Keyboard n Synth

Nord Stage EX Review

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Get your Nord Stage EX 88, 76 or Compact from GuitarCenter.com.

Nord, long since a staple in the live music industry, have focused their attention on simplicity for their range of Stage EX keyboards, the next Stage generation following on from the popular Stage Classic models. Simplicity is embodied in the design brief for the Stage EX series: All vital functions are represented on the front panel – easy to access, and never further away than a press of a single button.

NORD STAGE EX 88

NORD STAGE EX 76

NORD STAGE EX COMPACT

Nord, long since a staple in the live music industry, have focused their attention on simplicity for their range of Stage EX keyboards, the next Stage generation following on from the popular Stage Classic models. Simplicity is embodied in the design brief for the Stage EX series: All vital functions are represented on the front panel – easy to access, and never further away than a press of a single button.

Nord, long since a staple in the live music industry, have focused their attention on simplicity for their range of Stage EX keyboards, the next Stage generation following on from the popular Stage Classic models. Simplicity is embodied in the design brief for the Stage EX series: All vital functions are represented on the front panel – easy to access, and never further away than a press of a single button.

There are three models in the Stage EX range, the Stage EX Compact, Stage EX 76 and the Stage EX 88 all three of them share the same feature set, it is just the size the style of the keyboard itself that changes with the models:

New Features

While the Nord Stage EX is derived from the Nord Stage, the EX had undergone substantial hardware changes and some cosmetic ones as well.

The most impressive improvement is an increase in memory, from 128 MB to 256 MB which allows you to have a much more comprehensive collection of piano samples to draw on on-the-fly is the mood calls for.

As for the cosmetic changes, the Stage EX has text printed on the upper rim of the front panel indication the function and position of the jacks on the rear panel, as well as the front panel having a new color scheme.

Standard Features

• Piano section with 6 selectable categories.
• Organ section with faithful emulations of 3 classic models.
• Synth section generating Subtractive, FM and Wavetable synthesis.
• External section making the Nord Stage EX serve as a master keyboard.
• Effects section adding comprehensive effects to your performance.

Simplicity is further enhanced as you are able to assign effects and sound parameters to one physical controller with Nord’s super useful Morph Grouping technique. For maximum musical expression Nord’s patented Modulation Wheel and Pitch Stick have also been featured in the Stage EX lineup.

But what does it feel like? Well the Stage EX 88 and 76 sport an 88-key top-of-the-line hammer-action keyboard with weighting. This particular keyboard has been sourced from Fatar’s professional line and features Aftertouch for the right dynamic feel. And the keyboard on the Compact is a semi-weighted organ keyboard, with a waterfall profile.

Adding creative mixes to your next gig is a piece of cake with Nords’ ability to use two sounds from the Organ, Piano or Synth sections simultaneously, or if you want to get really creative you can mix things up and split or layer the configuration in just about any manner.

Piano Section

The Stage EX has six categories of Piano’s: Clavinet/Harpsichords, Wurlitzer, Electric Pianos, Electric Grand, Upright Pianos, and Grand Pianos.

The piano options however are much more extensive than just the above list; one of Nord’s strengths is there extensive Piano Library. Which is free of charge to use and with your Stage EX hooked up to your computer via the usb port you can upload a multitude of piano models from the library, via Nord Sound Manger for PC and Mac.

The subtlety and faithful reproduction of each particular piano is amazing, and the detail and effort Nord has gone to is exemplary:
Multiple velocity level recordings, for maximum accuracy
Samples of key releases, for the genuine sound of the dampers returning
String resonance, for the real world acoustics that occur inside an upright or grand piano
Sustain pedal down recordings, for the natural body of undampened acoustic piano strings

Organ Section

The organ section offers three different organs, the two most famous transistor organs from the ‘60’s have been included, the Farfisa Compact and the Vox Continental have been carefully modeled and their emulations are included on the Stage EX.

And the third organ is the Nord B3, everything about the B3 has been faithfully reproduced, including:

• A true organ architecture, based on digital models of 91 tonewheels, thus always giving full polyphony and overtones with natural warmness.
• A complex digital model of the original chorus & vibrato scanner.
• Modeling of the individual random contact bounces for each partial.
• Emulation of the unique frequency characteristics of the built-in preamplifier, forming the “body” of the B3 sound.
• Simulation of the energy robbing on the tonewheels that results in the typical compressed B3 sound.
• Authentic tuning of the tone wheels according to the original B3 design.
• True B3 swell-pedal characteristics.

You always have the correct drawbar selected after changing presents curtosey of original mechanical drawbars instead of the common LED bar graph and “Draw buttons”.

Synth Section

The synthesizer section of the Stage EX is very comprehensive, despite any first impressions due to the size of the section.

