@@MyKeysToMusic unfortunately no. I'll be selling that and a Nord Lead 2X to make back some of the cost of getting such an expensive board. But it takes the best things about those boards and puts them into one tidy package
@@TransistorBased Ah ok - that makes sense. The Compact does a lot and perhaps it will be the only thing you need going forward depending on the kind of music you are going to make. Enjoy it! 👍🏼
I did exactly that - traded my electro 4d and lead 2x for a stage 3 compact. And then some, haha 💸. But never really regretted this. The Compact covers everything for gigging, be it a long time ago when we had our last gig due to the current situation 🙈
I have an electro 5d but can get a great deal on a used Stage 3...Do they sound the same? Does the stage have better organ sounds? I played a Electro 6 and the organ sounded better
@wireguy123 Hey James! Well, a great deal on Stage 3 is something to sit up and take notice of. The organs and pianos of the NS3 are using the same models/samples as both the Electro 5 and 6. Of course, the Stage 3 synth will blow your mind compared to anything you can pull out of the NE5, mainly because it has the dedicated synth engine. There's also a TON of support for the NS3 both in terms of sound package offerings for sale, and effective training resources like my videos on UA-cam and with my Pro courses found at www.MyKeysToMusic.com. *Some things to check for or ask about from the person selling the NS3:* 1) Does the pitch stick still operate properly? 2) Make sure all the keys work and determine if there are any keys that sound louder than the others. This can happen over time with any keyboard with dirty contacts. 3) Condition of the wood panels on either side? These are the first things to suffer cosmetic damage (as you know, because you have a NS5). 4) Are all knobs and buttons intact? If there are missing knobs, these are easy to replace with their party providers. 5) Do all inputs and outputs work? Pedal ports and audio outs hold up pretty well, but it's good to triple-check these if you have the option to. 6) Are both OLED screens in good working order? (Sometimes, these screens can "dim" over time and/or not turn on altogether or display funky). 7) This is totally obvious, but ensure you are getting a U.S. version of NS3 rather than a European NS3, as the power connections will be one way or the other. Are we talking 73, 76, or 88?
Thanks for the question Jef Scot. At first, I found the hammer action quite hard to play and I favored the waterfall as a result. However, now that I've had it for several months I've grown used to it and I actually enjoy playing on it. I get the feeling it's making my hands stronger simply because it has more resistance and I really like that aspect. It's a heavier keyboard in general so it's actually harder to move it in and out of the gigs. Since at this point, I use the Stage 3 90% in the studio and 10% on gigs and I believe I made the right decision. If I was solely a gigging musician, I think I would favor the Stage 3 compact simply because it's that much lighter (smaller) to move around. Thanks for watching!
I have a stage 3 and my church wants to get either that or a stage 2. I am pressing for the stage 3 because, why not? But, if i develop programs on my stage 3, will i be able to load them onto a stage 2 and have them function as anticipated?
@Scadaboy-oh-boy Great question and one that crops up about once every few weeks. Unfortunately, the only thing that is transferrable between a Stage 2 and a Stage 3 are the raw samples (if they were even used in the first place). The actual programs (all the settings that make up each sound) are not transferrable at all. So, at this time, you'll have to recreate everything by hand if there is stuff you want to transfer. I guess this comes down to architecture. Even though these machines are made by the same manufacturer, their internal engines and mechanisms work differently enough where the programs cannot be shared between them or converted in any automatic way. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news here. I agree that the Stage 3 has a better synth engine than the Stage 2 if they're looking for more flexibility in creating background sounds or enhancements to the piano/organ. It also has more polyphony and memory etc. Then again, the Stage 2 has been holding down the fort for years for countless musicians all over the world so you can't go wrong with either. But if they get a Stage 3, then you'll have the added bonus of being in a position to develop programs that are instantly transferrable between the keyboards. Not to mention, what you learn on the Stage 3 can be taught to others and the church will have a wonderful built-in teacher/resource with you (if that's something you find as a benefit.) 😉 Good luck on the final decision and feel free to report back.
