nord Stage 88 - Piano elettrico/Organ/Synth 88 tasti User manual
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REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.
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OU L´HUMIDITET.
The lightning flash with the arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated voltage within the products enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute
a risk of electric shock to persons.
Le symbole éclair avec le point de flèche à l´intérieur d´un triangle équilatéral est utilisé pour alerter l´utilisateur de la presence à l´intérieur du coffret de ”voltage dangereux” non isolé d´ampleur suffisante pour constituer un risque d`éléctrocution.
The exclamation mark within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the product.
Le point d´exclamation à l´intérieur d´un triangle équilatéral est employé pour alerter l´utilisateur de la présence d´instructions importantes pour le fonctionnement et l´entretien (service) dans le livret d´instructions accompagnant l´appareil.
Instructions pertaining to a risk of fire, electric shock or injury to persons.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS
Warning - When using electric products, basic precautions should always be followed, including the following:
1.Read all the instructions and observe the graphic symbols above before using the product.
2.Do not use this product near water - for example near a bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, in a wet basement, near or in a swimming pool, a swamp or the like.
3.This product should be used only with a cart or a stand that is recommended by the manufacturer.
4.This product, either alone or in combination with an amplifier and headphones or speakers may be perfectly capable of producing sound levels that could cause permanent hearing loss. Do not operate for a long period of time at a high volume level or at a level that is uncomfortable. If you experience any hearing loss or ringing in the ears, you should consult an audiologist.
5.The product should be located so that its location or position does not interfere with or obstruct its normal flow of ventilation.
6.The product should be located away from heat sources such as radiators, heat registers or other products that produce heat.
7.The product should be connected to a power supply only of the type described in these operation instructions or as marked on the product.
8.The power supply cord of the product should be unplugged from the outlet when the product is left unused for a long period of time.
9.Care should be taken so that objects do not fall, or liquids are not spilled into the enclosure through openings.
10. The product should be serviced by qualified service personnel when:
A.The power supply cord has been damaged; or
B.Objects have fallen or liquids have been spilled onto the product; or
C.The product has been exposed to rain; or
D.The product does not appear to operate normally or exhibits a marked change in performance; or
E.The product has been dropped or the enclosure has been damaged.
11. Do not attempt to service the product beyond those means described in this operating manual. All other servicing should be referred to qualified service personnel.
Trademarks: The Nord Modular logo is registred trademark of Clavia DMI AB. All other trademarks mentioned in this publication are the properties of their respective holders.
Specifications and appearances are subject to change without notice.
Copyright by Clavia DMI AB, 2005
NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
Table of contents |
Table of contents |
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1. Introduction ......................................................... |
5 |
Welcome ....................................................................................... |
5 |
About the Owner’s Manual........................................................ |
6 |
Clavia on the Internet............................................................... |
6 |
2. Overview ................................................................ |
7 |
The Nord Stage front panel ..................................................... |
7 |
The Keyboard............................................................................... |
8 |
About Knobs & Buttons............................................................. |
8 |
3. Connections ........................................................ |
10 |
Nord Stage rear panel ............................................................ |
10 |
Audio connections .................................................................... |
10 |
MIDI connections...................................................................... |
10 |
Connecting pedals.................................................................... |
11 |
4. Getting Started ................................................. |
12 |
About Instruments ................................................................... |
12 |
About Programs........................................................................ |
12 |
Activating instrument sections .............................................. |
13 |
About Panel A & B.................................................................... |
14 |
Setting output Level for instruments .................................. |
14 |
Adding a Global effect ............................................................ |
15 |
5. The Program section.......................................... |
16 |
Overview..................................................................................... |
16 |
What is a Program? .................................................................. |
18 |
Storing Programs..................................................................... |
19 |
6. The Instruments ................................................. |
20 |
Introduction.............................................................................. |
20 |
Common Features...................................................................... |
20 |
The Organ Section.................................................................... |
21 |
The Piano section...................................................................... |
27 |
The Synth section..................................................................... |
31 |
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NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
7. The Effects ......................................................... |
44 |
About the effects ..................................................................... |
