Nord Stage 3 - Overpriced or Worth It?
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- NOTE: I have a couple corrections to make. In the video I stated that there are two 73 key versions....that is incorrect. The model I have is the 73-key Compact. The next model up is the 76-Key and finally the 88-key. I also incorrectly stated that the two lower models have semi-weighted keys. The 73-key Compact has the semi-weighted waterfall style keys, the 76-key has light-weight hammer-action, and the 88-key has fully weighted hammer action. Thanks for the feedback and the corrections!
My latest purchase (not sponsored) is a keyboard I have dreamed about for many years....the Nord Stage! I went for the Nord Stage 3 - 73 Key Compact primarily for the physical drawbars...great for B3 organ playing!
WARNING: I talk a lot in this first video! This is a wordy video with not much playing as my goal was to discuss the elements you need to keep in mind when deciding if a keyboard like this is worth the investment!
The good news? More videos to come! I will be sampling some sounds, walking you through the different areas of the keyboard, and sharing tips and tricks for using this keyboard in live performances!
Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE if you're new and hit the LIKE button if you enjoyed the video!!
Looking to purchase the Nord or other music gear? It helps support my channel for no extra cost to you if you buy through the link below!
www.zzounds.com...
Thanks for watching and comment below with any questions you have and I will answer them as soon as I can!
Thanks to some feedback from a couple of you, I have a couple corrections to make. In the video I stated that there are two 73 key versions....that is incorrect. The model I have is the 73-key Compact. The next model up is the 76-Key and finally the 88-key. I also incorrectly stated that the two lower models have semi-weighted keys. The 73-key Compact has the semi-weighted waterfall style keys, the 76-key has light-weight hammer-action, and the 88-key has fully weighted hammer action. Thanks for the feedback and the corrections!
I bought bought a new Nord Wave2 synth. For me in Cdn$ it was over$4,000. Despite being rubbish playing the keys and I'm never going to play live (for someone who wants to hear me play) I think it was worth the money. It's fun to play so I practice more. I've got the money, so why not spend it on something I have fun doing.
Wow, im a beginner and i bought the stage 3 it was 5k but i have the money too, i felt silly but im like…i really love how this keyboard feels and sounds!!!
@@bigwheelwhippa4977 lol why would you do that as a beginner baby steps my friend. You’re lucky the Stage 3 has a good resale value.
@@tuneunleashed lol I returned it.
@@bigwheelwhippa4977 any reason why?
Half the time, whenever you see one in a church, it’s just being used as a MIDI controller anyway lol
lol you’re probably right!
Facts
Nope...I don't use mine as a midi controller only for stings and pads because they lack dynamics on the Nord
you attend really fancy churches
It’s the keybed that really gets me on these, I like the feel and they dialed it in for organ:piano.
Love you guys! Thanks for the support and patience while I was getting better setup to make videos! Looking forward to getting back to the grind!
I upgraded to the stage 3 compact from a YC61 for 3 major reasons. 1) 73 waterfall keys 2) more layer options 3) synth patch capabilities
Nord is hands down the best sounding and most real-time flexible board in existence for someone that needs organ, piano, and synthesis in one board. I have tons of other boards that I absolutely love, but the gigs don't always pay enough or have enough room for my full rig. Nord solves all those issues and gives you superior sound and a solid creative tool to be unique for any style of music. Don't let all the the knobs scare you. It's really pretty easy if you have used other boards before. It's expensive, yes, but if you had to buy everything that could make all the sounds that it does with that level of quality, you would be spending so much more. The roads/pianos and organs you would have to get the real thing to get a better sound and it wouldn't be that much better. We can probably all agree nothing beats an acoustic piano but nords come oh so close. If it's being recorded you can't tell at all. Try one. You will never go back.
I have a stage 2 ex and I'll be upgrading to stage 4.
I got the 88-key and its pure joy to operate and play on that thing. Sounds are great and the possibilities are endless.
every time I hear the organ sample i get goosebumps. great video!
Thanks Miles...me too!
I have a Stage 2EX. Love it. Play live mostly. Definitely worth it. I looked at the Stage 3. It has lots of extra good stuff that I don’t think I would need or use at my level of competency. So the the Stage 3 is not worth it for me. The Nord Stage is a cool instrument with loads of cachet. This is great and everything but I got it for the breathtaking sound and how I can tailor the sound on the fly.