Really enjoying your videos! I just got a new Stage 3 compact 73. It's great but I haven't been able to adjust to the very short key lengths when playing piano sounds. My thumb wants to slide off the front of the keys. I was considering exchanging it for the HP76 but I have read where a lot of players don't like it at all. The 88 is just too big for me so I need to keep the 73 or take a chance on the HP76. No place around me has one so I can't try it out. Do you like your 76 any better or do you still think the 73 is the best way to go? Thanks so much for all the info. David R
Hello @David Rhyne First, congrats on your Nord Stage 3! So, I do own both version still. I think if you are accustom to playing a real acoustic piano or you have found yourself playing on weighted keyboards most of your life, I think the 76 will suite you fairly well. There are people out there that love the HP and don't mind the feel. Others feel like it's a little too "heavy/thick" on the action. For me, it's hard to play as fast and it does provide more fatigue during a solo for example compared to the waterfall. So, I think it comes down to personal style and preference. If you have good strength in your hands, the HP will work out fine and I have to admit that you probably get a better workout if you play with the HP to build strength/dexterity for the long-run. Check out my video here which I compare both keybeds in a unique way: ua-cam.com/video/qHyrFF_0xb4/v-deo.html
@@MyKeysToMusic Playing Billy Joel was a brilliant way to compare the two. Of course I had to try it. You had mentioned somewhere that Piano man Chuck had done a dedicated video on the keybeds but I wasn’t able to find it. Do you still have that link? Thanks again for such great information. I look forward to your next ones
@@davidrhyne7358 Thanks for checking out the Billy Joel comparison haha. Check out Piano Man chuck as he talks about the keybeds here: ua-cam.com/video/cEZa-lZG1Vo/v-deo.html
I own a NE5HP and I'd like to upgrade to the NS3HP76, but only if I could still use my sounds: samplings I've made with Sample Editor; some sounds from Sample Library 2.0 (I guess that all are present in Sample Library 3.0), and some sounds from Sample Library Archive (not compatible with NS3). So, until both Sample Editor and Sample Library Archive are available for NS3, I won't do it... Thanks for your nice video!
Clavia has recently delivered Nord Sample Converter, to translate samplings from library 1 and 2 format to library 3 format, ti be used in NS 3. Great!
Good find Javier! Looks like it came out on Dec 15, 2017. Sounds easy to use as well. Here is the link for others reading this: www.nordkeyboards.com/software-tools/nord-sample-converter
Hi Javier! - long time no speak. Wanted to let you now I've done my first Nord Sample Editor video which can be found here: ua-cam.com/video/dn1oAc0VOtE/v-deo.html I remembered our conversations about samples and the sample library and such. 😄
And about the sound? I didn´t find any comparison between this two keyboards. I had a Stage2 and a Electro 5D and there noticed some difference between them, that makes me think that HA/HP nords sounds a little warmier and richer than SW versions. Did anybody have same feel? Or am I delusional? (At the time, comparisons was made using a midi controller) Congratsfor the video!
Hi Marcos. Thanks for your question here and it's intriguing. You may not be delusional. For example, I do know that when the Nord Stage 3 first came out, the Organ engine and the way it sounded was different than what people had expected. In fact, Clavia/Nord later released a software upgrade that actually enhanced the organ to make it sound better and back to the standard expected. (See Update v1.32 released on 2017-12-15 "B3 Organ model: Overall refinements to sound and behavior"). So, there is a fair amount of truth to the fact that two models of Nord keyboards could, in fact, sound different based on a variety of factors even when the same organ settings are selected. Also note that the Organ engine models have changed over the years so that will play factor as well. In other words, the Organ engine used in an Electro 2 for example is not the same as we have on the the Stage 3. On the other hand, I think the intent would be that you had a Nord Electro 5 73 key waterfall side by side with a Nord Stage 2 73 waterfall and you picked the identical piano sample, one would expect that the sound quality would be identical. That's what I thought UNTIL I realized that I had reverb on both and the way the reverb works on either keyboard is different and that tainted the comparison a bit. Now when it comes to the different keybeds used (waterfall versus hammer action versus the triple action weighted 88 like in a Nord Piano 4), you may have a different end result as well due to the fact that the expression while playing the keybeds is going to be different. I'd think however that if you were to use an external MIDI device to trigger these same keyboards, they should end up sounding identical if you take the keyboard out of the equation. Let see if anyone else chimes in on this question here. Now I'm curious as well. Thanks for watching!
Very nice video, thank you very much! With the comparison between "traditional and semi-weighted keys", did you mean with the HP with "traditional" or the HA? I am thinking about either HP or semi waterfall. However, I am mainly a pianist, not an organist or synth player. So I am afraid with the waterfall keys, I would have trouble playing piano sounds expressively at solo gigs, for example. But I've read many times over that people hate the HP keys... So difficult choice! What do you think about it? I'd say I'm 50/50 studio/gigging type of guy.