44 |
The Panel effects...................................................................... |
45 |
The Rotor section .................................................................... |
49 |
8. Keyboard Zones and Dual Panel setups ......... |
50 |
About Keyboard Zones ............................................................. |
50 |
Octave Shift .............................................................................. |
52 |
Dual Panel setups .................................................................... |
52 |
9. The Morph Assign feature ................................ |
54 |
About Morph Assign ................................................................. |
54 |
Using Morph - an example......................................................... |
54 |
Morph Assignable parameters................................................. |
55 |
About setting Morph parameter ranges ................................ |
56 |
Clearing Morph Assignments................................................... |
56 |
About Aftertouch ..................................................................... |
56 |
10. The Extern section .......................................... |
57 |
About the Extern section ........................................................ |
57 |
Setting up .................................................................................. |
57 |
Using the Extern section......................................................... |
57 |
The Parameter section.............................................................. |
58 |
11. System functions............................................. |
60 |
System menu............................................................................... |
60 |
Sound Menu................................................................................ |
62 |
MIDI menu ................................................................................... |
62 |
Extern menu ............................................................................... |
63 |
12. Factory Presets and OS................................. |
64 |
Internal memory ........................................................................ |
64 |
Factory presets ........................................................................ |
64 |
Downloading Piano instruments via USB ............................... |
65 |
OS upgrades .............................................................................. |
65 |
13. MIDI functions ................................................. |
66 |
About the MIDI implementation................................................ |
66 |
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NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
Table of contents |
Using Nord Stage with a sequencer ...................................... |
67 |
Program, Controller and Synth Sound dumps..................... |
68 |
Panic........................................................................................... |
69 |
14. MIDI implementation......................................... |
70 |
MIDI Controller list................................................................ |
70 |
MIDI Implementation Chart...................................................... |
73 |
Index........................................................................ |
75 |
3
Table of contents |
NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
4
NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
1. Introduction: Welcome |
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1. INTRODUCTION
WELCOME
We’d first like to thank you for purchasing the Nord Stage Eighty Eight! Clavia’s goal when developing the Nord Stage was to create a flagship stage instrument encompassing the whole range of Clavia’s expertise. Building on the success of the Nord Electro, the Nord Stage incorporates the best emulations of traditional electromechanical/acoustic keyboard instruments on the market as well as a synthesizer section designed for maximum ease of use, yet offering wide sonic possibilities.
Nord Stage features outstanding classic keyboard sounds with true feel, from natural keyboard response to authentic sound. A medium weighted hammer action 88 note keyboard makes this instrument the largest in Clavia’s range, yet it weighs only 18,5 kilos which is an achievement in itself.
To make a great tool you have to put all the focus on a few things, and that’s what we did with the Nord Stage. Think about it, the best tool isn’t a Swiss army knife.
Nord Stage Eighty Eight has the following main features:
•Organ section with faithful reproductions of three classic models; B-3 (Hammond), V-Type (Vox Continental) and F-Type (Farfisa).
•Piano section with concert grand/upright acoustic pianos, Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos, Clavinet, and electric grand.
•Synth section with subtractive, FM and wavetable synthesis.
•Comprehensive effects section.
•A medium weighted hammer action 88 note keyboard with Aftertouch.
•An Extern section for controlling external MIDI instruments.
•A Morph feature for applying multiple parameter changes to a sound with controllers.
•Splits and layers are easily set up by assigning instruments to Keyboard Zones.
But that’s not all. There are two independent Panels “A” and “B”, that can have their own settings. This means that you have access to six instrument sections and two independent effect sections! Amongst other things, this allows for “dual manual” B-3 organ emulation.
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1. Introduction: About the Owner’s Manual |
NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
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ABOUT THE OWNER’S MANUAL
The manual is arranged mainly as a reference manual. In many cases you’ll get tips on how to practically use the functions, alone and also together with other functions. Every time the manual wants your attention to an object on the Stage, the name of that object will be printed LIKE THIS, e.g. ‘press the STORE button’. The LCD display on the Nord Stage is always referred to as the DISPLAY. Whenever there is a reference to the ‘keyboard’, that reference also applies to any incoming MIDI note messages.
READING THE MANUAL IN ADOBE ACROBAT READER
This manual is also available in the digital PDF-file format. It can be downloaded, free of charge, from Clavia’s web site at http://www.clavia.se. When reading the manual as PDF-file, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 or later. This program can be downloaded, free of charge, at http://www.adobe.com.