Iain Donald Nice! I am continually impressed by the sounds on this instrument and am excited to continue to dig into it more!
That’s interesting because it seems like the stage 3 is leaps and bounds past the stage 2ex...just the fact that you have seamless transitions and double the space would sell it for me.
Ryan Hernandez, That is true. Those are great improvements. They are not deal breakers for me thou.
Excellent review! I have to agree with you, the money is worth it for this unit. I love absolutely everything about it!
Thanks Nick! Every time I play it brings a smile to my face! :-)
@@DSoundman It just has the perfect setup and versatility IMO. The keys are weighted correctly with aftertouch. You can play piano as it should be played IMO, and still rip it up via synth and organ if needed. It can cover mostly all gigs that many musicians would encounter...minus the capabilites that you get out of a complex workstation or montage type setup. If you compliment it with a MODX/Montage, I don't think that there is anything that you couldn't cover across mostly all genres. Rock and Jazz, you're covered completely with just this board, IMO.
Is it worth it? No…but it’s cool to own one. Nord Stage 3 (88) owner here but…at times I do have buyers remorse.
Great playing, sounds amazing.
If you haven't tried the White Grand already, I really think you should try. It's a very detail Grand Piano and is definitely my favorite. Available for download at the website. Anyways, great thoughts and welcome to the Nord family!
Thanks Noah! I'm excited to try the White Grand...I've heard good things! Thanks, I appreciate the kind words!
Noah Wonder Noah, I just installed the White Grand yesterday...love what I hear so far! Can’t wait to play around with it some more! 😍
Hey Douglas, great video!! I hope you could answer these questions. What's your take on the feel of the keybed on NS3 compact? With what other stage rigs can we compare it with? And finally did both NS3C & NS4C have the same key feel? As a piano player, how semi weighted is it compared to Yamaha digital pianos of this generation?
People look at the price tag and thinks someone would be crazy to spend that much. At the end of the day, it let's you do exactly what you have to do without thinking about it. Sure, other keyboards can do more, but it's really hard to screw up anything with a Nord. It's almost idiot proof.
It depends on your needs, for me the main diference it's the sampler feature
i'm a working player, classically trained piano background. this was very helpful, thanks. i'm strongly considering a Nord when i can afford it - and there are gigs again.
In Brazil it costs the price of a car
Excuse me , i have question (might sound stupid but i actually look for keyboard) i wanted to know
Do you need to have speakers that connect to the piano so that you can here the music or it's not nessecery ? If you could respond to this i would really appreciate it !
Hey Man, Of cause you need external speakers. The Nord doesn´t have as a stage keyboard internal monitoring. I would have a look at the Nord-Monitors wich sound amazing with the Nordstage together.
As was already mentioned, yes, you need to have speakers or headphones connected to hear the keyboard.
Very well done review. Appreciated!
I wonder why price is such a huge topic on musical instruments. People spend much more for the latest camera gear, bicycles and other stuff.
Because musicians don’t make any money.
One of the setups I use on my old Kurzweil Mark 10-150's was the ''bass ride'' feature for the left hand. (I hauled around a Mark 10, turning it up on end and wheeling it pretty easily anywhere with a handtruck.) Does Nord have anything comparable?
Hi how would a Kawaii VPC1 with software plugins work for you. I guess the question is would that setup work well in a live. Would you be able to do synthesis
I agree with you 100 percent , BUT for the price all the wording in the panels should be BACKLIT , thats my only gripe with nord , I play in very dark clubs always need a lamp to see the menus .not to mention it would look killer!!! Like freakin cockpit of a plane …lol
The answer is simple: If you have to think twice about buying it, dont buy it. Cause in that case the price is affecting you and it shouldnt.
Great keyboards, but DEFINITELY overpriced.
For me, the best piano sounds on the market are Yamaha.
But I do think Nord has the best B3 emulations available.
Great review! I've heard you can layer six sounds on Nord Stage instruments. Just out of interest, is that two of each engine; Organ, Piano & Sample Synth? I bought a Nord Electro 6D (61 keys) not long ago, which has one of each engine. I'm more than happy with that.
