Well, it’s a beautiful keyboard but they did a mess with external section. If you are used to the Stage line you may miss the old way it was implemented, I’d surely do.
What an AMAZING step up from Nord!!!🎉 I love The New sections, The extreme intuitive approach to adjusting and altering the sounds (a feature I always have appreciated from Nord) and the versatile possibilities in both playing and morphing. WOW!!
Thank you King Jack for an outstanding next level review of the Stage 4! No one else on TH-cam can put together such an interesting and inspiring deep diggin' review like you just did with this one. Yes, it was almost an hour long but I could watch this for another 2 hours. Man, you are so skilled, both as a keyboard player AND as a pedagogue, hats off! A week ago I told my self to keep my Stage 3 and stay happy....Now I really understand what an incredible upgrade the Stage 4 is and I'm definitely getting one. Keep up the good work, love watching you reviews 🥳🎹🎶🥇
I’ve just replaced my MODX8 with the 73 key compact Stage 4 and I am blown away by the difference in how I can get to the stuff I need when playing live. This video has been a massive help in getting me familiar with the layout, I’ve watched it through probably 5 times now and every time I see it I learn something new. Thanks Jack and thanks Andertons, looking forward to seeing the next one.
Hey! I’ve been researching on my options for purchasing a new keyboard. Since you’ve used a MODX before, and now a Nord, I’ve been looking at picking either a Montage or Nord. What would your opinions be on both, and which one would you pick? Thank you in advance :)
@@saloniagrawal5676 Hi, firstly let me say that if I could have afforded to keep the MODX I would have. It went to finance the Nord….😭 I needed something more portable to gig with as the MODX has quite a footprint on stage and my rig already involves another couple of keyboards. As most of the sounds I use are funky clavs and Rhodes the Nord was a good fit for the lower tier I have a Wave 2 for the top. The potential for sound design on both the Stage & the MODX are great, in essence I would say that the MODX is a fantastic piece of equipment, there’s quite a bit of menu diving involved though, so not great for changing stuff on the fly, the Nord has less of the deep dive stuff you can get at the main parameters really quickly and nothing out there matches the Hammond sound ( other than a Hammond 😂). Having said that, I am now saving for a replacement Yamaha, with a view to getting a new Montage 6 for my studio . The Yamaha world instruments are brilliantly expressive. Not sure if that’s really helped you or not, but best of luck with your search. 🎶💕🎶
Wow.....your presentation is astonishing: your knowledge, passion, ability to impart all of the above. I'm waiting on my new Stage 4 to arrive as we speak, and will definitely run through the things you demonstrated when it arrives. Thanks so much for sharing.
Jack, I need one! Gonna have to sell my stage 3 now, i had a piano 5 (first piano ever) than upgraded to the stage 3, and im just a random bloke that barely knows how to play. I just need it to play in my living room simple as that, Nord sure makes some amazing products, this pared with some good speakers ❤ I'm buying one this summer! Let's go! 🎉
I got mine one week ago, and coming from NS2: this unit is just mind blowing in terms of flexibility, accessibility, playability and sound shaping! Clavia people have really done a great great job! And your video is a wonderful deep overview of the capacities of NS4!! ❤❤❤
Flippin heck Jack! 🤯 Nord Stage 4 is the Dog's B's!!! The beautiful expression that it enables alone is mind blowing- but it has so much more! Wow...just wow! ❤🎹🎹❤
Weirdly enough its what always put me off a stage. They always seemed to trim just enough off of the grand or the wave to kill it from my perspective. Now I'm looking at this stage 4 and can't fault it. It's everything I've wanted and more lol.
@@オールマイト-y1f hey good for you… I don’t think I can handle all this features!! But I’m glad Nord did this combining all this keyboards into one! I’m good with the Nord 5 😂
Thank you, Jack, for this awesome video. Keep 'em coming! I got my Stage 4 Compact at the beginning of March and this video has really helped me to delve deeper and get stuck in. As a first time Nord user there's so much to learn but I'm absolutely in love with this thing. It is amazing.
Hi Woody My Luvverrrrr 👋 I wish it was my new board, I haven’t got the clams for this bad boy, yet! Just a big ol’ loaner 😢 I here you about the Auger. I had imhis instructional back in the day where he was running straight in to some Mackie’s 🤯 To push back, I felt Brian always ended up through a speaker, that just wasn’t rotating (Marshall, Mackie etc) so I to me the Stop mode isn’t a million miles away. Anyways, your comment is exactly why I never do “Sounds like” just sticking your neck out to get chopped off by the internet innit! Nothing but love though my West Country Brother ❤
Top demo fella, the clearest on TH-cam Massive help getting me round this monster . Had a compact version for two months and still not used it on stage. But after this vid I think I’m a week away to finish programming it . Thanks again dude . Al🎹🎹
The way I see Aux Keyboard working quite well, either live or in the studio, is if you have the Stage 4 88 as your main keyboard for playing piano, and above that on your stand (or to the side) you have a decent synth-action or waterfall contoller keyboard for playing synth runs and organ, assigned to whatever sound suits at any given moment obviously. Or perhaps an alternative scenario,where you would use a Stage 4 Compact as your main all-round keybed, and above/ to the side of that you'd have a top-end Kawai VPC-1 or lesser 88-key controller for occasional piano playing with a heavier action. Or even the first scenario but with the positions switched around, so you'd have the Stage 4 88 within easy reach for tweaking, but your main keyboard (directly in front of you) for general tinkering would be something with a lighter touch. If anyone has any opinions on whether the above makes sense or not, and what the best combo would be if so, I would be genuinely interested in hearing your thoughts, because I think it could ultimately save some money, or at least add versatility for a relatively modest amount of money.
