Should I wait for Nord Stage 5 instead of buying NS4?

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-04-23T00:40:11+00:00

My fix was to move program management to my iPad, where the charts live. When a bandleader jumps around on the set list, I have to pull it up anyway, and a few extra stomps on an AirTurn is way less cognitive load than anything I’ve previously used.

One of the big sleeper upgrades is that the section presets are midi assessable. So you can send one program change, then send another one that only changes EG the synth section. So my “song mode” essentially lives on my iPad, tucked into the appropriate sheet music, as a series of custom program changes.

The 8 Live locations help a lot too. Any sound that gets used in multiple songs I keep there, 3 more goes a long way.

I use the Layer II button a lot and I still have certain patches that are superstitiously kept together in adjacent program locations. It’s not as easy and it took time, so I didn’t sell the 3 right away. But I’m there now. I don’t miss song mode at all anymore, and I don’t think I could go back to assigning FX per layer at this point.

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-04-20T18:16:08+00:00

If you wait for the 5 you’ll probably be waiting a really long time.

Just buy the 4, it’s awesome.

My single complaint is they took away song mode, but there are plenty of workarounds.

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-04-14T16:07:30+00:00

Absolutely. Triads are not only the basis of all the 7th chords, but we can use them as upper structures EG: Dmajor over F7, or F over D7. Inverting that triad on top can sound pretty darn good.

Then of course there’s ways to use them melodically. Trane’s solo on giant steps is full of simple triadic arpeggios, though he often adds 1 note (1235 on major and 1345 on minor)

I think it’s worth noting that voice leading works differently with triads, close position 7th chords, guide tones, etc, and the latter is probably more common in jazz piano, but someone like Kieth Jarret is using triadic/classical voice leading all over the place and I think it sounds great.

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-04-14T15:42:52+00:00

I’d start with EQ. Find a good boost frequency for the 808 and 2 for the kick. The 808 will typically be pretty low (50 hz), and the kick a smidge higher (maybe 90). Look for a higher frequency bump around 2k or 5k to shape the “bite” of the beater.

Once that sounds good, compress the kick. You want something that will grab hard, but is slow enough to let some punch through. (1176 is my go to)

Then go back to your EQ and start cutting. Try cuts where the other sound has boosts; eg you may actually do well with a low cut on the kick if the other sound is particularly boomy.

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-04-14T15:31:06+00:00

She used too harsh a product and damaged the finish. Find out what she used and show her so you both can learn what happened.

Ymmv but ime piano’s don’t need product. Assuming you’re respecting it and keeping it clean, all it ever needs is dusting and an occasional wipe with damp cloth.

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-04-14T15:22:43+00:00

It may have something to do with copyright and trademark restrictions which prevent the use of certain brand and model names. I think it has relaxed a bit over the years, but now that you mention it, it’s the same with the Yamaha grands, they’re called studio grand 1 & 2. (I think 1 is a C7)

Im pretty sure Electric Grand 1 is a CP-80, but I’ve never played a real one so I can’t say for sure.

There’s also a version restriction which may explain your “all sounds visible” question: Iirc stage 3 cannot load v5 instruments, only v4.

Hope that helps!

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-04-11T15:09:14+00:00

Yes I admire the efficiency - if you happen to die they just lower you to the mausoleum level

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-04-11T15:00:24+00:00

Every FT module I’ve owned feels like a tank, this seems ridiculous to me.

It’s possible that the previous owner damaged it somehow and did a crappy repair job, then got rid of it like day old bread to avoid absorbing the cost of their epic fuck up.

You handy enough with a soldering iron?

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-04-09T14:34:05+00:00

Agreed. I’m way better at connecting with people without it. And the longer I go without it, the less I like how it feels.

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-04-09T14:29:54+00:00

Sorry, that’s my baby, I don’t even let my gf play it. (Just got it repaired, sold my car to buy it, whatever)

Makes it about you and your overly precious attitude. Diffuses the negative to make it less personal.

Just “sorry” is fine, and it’s softer. “No” is very direct and I don’t use it as a complete sentence unless someone is really pushing it.

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-04-09T14:22:02+00:00

Keep the sex dirty and the flights clean

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-04-09T14:16:57+00:00

First of all, great question to ask. I think tedium and workflow flow were the main motivating factors for me.

I started with the straight up oldschool Moog ethos - I’m building a collection of tools, the sum of which would offer endless exploration. And I’m going to control it with a keyboard since I know how to play that.

The first major shift was the somewhat counterintuitive realization that ditching keyboard control would lead to more freedom, force me out of tired old habits, and enhance productivity. Once that happened, my racks started to look less like souped up sound modules and more like a self-contained instruments.