Yea it can have 2 piano, 2 organ, and 2 synths all together
Yes, as NordMusic mentioned, the layers and splits can consist of 2 of each sound engine. Essentially you have two instances of the keyboard (A and B) and in each instance you can have an organ, piano, and synth activated at the same time. This gives you a possible total of 6 sounds layered and/or split at a time with a maximum of 2 per sound engine (for example you can’t layer or split 4 organs at a time)
@@DSoundman Thanks DSoundman. I thought that's how it'd be. If I had a Stage 3, I think the Synth Engine is the one I'd double up most often in my own programs.
@@nordmusic6660 Thanks NordMusic.
But, what is the price ?
How much it costs to you?
Dude, that is not an end address microphone.
Hi DSoundman, thank you very much for this great report. You say, that you do not use any REVERB or EFFECT. It would be interesting, if you could tell us, whether you use any EQ-setting, KB-Touch or ACOUSTICS (like String Res). Thanks again!
Thanks for the feedback! The sounds I played are the factory stock sounds (both the piano and organ). The only exception with the organ is I adjusted the drawbars to get that specific sound. I didn't make any changes to the factory EQ or any other settings.
@@DSoundman I do not know the factory-settings and I want to know, whether you use any EQ-Setting, KB-Touch or something else. That means for example: Is the EQ on or off? Thanks
I see, no there was no EQ on, nor any KB touch settings. The String Res and Pedal Noise are the only things turned on. Hope that helps!
Welcome back!
Thank you!
I love your videos thank you for all the info
If I were a rich person…
what was the name of the piano sample that you use in this video ?
Hello! Do you know when Nord Stage 4 will be released?
I used to have Yamaha c250 stage piano which was a great piano in its day however fell out of love with it .....I pulled the trigger on a Stage 3 88 and this thing is phenomenal and just want to play and play .......so in my book anything that keep me interested this much is worth every penny!!! Love it
The free sound downloads for the Nord....is that only available if you buy new, or can you get them if you buy a used one as well. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
They are available to anyone to download on the website, so I’d assume they’ll work fine even if you bought the Nord used!
Buyet my new nord electro 6d 61 one of the best i buyet i never felt it was over prized for the quality and for the sounds
umm that's a side-address mic, not a front-address.
Yeeaaah, I wasn’t even thinking about that until someone mentioned it! I guess that’s why I play keyboard...thank goodness I’m not a sound engineer!! 🤣
my nord was 3000 euros with full bundle(stand,dust cover,bag,sustain) and 100 euros worth of sounds ,pretty good deal I say; forgot to say it's a nord stage 3 88
Where did you buy IT, in europe IT is 4000
Errr, there is only one 73 note keyboard in the Nord Stage 3 range. The compact. The other one you mention has 76 notes. Pedantic? Moi?
suelikesspurs Haha you’re absolutely right! 😂 Thanks for the correction.
Please can you give me the price of the piano stage3?🙏🙏
I can’t find any stores to play these in!😭
Can anyone help me with that?
I had a hard time finding one too! I had a work trip and found one in a Guitar Center within an hours drive of there...took a little road trip! 😂 Good luck!
@@DSoundman 😂nice-thanks!
Looking to pick one up, should I wait for the stage 3EX?
I will let the more experienced Nord users respond, but from my point of view it comes down to the features/controls you need and want as well as your budget! In this case too, do you want to wait? I haven't seen any confirmation of a stage 3 EX yet.
Look, haven’t heard of a Stage 3 EX and if there were it should have been released by now. The Nord Stage EX are released after every two years! Somewhat the Nord Stage 3 is an instant success that’s why I guess they’re riding with it until further notice it’s been 3 years now since it’s release don’t waste your time get the damn board.
Personally, I believe that the Nord keyboards are very priced.
Nord Stage 3 in my point of view is a $3000 k price tag atleast but not 5k oh he'll no.
Ok, but one used. There I fixed your problem! Yay!
I´m still not sure wheter to wait until the Stage 4 hits the market or go for a Stage 3 within the next one year (gotta collect some money until then)
I think the best think it's that it pays it self with gigs, if you have the same idea then you'd like to wait the cover to end, anyway the stage 4 it's like 4 years or more away
Is the 73-key one weighted?