Great question Thom. I bought the Stage HP 76 mainly because I wanted to see first-hand what they were like. As I've used them now for over a year, I can honestly say that I slightly prefer the waterfall simply because it's easier to play over an extended period. During a long intense solo for example, I'll experience noticeable fatigue followed by a slowdown of my ability to play quickly (not good). So with that, if I were to do it all over again, I would get the Stage 3 Compact. I've also heard great things about the 88 key version of the Stage as it uses a different keyboard than either of the other two. But, it's quite large to travel with (well, any 88 keyboard is large to travel with). Some folks who play the piano can never get accustomed to the waterfall keys and always go for some form of fully weighted keybed. You could consider getting a keyboard controller as well for that. Might I recommend heading to the local music store and playing on a few semi-weighted keybeds? Granted, if you're not playing a Stage 3 directly, you may never really know. But, you will get a sense for what it's like playing semi-weighted in general to know if you'll be able to adapt or not. The truth is, you may never really know if it's going to work until you play one for maybe 30 days to see if your fingers grow to like it. If you haven't already, check out this video where I demonstrate the two keybed types: ua-cam.com/video/qHyrFF_0xb4/v-deo.html&vl=en Good luck!
My Keys To Music Thanks for your reply! I tried and quite liked the waterfall keys for organ, but think I’m gonna go with the HP to just be a bit more expressive with piano sounds. Again, thanks for these reviews!
Two days until I get my Stage 3! I went for the compact for price and so I can still do fast organ/synth stuff like on my Electro 5 🥰
A big congrats Projekt! I assume you're also keeping the Electro 5? The hardest part now is waiting for the synth to arrive eh?
@@MyKeysToMusic unfortunately no. I'll be selling that and a Nord Lead 2X to make back some of the cost of getting such an expensive board. But it takes the best things about those boards and puts them into one tidy package
@@TransistorBased Ah ok - that makes sense. The Compact does a lot and perhaps it will be the only thing you need going forward depending on the kind of music you are going to make. Enjoy it! 👍🏼
I did exactly that - traded my electro 4d and lead 2x for a stage 3 compact. And then some, haha 💸. But never really regretted this. The Compact covers everything for gigging, be it a long time ago when we had our last gig due to the current situation 🙈
I have an electro 5d but can get a great deal on a used Stage 3...Do they sound the same? Does the stage have better organ sounds? I played a Electro 6 and the organ sounded better
@wireguy123 Hey James! Well, a great deal on Stage 3 is something to sit up and take notice of. The organs and pianos of the NS3 are using the same models/samples as both the Electro 5 and 6. Of course, the Stage 3 synth will blow your mind compared to anything you can pull out of the NE5, mainly because it has the dedicated synth engine. There's also a TON of support for the NS3 both in terms of sound package offerings for sale, and effective training resources like my videos on UA-cam and with my Pro courses found at www.MyKeysToMusic.com.
*Some things to check for or ask about from the person selling the NS3:*
1) Does the pitch stick still operate properly?
2) Make sure all the keys work and determine if there are any keys that sound louder than the others. This can happen over time with any keyboard with dirty contacts.
3) Condition of the wood panels on either side? These are the first things to suffer cosmetic damage (as you know, because you have a NS5).
4) Are all knobs and buttons intact? If there are missing knobs, these are easy to replace with their party providers.
5) Do all inputs and outputs work? Pedal ports and audio outs hold up pretty well, but it's good to triple-check these if you have the option to.
6) Are both OLED screens in good working order? (Sometimes, these screens can "dim" over time and/or not turn on altogether or display funky).
7) This is totally obvious, but ensure you are getting a U.S. version of NS3 rather than a European NS3, as the power connections will be one way or the other.
Are we talking 73, 76, or 88?
I use my nord strictly for organ and my MODX for piano. So I need waterfall keys. Will stick with the electro
@@wireguy123 Makes sense! I used a Nord Electro 5 for years and years, and it served me well - it's a real workhorse, as you know...
I have both a 5D 61 and a Stage 3 Compact ---- They have a lot of similarities - This is a well done video. Nicely done.
Thanks Thomas! You have a sweet combination of boards there for sure.
Thank you. I look forward to the others in the series. I hope you will be able to try Dexibell keyboards. They have some nice sounds.
nice detailed vid!so do you feel like you made the right decision with the hammer action portable?thanks,jeff
Thanks for the question Jef Scot. At first, I found the hammer action quite hard to play and I favored the waterfall as a result. However, now that I've had it for several months I've grown used to it and I actually enjoy playing on it. I get the feeling it's making my hands stronger simply because it has more resistance and I really like that aspect. It's a heavier keyboard in general so it's actually harder to move it in and out of the gigs. Since at this point, I use the Stage 3 90% in the studio and 10% on gigs and I believe I made the right decision. If I was solely a gigging musician, I think I would favor the Stage 3 compact simply because it's that much lighter (smaller) to move around. Thanks for watching!