With Adobe Acrobat Reader it is possible to use special navigation features like hyperlinks. This means that you can click with the mouse on a word or sentence and automatically get to the location indicated by the word/sentence. To better show what words or sentences are hyperlinked in this manual, these words are written in magenta.
CLAVIA ON THE INTERNET
If you have access to the Internet, you’re very welcome to visit http://www.clavia.se. There you will find the latest information about Nord Stage and other Clavia products. In the future you’ll also be able to download new Nord Stage sounds and software upgrades, free of charge.
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NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
2. Overview: The Nord Stage front panel |
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2. OVERVIEW
THE NORD STAGE FRONT PANEL
Master |
Organ section |
Piano |
Program section |
Synth section |
Extern |
Effects section |
Level/Rotor |
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section |
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section |
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effect section |
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THE PROGRAM SECTION
The central Program section is where you select and store Programs, access System parameters, activate keyboard zones for splits and layers, and assign Morphing functions. See “The Program section” on page 16 for details.
MASTER LEVEL/ROTOR SECTION
The leftmost front panel section contains a Master Level control and a rotary speaker simulator effect. The MASTER LEVEL knob controls the overall output level for all four CH OUT jacks and the HEAD- PHONES output.
The Rotor effect section is logically placed close to the organ section (as rotary speaker effects are most commonly used with organ sounds), but can be applied to any instrument section just like the other effects. See “The Rotor section” on page 49
THE ORGAN SECTION
The Organ section in the Stage features emulations of three classic organ models; a Hammond B-3, a Vox Continental II (V-Type) and a Farfisa Compact DeLuxe (F-Type). See “The Organ Section” on page 21.
THE PIANO SECTION
The piano section in Nord Stage comprises various multi-sampled piano instruments. Nord Stage utilizes advanced multi-level sample playback, catching every nuance from soft to hard key strokes. Nord Stage comes right out of the box with ten classic piano instruments stored in Flash memory. The big advantage with Flash memory is that you can replace instruments with new ones and that no backup battery is required. The Stage also sports a USB interface for quick and easy download of new piano sounds. See “The Piano section” on page 27.
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2. Overview: The Keyboard |
NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
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THE SYNTH SECTION
The Synth section has been designed for maximum ease of use in live situations. It is basically utilizes standard subtractive synthesis but also incorporates FM and wavetable synthesis.
See “The Synth section” on page 31.
THE EXTERN SECTION
The Extern section controls an external MIDI instrument. You can use the PARAMETER knob to control various parameters on the external device. You can also assign the external instrument to any Keyboard Zone, just like the built-in instruments! See “The Extern section” on page 57.
THE EFFECTS SECTION
Here you’ll find the numerous effects and modulations you can use to add that extra flavour to your sounds. See “The Effects” on page 44.
THE KEYBOARD
The keyboard of Nord Stage features 88 fully weighted keys for optimal feel and response with piano instruments. For organ sounds there is also a fast trigger response option which closely mimics the feel of a real organ.
The keyboard can be split into three Keyboard Zones to which any instrument section can be freely assigned. Assigned Keyboard Zones are saved with a Program. See “Keyboard Zones and Dual Panel setups” on page 50.
ABOUT KNOBS & BUTTONS
THE KNOBS
There are two types of knobs on the Nord Stage:
• Rotary Encoders that show the position with green LED indicators.
These always reflect the “true” value, and can also be controlled using the Morph function (see “About Morph Assign” on page 54).
• Other knobs are of potentiometer type. This means that when you begin to edit a Program the values of the parameters can be totally different from the knobs physical positions. As soon as you begin turning a knob, the parameter value will ‘snap’ to the knob’s physical position. This could generate drastic changes to the sound but that’s normal.
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NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
2. Overview: About Knobs & Buttons |
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THE BUTTONS
There are three types of buttons for editing sounds on the Nord Stage:
SELECTOR BUTTONS
Press the SELECTOR button repeatedly to select between options printed next to the corresponding triangular LED (see figure).
ON/OFF BUTTONS
The ON/OFF buttons have a LED next to them to indicate the status.
DRAWBAR BUTTONS
The DRAWBAR buttons are special in the way that they auto-increment/decrement the corresponding parameter when held. I.e. if you hold a DRAWBAR button the corresponding drawbar parameter will continue to increment or decrement (within its range) until you release the button.