Leo Cattani The 73-key is semi-weighted. I love the feel, but if your primary is piano, it takes some getting used to. I play a mix and find the waterfall style keys to be great.
How the drums?
Nord 3 Stage, Nord 3 Stage, "Overpriced" ALL THE WAY...
You are gay all the way. I just bought one. Damn it feels good not to be a broke weeny
Is there anyway to get your help on an issue I’m having on a nord stage 3?
I can try! What’s your issue?
@@DSoundman thanks for the reply! So the keyboard player at my church just turned on the nord and it showed “init sound patch failed” so I looked it up. Said to delete all the bad files from the keyboard via the sound manager. Well I wanted to restore it to factory settings and update the os while I was at it. I did the update but now my computer won’t read it to upload the sounds. I’ve tried doing it thru update mode but nothing. I’ve tried different comp ports different usb cables even 3 different Mac computers. I’m just out of things to try. Thoughts? Again, thanks for the reply and anything you can help with! 🙏🏼🙏🏼
I love that sounds how much it cost for this nords stage 3 ???
Thanks...it really does sound great! They range from $3599 to $4499 USD depending on the model.
I’m looking for one that fell off the back of a truck;)
So, how do you do that thing where the audio is via the pc rather than the piano speakers?
nord keyboards dont have speakers. im pretty sure hes running it through an audio interface that is hooked up to the computer
@@noahjohnson5769 so you can't plug the piano straight through audacity?
Just wondering because I'm thinking of doing it for my videos
@@user-bh7uj I'm not sure. I know you can plug it into the computer via USB but I don't actually own a nord so that's the extent of my knowledge
@@user-bh7uj you need a interface to record
Are those keys weighted?
The version I have (Compact) has semi-weighted keys.
is it compatible with pro tools
MrERLucas I don’t see why it wouldn’t be, but I haven’t used it with ProTools myself. Maybe someone with some experience there can help?
Do we need to buy speakers to play this keyboard?
Yes, or use headphones with a 1/4 headphone jack.
A wurlitzer mark 3 cost the price of the compact Nord stage 3 and that keyboard only does one sound.
People scoff at Nord prices?
Ok, buy a Kronos!
Why do these people sit in these comment sections to preech about how broke they are??? How embarrassing!
It's simple you either like the Nord enough for the asking price or you don't. You either are their customer or you are not.
No hard feelings. Stop feeling butt hurt that you want them to be a damn charity for you...
Pay up or go buy a Kronos you weirdos!
Geeze, give it a rest.
Bunch of broke babies in here that have never seen something they had to work for to get...
Holy smokes!
When i see peoplem using a mic like that... bro!
Bugged me too! 😂
Haha yeah, I know better now! It didn’t even cross my mind when I set everything up...lol
@@DSoundman To be fair it didn't effect your sound quality too much!
Surprisingly your audio sounded great, no worries dude!
@@JMRabil675 oh boy
Many sound are of a good or perfect quality , but I do not like the design of these Nords at all. So much controllers , - who uses them really ? The displays are too small for an easy reading. Especially String sounds are awful bad. Are the Nords in a competition with Korg instruments who can offer the worst Strings ? All those aligned musicians on TV using only Nord Keyboards , really terrible. Where is that punching machine that generates them ? ! If that's free spirit , I don't want to see their uniformity.
I can also invent dummy questions : Steinway grand piano, overpriced or worth it? 😑
I imagine you can produce many, many dummy questions. It's obvious you don't even play professionally, so why bother chiming in here?
@@mikemartin5749 I'm always stunned by stupid people stating crap about people they don't even know 😳😂 For your information, I am a professional musician. Go get a life 😏🤪
No reason it can’t be both.
SOUND❤️🎹❤️🎹
The Nord Stage 3 88 right now in Canada is $6099 - That's just too much. And everything I can gleam points to Nord being basically the best money can buy. Nord appears to be better at literally everything I care about in a Stage keyboard. But 6 grand? I just can't justify it. You could buy a Yamaha YC and a Korg SV2 for that price. Hey after taxes you've practically got a down payment for a house for christ sakes lol I love Nord's sound but unless I come into serious money I'll never buy one.
