Need Keyboard advice please.

[post450]

I live in a rural area too, so I had to depend on reviews and YouTube videos when shopping for a new keyboard. Our need was primarily a stage keyboard with a quality organ and pad sounds and the occasional piano. I find its hard to make real determinations regarding any instrument in a music store anyway. I know many people just "love" things simply because they own one, but we have gone through several different lower priced keyboards (Casio Privia, Roland RD-150, Yamaha YPG525, & M-Audio Pro Keys) over the past 3 years and none were exactly what we needed as they each seem to do one thing well and lacked in other areas. I found a Nord Electro 3HP in stock at the nearest Sam Ash earlier this year and we bought it. Once we installed the software, we found availability of sounds both from Nord library and custom patches from http://www.norduserforum.com/# were great. After my wife playing it in our band for the past 6 months it is my opinion that the Nord Electro is well suited for live performance and the sounds are very good across the board. Their versatility is in the effects panel which work much like a guitarist's pedalboard. One of my favorite effects is the Twin Amp which lets you control the gain for the B3 output. I love a little dirt blended in the organ on driving choruses. As previously stated, the primary limitation is the lack of layering, but we have not found that to be a problem yet. The transpose function could be a little tricky in a low light setting. The synth sounds are only samples, so the variation and control of these samples are limited in the Electro models, but Nord offers a true synth model if that is what a user is looking for. Overall, the Electro weighs 24 lbs and the build quality is exactly what you would expect. IMHO, the Electro is one of the more versatile keyboards available and while it might not find favor with those who primarily play piano, in a band setting covering different genres and sounds is where it really excels.

On a side note, the SKB flight cases for the Electro are much cheaper at Amazon than most retailers. Good luck in your search!

[Rbts]

I've spent the last few days listening to quite a few samples, and checking out Youtube videos. This is gonna take some time to get done. The choices are bewildering. I'm VERY impressed by the Nord videos. They seem to have "the" sounds, and the customer support. Here's a guy with a few Nords. Listen to the Bosendorfer piano sample at the start of the video. The rest of the video is just talking about Nords. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjw64wuTvT0 Check out this guy, on a Nord C2 organ. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNRHotsEkQA

I have to admit - at this point - I'm a believer. (Just saying.)

[Luigi]

 

I'm thinking of picking up a good keyboard, mostly so I can have one on hand for the music-room/studio, as well as "live" gigs. I'd like to have a keyboard on hand for those times where a keyboard player drops in for a jam-session. I don't play keys myself, so I'm not sure where to start. I know I'd rather buy "used" than "new", and I'd imagine these keyboards are a bit like computers, in that there's always something new coming out. I'd like something that's well-regarded,,,, something that's fairly recent, and that a pro wouldn't mind playing, even if it's not the latest-and-greatest. A friend of mine plays a Nord Electro. Mind you, this guy plays with National acts. Now, here's what complicates things a bit; I'm thinking of taking lessons and learning to play keys. Is a keyboard like the Nord, too complicated for a beginner? I see keyboards that have built-in accompaniment (bass/drums), are there any pro-level keyboards with those features, or is this more for home-use, with cheesy sound? I want a quality unit if possible. As far as sound goes, I believe I should get something with a good piano sound, as well as organ sound. Not sure if a synth would be useful. Budget is fairly flexible, but I'd like to keep it at under $3k., and more like $2k. if possible. Can someone shove me in the right direction please?

 

 

This is a fantastic demonstration of a very nice instrument.