The synth has been develop according to Nord’s “power mini synth” concept, where-by the synth uses one button and one knob to control the 9 oscillators per voice in the different algorithms. The list of synth features is impressive and includes:

• Classic Analog Synthesis with dual saw, hard sync, and pulse wave modulation.
• Three-operator FM Synthesis with 32 different modulation frequencies.
• Wavetable Synthesis with 77 waveforms.
• With the Unison knob you can fatten your sound for lush pads, thick comps, and fiery leads. Included is a 12/24 dB LowPass Filter with resonance, an Amp envelope, a Modulation envelope, an LFO, and a two band equalizer. Three different Synth banks are provided – Synth, Pad, and Bass – for the creation and storage of your own patches, and each bank holds up to 100 sound programs.

External Section

The Stage EX can handle any MIDI-connected gear with ease, with splits, layers and zones being handled as though they were a part of the keyboard itself. Settings can be recalled in real-time during a performance after being saved with a Program and it can transmit Program Change and Bank Select messages to external devices as well.

Effects

Effects are easily controlled and turned on and off through dedicated buttons at the bottom of each effects unit and the effects units can have any of the keyboards three sections – Piano, Organ and Synth – routed through them.

Below is a breakdown of each effects section:

• Unit One
  • Tremolo
  • Two Wahs
  • Auto-Wah
  • AutoPan
  • Ring Moduator
• Unit Two
  • Two Flangers
  • Two Choruses
  • Two Phasers
• Delay
  • Supports ping-pong mode
  • Tap-tempo button, for easy tempo adjustment
  • Two delay modes
  • New Analog mode, for those classic “warped” sounds
• EQ/Amp Simulation
  • Three band EQ
  • Sophisticated amplifier
  • Speaker cabinet modeler, featuring:
    • Twin Reverb
    • Jazz Chorus 123
    • Wurlitzer cabinet model
• Rotary Speaker
  • Based on the Leslie 122
  • Can be used with any acoustic or electric piano sounds, and synth, or to
  • Add character to organ performances
• Master Effects, placed at the end of the sound chain
  • Compressor, for tight and controlled mixes
  • Reverb
    • Stage space
    • Hall space
    • Room space

So all round, a fantastic addition to any live performance, a unit which you can use to draw on all of Nord’s vast experience and history in making live music unforgettable.

Nord – Handmade in Sweden, by devoted music lovers, at Clavia DMI AB

Specifications

Purchasing Peace of Mind

To purchase this highly recommended keyboard, simply go to GuitarCenter.com, they are your one-stop-shop for all your music needs. Peace of mind is assured as their Checkout is 128-bit SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encrypted by VeriSign:

Online Safety

• GuitarCenter.com’s shopping cart is secured via VeriSign through VeriSign’s VeriSign Class 3 Extended Validation SSL SGL CA technology
• TRUSTe CERTIFIED PRIVACY
  • Endorsed by 114 user
• McAfee:
  • The McAfee SECURE™ trustmark only appears when the website has passed our intensive, daily security scan. We test for possible personal information access, links to dangerous sites, phishing, and other online dangers.

What are SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates, and what do they mean to you?

These certificates are issued by a number of institutions, such as VeriSign, Equifax & GoDaddy, and they provide a secure connection between your computer and the computer that is running the checkout you are using. They verify the identity of the remote computer to you, so you know that the site you are using is who they say they are, and proves they are a trusted retailer and not someone trying to steal your credit card details. And it provides your identity to the remote computer, so they know you are not someone trying to hack into their checkout. Then as the data is being sent back and forth over the internet, the SSL certificate encrypts the data, so that no one can “listen in” to the data packets and pinch your credit card details.

All in all it provides you with the necessary peace of mind to purchase online, by ensuring everything is as it appears to be.

Why GuitarCenter.com

Now you know it is safe to buy from GuitarCenter.com, why would you want to buy from such a company? Nine reasons:

1. Easy payment, lots of payment options:
   • Major credit cards: Amex, MasterCard, Visa, Discover, Preferred Player Card
   • PayPal checkout
   • Bill Me Later
2. 30/30 Satisfaction Guarantee
   • 30 day lowest price guarantee
   • 30 day satisfaction guarantee
3. Free shipping, on thousands of items
4. Good shipping time, orders normally arrive in 5 business days, plus the shipping is guaranteed
5. Ship-to-Store. If shipping to your home or work is just too complicated, you can have your order shipped to a Guitar Center store, where you can pick it up at your convenience
6. Certified by BIZRATE: they have over 50,000 customer ratings, with an overall rating of Good, the second highest achievable
7. Listed with PriceGrabber.com from 2006
8. Financing, get 6 or 12 months interest free on just about everything they sell
9. “Pro Coverage” is available so you can get your gear fixed quickly or replaced if it is faulty or you break it.

Get your Nord Stage EX 88, 76 or Compact from GuitarCenter.com.

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