I have an old but really great action Yamaha P250 (88 key, weighted), so a few years ago I decided to buy a compact Yamaha MOFX (61 key, semi-weighted) to do what you suggest in scenario2. I thought I could run all the new piano samples in the MOFX using the P250 as the controller. Well sounded great in theory, but there were serious issues with the velocity curve differences and the touch sensitivity across the two keyboards, eventhough it was the same manufacturer for both. I'm by no means an expert, but after tinkering with both boards for a couple of days I could not make a single piano sample from the MOXF sound remotely close to the great native grand in the P250 when using it as controller. Years later I thought about getting a compact Stage 3 for the same setup, but kept thinking about the previous hurdles, so I just gave up. Have you had any luck using an external, non-Nord, weighted controller running a rich piano sample from a Stage compact? If so,, did you have to play much with the velocity curve and/or touch sensitivty settings in the Nord to make it sound as good as a full 88 Stage would?
@@jorgeescobar4988 Actually, I don't have any experience myself, save for using non-Nord equipment many years ago. But now you mention it, people always say that there's a real connection between Nord's keybeds and the XL piano sound source, and I vaguely remember reading before about people having problems (generally) refining velocity curves when connecting keyboards to other gear as you mentioned. So it seems that my second scenario is probably a bit of a non-starter, because to get best out-of Nord's piano sounds you really need to play them on the keyboard they're being produced on (and therefore ideally choose the 88-key version). I can't see any such problems with scenarios 1 or 3 though (using either a lighter-touch synth or a controller keyboard for synth or organ playing), as it would surely be less pernickety to set-up? But what I'm talking about doesn't necessarily require the Aux Keyboard feature I guess, which is aimed at multiple live players sharing a single sound source, because I could just connect a lighter-touch keyboard and leave it live on everything the Nord Stage 4 88 is set to play, then just move between the two keybeds. I'm only thinking about all this stuff because although people like Jack can ably demonstrate them in demo videos, we all know that general synthy runs or Hammond type playing is not ideal on a fully-weighted keyboard. I'm also trying to keep the costs down here, otherwise I'd probably buy something like a Nord Piano 5 or Nord Grand and a Roland Fantom 7, but even saying that out loud has me wondering whether I need/ will ever use the synth side of a Nord Stage tbh. Decisions, decisions!
wow, super nice refinements to all things making Nord Stage so great (and video length is just right for me. Love seeing what's new presented by someone that knows what they are talking about!)
OH MY GOSH!!! There’s so many things you can do with the stage 4!! Love the ability to cast it to a midi keyboard!! I ordered my stage 4 within hours of it going on preorder - hoping to get it in a few weeks - USA :) btw!! I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL!!
Incredibly deep dive and great explanations. Love the passion behind your explanation as you play and demonstrate the features. Super excited to get my Stage 4 HA73 in a few months!
Great video as a newby on this instrument ( my first buy) it is a great tutorial & I have a great basic understanding of this very versatile piece of kit Thanks Jack great job 👍🏽🎹
Jack what an awesome in depth rundown of some of the many features the new Stage 4 packs 🤘- sure more to come from you 👊 Will I ever get on a stage? Hell no. Will I ever get a Stage? Hell yeah. And it’s going to be the new Nord Stage 4 🤩 After I have got my Nord Wave 2. I’m done with endless menu, sub menu and sub sub menu divings🤯 The whole Nord design philosophy, layout and easy access to tweaking a keyboard. Is just way more fun to use. To justify the price - as an excuse 😉 I always say to myself (and my wife) ‘The quality remains long after the price is forgotten’
Just see if you can get her to go along with this philosophy about spending high for some top-end gear: Buy once, cry once. In other words, it's a stretch but you won't need to keep chopping and changing equipment, losing money along the way, and it'll last you for many years to come.
Current Stage 3 owner. I love some of the upgrades and think a lot of what they've done with the Stage 4 is very useful. I'm still somewhat bummed about song mode... there are ways around it for sure, as you've shown, but as someone who uses it extensively in the Stage 3, it would be so much nicer to just have it included (especially considering the fact we're talking about 1 extra button and some simple code to access already existing patch locations, i.e. not exactly a complicated feature to implement). I may still upgrade at some point as I really like a lot of what the Stage 4 offers, but it'd be an immediate slam dunk for me if they'd kept song mode on there.
Yeah totally agree. There needs to be a better way to find programs especially when you're in the middle of playing. Hopefully they can figure out a way with a patch....
The organ bass feature is the exact feature I've been looking for with my Yamaha YC61. This is perfect for playing with midi bass pedals if that's available. I really hope yamaha implement that feature soon.
Your playing is simply amazing! Love the sounds you get out of this thing! Do you have an online course out there? I would love to learn from you! 😊🙌🏽🙏🏽
Been working with the Stage 4 for about five weeks now. It's clear its a very powerful board but with so much potential, its hard to get a plan started. I wanted to work on a bank of lead sounds - maybe a Rhodes sound with lots of options a tap or pedal away. Mybe the ability to bring in a choir or a piano. With so many options its kind of hard to know which way to go. Preset? Program? Bank? which bits go where?