I don't think, it's the best money can buy. Apart from the organs there are other options with at least the same sound quality or better. The keys are considerable worse than those on my much cheaper Kawai MP6. I think it's worth to check out Yamaha, Roland, Korg and Kurzweil - you might find a better solution for your needs there.
Lol now its $7,200 CAD in long and mcquade crazy right?!
@@tuneunleashedMan! Who are buying these?
To me , any board using fatar weighted keybed aren’t worth this much money
The value is in the brain and functionality. With the splits and A&B panels, you literally have full and real time control over 8 keyboards at one time. If you hate the keybed, midi this bad boy up to a controller that feels good to you.
Ok, what Keybed is worth this much? 🤣
Maybe recommend a solution to go with your criticism
Beautiful piano, awesome sounds and all that ..but at the end of the day the only person who cares about it its you and only you. My gf , grandma, pastor and nobody else from wherever I use it is gonna really care about how sounds and if they do care about something ..its the red color …Thats it. Thats why I would never spend so much money on a keyboard.
You can get same sounds for a lot less money in my opinion
Could be. But the sounds alone are not the whole reason why a giggin musician (as myself) bought a Nord Stage 3. Neither is the soundquality the whole reason why it is so pricy. Here’s a small list to enlighten you:
1. The ability to very easily morph almost every parameter to mod.wheel, aftertouch or controlpedal. Yes, other keyboards like Kronos and Montage(which are excellent) can also do stuff like this, but the way they do it will often take you deep into menus(which is very counter-productive)while on the NS3 its done by just twisting a knob. There’s simply no other keyboard currently available on the marked which solves this as elegantly as the Nord Stage 3.
2.Knob pr knob function. When your in the heat and the artist suddenly asks for a different reverb on the pad and a phaser + more distortion on the rhodes, you simply dont have the time to mess around in menus or on a laptop. With the Nord its just blazingly fast to quickly edit the sounds.
3. The weight. I used to gig with a Yamaha Motif, but the Motif was a heavy beast of a keyboard. If I pack my NS3 in the Nord softbag, I can actually get the Nord rhodes-style stand, note-sheet stand, cables, pedals, DI boxes and the keyboard itself packed into one single bag/unit. And with all this, it still weights less than the Motif (even without any additional accesories)
4.Sounds. Yes I know, soundquality is always up to debate. But IMHO the Nord Stage sounds GREAT. The B3 emulation has become a somewhat industry standard, the pianos sounds great(especially the uprights, which is the best I’ve heard from any keyboard, or plugin), the synth engine is alot more flexible than you might think. And to have all this in one package is extremely nice.
5. The extern section. (This one is HUGE)When I gig I use a prophet 6 along with my NS3. The extern section on the NS3 makes it feel like the Prophet 6 is actually an integrated part of the Nord itself rather than a separate instrument.
6. Its RED.
@@theclaverman I've been gigging professional continuously since 1986, I've tried every and all incarnation of keyboards and believe me when I tell you that the nord keyboards are limited compared to other keyboards as far as programming is concerned and live performance, don't get me wrong I love the way they sound but so do a lot of other keyboards sound as good, for a lot less money, I looked into the Nord keyboards and believe me if they worked for me I'd own one, but for the price they want, no thanks
The piano sample doesn't suits me
The one (a few?) example from this video? There are many more in there, and within minutes you can download another one and load it up, it’s quite easy. Have a look at the Nord piano library. As you see, that’s the same for samples and programs of all sorts: www.nordkeyboards.com/sound-libraries
Your mic is pointed towards the floor not your mouth
Yes, yes it is. 😂 I know better now! 😆
i would pay 500$ for this piece
You’re crazy!
You said nothing worth. Doesn't answer the title question bro.
Way overpriced. Just look up the specs. The specs are mediocre, keybed, polyphony, samples etc... You can get more for less. A Yamaha Montage is worth $4000. This thing is absolutely NOT!
Over priced 💯 they price fix in USA
Too much talking!
It's massively overpriced, by two thirds! That is a fact. People put these things up for sale second hand and they don't sell. What does that tell you? All these modern keywords need to drop in price by seventy percent. The future is now the past,electronic manufacturers need to look at themselves. Ten years ago, Maybe, but not now? Worthless gadgets and amusement. About as much use as a rusty nail!!!!!!!!!