor keybeds I'm skeptical.
If you've still got that P200 I'd look into getting it repaired. And just about any Roland JV is going to sound great [modulo some discussion about clipped samples in some models :) ]
Good approach with alternatives. I like it.
I see alot of more Yamaha motif,ES,XF, and montage in about 70 percent of the the churches I have attended.Second board is korg Kronos.Some player use Yamaha on bottom korg are Roland on top.
Yep. That is the age old setup. and it works great!
Much prefer my Roland. I've played a nord for over a year now and its very 'aight'
Hahaha at 6:12 displaying 40 buttons and sliders and saying it’s easy for a volunteer to navigate. It looks like an aircraft cockpit panel. Try and tell 68 year old Ethel that as she pumps out 6 hymns a service.
I use an old Roland XP80 synth hooked up to Gig Performer and a plethora of VST instruments. ..this provides pretty much every sound I could ever need with full customisation and flexibility...using a synth from the 1990's...mind you it isn't red!
We use a Roland RD-2000. They keybed feels great and it's much cheaper than a Nord. We don't currently use the onboard sounds because we have Sunday Keys, but we wanted a keyboard with great onboard sounds in case we experience issues on the mabcook running Sunday Keys. At some point, I'd like to make use of both the sounds from the RD-2000 in conjunction with Sunday Keys, but we don't have enough inputs on our current mixer.
I never got on with Nord's keyboard action, I found it too stodgy for my playing style, (though a lot of modern church piano music is such simple stuff that it probably doesn't matter) so I stuck with Yamaha. But then I tried the Nord Grand which uses keyboard action produced under license from Kawai and I fell in love. I played it for 5 minutes and bought one, and I still love it..
Early 2000s we played Trinity and Triton in church.
Another keyboard option - I also really love the M-Audio Hammer 88 and 88 pro...Talk about a non intimidating keyboard, the standard model has no buttons or screens and fully weighted with hammer action in both models...adding a few other buttons for the pro model. In a church context, the standard version would work beautifully if you're just using midi sounds! We also have a nord and love it...But I use the 88 Pro at my home studio and either of their models would be amazing for this as you can get a fully weighted keyboard that doesn't look so scary for Volunteers for only 500 bucks!
As someone who is part of my church’s worship team (volunteer based), I see many churches who buy keyboards like the Montage 8 or the Nord and don’t use more than 10% of the capabilities, our church is small and we rent with other churches and the main church lets us use their keyboard (a montage 8) and I can tell most keys players don’t use the capabilities, I recently pulled the trigger and upgraded after 10 yrs and got myself a Nord Stage 4 (love the sound a lot), I personally don’t think churches should spend a lot of money on keyboards unless the players are serious about learning the capabilities of it, but overall as a personal instrument and my personal opinion I love Nord sounds, but I know it’s not to everyones taste and thats ok
Some Spend lots of money for a Nord but only use the piano pad preset. 😂
The prices are comparable, so it's always better to get more value for money. The montage 8 can literally make new sounds/patches, so your Keyboard will never go out of date.
@@SimonPeterTanMusic Very true for many big brand keyboards at churches, im not allowed to make my own sounds/patches and save them on the montage 8 at church since its not really our keyboard but I have noticed even with a powerful workstation the main church uses very simple patches which I choose from (which sucks cause i have to try to recreate my favorite sounds every time i play and delete them), like I said my church is small and im 1 of 2 keys players, my church doesn’t really need a powerful keyboard since our other keys player only plays basic piano and pad, im usually the one that mixes in organ and synth, honestly if my church had the budget id suggest a Yamaha YC 73 or a used nord electro ( i like the organ), but ill usually take my personal keyboard (stage 4) when i play to add more depth to our sound but not all the time since i usually jump around to different instruments when we play
Don’t forget that you won’t be able to find worship based sound tutorials for montage. Meanwhile nord has tons of them online.
@@loulo204 Just save your sounds as like the last ones of a sound bank. Guaranteed that 99% of church keyboardist never get past the first 3 piano patches and will never in a million years notice especially on a Montage that has thousands of presets. And if you want to be 110% sure, call it a generic name that sounds like it came from the manufacturer like “Crystal Keys”:)
Great advice, thank you!
The Nord is a keeper
whether its Nord or not, whats important is u have the LORD. some musicians are performers and not worshippers.
Most american recommendation in a long time. I'm a keyboard enthusiast from Germany. We don't have faux churches here.
Recently got a nord piano 5 for myself. I think it sounds amazing enough to be an alternative to the nord stage 3's lineup
*Lol. Amazing enough? It's supposed to, it's in the name, Nord PIANO, which it focuses on.*
@@Dadee3 It still uses the same sound engine with Stage anyway
@@foljs5858 *I know, and it's much affordable than the stage if you're just using it mainly for piano sounds.*
@@Dadee3 yeah, what I'm saying is, It can be a great alternative if your budget is not as high as 5000 dollars
@@_classic_rob_ exactly
Once upon a time, it was the Yamaha Montage 8.