I have a stage 3 and my church wants to get either that or a stage 2. I am pressing for the stage 3 because, why not?
But, if i develop programs on my stage 3, will i be able to load them onto a stage 2 and have them function as anticipated?
@Scadaboy-oh-boy Great question and one that crops up about once every few weeks. Unfortunately, the only thing that is transferrable between a Stage 2 and a Stage 3 are the raw samples (if they were even used in the first place). The actual programs (all the settings that make up each sound) are not transferrable at all. So, at this time, you'll have to recreate everything by hand if there is stuff you want to transfer. I guess this comes down to architecture. Even though these machines are made by the same manufacturer, their internal engines and mechanisms work differently enough where the programs cannot be shared between them or converted in any automatic way. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news here.
I agree that the Stage 3 has a better synth engine than the Stage 2 if they're looking for more flexibility in creating background sounds or enhancements to the piano/organ. It also has more polyphony and memory etc. Then again, the Stage 2 has been holding down the fort for years for countless musicians all over the world so you can't go wrong with either. But if they get a Stage 3, then you'll have the added bonus of being in a position to develop programs that are instantly transferrable between the keyboards. Not to mention, what you learn on the Stage 3 can be taught to others and the church will have a wonderful built-in teacher/resource with you (if that's something you find as a benefit.) 😉 Good luck on the final decision and feel free to report back.
Really enjoying your videos! I just got a new Stage 3 compact 73. It's great but I haven't been able to adjust to the very short key lengths when playing piano sounds. My thumb wants to slide off the front of the keys. I was considering exchanging it for the HP76 but I have read where a lot of players don't like it at all. The 88 is just too big for me so I need to keep the 73 or take a chance on the HP76. No place around me has one so I can't try it out. Do you like your 76 any better or do you still think the 73 is the best way to go? Thanks so much for all the info. David R
Hello @David Rhyne First, congrats on your Nord Stage 3! So, I do own both version still. I think if you are accustom to playing a real acoustic piano or you have found yourself playing on weighted keyboards most of your life, I think the 76 will suite you fairly well. There are people out there that love the HP and don't mind the feel. Others feel like it's a little too "heavy/thick" on the action. For me, it's hard to play as fast and it does provide more fatigue during a solo for example compared to the waterfall. So, I think it comes down to personal style and preference.
If you have good strength in your hands, the HP will work out fine and I have to admit that you probably get a better workout if you play with the HP to build strength/dexterity for the long-run. Check out my video here which I compare both keybeds in a unique way: ua-cam.com/video/qHyrFF_0xb4/v-deo.html
@@MyKeysToMusic Playing Billy Joel was a brilliant way to compare the two. Of course I had to try it. You had mentioned somewhere that Piano man Chuck had done a dedicated video on the keybeds but I wasn’t able to find it. Do you still have that link? Thanks again for such great information. I look forward to your next ones
@@davidrhyne7358 Thanks for checking out the Billy Joel comparison haha. Check out Piano Man chuck as he talks about the keybeds here: ua-cam.com/video/cEZa-lZG1Vo/v-deo.html
Great vid, thanks!
Thanks for watching Jan!
Thank you so much!
Happy to help Glory Rae (sorry for the delay on this). Thanks for watching!
I own a NE5HP and I'd like to upgrade to the NS3HP76, but only if I could still use my sounds: samplings I've made with Sample Editor; some sounds from Sample Library 2.0 (I guess that all are present in Sample Library 3.0), and some sounds from Sample Library Archive (not compatible with NS3). So, until both Sample Editor and Sample Library Archive are available for NS3, I won't do it...
Thanks for your nice video!
Thanks for watching Javier!
Clavia has recently delivered Nord Sample Converter, to translate samplings from library 1 and 2 format to library 3 format, ti be used in NS 3. Great!
Good find Javier! Looks like it came out on Dec 15, 2017. Sounds easy to use as well. Here is the link for others reading this: www.nordkeyboards.com/software-tools/nord-sample-converter
Hi Javier! - long time no speak. Wanted to let you now I've done my first Nord Sample Editor video which can be found here: ua-cam.com/video/dn1oAc0VOtE/v-deo.html I remembered our conversations about samples and the sample library and such. 😄
And about the sound? I didn´t find any comparison between this two keyboards. I had a Stage2 and a Electro 5D and there noticed some difference between them, that makes me think that HA/HP nords sounds a little warmier and richer than SW versions. Did anybody have same feel? Or am I delusional?