I was trying this beast today in a store …😊… sounds great but my first impression was about the touch of this keyboard … very light touch … even on the heavy preset. I would try to split only the synth layers … but couldn’t find how to manage that … , I need that manual 😊. You can do a lot with this NS4 but it’s very important to know what kind of settings you need ,in a correct way, to get your sounds right … especially in a band situation. I like This model but … very expensive …
I would buy one, but I feel it has too much for me - I need to be broken into the Nord world - what should I start with? I have a big studio now, so plan on filling it over time...
I wish Nord would redesign the monitor AUX input/output on the back so it would have some live use with IEMs. We're still missing some crucial level controls which would be super useful on stage. Like if we had a 1/4 jack on the front with a volume + level/mix control to plug IEMs into we could all make use of that at every gig. Just now if you touch the volume knob to adjust anything in your ears, that also affects what goes out to the main mix; which is pointless. So I'd love to see them implement this feature better for gigging musicians, would give us a super robust monitoring setup right there on the keyboard.
I'm a current Kawai user, but I'm going to get a Nord in its place. I initially wanted a Grand, but now I'm not sure whether to go for the Piano 5 or go for this. Love the number of layers that can be added and how you can build it all up with a fairly intuitive panel.
This thing is a beast as many say. But the funny thing is that I could (and still can) do most of the 'new' things on my good old Kurzweil PC3x for third of the price :) Great thing on the Nord is there is a lot of buttons so features are more accessible live altho Kurz is also great as a live controller.
What is patently obvious from this (and other Nord videos that Jack has done) is that there is a large learning curve due to the fact that nearly everything has a button press assigned to it. The reward at the end is that it is possible to modify sounds almost instantly, with no menu diving. Plus of course the fact that the thing starts up almost instantly. My Oasys takes an age to get to the point where you can actually make a noise!
I love the review and I love the updates. One thing though. They brought over the Wave synth2, why the HELL didn't they bring the morph buttons that live on the left side of the Wave? The space is there. Another thing, a simple 16 note sequencer, or add a menu to the Arp sec to add note values. I keep being asked at gigs to play the Who's Baba O. If you make one in your daw, once the song's kicked in, ya have to turn it off! The spring reverb's great. Maybe they can add a spring reverb CRASH, that you can trigger with a foot switch and be able to adjust the vol and length? Hammond dose that, unfortunately it sucks. No ability to edit it.
I'm looking for a new synth, coming from a Korg Kronos V1. Seeing all this good stuff, I really like the stage 4, but I'm actually amazed how far Korg was ahead 12 years ago. This stage 4 has 'new' functionality that I've been using for 12 years all along. Again, I'm impressed by the stage 4 and it's different to the Kronos, but I'm not sure if it's enough of a leap forward for me..
I think you are somewhat missing the point. If ease of use and simplicity is of no value then a Nord probably isnt for you.. Personally I found the Stage 3 to be a breath of fresh air over a Fantom..its all right there, no menu diving and the immediacy is paramount. Nord have ALWAYS been light, easy to use, great sound quality, great build quality but lacking in features.
If I saw this and new then what I knew now and saw this keyboard.. I would have bought the Stage 4 instead of my Mac… this thing looks awesome. Bought a used stage 1 a couple years ago… fantastic unit for how old it was. Best keybed and piano I had heard and played on. Love Nord… Savin up $$ for this model 🙌
Love your videos. I can always come here for good advise on gear. You mentioned there is a J3PO video showcasing the mono legato low/high note priority. Can you point me to that video?
Great video. Thanks for going into such detail. It would be useful to have included a specific section on what has been lost from the NS3. For exmple, has Dual Keyboard mode, which was a feature of NS3, has been scrapped? Or is there now a different way to integrate a midi controller to give youself a second keyboard to access the NS4 sounds?
The Stage series has always produced incredible sounds including the standard patches. The pianos alone on a Nord always sound just a little bit better than everyone else's. And the ability to use buttons and knobs to change things is great. But you can tell the Nord was designed by an engineer/developer and not a musician because the need to constantly dive into menus and submenus on tiny little low-resolution displays is simply old and antiquated and not conducive to quick settings and playmaking. Everything needs to be more visual and less about one button having three different functions based on how other buttons are set. Putting hieroglyphic cues on buttons is not a solution. Its just too confusing and cumbersome. Nord doesnt need to get rid of all the buttons or knobs, but they need to fall on the sword and put a large high resolution screen on these with a better GUI thats on par with its competitors. Combined with the manual knobs and buttons (but streamlined) it will make the Nord best in class. As it stands, its best in class in terms of tone, but most musicians cannot pull this instrument out of the box and start diving into it like other options from Korg, Yamaha, and Roland. A keyboard should be easy to use like a smartphone. When you pick it up, everything should be intuitive and rarely require reading a manual. Engineers loving designing great products but don't value user interaction. And there are certain functions on the competitors not offered on the Nords because the Nord software is not robust enough...almost like the buttons and knobs and GUI limit what can be accomplished. You can still keep the traditional Piano, Organ, Synth layout and accomplish this.
The button combinatirict enable you to do alot of things fast. There is a learning curve, but relative to the number of hours you will spend in it's lifetime it is nothing. Making thing apparent and easy from the first moment ruins the flexibility and pace at which you can do things.