Nord can enjoy while it lasts. 😅
Had a giggle at your ehhh, “scripture” quotes 😂
you know its true haha
Until I moved to an area where there were a lot of CCM tunes being played, I have never seen a Nord. I personally care for the board at all. Be it because the players who I’ve seen use it only use base sounds, which is wack to me, or because I have always been influenced by Yamaha boards.
Awesome video!
Good video for this audience. Musicians in almost all situations have Nords. From wedding bands to Multiplatinum bands
Yamaha CP88 will be my next keyboard, used as a midi controller. I have a difficult time with fatar beds. The TP100/LR is very heavy.
Oooorrr....the sound is just great and the keyboard is versatile
I’m not even a keyboard player and I want a Nord
There are two workstations I've always wanted. A Nord Stage and an old school Korg M1
In New York, most Broadway pits had Kurzweil keyboards. They do piano and orchestral sound unlike any other.
I had learned only three chords by ear and had no idea about the different scales by ear
My uncle bought me a Korg T3 and I took it to a spanish church event, set it up on stage (and it looked wonderful) except I realized I wasn't anywhere near the level of the other experienced musicians
so I just left it onstage until the service was over and packed it up and left
It was the most embarrassing night of my young journey as a new fake church musician
I trained my ear on all major and minor scales, practiced every secular and christian song I heard on radio until I had mastered it and could do it on every scale and I learned to play different styles
Salsa
Merengue
Rock n roll
Cumbia
Ballads
Banda
Some gospel
Some jazz
Pipe organ
Neo soul
With my newfound knowledge I became the hottest and most in demand keyboardist and I went through 20 different keyboards before finally graduating to a Nord
As a former board member, i remember our worship director asking our church to buy one and i flatly declined it. Knew exactly how he used the keys and that all it was gonna be was a glorified midi board. My surprise when i saw it a few weeks later on stage knowing full well i didnt sign for it. Different board members were asked and convinced.
In the end it doesnt change anything for me or the worship. Cause honestly tech cant replace spirit filled/led worship. but still grinds my gears when i think back on it 😅
I am buying one next summer. $100 a week until summer next year and I'll buy a used 4 maybe 3. All depends. After playing one, I want the feel and piano. I will have to learn much of everything else but as of now I want that feel ( no other board compares) and the sound of that piano. Whew!
"The feel" of Nord is a Kawai keybed, so save yourself money and buy Kawai ES920. It’s at least half price of Nord. Only newest nords have Kawai keybed.
loved the "quotes" and readings from the 1st book of Pianist lol
I much prefer to use a Yamaha Modx which is cheap and allows to record patch sets for each song and to include many instruments with (or without) arpeggiators and even the drum part. It's especially powerful if you have a very little worship band.
So if you have an expended band (with guitarists, a bassist, a drummer and a second keyboard player), then Nord sounds are really great and it is very convenient to handle in live.
Otherwise if you need to set a more complex combination of sounds (because your team isn't big enough) a workstation might be more suitable. And Montage or Modx is then a good compromise with lots of controllers for live.
concuerdo contigo amigo el yamaha modx es mas que suficiente y vale mucho menos de la mitad de lo que cuesta un nord stage
To me, Montage or even MODX raw Piano and pad sounds better than Nord's out of the box.
Great content. Thank you!
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment, Alex!
Excellent analysis of something I had been thinking about for some time, and I'm glad to know it's not just me! Haha, and yes our amazing Stage 2 is nothing but a very expensive controller (with great action, though), but it didn't start that way. For years, in the hands of our extremely talented MD, it was played for all it's worth. His departure, along with our church transitioning to an all volunteer back line led to the migration toward Mainstage/Sunday Keys, as most of our volunteer keyboardists were relatively inexperienced and found the Nord to be too much. While I did initially find this waste a bit sad, I also much enjoy playing my own VSTi's (such as Pianoteq, Lounge Lizard, Kontact, etc, which to my ears sound better than the Nord) for live performance.
The Nord pianos are just VSTs. Good ones, and well known, with a good reputation. So I think it just comes down to preferences. I tend to think they are showing their age a bit though, so maybe that is what you are noticing.
@@wolfblaide Not sure they are technically "VSTs" but yes, definitely similar in concept, i.e. software running on hardware. The difference is the hardware on the Nord (or any stand-alone synth) is severely limited compared to a PC, mainly with regard to memory capacity. Which is why the Nord's sounds could never achieve the same detail, depth and complexity as an actual VST. That being said, most of those details are going to be lost in the typical worship environment anyway, and in that context, in the right hands, the Nord will sound just as good.