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3. Connections: Nord Stage rear panel |
NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
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3. CONNECTIONS
NORD STAGE REAR PANEL
AUDIO CONNECTIONS
•Make all audio connections before turning on your power amplifier!
•All signal cables used with the Nord Stage must be shielded.
•The four audio outputs (CH OUT 1-4)) are line level and unbalanced.
•If you wish to connect the Nord Stage in stereo to your audio equipment, you should use CH1 OUT in pair with CH2 OUT.
•You can also route individual instruments to CH OUTPUTS 3 & 4 either in stereo or as two mono channels. This is done on the System page - see page 60.
MIDI CONNECTIONS
•If you are using a Nord Stage together with a MIDI keyboard, connect a MIDI cable from MIDI Out on the keyboard to MIDI IN on the Nord Stage.
•If you are using Nord Stage to control an external MIDI instrument, connect a MIDI cable from MIDI OUT on the Nord Stage to the MIDI In connector on the other instrument.
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NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
3. Connections: Connecting pedals |
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CONNECTING PEDALS
The Nord Stage has four pedal inputs, one CONTROL PEDAL input (for controlling Nord Stage parameters), one ORGAN SWELL input, one SUSTAIN PEDAL input and one ROTOR SPEED input (for rotary speaker fast/slow selection). You can select for each instrument whether it should react to sustain or not (see “Activating the Sustain Pedal/Pitch Stick for Instruments” on page 20). Connect the pedals as shown in the figure below:
When connecting an expression-type pedal to the CONTROL PEDAL OR ORGAN SWELL input, you should use a stereo cable (Tip-Ring-Sleeve). Please note that the pedal must have a stereo output jack. Pedals from various manufacturers can have different characteristics but any expression pedal can easily be adjusted to function properly with Nord Stage (see “Ctrl Pedal Gain” on page 61).
THE ORGAN SWELL INPUT
You can connect an expression pedal to the ORGAN SWELL input to control organ swell, the characteristic volume/frequency response control used by the original B-3 organ, and normal organ swell for the other organs.
USING A ROTOR SPEED PEDAL
You can use a pedal connected to the ROTOR SPEED input to switch between Slow and Fast rotor speed for the Rotary Speaker effect. In this case you may need to make System settings to make it operate the way you like. This is done on the System menu page - see “System menu” on page 60, where you can set up the Rotor Speed control mode (Hold/Toggle).
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4. Getting Started: About Instruments |
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4. GETTING STARTED
ABOUT INSTRUMENTS
When “Instrument sections” or “Instruments” are referred to in the manual this is a collective reference to the Organ, Piano and Synth instruments which can be all be active within a Program.
ABOUT PROGRAMS
A Program in Nord Stage basically contains all settings (instruments and effects etc.) when the Program was saved. A Program can consist of a single instrument or a combination of up to six instruments, which can be assigned to one ore more Keyboard Zones for split and layered sounds.
Programs also contains settings for both Panel A and B (see “About Panel A & B” on page 14. For more details about the Program memory architecture see “What is a Program?” on page 18.
SELECTING PROGRAMS
The Program memory in Nord Stage consists of 21 Program Pages, with each Page holding 6 Programs for a total of 126 Programs. All Programs can be edited and replaced at any time. To select a Program for playing/editing, proceed as follows:
1.Select a Page (1-21) by pressing the PAGE -/+ buttons in the Program section.
2.Select a Program on the current Page by pressing one of the six PROGRAM buttons 1 to 6.
• You can also use the VALUE DIAL to the right of the DISPLAY to select Programs. By turning the knob you can continuously scroll between all Programs (on all Pages).
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NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
4. Getting Started: Activating instrument sections |
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EDITING A PROGRAM
Actually, how to change a programmed sound can be described in one sentence: “tweak the knobs and press the buttons”. It is as simple as that! Don’t be afraid to edit and overwrite the factory Programs. If you want to restore any of the original factory programs later, you can download them at http://www.clavia.se and transfer them to your Nord Stage as MIDI SysEx files. To indicate that a Program has been edited (changed from the stored version), an asterisk is shown to the right of the Program number in the DIS-
PLAY.