Hi! Could you do a short piano sound comparison between the DGX-670 and the MODX8? Ever since I sold my DGX-660 I somehow struggled to like other Yamaha keyboard piano sounds. I owned the MX88 for a bit but the whole family was disappointed by the piano sound. So I bought the MODX8+ and now we still didn't quite warm up to the piano sounds coming from it. I'm not sure if the VRM in the DGX has anything to do with it, but I would expect a synthesizer with a sound engine as advanced as the one in the MODX would sound just as good. Could you please do a short comparison and give your opinion on the realism of the piano sound?
Have the DGX-660, bought it at a garage sale for $300, ok for a beginner keyboard, sounds ok through the built in speakers, plug it in to the mixer and it sounds like hot garbage, not even in the same class as my NS3, and my MX8, I let the kids play on it in the playroom…
I have the impression that the Stage 4 now does everything the Wave 2 does … minus 1 synth layer plus an extra piano and organ section. But for example, all the MIDI/effect per layer stuff has been in the Wave 2 for two years. Can you do a comparison of the Stage 4 and Wave 2? I'm always wanted a Wave 2 as I'm into synths, now I shortly reconsidered buying a Stage 4 73, but I don't think I need the extra stuff for an extra £ 2200.
Thanks for the explanation. I have a few questions: 1. Can pitch bender be configured to pedals ? (I had always wanted a pitch bender in nord grand. Just wondering if I can use a pedal in Nord grand and use it as a pitch bender. ) 2. Is the functionality of single pedal and 3 pedals totally different ? Why would one have to buy both ? 3. How/Where can I buy indian instrument sounds not there in nord library like Veena, Sarangi, Sitar, Nadhaswaram etc. 4. Can I attach a music sheet stand to Nord Stage 4 ? Thanks !
Best keyboard I’ve ever purchased and I’ve been a Yamaha Kurzweil Roland Korg user prior to my first Nord P5 and now S4. P5 is my church board along with my Modx plus. I’m still learning how the S4 and all is can do and how it applies to what I need in my gigs.
How can I make an electric piano have both vibration and panorama modulation (like Yamaha Motif)? I can't do it... In the setup you can choose either amplitude modulation or panorama modulation. But I can't believe that such an expensive instrument can't do such a simple thing!
I’ll never be able to afford a nord but i enjoy your plating and watching the videos. Id love to stop by somewhere that has one and play with it
One of the best detailed videos (on any keyboard) I've ever seen! Definitely NOT too long.
Honestly from the amount of whining on the Nord user forum you'd think this thing's junk. It's an absolute beast!
The whining people just can't afford it. If I was a successfull gigging musician, this is what I would buy, whitout doubt :)
Well, it’s a beautiful keyboard but they did a mess with external section. If you are used to the Stage line you may miss the old way it was implemented, I’d surely do.
What an AMAZING step up from Nord!!!🎉
I love The New sections, The extreme intuitive approach to adjusting and altering the sounds (a feature I always have appreciated from Nord) and the versatile possibilities in both playing and morphing.
WOW!!
@@Stoic4ever Well..I’ve got a wife :)
forums are just full of complainers in general. the 'chronically online' forum users are a stain on music tech tbh. a lot of toxicity.
There are so many features on this I'm going to have to come back several times to absorb all this. What an instrument!!!!!
Thank you King Jack for an outstanding next level review of the Stage 4! No one else on TH-cam can put together such an interesting and inspiring deep diggin' review like you just did with this one. Yes, it was almost an hour long but I could watch this for another 2 hours. Man, you are so skilled, both as a keyboard player AND as a pedagogue, hats off! A week ago I told my self to keep my Stage 3 and stay happy....Now I really understand what an incredible upgrade the Stage 4 is and I'm definitely getting one. Keep up the good work, love watching you reviews 🥳🎹🎶🥇
King Jack
I’ve just replaced my MODX8 with the 73 key compact Stage 4 and I am blown away by the difference in how I can get to the stuff I need when playing live. This video has been a massive help in getting me familiar with the layout, I’ve watched it through probably 5 times now and every time I see it I learn something new.
Thanks Jack and thanks Andertons, looking forward to seeing the next one.
Hey!
I’ve been researching on my options for purchasing a new keyboard.
Since you’ve used a MODX before, and now a Nord,
I’ve been looking at picking either a Montage or Nord.
What would your opinions be on both, and which one would you pick?
Thank you in advance :)
@@saloniagrawal5676 Hi, firstly let me say that if I could have afforded to keep the MODX I would have. It went to finance the Nord….😭
I needed something more portable to gig with as the MODX has quite a footprint on stage and my rig already involves another couple of keyboards. As most of the sounds I use are funky clavs and Rhodes the Nord was a good fit for the lower tier I have a Wave 2 for the top. The potential for sound design on both the Stage & the MODX are great, in essence I would say that the MODX is a fantastic piece of equipment, there’s quite a bit of menu diving involved though, so not great for changing stuff on the fly, the Nord has less of the deep dive stuff you can get at the main parameters really quickly and nothing out there matches the Hammond sound ( other than a Hammond 😂).
Having said that, I am now saving for a replacement Yamaha, with a view to getting a new Montage 6 for my studio . The Yamaha world instruments are brilliantly expressive.