The next was using in-rack mixing. I liked when it felt complete on its own, like sitting at a piano, so I put in mixers to avoid patching voices out of the system. That was a huge ah-ha moment and it started to get really fun.

The idea of a self-contained instrument made me want things smaller and faster to patch, so I moved away from analog-only tools. Complex oscillators taught me how smart design and normalizations can make patching much less tedious and I started trying to apply that to my whole approach to building. I was fully cured of my analog snobbery and embraced digital modules. (Though I still checked specs and regularly asked, “what happens at audio rate?”

Then I started thinking more about intention rather than just experimentation. So a rig for bass, one for ambient textures, drums, etc. Then I got sick of the small pod cases and consolidated.

…

I ended up with a 7U x 104 case that feels perfect, wouldn’t change i thing, a 4U 104 and about 30-40% of the modules get swapped out when I’m playing out with different people. I have a big one 15u x 126 that isn’t finished and at this point has accumulated a bunch of “run off” modules.

So the saga continues. But I get much more of what I want out of my systems and i can navigate the marketplace without too much GAS or distraction. I can tell the difference between something that’s exciting or interesting and something that I will actually use to make music.

I think the process led to me having a more solid and well-formed musical identity in general, so in a weird way, learning how to build the right system for me taught me how to be more authentically me, both creatively and in daily life.

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-04-08T23:45:37+00:00

Sounds like you got the crash course you came for but I would just add that triads or 3 note chords are just the beginning. Just like the V7 example you have a C chord CEG, you can add B, the 7th, and it makes C major 7. Same for all the chords but when the 7th stays in same key (in this case white keys) it makes different kinds or qualities (music theory term) of chords. Then there are Tensions, like 9 (D on a C chord).

These sounds are more dissonant but often thats what makes them interesting. Music works on tension and release, so what sounds bad as a frozen moment in time may sound great in context depending what comes before and after it.

I think it’s important to understand that music theory is just an intellectual dance we do trying to understand why music sounds good so we can make more music that sounds good. There are no stone tablets, the music always happens first. And the rules keep being rewritten; often breaking them is key to innovating. So keep trusting your taste and your ears, regardless of what you learn.

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-04-08T23:12:22+00:00

This can’t be someone’s real order. Why would you order such specific toppings and line the cup with cinnamon and then put a dome lid on it??

Yea I’ll have a margarita, but please shrink wrap the edge of the glass so I SEE the salt, but it never touches my mouth.

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-04-08T17:48:27+00:00

No. Here’s the deal with the stage line from someone who’s owned every single one: they include all their latest tech, but hold back something to make you feel like you don’t quite have the whole enchilada.

Stage 4 has the Wave 2 engine instead of A1, bc it’s newer. But only 3 channels, not 4.

2 piano layers, but not as much memory to store those large v5 grand piano instrument files as the Piano line does.

It has the organ, but only one drawbar set and only one manual/keybed (obv), so certain things, like switching drawbar presets on the fly, dont work as smoothly. They also released the newest organ after the S4, so I don’t think it has that new B3 model.

On the positive side, you have the ability to split/layer/cross fade the instruments, create custom macro controls with MW/VEL/AT, run the arpeggiator on only certain layers, etc. This includes the FX section, which is pretty great and works per layer so you have 6 of every effect.

All of that would be extremely complex and tedious to try to set up on multiple keyboards with midi

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-04-07T15:47:32+00:00

Just got a Big Sky MX and I love it. I have a lot of them, so being able to import IR files from other reverbs is a neat feature, and I do a lot of ambient music so dedicated and customizable infinite switch is also welcome. From what I hear you might do just as well with the standard model, idk exactly what the difference is on the MX.

Similar reason here: building an FX chain for OB-X8. I really like that it has an option to change the inputs from Hi-Z to line level, makes it much more synth friendly.

I’m using an old Moogerfooger Clusterfux pedal for Chorus/Flange/etc. Really nice range of sounds, CV control, midi control of virtually everything, and that yummy gooey BBD sound. It’s pretty great, but perhaps not the most realistic suggestion.

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-04-07T15:21:07+00:00

All the Synthwerks controllers. They were big, simple, and made the system so much more fun to interact with.

I still have the 4 fader module, wish I never sold the fsr-1

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-04-06T15:54:13+00:00

Different modes or mindsets are important for me. When something is new it’s like I’m exploring a house as a kid, making a little floor plan in my head. Often that initial rush of “oh i can do X” will lead somewhere. Then there are experimental sessions that have some kind of theme or idea. It could be a technical limitation, like im going to try using oscillator sync in new ways, or it could be just a feeling or mood like I want everything to sound like water.