REVERTING TO THE ORIGINAL PROGRAM
If you have edited a Program and want to revert to the stored original, just press the corresponding PRO- GRAM button again.
STORING AND NAMING PROGRAMS
How to store and name Programs is described in a separate chapter - see “The Program section” on page 16.
ACTIVATING INSTRUMENT SECTIONS
There are three main instrument sections in Nord Stage: the Organ section, the Piano section and the Synth section. You can activate/deactivate instrument sections in the following ways:
• Pressing the KB ZONE SELECT ON/OFF button for an Instrument section so
that one or more of the LEDs lights up will activate the corresponding instrument. If all LEDs are lit, the instrument will play across the whole range of the keyboard. Any other active instrument(s) will in this case be layered with the instrument you just activated.
•Pressing the KB ZONE SELECT button for an active Instrument section (so that the LEDs go dark) will turn off the corresponding section.
•For information on how to use splits see the chapter “Keyboard Zones and Dual Panel setups” on page 50.
INSTRUMENT INIT 1-4
Alternatively, you can use the following method to select one of four basic INSTRUMENT INIT setups (Organ/Split Organ/Piano/Synth). This will activate the corresponding instrument, and deactivate all other instruments.
1.Hold down the SHIFT button.
2.Press one of the ORGAN, SPLIT ORGAN, PIANO OR SYNTH buttons in the Program section to activate the corresponding instrument section. The “Split Organ” setup uses a split for a Lower/Upper manual organ where the lower half of the keyboard plays an organ belonging to Panel A and the upper half plays Panel B (see “About Split Organ Setups” on page 26).
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4. Getting Started: About Panel A & B |
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ABOUT PANEL A & B
All instruments in Nord Stage are two part multitimbral. This means that each instrument section can produce two sounds simultaneously, with completely independent settings. The key to this feature are the two Panels; A and B.
The two PANEL buttons A and B selects which Panel is currently active (or edit active - see below). Each Panel controls three instrument sections and four Panel effects. The intended functionality of having two Panels with their own settings is not to alternate between two sound setups within a selected Program (although you can).
The “proper” way to use Panels is rather to have both Panels activated, giving you access to two simultaneous instrument sounds in each instrument section, e.g. a Rhodes and a Clavinet, two Synths etc. In dual panel mode you are basically layering two sets of the Nord Stage panel.
•You activate both panels by holding down one of the PANEL A/B buttons and then pressing the other.
•To exit “Dual Panel” mode, hold down one of the PANEL A/B buttons and then press the other.
ABOUT PANEL EDIT FOCUS
Both Panels activated. One of the PANEL button LEDs will blink to indicate which Panel is currently has edit focus.
If both Panels are activated, the settings on the front panel always reflects settings for one of the Panels (A or B) at a time.
•Any tweaking of parameters will only affect the currently “edit active” Panel, which is indicated by a blinking PANEL button.
•Pressing the other PANEL button will then instantly switch edit focus to the other Panel and allow you to edit the settings.
•Each Panel contains independent settings for three instruments (Organ/Piano/Synth), as well as the settings of the four Panel effects (Effect 1/2, Delay and AmpSim/EQ).
•Thus, within a single Program you can use up to six instruments and eight independent effects.
SETTING OUTPUT LEVEL FOR INSTRUMENTS
Each instrument has a LEVEL rotary encoder at the top. This adjusts the output level for the corresponding instrument section. The LEVEL encoders can be Morph controlled.
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NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
4. Getting Started: Adding a Global effect |
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ADDING A GLOBAL EFFECT
Nord Stage features four effect sections; the Rotor section (rotary speaker effect), the Effects section (three separate effects units; Effect 1, 2 and Delay), the Ampsim/EQ section (overdrive and amplifier/speaker modelling with EQ), and a Compressor and Reverb section. The Compressor and Reverb effects are global, and affect all instruments routed to the main CH OUT 1/2 jacks. The other effects can process one instrument at a time per Panel.
• To add a global reverb effect to a sound, simply press the ON button in the Reverb section.
Now you can adjust the amount of reverb effect using the DRY/WET knob, and set the basic reverb character (Hall/Stage/Room) using the Selector button!
How to use the other effects is described in the Effects chapter, see “The Effects” on page 44..