Not sure if that’s really helped you or not, but best of luck with your search. 🎶💕🎶
Wow.....your presentation is astonishing: your knowledge, passion, ability to impart all of the above. I'm waiting on my new Stage 4 to arrive as we speak, and will definitely run through the things you demonstrated when it arrives. Thanks so much for sharing.
Been a Nord user for years. This is the best one yet by far! Great video! You nailed all the important details.
Jack, I need one! Gonna have to sell my stage 3 now, i had a piano 5 (first piano ever) than upgraded to the stage 3, and im just a random bloke that barely knows how to play. I just need it to play in my living room simple as that, Nord sure makes some amazing products, this pared with some good speakers ❤ I'm buying one this summer! Let's go! 🎉
I just bought the Nord Stage 4 a little hesitating, you just convinced me I made the best choice ever!
I got mine one week ago, and coming from NS2: this unit is just mind blowing in terms of flexibility, accessibility, playability and sound shaping! Clavia people have really done a great great job! And your video is a wonderful deep overview of the capacities of NS4!! ❤❤❤
You made a 3 hour expo fit into one: beautifully organized and super comprehensive... and fun.
Flippin heck Jack! 🤯 Nord Stage 4 is the Dog's B's!!! The beautiful expression that it enables alone is mind blowing- but it has so much more! Wow...just wow! ❤🎹🎹❤
Insane… who can manage this keyboard to the fullest will have my respect! Nord couldn’t resist anymore and put all their keyboards together lol
Weirdly enough its what always put me off a stage. They always seemed to trim just enough off of the grand or the wave to kill it from my perspective. Now I'm looking at this stage 4 and can't fault it. It's everything I've wanted and more lol.
@@オールマイト-y1f hey good for you… I don’t think I can handle all this features!! But I’m glad Nord did this combining all this keyboards into one! I’m good with the Nord 5 😂
Just ordered mine. Cant wait for it come in next week! Looks like I have ALOT to learn. Its like a spaceship with all those knobs/buttons 😂
Thank you, Jack, for this awesome video. Keep 'em coming! I got my Stage 4 Compact at the beginning of March and this video has really helped me to delve deeper and get stuck in. As a first time Nord user there's so much to learn but I'm absolutely in love with this thing. It is amazing.
This is great and helpful . Just ordered one for the church yesterday - really looking forward to it!🎉❤
congrats jack on the new board, youre worth it. brian btw plays without leslie, so disable the rotary sim and whack up the dist, i love that sound!
Hi Woody My Luvverrrrr 👋 I wish it was my new board, I haven’t got the clams for this bad boy, yet! Just a big ol’ loaner 😢 I here you about the Auger. I had imhis instructional back in the day where he was running straight in to some Mackie’s 🤯 To push back, I felt Brian always ended up through a speaker, that just wasn’t rotating (Marshall, Mackie etc) so I to me the Stop mode isn’t a million miles away. Anyways, your comment is exactly why I never do “Sounds like” just sticking your neck out to get chopped off by the internet innit! Nothing but love though my West Country Brother ❤
Top demo fella, the clearest on TH-cam
Massive help getting me round this monster .
Had a compact version for two months and still not used it on stage. But after this vid I think I’m a week away to finish programming it .
Thanks again dude .
Al🎹🎹
The way I see Aux Keyboard working quite well, either live or in the studio, is if you have the Stage 4 88 as your main keyboard for playing piano, and above that on your stand (or to the side) you have a decent synth-action or waterfall contoller keyboard for playing synth runs and organ, assigned to whatever sound suits at any given moment obviously. Or perhaps an alternative scenario,where you would use a Stage 4 Compact as your main all-round keybed, and above/ to the side of that you'd have a top-end Kawai VPC-1 or lesser 88-key controller for occasional piano playing with a heavier action. Or even the first scenario but with the positions switched around, so you'd have the Stage 4 88 within easy reach for tweaking, but your main keyboard (directly in front of you) for general tinkering would be something with a lighter touch.
If anyone has any opinions on whether the above makes sense or not, and what the best combo would be if so, I would be genuinely interested in hearing your thoughts, because I think it could ultimately save some money, or at least add versatility for a relatively modest amount of money.
I have an old but really great action Yamaha P250 (88 key, weighted), so a few years ago I decided to buy a compact Yamaha MOFX (61 key, semi-weighted) to do what you suggest in scenario2. I thought I could run all the new piano samples in the MOFX using the P250 as the controller. Well sounded great in theory, but there were serious issues with the velocity curve differences and the touch sensitivity across the two keyboards, eventhough it was the same manufacturer for both. I'm by no means an expert, but after tinkering with both boards for a couple of days I could not make a single piano sample from the MOXF sound remotely close to the great native grand in the P250 when using it as controller. Years later I thought about getting a compact Stage 3 for the same setup, but kept thinking about the previous hurdles, so I just gave up. Have you had any luck using an external, non-Nord, weighted controller running a rich piano sample from a Stage compact? If so,, did you have to play much with the velocity curve and/or touch sensitivty settings in the Nord to make it sound as good as a full 88 Stage would?
@@jorgeescobar4988 Actually, I don't have any experience myself, save for using non-Nord equipment many years ago. But now you mention it, people always say that there's a real connection between Nord's keybeds and the XL piano sound source, and I vaguely remember reading before about people having problems (generally) refining velocity curves when connecting keyboards to other gear as you mentioned. So it seems that my second scenario is probably a bit of a non-starter, because to get best out-of Nord's piano sounds you really need to play them on the keyboard they're being produced on (and therefore ideally choose the 88-key version).
