Nord Stage EX88 Vs. Kurzweil PC3x

[RemcoG]

I'm in a tie. Of course they're both without a doubt one of the best keyboards currently on the market.

Maybe you guys can give me some insights. Here are some things I've came up with myself.

Nord Stage pro's
- Absolutely the best E. Piano's and organs
- Easier programmable VA synth
- Sounds great out of the box, almost no programming hassles.
- Cool-ness factor
- Extremely reliable

Nord Stage con's
- It costs 1000 euro more..
- Only (E-)piano's, organs, clavinets and synths, no strings/ethnic etc.

Kurzweil PC3x pro's
- GREAT Piano sounds
- Soooo many instruments included
- Lovely keybed (the Nord has a great one too, but I prefer the PC3x one a little bit above it)
- Could get it right now if we're talking money.

Kurzweil PC3x con's
- Maybe too complicated (like the old modular synths vs. minimoog) *a lot of unused functions*
- The organs and some other sounds just don't sound good enough IMO.
- More likely to crash/be instable

[SoulFire]

I have another con of the Nord:

Crappy bitch bend controller.

Now it's just my personal preference, but I HATE Nord pitch bends. Those bloody little wood things just do not work for me in the same way a good wheel does.

And I've played both, and I do have to say I like the Kurzweil piano better than the Nord... it felt like the Nord was deliberately artificial, trying not to be too natural, if you know what i mean. Unfortunately I think that gave it a bit of a downside to me.

[Bigs]

The Nord VA might be easier to program, but it's also pretty limited. So you might not want to buy it for the VA.

It's a tough choice.. the Stage has an irresistible coolness factor what with the red case and endless amount of lights, knobs and buttons. It comes down to the intended usage, I guess. For jamming with a jazz band or in a church I'd take the Nord, for a complex prog performance I'd go with the Kurzweil.

[-=AnatomiC=-]

The best thing in world is Korg joysticks (Tritons)... they feel just about right, have 2 directions.
I hate wheels, also hate Roland joysticks - but I hate wheels even more...

I recommend PC3x - it's a perfect all around keyboard for a very reasonable price...

[RemcoG]

Well, I don't need to do complicated prog rock setups. For the other sounds I'm going to miss, I think I'll hook up a small controller to my laptop for only those sounds.

The pitchbend really isn't that big of a deal for me, actually I kind of like it.
I think I'm going to test both again next to each other in a store in a week or so (after I come back from London (PORCUPINE TREE!))

In the meantime, I would love more of your insights on this dilemma.

[Bigs]

You don't even need a separate controller, you could use the extern section on the Stage for that. You even get an assignable encoder (yes, one :biggrin: ).

[SoulFire]

The best thing in world is Korg joysticks (Tritons)... they feel just about right, have 2 directions.
I hate wheels, also hate Roland joysticks - but I hate wheels even more...

I recommend PC3x - it's a perfect all around keyboard for a very reasonable price...

I'm actually warming up to Korg joysticks, because of the things you can do with modulation that u can't with a mod wheel. But I do like pitch bend wheels, they just feel natural to me.

But yer, Roland joysticks suck arse...

[Liquidkey]

Regarding the e. pianos, I must say I prefer the Kurzweil sound. Maybe that's just me, but I am always ending up with the K's EP sounds. When we talk about organs, the Nord is in another class, and superior to Kurzweils.

[RemcoG]

You don't even need a separate controller, you could use the extern section on the Stage for that. You even get an assignable encoder (yes, one :biggrin: ).
I know! But I would rather have the two machines completely separate from each other.
Thanks for the helpful tips everyone!

I still can't decide though. The PC3x is so very much more for it's money. But there is something I just adore about the Nord.. It looks and feels really reliable. Although the PC3x sounds VERY good. I just feel more authenticity in the sounds of the Nord. It feels more raw and vintage then modern and polished. And that's something I like.

[Maximus]

The best thing in world is Korg joysticks

Dude Im So Tempted to put that on my sig, :biggrin: anyway glad that you're a convert, just make sure you get a replacement for when it fails. (really.. no sarcasm) the triton joystick is much better than the M3/M50 ones, those are too short and harder to control.

Ok then.. The stage always seems to be a mixed bag in all forums, as nice as it is and as much as it does, traditional DP's seem to make more sense to most people, personally id take a PC3 over a Nord Stage, i think the NE3 is a better tough off product. Hey how bout' the new Privia and a NE3?

BTW

yes, as in CASIO PRIVIA it is the best deal on the market, awesome portable DP and the price is ridiculus

[-=AnatomiC=-]

Dude Im So Tempted to put that on my sig, :biggrin: anyway glad that you're a convert, just make sure you get a replacement for when it fails. (really.. no sarcasm) the triton joystick is much better than the M3/M50 ones, those are too short and harder to control.

Yes, it does feel kinda fragile... because it has less resistance - but I think it is better, because now I'm finally able to do those vibratos, just moving the joystick very fast... never worked on Rolands, to much resistance... (at least for me).

[SoulFire]

A Privia.... really?

I mean yer they're good enough digital pianos, but this guy is looking for more of a workstation isn't he? I really wouldn't reccomend a Privia for THAT...

