Best Nord Digital Piano & Best Nord Keyboards
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Are you a pianist who loves gigging? Are you looking for the best way to jam with others on stage? Only the best portable digital piano can help you to achieve your aim.
While there is a good number of brands offering the best in digital pianos for the stage, we have narrowed down our search to only one model that has refused to stop being excellent— Nord Electro stage digital piano series.
When you go out to buy your digital piano, there are some qualities you should look out for so you can choose the greatest piano in the market. These, among others, are what you should consider when shopping for a stage digital piano like the Nord series.
Your skill level
This is something every pianist should know. If you’re just starting out as a player, you have no business playing a professional class stage digital piano like the Nord Stage 3. Again, even if you are an advanced player/intermediate, you will still find it difficult to play everything demanded by an extreme professional stage piano. Therefore, always consider buying a stage piano that conforms to your playing level so you don’t struggle with your performance.
Look at the dimensions
Yes. You have to be sure that the piano will fit perfectly in the space you have in mind. If the piano is for a child, look out for features like adjustable stand, keyboard height, phone book below the pedal, etc, as a way of avoiding mismatches.
How portable?
Since you will be gigging a lot, it will be wise to invest in a stage piano that is highly portable so you can move with ease from one place to another.
4 Best Nord Digital Piano Reviews and the Best Nord Keyboards
1) Nord Stage 3 76-Key HP76 Keyboard
At a time when brands are taking the ‘bloodless war’ of fighting against each other to another level regarding which we get the most attention from the all-seeing eyes of your wallet, Austin Bazaar is bringing to the fore one of the best products in the professional digital piano category.
The Stage 3 features 76 key designs with fully weighted hammer action keybed. The touch these keys produce is out of this world. The program mode comes with amazing 80 banks, each of which carries 50 user programs. The transition during a change in program is perfectly seamless.
There is a double memory package of 2Gigabyte that gives you more room to enjoy the piano library. 120 piano voices increase the polyphony range of this piano, making it far better than previous models of Austin Bazaar. You can get to know exactly what synth and program you’re playing through the eyes of the top quality OLED display functionality.
A USB connection port allows you to connect, transfer and play your choice sounds while also being able to use MIDI files with DAWs. At 52.5 x 20 x 10 inches, the Stage 3 is a very compact yet powerful digital piano that closely mimics the quality of a professional acoustic piano.
2) Nord Electro 6 73 Note Hammer Action Stage Digital Piano
The greatness of the Nord series continues with this amazing 73 key hammer action stage digital piano. Like other models before it, this one is also compact. It carries the features that emulate the best of acoustic and vintage electromechanical instruments—all in a compact package design.
While the electro 6 HP features 3 independent sound sections, the hallmark of this model is the new user interface plus the inclusion of seamless transition, which provides the most powerful and extremely flexible electro in history. It is a classic refined and modern design.
In its organ section, the Electro 6 carries the famous C2D B3 tone-wheel, alongside the B3 bass, Farfisa, Vox, and a great 2 pipe organ models. All of these combine effectively to render amazing tempo, reach and vibration in sound quality, clarity and manipulation during play. When you select the dual organ mode, you will be able to independent manuals of sound at the same time.
Lastly, the piano section of the Electro 6 HP features a 1Gygabte memory for the music library that carries 120 voice polyphonies. There many categories in the library section which includes Grand, Layer, Digital, Clav/Harpsichord, and Upright. Each of these categories comes with different models, and you can also replace every one of these pianos using the Nord sound management application.
There is a whole lot you can do with the Nord Electro 6 Digital Piano.
3) Nord Electro 61 key 6D Stage Piano
It’s time someone dares the monopolistic tendencies of Yamaha, and the Austin Bazaar’s Nord series is the elephant in the room. This model features 561 keynote designs with remarkable semi-weighted waterfall keyboard. The Electro’s key design carries high-velocity sensitivity function which is great for synthesizer licks and rapid organ shredding.
There are three different types of independent sound sections available on this model. These are Piano, Organ and Sample Synth. You can use all of these sound sections simultaneously as a split or a layer and organized/page mode allows you to customize your programs by creating up to a set of four groups and arranging them in a page—all by simply using the Copy/Paste and Move options within the Organizer functionality.
The voice produced by the Electro 6 is completely breathtaking. From the piano section, you will get a lot great quality sound from a wide range of acoustic, digital and electric from the Piano 3.0 library.
4 live slots and external keyboard freely allows you to assign sound engines that will be under the control of external keyboards, while you continue to play the others using the Nord Electro 6.
4) Nord Electro 73 Note 4HP Hammer Action Piano
The Nord Electro 4 is a continuation of the award-winning Nord Electro 3 series. The model carries the very famous and successful C2D B3 tone wheel engine that makes the Nord 3 a mighty success. Another great inclusion is the 122 Rotary speakers that give you the best in a sound simulation. In fact, the Nord 4 is another excellent professional class digital piano from a company renowned for excellence.
As expected, this model also features a USB MIDI connectivity function by which you can transfer songs, sounds and play files from external sources like your PC, laptop, SD player, Smartphones, tablets and more. The 73 note keyboard has an improved key click that resonates well with every imputed note designated for it.
Let’s begin to count your blessings with the new Farfisa and Vox organ simulations that accompany the Nord 4 Piano Library’s compatible and reliable string resonance. Here, you can get the best transistors organ, routine matrixes and complex filter combination that produces a high-end tailored sound and massive energy. The sound effect you will get from this digital piano is of the top quality. Extended control panel further supports your use of the USB MIDI functionality.
Everything in the Nord Electro 4 is just an advancement of the Nord Electro 3. All aspect of the percussion model has undergone extensive improvement and control over the percussion levels during near-legato playing. The uniqueness of the B3 and the likes of Farfisa and Vox gives you a great, irreplaceable and personified simulation of original instruments.
Choosing the Best Nord Digital Piano
Stage pianos are the best for enhanced stage performance and among the most reliable sets stand the Nord series. While choosing your stage digital piano, you can also consider the number of tones that a piano’s keyboard is capable of producing (the Polyphony).
Also, bear in mind that the ability to record and playback audio is very crucial to your playing skills. Sampling is a good way of appraising your performance while creating room for improvement.
Another area you may want to consider is the way the keybed respond to your playing actions. If the keys have the right velocity, your playing will be conveyed in a positive light. How long a particular note sustains a touch is also very paramount to your overall success.
Lastly, the ability to split the keys to play different sound at the same time, USB connection for added input from external sources, number of programmed sounds available, and whether the keys are weighted or semi-weighted to replicate the feel and quality of an acoustic piano, are other important factors to consider as well.