I can't see any such problems with scenarios 1 or 3 though (using either a lighter-touch synth or a controller keyboard for synth or organ playing), as it would surely be less pernickety to set-up? But what I'm talking about doesn't necessarily require the Aux Keyboard feature I guess, which is aimed at multiple live players sharing a single sound source, because I could just connect a lighter-touch keyboard and leave it live on everything the Nord Stage 4 88 is set to play, then just move between the two keybeds.
I'm only thinking about all this stuff because although people like Jack can ably demonstrate them in demo videos, we all know that general synthy runs or Hammond type playing is not ideal on a fully-weighted keyboard. I'm also trying to keep the costs down here, otherwise I'd probably buy something like a Nord Piano 5 or Nord Grand and a Roland Fantom 7, but even saying that out loud has me wondering whether I need/ will ever use the synth side of a Nord Stage tbh. Decisions, decisions!
A very expressive board, and in the hands of a true master it absolutely shines!
wow, super nice refinements to all things making Nord Stage so great (and video length is just right for me. Love seeing what's new presented by someone that knows what they are talking about!)
Jack's playing sounds expensive. Like a pro. Love that.
OH MY GOSH!!! There’s so many things you can do with the stage 4!! Love the ability to cast it to a midi keyboard!! I ordered my stage 4 within hours of it going on preorder - hoping to get it in a few weeks - USA :) btw!! I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL!!
Just get a midi controller?
oh wow, this thing in intense - so much to take in! Love the overview, grateful
I have a compact 4 and loving it so much better than the 3
Great to hear man, in what ways you think it’s beter?
@@haarman77 In every way so much more control over everything
Incredibly deep dive and great explanations. Love the passion behind your explanation as you play and demonstrate the features. Super excited to get my Stage 4 HA73 in a few months!
An amazing instrument you use it so well too Jack.
Head-to-head with YC88 would be a good video.
I’m planning just such a video.
@@benallen5967 can’t wait for it! Do you know when either of them are in stock? I have orders placed for both seeing when either will ship haha.
Great video as a newby on this instrument ( my first buy) it is a great tutorial & I have a great basic understanding of this very versatile piece of kit Thanks Jack great job 👍🏽🎹
Jack what an awesome in depth rundown of some of the many features the new Stage 4 packs 🤘- sure more to come from you 👊
Will I ever get on a stage? Hell no.
Will I ever get a Stage? Hell yeah. And it’s going to be the new Nord Stage 4 🤩
After I have got my Nord Wave 2. I’m done with endless menu, sub menu and sub sub menu divings🤯
The whole Nord design philosophy, layout and easy access to tweaking a keyboard. Is just way more fun to use.
To justify the price - as an excuse 😉 I always say to myself (and my wife)
‘The quality remains long after the price is forgotten’
Just see if you can get her to go along with this philosophy about spending high for some top-end gear: Buy once, cry once. In other words, it's a stretch but you won't need to keep chopping and changing equipment, losing money along the way, and it'll last you for many years to come.
That’s a massive upgrade from the NS3!
Whot a thing
The user interface seems to be one of the best i've ever seen and the Sounds are scary good
Great in depth video ... thanks a lot 👍👍👍
Thanks for the deep dive. Just found your channel. The organ section is god-level on this thing. Damn.
Thanks for the great presentation, and no, it was not too long at all, love
it !
Also…. Jack… killer walk through. Love your passion and knowledge on your video walk throughs.
So many knobs and buttons…..looks complicated and overwhelming.
Wow this thing is insane. I was wondering about the aux keyboard ability but holy lord. This thing is like the whole band 😂
Current Stage 3 owner. I love some of the upgrades and think a lot of what they've done with the Stage 4 is very useful. I'm still somewhat bummed about song mode... there are ways around it for sure, as you've shown, but as someone who uses it extensively in the Stage 3, it would be so much nicer to just have it included (especially considering the fact we're talking about 1 extra button and some simple code to access already existing patch locations, i.e. not exactly a complicated feature to implement). I may still upgrade at some point as I really like a lot of what the Stage 4 offers, but it'd be an immediate slam dunk for me if they'd kept song mode on there.
Yeah totally agree. There needs to be a better way to find programs especially when you're in the middle of playing. Hopefully they can figure out a way with a patch....
Nord should make an app for program change for iOS IPad + iPhone 😊
The organ bass feature is the exact feature I've been looking for with my Yamaha YC61. This is perfect for playing with midi bass pedals if that's available. I really hope yamaha implement that feature soon.
Your playing is simply amazing! Love the sounds you get out of this thing! Do you have an online course out there? I would love to learn from you! 😊🙌🏽🙏🏽
Should be getting mines today hopefully, it takes a long time to get it in the US 🤞😎
I'd actually pay the price if this thing didn't look like a headache waiting to start. It looks so confusing. I may stick to Mainstage.
Been working with the Stage 4 for about five weeks now. It's clear its a very powerful board but with so much potential, its hard to get a plan started. I wanted to work on a bank of lead sounds - maybe a Rhodes sound with lots of options a tap or pedal away. Mybe the ability to bring in a choir or a piano. With so many options its kind of hard to know which way to go. Preset? Program? Bank? which bits go where?
Bloody need one. Defo going to have to get one this year.