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5. The Program section: Overview |
NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
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5. THE PROGRAM SECTION
OVERVIEW
The Program section comprises central functions such as Program handling, system pages etc. System pages are covered in a separate chapter - see “System functions” on page 60.
PAGE -/+ BUTTONS
The PAGE -/+ buttons are used to select Programs and to navigate between System menu pages.
DISPLAY
The DISPLAY normally shows the name of the currently selected Program, but is also used for displaying various system parameters.
THE SHIFT BUTTON
Many buttons and knobs have secondary functions that you can access by holding down SHIFT and pressing the button or turning the knob. The Shift induced functions are always printed below the corresponding button or knob. For example, pressing SHIFT + PROGRAM 3 button will allow you to access the MIDI system parameters.
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NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
5. The Program section: Overview |
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VALUE DIAL
The VALUE DIAL to the right of the Display is used to select Program locations, and to set system parameter values.
THE STORE BUTTON
The red STORE button is used when storing Programs (see “Storing Programs” on page 19).
PROGRAM BUTTONS
Below the DISPLAY are the six PROGRAM buttons (1- 6). Use them to select Programs and to select various system functions (using SHIFT).
THE LIVE 1/2 BUTTONS
Pressing either of the LIVE 1/2 buttons will activate the Live memory - see “About the Live 1&2 memory” on page 18 for a description of this special memory feature.
KB ZONES 2/3 BUTTONS
These buttons are used to activate keyboard zones. Each Program can have up to three keyboard zones (Lower/Upper/Hi), and each instrument section can be set to play across all, two or one of these zones - see “Keyboard Zones and Dual Panel setups” on page 50.
MORPH ASSIGN BUTTONS
This section allows you to assign panel parameter(s) to be controlled using the Mod wheel, a control pedal or keyboard aftertouch. Multiple parameters can be Morph-assigned so that when you for example move the Mod wheel it will change the drawbars settings for the organ and the volume of the piano section simultaneously. See “The Morph Assign feature” on page 54.
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5. The Program section: What is a Program? |
NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
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PANEL A/B BUTTONS
For each Program you have two independent Panels; A and B, where each Panel contains independent settings for the three instrument sections and effects. If you activate both Panels you can use two instruments of the same type at the same time, e.g. two Piano instruments or a Split Organ setup (see “About Split Organ Setups” on page 26. This is done by simultaneously pressing both PANEL A and B buttons. When both panels are active you have access to six instrument sections and eight effects sections (Effect 1 & 2, Delay and AmpSim/EQ x2). One of the PANEL A & B buttons will then blink to indicate edit focus, i.e. which of the two Panel’s settings that are currently shown and can be tweaked. To switch edit focus to the other Panel, press the corresponding PANEL button.
WHAT IS A PROGRAM?
A Program basically stores everything (except System functions which are mostly global). To understand the internal architecture in Nord Stage, keep the following in mind:
•For each Panel, settings for all three Instruments, the four Panel Effects, and the Extern section are independent.
•A Program stores settings for both Panel A and B, so a Program contains independent settings for six instruments, eight Panel Effects, and two Extern sections.
•The Global effects (Compressor/Reverb), and the Rotor effect, are not Panel independent, but are stored with the Program as well.
•Splits, layers (Keyboard Zones) and Morph assignments are of course also part of a Program.
ABOUT THE LIVE 1&2 MEMORY
The special Live memory feature can be described as a “live program memory”. If you activate the LIVE 1 OR 2 buttons, all changes to panel settings you make will be continuously saved. If you switch the power off, or select another Program, the settings are still stored in the Live memory, so when you power up next time (or return to the Live memory) all settings will be exactly as you left them.
Having two Live memory locations means that two independent setups can be “saved” in this way.
If Live memory is selected and you decide you wish to store the settings permanently as a Program you can do so using the standard methods (see below).
You can also store Programs into the Live 1 or 2 memory locations, in which case the Program settings will replace the current Live memory settings. Note that when you store a Program into either of the Live memory locations, the stored settings will be “transferred” to Live memory, i.e. any changes you make will be stored continuously, and you will not be able to revert back to the exact settings as they were when “stored”.
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5. The Program section: Storing Programs |
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STORING PROGRAMS
Storing a Program will overwrite the existing Program in the selected memory location.