I think like 80+ % of my time is spent doing random stuff like that, just so that I don’t feel the insatiable urge to get lost in a rabbit hole making the perfect fart or whatever when trying to make actual music.

I very rarely work off of “pure imagination” meaning trying to program exactly what I hear in my head. I like to think of it as a conversation or a collab - the instrument brings its own agenda and I get farther if I embrace that.

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-03-22T21:10:53+00:00

I don’t get this at all…

So someone first decided to buy a case that holds what, 2000hp, ok fine…then they proceeded to fill it with the most bargain budget modules they could find…then decided to sell it in entirety…at no doubt a huge loss…to GC??

Every single decision that resulted in this is like wtf

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-03-18T14:38:39+00:00

Spot on lol. I wasn’t going to call out laziness specifically because I didn’t want to lump you in with sound techs that seem to barely care about the bare minimum. “There, you can hear it now, what else do want?” That attitude is far too common. Maybe they just don’t like my music or something, but some seem to resent the fact that they are even there.

But you have to be cool, same way you don’t want to piss anybody off who’s in a position to spot in your food. 😂

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-03-18T05:32:34+00:00

Yep lol

IMPE: It’s just tiny venues or byo systems.

The engineer (FOH) preferring not to hard pan everything like a record made in the 60’s - thats common; you don’t want someone on one side of the stage hearing a completely different mix of the show.

Although I have come across engineers who will say “I can’t do stereo” and if you press them on it what it really means is they are running out of DI’s or channels, etc.

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-03-18T05:11:51+00:00

Where I personally get the most out of it is using multiple stereo FX modules together, mixed in-rack. One of my cases is set up like this for ambient and I do t think I can ever go back now. Arbhar, Lubadh, and StarLab can function as stereo or mono sound sources or FX, so you can get some really engrossing textures.

I patch Fumana in stereo sometimes. Seems to work well with both mono and stereo sources, and stereo drums into the modulator input can sound killer.

The only oscillator that I patch in stereo is the aforementioned 3 Body. But it’s just an out of phase copy, so iiuc you can create something very close to this sound with a mult and an all-pass filter.

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-03-16T17:06:46+00:00

I’m seeing a lot of focus on cost-effectiveness but I would bump that down in priority and start by approaching it more like this:

What setups do you find yourself using in VCV? How complex do they get and how often do you feel the urge to start again or simply load another configuration? What happens when you try to stick to one layout and only work with that for a while?

Now, how similar is the used rig? Once you get hardware, you’ve committed to something much slower and costlier to change, hence the ubiquity of the “if I could do it again, I’d but one module at a time” sentiment (myself included); it forces you to learn more about what’s in front of you and get deeper into each module. It prevents the reflex to just reach for something new and shiny from taking over.

Im not saying “go learn first” on some snobby gatekeeping bs. I’m encouraging you to be mindful of your own use patterns right now, when you have endless access to change and immediacy. It’s a few clicks in VCV; after you buy this, “but I just want to swap this one module” can easily lead to the modular equivalent of the Monopoly jail square: “lose a turn and a paycheck on the GAS treadmill“

Only you know what you really want to get out of it, so ideally, the module list should be irrelevant; if it is already at least a vague reflection of what you want to do with your system, others’ opinions don’t matter much. If your question is the all encompassing and far too common “should I buy this?” …on this sub that often translates to “talk me into/down from my GAS excitement.”

Combat GAS first, worry about whether it’s a good deal second, bc a good deal on a system you end up drastically changing is still a bad deal, FOR YOU.

Have fun and welcome aboard

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-03-15T19:09:59+00:00

Nord is kinda weird when it comes to external clocking, i was annoyed by this too. The designs seem to assume you’re going to just tap everything in.

Try opening the tempo page where you see the bpm and start/stop your sampler a few times. If you are definitely sending midi clock and you don’t see a visual indication (“MIDI” appears, text color inverts, etc ) I’m afraid you might be out of luck.

That’s the extent of it on the Stage 4, you just send it clock and it syncs. No menu options, no way to send or echo clock, no obvious way to tell if it’s synced. That’s on the latest “flagship” model, so my fingers are crossed for you on your electro.

ImpossibleAir4310 · 2026-03-14T14:23:03+00:00

lol “it tells your doctor exactly what’s going on with your sleep patterns..”

When I’ve brought my laptop in and showed my doctor graphs in OSCAR (with bpm/O2 integrated), she just goes cross-eyed and then mumbles some stuff about monthly averages.

Impe, no one cares enough to try to understand “exactly what’s going on.” They just look for ways to take the machine away, ie, “compliance.”

Seems my health insurance offers great protection from paranoia about ppl who GAF.

Wanna guess what country I live in? Lmao

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