I was trying this beast today in a store …😊… sounds great but my first impression was about the touch of this keyboard … very light touch … even on the heavy preset. I would try to split only the synth layers … but couldn’t find how to manage that … , I need that manual 😊. You can do a lot with this NS4 but it’s very important to know what kind of settings you need ,in a correct way, to get your sounds right … especially in a band situation. I like This model but … very expensive …
I would buy one, but I feel it has too much for me - I need to be broken into the Nord world - what should I start with? I have a big studio now, so plan on filling it over time...
Awesome! Love it! Not Long at All!! Thank You!
What a both informative and entertaining video! Nice playingo too. Thank you for that.
I love my new Stage 4 88 and I love Jake..... Great Video.... Please do more.... A in depth Synth tutorial would be great!😊🙃
I wish Nord would redesign the monitor AUX input/output on the back so it would have some live use with IEMs. We're still missing some crucial level controls which would be super useful on stage. Like if we had a 1/4 jack on the front with a volume + level/mix control to plug IEMs into we could all make use of that at every gig. Just now if you touch the volume knob to adjust anything in your ears, that also affects what goes out to the main mix; which is pointless. So I'd love to see them implement this feature better for gigging musicians, would give us a super robust monitoring setup right there on the keyboard.
Great content brother! Thanks for sharing this with us!
Thank you! Love this. JL
I'm a current Kawai user, but I'm going to get a Nord in its place. I initially wanted a Grand, but now I'm not sure whether to go for the Piano 5 or go for this. Love the number of layers that can be added and how you can build it all up with a fairly intuitive panel.
just get this.. lose nothing and gain a host of benefits over the piano
Jack we need to see you on a Yamaha
This thing is a beast as many say. But the funny thing is that I could (and still can) do most of the 'new' things on my good old Kurzweil PC3x for third of the price :)
Great thing on the Nord is there is a lot of buttons so features are more accessible live altho Kurz is also great as a live controller.
If anything, longer videos please :D
Outstanding video. Love your enthusiasm.
Hey, does the pump come after the reverb? I really hope so!!
(Effects chain order seems to be the one thing this wonderful keyboard can’t do)
Favorite part is 8:16
What is patently obvious from this (and other Nord videos that Jack has done) is that there is a large learning curve due to the fact that nearly everything has a button press assigned to it. The reward at the end is that it is possible to modify sounds almost instantly, with no menu diving. Plus of course the fact that the thing starts up almost instantly. My Oasys takes an age to get to the point where you can actually make a noise!
Right on point!!!
I feel like piloting a Boeing 747 plane... I think the plane is easier... And this guy goes like nothing, he knows his sht.!! What a video!
By far the best review!! thanks a lot!
I love the review and I love the updates. One thing though. They brought over the Wave synth2, why the HELL didn't they bring the morph buttons that live on the left side of the Wave? The space is there. Another thing, a simple 16 note sequencer, or add a menu to the Arp sec to add note values.
I keep being asked at gigs to play the Who's Baba O. If you make one in your daw, once the song's kicked in, ya have to turn it off!
The spring reverb's great. Maybe they can add a spring reverb CRASH, that you can trigger with a foot switch and be able to adjust the vol and length? Hammond dose that, unfortunately it sucks. No ability to edit it.
I'm looking for a new synth, coming from a Korg Kronos V1. Seeing all this good stuff, I really like the stage 4, but I'm actually amazed how far Korg was ahead 12 years ago. This stage 4 has 'new' functionality that I've been using for 12 years all along. Again, I'm impressed by the stage 4 and it's different to the Kronos, but I'm not sure if it's enough of a leap forward for me..
I think you are somewhat missing the point. If ease of use and simplicity is of no value then a Nord probably isnt for you.. Personally I found the Stage 3 to be a breath of fresh air over a Fantom..its all right there, no menu diving and the immediacy is paramount. Nord have ALWAYS been light, easy to use, great sound quality, great build quality but lacking in features.
Welp, time to put some stuff on Reverb! I need this!
If I saw this and new then what I knew now and saw this keyboard.. I would have bought the Stage 4 instead of my Mac… this thing looks awesome.
Bought a used stage 1 a couple years ago… fantastic unit for how old it was. Best keybed and piano I had heard and played on. Love Nord… Savin up $$ for this model 🙌
Great video. Very informative. Thanks!
What a beast. It sounds fantastic.
New subscriber here, love your videos! Would this be overkill for studio/musicproduction use..?
I am so happy with this board it has absolutely everything i need and more :) 🎉🎉🎉🎉
I understand nothing but still like to watch
Love your videos. I can always come here for good advise on gear. You mentioned there is a J3PO video showcasing the mono legato low/high note priority. Can you point me to that video?
I just looked up the price of this beast: $8,200 in Australia! YIKES.
The price is a lot more, but damn this thing looks insanely powerful!
I cannot wait for my stage 4 to get here!! USA doesn’t get them as fast as you guys :(
American Music & Sound (who has a monopoly on importation on Nord products in the USA) hasn't decided how much to mark them up just yet.
@@connor_flanigan I ordered mine through GC Pro … like within a few hours of the stage 4’s going on preorder :)
Do you guys know when they’ll ship?
@@emilamante Sweetwater told me July
@@ikepre I think my Sweetwater engineer told me on July 10th the shipment will come in. Can't wait!!
Seems like the Montage was ahead of the game
My spine disagrees
Nord is in a different class!