Note! When Nord Stage is shipped from factory, Memory Protect is set to ‘On’. To be able to store Programs, see “Memory Protect” on page 61.
STORING A PROGRAM
To store a Program without changing its name, proceed as follows:
1.Press the STORE button once. The STORE button and the currently selected PROGRAM button indicator starts blinking, and the DISPLAY will read “Store to X : X” (the current Page and Program number), plus the Program name,
Store to 1:5 Wizard
2.Next step is to select a Page/Program location to store the edited Program in. You can use the PAGE - /+ buttons to select a Program Page (1-21), and the PROGRAM 1-6 buttons to select a Program number on the selected Page (or the Live 1 or 2 memories). Alternatively, you can use the VALUE DIAL to scroll through all Programs (on all Program Pages). To cancel the operation, press any button, except for the SHIFT, PROGRAM, STORE or PAGE -/+ buttons.
• From here you can opt to name the program before finally storing it - see “Naming a Program” below.
3.Press STORE again to store your Program. The Display now reads “Program Stored!” for a short duration.
NAMING A PROGRAM
To name a program, proceed as follows:
1.Hold down SHIFT and press the STORE button once. The STORE button indicator starts blinking, and the DISPLAY will read “Set Name”.
2.Now use one of the following methods to name your Program:
•You can move the cursor position left or right in the DISPLAY by using the PAGE -/+ buttons.
•When the cursor is at the position where you want to enter/change a character, you can use the VALUE DIAL to scroll through all available characters (a-z.A-Z, 0-9, Space and “-”).
•By holding down SHIFT and pressing the PAGE + (INS) button, you enter a blank step at the cursor position.
•By holding down SHIFT and pressing the PAGE - (DEL) button, you erase the character at the cursor position.
•Alternatively, you can press and hold down the KB ZONES 2 OR 3 button. This will bring up the characters in the DISPLAY with the focus on the character the cursor was last on. You can now use the VALUE DIAL to select a character at the current cursor position. When you release the KB ZONES button the cursor automatically moves to the next position.
3.Press STORE again. Now you can use the same methods as outlined in “Storing a Program” above to store your name with the Program.
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6. The Instruments: Introduction |
NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
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6. THE INSTRUMENTS
INTRODUCTION
The Nord Stage features 3 different Instruments; Organ, Piano and Synth. Each Instrument is two part multitimbral meaning that there are actually two independent sound engines for each Instrument. These “engines” are internally connected to the Panels, one for Panel A and another for Panel B. The Organ behaves a little differently in that there is actually only one “engine” but supports two manuals with separate drawbar settings - see “About Split Organ Setups” on page 26.
COMMON FEATURES
ACTIVATING THE SUSTAIN PEDAL/PITCH STICK FOR INSTRUMENTS
You can freely set which instruments are to respond to a connected Sustain Pedal and to Pitch Bend
• To activate the Sustain pedal for an instrument, press SHIFT + the right OCTAVE SHIFT button in the corresponding instrument section so that the “SUSTPED” LED lights up below the button. You use the same general method to deactivate reception of Sustain for an instrument section, which in that case turns off the “SUSTPED” LED indicator.
• To activate Pitch Bend for an instrument section, press SHIFT + the left OCTAVE SHIFT button in the corresponding instrument section so that the “PSTICK” LED lights up below the button.
The bend range is fixed to -/+ 2 semitones.
LEVEL ENCODER
The LEVEL rotary encoder allows you to adjust the output volume for the instrument. Instrument level can be Morph controlled.
KB ZONE SELECT BUTTONS
The KB ZONE SELECT buttons allow you to assign the instrument to Keyboard Zones to create splits and layers. This is described in “Keyboard Zones and Dual Panel setups” on page 50.
OCTAVE SHIFT
Each instrument has a finite note range. You can use Octave Shift to shift the pitch up or down within the instruments note range. See “Octave Shift” on page 52 for more information.
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NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
6. The Instruments: The Organ Section |
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THE ORGAN SECTION
The Organ section in the Stage features emulations of three classic organ models; a Hammond B-3, a Vox Continental II (V-Type) and a Farfisa Compact DeLuxe (F-Type).
You select which model to play using the ORGAN MODEL button.