(At the time, comparisons was made using a midi controller)
Congratsfor the video!
Hi Marcos. Thanks for your question here and it's intriguing. You may not be delusional. For example, I do know that when the Nord Stage 3 first came out, the Organ engine and the way it sounded was different than what people had expected. In fact, Clavia/Nord later released a software upgrade that actually enhanced the organ to make it sound better and back to the standard expected. (See Update v1.32 released on 2017-12-15 "B3 Organ model: Overall refinements to sound and behavior"). So, there is a fair amount of truth to the fact that two models of Nord keyboards could, in fact, sound different based on a variety of factors even when the same organ settings are selected. Also note that the Organ engine models have changed over the years so that will play factor as well. In other words, the Organ engine used in an Electro 2 for example is not the same as we have on the the Stage 3. On the other hand, I think the intent would be that you had a Nord Electro 5 73 key waterfall side by side with a Nord Stage 2 73 waterfall and you picked the identical piano sample, one would expect that the sound quality would be identical. That's what I thought UNTIL I realized that I had reverb on both and the way the reverb works on either keyboard is different and that tainted the comparison a bit.
Now when it comes to the different keybeds used (waterfall versus hammer action versus the triple action weighted 88 like in a Nord Piano 4), you may have a different end result as well due to the fact that the expression while playing the keybeds is going to be different. I'd think however that if you were to use an external MIDI device to trigger these same keyboards, they should end up sounding identical if you take the keyboard out of the equation. Let see if anyone else chimes in on this question here. Now I'm curious as well. Thanks for watching!
Cool videos! 😄
Thanks Sydney! Ditto to you and your vids... Thanks for watching! 🙏
Very nice video, thank you very much! With the comparison between "traditional and semi-weighted keys", did you mean with the HP with "traditional" or the HA?
I am thinking about either HP or semi waterfall. However, I am mainly a pianist, not an organist or synth player. So I am afraid with the waterfall keys, I would have trouble playing piano sounds expressively at solo gigs, for example. But I've read many times over that people hate the HP keys... So difficult choice! What do you think about it? I'd say I'm 50/50 studio/gigging type of guy.
Great question Thom. I bought the Stage HP 76 mainly because I wanted to see first-hand what they were like. As I've used them now for over a year, I can honestly say that I slightly prefer the waterfall simply because it's easier to play over an extended period. During a long intense solo for example, I'll experience noticeable fatigue followed by a slowdown of my ability to play quickly (not good). So with that, if I were to do it all over again, I would get the Stage 3 Compact. I've also heard great things about the 88 key version of the Stage as it uses a different keyboard than either of the other two. But, it's quite large to travel with (well, any 88 keyboard is large to travel with).
Some folks who play the piano can never get accustomed to the waterfall keys and always go for some form of fully weighted keybed. You could consider getting a keyboard controller as well for that. Might I recommend heading to the local music store and playing on a few semi-weighted keybeds? Granted, if you're not playing a Stage 3 directly, you may never really know. But, you will get a sense for what it's like playing semi-weighted in general to know if you'll be able to adapt or not. The truth is, you may never really know if it's going to work until you play one for maybe 30 days to see if your fingers grow to like it. If you haven't already, check out this video where I demonstrate the two keybed types: ua-cam.com/video/qHyrFF_0xb4/v-deo.html&vl=en Good luck!
My Keys To Music Thanks for your reply! I tried and quite liked the waterfall keys for organ, but think I’m gonna go with the HP to just be a bit more expressive with piano sounds. Again, thanks for these reviews!
@@SirThomasJames Sounds like a solid decision. Enjoy!
I am looking forward to Number 2
Thanks. I'm looking forward to it too. Will be starting it soon...
Hi Thomas. Nord Stage versus Electro video number 2 is complete! Thanks for waiting (and watching)! ua-cam.com/video/VlzgEfmcrDE/v-deo.html
Yes ----- thank much for doing this - so well done
nice!
Thanks for watching Pedro !
Why so expensive for a sample player?
Hey Hamburger! Well, I really don't have an answer for that haha.
Dang, too expensive! I guess I'd have to sell my kidneys now.....
Hi Andrie. People have found a bit of savings shopping at sites to purchase a used Nord such as www.reverb.com - thanks for watching!
Thank you so much!!!
You are welcome Kristjan. Did this video over a year ago - wow time flies. Thanks for watching and for your comment.