Jack - please create a video to focus on how the Pianos change from the Stage 3
Any suggestions on what speakers to use with this piano? Or are the nord speakers the best pair for nord ?
Great video. Thanks for going into such detail. It would be useful to have included a specific section on what has been lost from the NS3. For exmple, has Dual Keyboard mode, which was a feature of NS3, has been scrapped? Or is there now a different way to integrate a midi controller to give youself a second keyboard to access the NS4 sounds?
The Stage series has always produced incredible sounds including the standard patches. The pianos alone on a Nord always sound just a little bit better than everyone else's. And the ability to use buttons and knobs to change things is great. But you can tell the Nord was designed by an engineer/developer and not a musician because the need to constantly dive into menus and submenus on tiny little low-resolution displays is simply old and antiquated and not conducive to quick settings and playmaking. Everything needs to be more visual and less about one button having three different functions based on how other buttons are set. Putting hieroglyphic cues on buttons is not a solution. Its just too confusing and cumbersome. Nord doesnt need to get rid of all the buttons or knobs, but they need to fall on the sword and put a large high resolution screen on these with a better GUI thats on par with its competitors. Combined with the manual knobs and buttons (but streamlined) it will make the Nord best in class. As it stands, its best in class in terms of tone, but most musicians cannot pull this instrument out of the box and start diving into it like other options from Korg, Yamaha, and Roland. A keyboard should be easy to use like a smartphone. When you pick it up, everything should be intuitive and rarely require reading a manual. Engineers loving designing great products but don't value user interaction. And there are certain functions on the competitors not offered on the Nords because the Nord software is not robust enough...almost like the buttons and knobs and GUI limit what can be accomplished. You can still keep the traditional Piano, Organ, Synth layout and accomplish this.
The button combinatirict enable you to do alot of things fast. There is a learning curve, but relative to the number of hours you will spend in it's lifetime it is nothing.
Making thing apparent and easy from the first moment ruins the flexibility and pace at which you can do things.
Hi! Could you do a short piano sound comparison between the DGX-670 and the MODX8?
Ever since I sold my DGX-660 I somehow struggled to like other Yamaha keyboard piano sounds. I owned the MX88 for a bit but the whole family was disappointed by the piano sound. So I bought the MODX8+ and now we still didn't quite warm up to the piano sounds coming from it. I'm not sure if the VRM in the DGX has anything to do with it, but I would expect a synthesizer with a sound engine as advanced as the one in the MODX would sound just as good.
Could you please do a short comparison and give your opinion on the realism of the piano sound?
Have the DGX-660, bought it at a garage sale for $300, ok for a beginner keyboard, sounds ok through the built in speakers, plug it in to the mixer and it sounds like hot garbage, not even in the same class as my NS3, and my MX8, I let the kids play on it in the playroom…
Is it a part of a song at 5:32? Sounds so good 😊
I have the impression that the Stage 4 now does everything the Wave 2 does … minus 1 synth layer plus an extra piano and organ section. But for example, all the MIDI/effect per layer stuff has been in the Wave 2 for two years. Can you do a comparison of the Stage 4 and Wave 2? I'm always wanted a Wave 2 as I'm into synths, now I shortly reconsidered buying a Stage 4 73, but I don't think I need the extra stuff for an extra £ 2200.
Very very cool new features, but I NEED/want song mode for my workflow so I'll be sticking to my NS3 for as long as possible. Bummer
Amazing video but did almost no deep dive into the synth. What video would you suggest for that
just great,many thanks!
I need to convince myself to wait for the electro 7d. they must be coming out with it because the 4.0 sample library now isn’t compatible with the 6d
I think Yamaha has the more friendlier user interface with the most simplest ways to layering
A shame their piano samples sound like something from 1996 though.
“ehh my god it’s so good😫” 8:13 😭🤣😭🤣
Well Donezk, man
Very good deep dive! Just a short question regarding the 88 keyboard. Is it identical to the Piano 5 88 version?
39:15 that guitars sounds like the ones Korg Tritons had.
Thanks Mate! Great keep it up!
Thanks for the explanation. I have a few questions:
1. Can pitch bender be configured to pedals ? (I had always wanted a pitch bender in nord grand. Just wondering if I can use a pedal in Nord grand and use it as a pitch bender. )
2. Is the functionality of single pedal and 3 pedals totally different ? Why would one have to buy both ?
3. How/Where can I buy indian instrument sounds not there in nord library like Veena, Sarangi, Sitar, Nadhaswaram etc.
4. Can I attach a music sheet stand to Nord Stage 4 ?
Thanks !
So this thing can send 3 external midi signals out? So it can create a small piano jam band. That is insane.
Best keyboard I’ve ever purchased and I’ve been a Yamaha Kurzweil Roland Korg user prior to my first Nord P5 and now S4. P5 is my church board along with my Modx plus. I’m still learning how the S4 and all is can do and how it applies to what I need in my gigs.
I would really like to know what amp or PA system set up you are using in your studio when we hear it on the videos.
You’re hearing it direct and clean from the line outs, I would think.
great video!!!!!
Why is the sound of the instrument way better than in every other video on youtube ? How did you record it please, Anderton's ?
How can I make an electric piano have both vibration and panorama modulation (like Yamaha Motif)? I can't do it... In the setup you can choose either amplitude modulation or panorama modulation. But I can't believe that such an expensive instrument can't do such a simple thing!