THE B-3 MODEL (HAMMOND)
The B-3 Organ in the Nord Stage is based on a digital simulation of the mechanical tone wheels of the classic Hammond B-3 organ. This simulation utilizes innovative and advanced methods to capture every nuance of the original B-3 sound, for example:
•An extremely accurate digital model of the original chorus and vibrato scanner.
•Modeling of the individual random contact bounces for each harmonic.
•Modeling of the unique frequency characteristics of the built-in pre-amplifier which forms the ”body” of the B-3 sound.
•Simulation of the energy stealth on the tone wheels that results in the typical ”compressed” sound.
•Authentic tuning of the tone wheels according to the original B3 design.
•Extremely fast keyboard response.
•Full polyphony.
THE DRAWBARS
The drawbars of Nord Stage are represented by buttons and LED chain graphs instead of ordinary mechanical drawbars. This gives you a big advantage: when you change preset or Programs, the correct drawbar settings are recalled immediately and shown by the LEDs. In other words, no need for the regular ’trial and error’ method. It’s very easy to get the hang of changing the drawbar settings in a natural way with the buttons.
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6. The Instruments: The Organ Section
The drawbars of Nord Stage behave similar to their mechanical counterparts, i.e. you “pull out” the drawbars by pressing the
LOWER DRAWBAR buttons and
“push them back in” by pressing the UPPER DRAWBAR buttons. The DRAWBAR buttons are special in the way that they auto-in- crement/decrement the drawbar value when held. I.e. if you hold a DRAWBAR button the corresponding drawbar value will continue to increment or decrement (within its range) until you release the button. Each drawbar represents a harmonic (sometimes called a partial). In the figure you can see the pitch interval among the nine drawbars. Note that the SUB3 drawbar actually lies a 5th above the fundamental harmonic.
However, in most situations it is perceived as sounding below the basic harmonic. When you play different notes on the keyboard, the harmonics are being transposed up or down with the fixed harmonic intervals.
PERCUSSION
In the original B-3 the Percussion effect is generated by a single envelope generator that controls either the 2nd or 3rd harmonic. The envelope “opens up” for a short moment in the beginning of the sound when you press the key(s).
•You activate and deactivate the Percussion effect by pressing the ON button.
•The Percussion effect can be set to control either the 2nd (HARMONIC 3RD button LED Off) or 3rd harmonic.
•The envelope Decay time can be set to Fast (DECAY button LED Off) or Slow and the Volume characteristics to Normal (VOLUME button LED Off) or Soft.
(The horizontal dotted lines represent the current drawbar level without Percussion)
The figure above shows the Percussion envelope in SOFT mode
The figure above shows the Percussion envelope in NORMAL mode
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NORD STAGE Eighty Eight V1.1x |
6. The Instruments: The Organ Section |
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Like on the original B-3, the Percussion is a single-triggered non-legato effect. By “single-triggered” we mean that the percussion is only present when you hit the keys when no other note is sounding. In other words, if you play a note or a chord and then add on more notes without releasing the previously pressed keys, there will be no percussion effect in the new notes. You have to release all keys to be able to play new notes with the percussion effect. Also, like on the original B-3, in Normal Percussion mode the sustain level is significantly lower than in Soft Percussion mode (or with the Percussion effect disabled).
VIBRATO
The original B-3 chorus and vibrato scanner consists of a tapped delay line in combination with a rotating scanner. For the Vibrato effect, phase shift is applied to the signal. For the Chorus effect, the phase modulated signal is added to the original signal. A lot of time and effort have been spent in accurately recreating the chorus and vibrato scanner effect. Like on the original B-3, Nord Stage offers three different types of choruses (C1-C3) and three different types of vibratos (V1-V3). Select one of these types by pressing the SELEC- TOR button. You activate and deactivate the Vibrato section by pressing the ON button.
KEY CLICK CONTROL
On an original B-3 organ, the key click produced by the random contact bounces is actually an audio artifact. This particular artifact later became a desirable effect amongst musicians. In the Nord Stage you can select the amount of key click that should be present in the B-3 organ sounds.
1.Press the SHIFT + SOUND buttons to access the Sound menu page.
2.You use the PAGE -/+ buttons to navigate to the Organ Key Click Level menu item.
3.Now you can use the VALUE DIAL to change the Click Level 0-100%. Default setting is 50%. When you are done, press the SOUND button again to exit the Sound page.
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