[Bigs]

I've spent some time with a PC3LE8 this morning and I must say the Pianoss and E-pianos sound and feel really good. The organ presets were pretty decent as well. I didn't have time to compare it with the Stage, but I've played it before and the (e-)pianos on it are not exceptionally better (though the 2XL grand on the Nord does sound sweet).

The PC3LE doesn't compare unfavorably to the Stage (only the lack of full drawbars might be a real downer) and is great value. I mean the PC3LE8 retails for € 1699 compared to € 2899 for the Stage EX 88 :eek:

[RemcoG]

Nowadays the PC3x even sells for €1700,-
But I've already decided on the Nord Stage EX88. I tried them both and I just wasn't impressed enough by the EP's and the organs of the Kurz.

The Nord also feels more authentic sound wise in my opinion.

This will be a purchase that lasts for a minimum of 7 - 8 years. So I don't mind spending some extra money for the keyboard that suits me best. €1700,- is a lot of money too!

I'll be using my laptop and a midicontroller for all the sounds that I miss on the Nord Stage. (mostly atmospheric stuff and strings)

[SoulFire]

One of my music teachers at school uses a Nord Stage 88 EX and he brings it in all the time so i've played it quite a few times and I must agree with OP that the E pianos and organs are the best and most authentic i've heard anywhere. The keybed does feel great too and the control surface is really in depth and allows for great tone customisation straight away. The "external" section is also a really great feature IMO because of my huge involvement with VSTs and whatnot, so that's also really great. The red finish is also very smexy. Overall it's a nice board for a lot of things, especially for a local performing musician, for jazz, blues and rock stuff, however as a kinda progressive metal workstation i wouldn't get one. But besides all the upsides i've mentioned there are a few negatives.

The piano tone is a little bright for me. Not as bad as a Kurzweil, so it beats the PC3X in that mode (I HATE Kurzweil piano sounds). I've already had a bitch about the pitch bend and how ridiculously crap it is and its true. It is a heavy mofo too so thats a bit of a pain in the neck. The display is tiny (the same on a PC3X tho), so it doesn't really beat it there, but its' not anytihng compared to an M50 or M3. There is also a lack of those atmospheric tones, and the orchestral tones and whatnot are also not the greatest selection (especially compared to the PC3X). The synth leads could also be better.

So yer, overall it has its upsides and downsides, but the Nord Stage is a beautiful piece of equipment, no doubt about it. I think tho in the long run, as a workstation for me, I would choose a PC3X, because of the range of tones, pitch bend (thats important to me! :P) and synth leads. But its VERY close as the stage is still a great board :)

P.S. I'd choose an M3 over both of them any day :P

[RemcoG]

I left the prog. metal almost behind me. I don't really need to program complex setups and have all those options. I just love the playability of the Nord.

What's so great about the M3 btw? I heard the acoustic sounds from Korg weren't that great.

[SoulFire]

There is a huge range of sounds and I do quite like Korg Pianos. Not to mention, there is a huge amount of usability for controlling VSTs and other MIDI devices, you can load samples and soundfonts and whatnot onto it, huge range of expandable user presets, the customizability of the sounds is really in depth, the massive touch screen display is really easy to use and convenient, not to mention it can be used as an XY pad.

The joystick controller and inbuilt ribbon are also a big plus. And with the 88 key model you have the option to put an entre Radias unit in there with it and use it as one board!

Recording is also really easy and indepth. And if I order from the US, both boards are actually relatively the same price new, but if I get them in Australia, the Korg is $1000 more expensive.

So for me, the M3 is looking pretty good... now if only i had the money :P

[Gustavo]

Hey everyone, this ought to be my first post in like 8 months!!

Anyway, I agree that the NS has that little something. You do not know exactly what it is. But its just sooo likeable. Sounds very real in the electro-mechanical and mechanical department. Choose an XL piano, add some reverb, record, close your eeyes... seeems like a real piano to me.

While yes, its VERY limited in terms of programability, it is very inspiring because of that. You do not have to go to any menu to do anything. Very straight forward. While the Kurz can make a whole ton of sounds, the Nord can only make a few, but it does it very good and very quickly.

It seems to me that since you are not going prog rock stuff ala DT, Nord suits you better, specially since you ALSO feel that special something in it. But do not fool yourself, it is also good in the prog rock area, since it has superb organs and very decent VA to make leads. It is like an early Wakeman set all in ONE!!

But do not get put out by its limitations. Think of it like this. A Moog is much more limited, monophonic and costs roughly the same. Yet people DO buy it and it is because of the sound.

Later on if you need a workstation you could always get a two tier stand and a Lite version of any workstation, say a Korg M50 :wink: or a PC3LE, on their 61 keys since you already got a great 88 keybed.

Gus

[RemcoG]

Hopefully, the Nord will be mine in two weeks. I'll definitely post some nice pictures of it when I get it. And for Gustavo, I can relate with everything you say.
Thanks for the help!

[Gustavo]

Hopefully, the Nord will be mine in two weeks. I'll definitely post some nice pictures of it when I get it. And for Gustavo, I can relate with everything you say.
Thanks for the help!

:cool: WEll I wasnt much of a helper, but now you know that there are others out there that feel the same as you do.

I also hope that my M50 arrives in two weeks... they have to ship it from Milwaukee all the way down to Monterrey, MExico, near the Texan border.