@@jakeperl5857 I can't speak to the implementation, but it's much of a muchness. Many of the pianos are the ones Sampletekk recorded for Nord, which they also offer in VST form. I doubt there's much difference, although I've no way to compare them myself. Maybe different number of layers, or some other factors like file compression on the samples, different effects added, impact of going through different DACs, etc.
a few years ago my church bought (invested in) a new keyboard. We chose the Kurzweil PC3X for several reasons. 2 of the 3 regular keys players come from decades of owning/using Kurzweil gear. Aside from that, we were able to set up a quick access bank of 10 sounds for the 3rd guy, or "guest" players. It has the majority of "bread and butter" worship sounds that we use. Thanks to our choice (money WAS a factor, as we had looked at all the top contenders) I was able to leave my software setup at home, except for larger production stuff where we have 2 or more keys players. Don't get me wrong, the Stage is a REALLY nice keyboard, we just didn't have that kind of budget, and a strictly software option was a bit too complicated for most aside from Shawn and I.
Kurzweil is a solid choice. Ever since their first keyboards were introduced, their grand piano has been held in very high esteem. Looking at the specs, the PC3X is an absolute MONSTER for the money (There's one sitting out on reverb for $1000).
We have a Stage 3, but it's not my first choice for a midi rig. I'm using a Roland Fantom for what we need.
To me the real value in Nord is the piano samples that can (finally!) legitimately fill the role of a mic'd acoustic piano in modern settings. These piano samples are making it onto full studio releases from top worship names like Maverick, Gretzinger, etc., as the video mentions. They have a more realistic feeling and they fit in a mix better than any VST instrument I've heard to date. They capture the imperfect tuning of pianos and the way the sound blooms and wraps around you in the room, which makes all other keyboard pianos sound sterile and canned to me.
But, I seem to have the unpopular opinion that the Stage 3 keybed is not very piano-like. Short pivot length (tilty keys) and little if any hammer feel. I would hope the Nord Piano is better in this regard. The Stage 3 is also nearly useless as a midi controller, as it only has a single knob, not even a fader, for its entire midi section. Prior to purchasing I would have thought the drawbars would double as midi mixer (like ALL other workstations) but they do not. It looks like the Sunday Keys app mixer can overcome this to some degree but I prefer not having to use a touch screen or mouse to adjust layer volumes. Blending with multiple faders at once is a feature I rely on heavily during transitions.
I’ve played various Nords over the years, never cared for the action either. And always felt like “White Grand” went from soft to loud quite suddenly. Maybe the other piano sounds are great but I’d rather play a roland or Yamaha weighted keybed. Nord keybed like too soft and wobbly.
If the keyboard is red, you’re sure to get head. Chicks love this keyboard.
I prefer my Yamaha CP88. I love it.
It absolutely kills me when churches spend $5,000 just for their little old church pianist to say “just give me a piano sound”.
You can't understand bro😁 It simply feels different
@@rsxexip what??
That's what Casio Privias are for :D. Dirt cheap, good sound, great action.
@@mrz80 I have to agree on the action. But man the user interface is awful.
You can by second hand organs for a couple of hundred dollars, and they include amplifier and speakers built in, also bass pedals to make full sound.
Hello, I wanted to ask if anyone can help. So, I have a Nord Piano 5 and the Sunday keys app. I would like to play the nord and at the same time hear the effects from the iPad (Sunday keys) on the same keyboard. When I connect my iPad to the keyboard and start playing, I see the keys move on the app, but unfortunately you only hear the sounds from the Nord... Thank you very much if someone can help me with this. (I translated this from German to English in case the spelling is not good.
There is no keyboard on the market that provides a better combination of sound quality, build quality, sonic range, and user friendliness being mainly knob per function. If you are a serious musician who relies on your instrument to earn a living, while I admit it is a lot of money, I don’t think it’s a poor investment. As far as churches go, I still think it provides the most flexible option between being volunteer friendly, yet still being flexible enough to be utilized by an experienced user to really elevate the key’s position of a worship team.
The Nord has wonderful piano sounds. We have a Stage grand and it sounds great but the build quality leaves some to be desired. Our middle C key got stuck down and then our middle F plays Hot all the time. This is a known problem of debris getting into the machine. I prefer Yamaha but credit where credit is due, nord’s samples are stellar
Love the musical quotes
I bought a Cp88 for my church and I loved playing it. My church now shared a stage with a megachurch that has a nord stage 3 or 4 I couldn't remember though I played it almost every other week. Just an overkill and I want to bring the cp88 out to play instead. I can't navigate through the nord with little of time for practice on the board. I think I'll start bring it out from now
I'll stick with my Yamaha MOXF8.. strong since 2016
I'm with you on that! Had my Motif ES since 2016. Just got the MODX7+ and installed NORD pianos in it. I'm good. Not paying $6K.
No one has ever stormed angrily out of a church because there wasn’t Nord on stage. 😂
You might be surprised.
I'm good. I'll stick to my Native Instruments midi keyboard MK2 for 799. I have no problem plug it in with a laptop and ssd and be able to use 140K sounds while being able to adjust and tweek parameters.
It’s not the sword 🗡️ but the hand that wields the sword that makes the difference.. Nord is just expensive looks … all can be had in a sub $1000 setup
Well put!
My help comes from the Nord.