Nord has introduced the Nord Grand – which features a premium weighted keybed, with advanced triple sensors that they say delivers ‘the smooth and natural feel of an acoustic grand piano’.
Nord Grand Video Intro:
Here’s what they have to say about the new keybed feel:
“The well balanced and responsive triple sensor keybed features an advanced mechanism that provides extraordinary control both when playing percussively or pianissimo with fluent repetitions and retriggering without lifting the keys completely. The addition of an Ivory Touch surface gives the keybed an optimal feel and authenticity.”
The Nord Grand contains a wide selection of unique Grand, Upright, Electric and Digital pianos from the Nord Piano Library.
The Nord Grand factory bank includes 10 Grands, 9 Uprights, 10 Enhanced Electric Pianos, Clavinet, Digital Pianos and more from the Nord Piano Library. All sounds can be replaced using the Nord Sound Manager.
Key Features:
- 88-note Kawai Hammer Action with advanced triple sensors
- Ivory touch keys
- Seamless Transitions when changing programs
- Layer and Split with Split Point crossfades
- OLED display for excellent overview
- Support for Nord Piano Monitor
Advanced String Resonance
Nord’s Advanced String Resonance reproduces the intricate interplay of piano strings resonating at their fundamental or harmonic frequencies when other notes are played. It also adds the rich resonant ambience of a real piano when playing with pedal down.
Nord Triple Pedal with Dynamic Pedal Noise
The included Nord Triple Pedal features Soft and Sostenuto Pedals, in addition to a unique Dynamic Sustain Pedal. The Triple Pedal also enables Pedal Noise, which dynamically simulates the mechanical sounds of lifting and releasing the damper mechanism.
Piano Section Highlights
- 2 GB memory for Nord Piano Library
- 120 voice polyphony
- Advanced String Resonance
- Nord Triple Pedal with Dynamic Pedal Noise
- Creative Piano Filters
- 3 Dynamic Curves from Light to Heavy
- Soft Release
- All sounds are replaceable
Sample Synth Section
The Sample Synth Section features a broad selection of Strings, Brass, Synths, Choirs and many other sounds from the Nord Sample Library 3.0. The selection includes the licensed sounds of the Mellotron and Chamberlin. All sounds can be quickly replaced using the Nord Sound Manager.
The Sample Synth is equipped with essential controls for attack, decay/release and dynamics (filter/velocity) and dedicated Category buttons for quick navigation and selection of sample sounds. It is possible to create your own samples using the free Nord Sample Editor software for Windows and Mac.
Sample Section Highlights
- 512 MB Memory for Nord Sample Library 3.0
- Essential controls for attack, decay/release and dynamics
- All sounds are replaceable
- Effect section
The Effect section has a wide range of stereo effects, modeled after classic stomp boxes. All effects can be assigned freely to the Piano or Sample Synth section.
The Nord Grand Effect section includes Tremolo, Phaser, Chorus, Pan, Wah, RM, Flanger, Vibe, EQ, Delay and Reverb. The Reverb effect has three different types Hall, Stage and Room, each with an optional Bright Mode.
Pricing and Availability
The Nord Grand is scheduled for shipping in Spring 2019, with pricing to be announced. See the Nord site for details.
I think it is always cheaper. You can get lots of real pianos for free if you just pick them up…
At some point isn’t it cheaper to just buy a real piano?
Not if you want to either record with it or perform with it – pretty much the main reasons for having a keyboard.
It depends what you’re planned do do, mean the stage performances or the studio composing, the grand piano needs some perferials like microphones, good accoustic room, professional recording studio higly recommended, I work with Korg, synth, but don’t have all the features of the grand or electric piano.. . But the Nord has it all… All depends of what you’d like to do, and depends on the budget, the Nord isn’t cheap solution, second thing: I work with another 4controllers, if you playing live, the piano is perfect, for the DAW software USB connection is essential and the Nord has it… Regards!!
I’m still waiting for a modern controller with poly-aftertouch.
I had hoped to see it on the 76-note Prophet-X (i.e. revive the T8 keyboard), but … nope.
This was the exact same reason I clicked this article too, I’m saving up for a Deckard’s Dream and want a modern controller with poly-aftertouch. This is obviously not it though and it doesn’t have mod/pitch controls either.
Nord is clearly moving away from all the VA Synths and Drums. Piano 4 in a different package for a different “feel’. What is this “exceptional precision ?” 7 bit MIDI velocity + a few CC’s for the added movement or something hardware wired to the Piano 4 engine that MIDI can’t do ?
P.S: Why not release the Electro or Grand in a desktop or rack format. Don’t need more keys and such hardware “sample player” would be nice to be able to use the large number of Nord’s sample and Piano libraries.
“Why not release the Electro or Grand in a desktop or rack format. ”
Wouldn’t that be completely missing the raison d’être for the Nord keyboards? They’ve carved out a place for themselves as the company that makes ‘go to’ performance keyboards.
Your reply sounds like they’d stop making the keyboards, then. I don’t think that’s what Q is saying.
nah, yawn. when wil they build their very first workstation keyboard? it´s about time.
“Kawai hammer action.” The video shows what the advertising text should have been.
Kawai bases their action on their grand piano action. You won’t get much better than that.
Exactly what I thought the moment the word Kawai appeared.
Thanks for pointing it out. I was just thinking: should I replace my Kawai with this — is it going to be better than my Kawai?
Answer, no it’s probably going to be the same as my Kawai, but red. And maybe slightly better sounds.
Presumably it’s still going to need two people to lift it.
This is THE best combination. Finaly a good keybed and the best pianosounds.
Yamaha beats Nord on most accounts when it comes to pianosounds. But Nord is really good too and has some unique sounds
Cool. Thinkin’ back there were two makers of electric pianos using strings and a good normal piano action. Kawai and Yamaha. I don’t know much about the action of Kawai, but I know that the best of the best nowadays is Yamaha GT i.e. Real piano action. Can anybody shed some light on the mechanics of the newer Kawai keybeds?
Is the introduction of the Nord Grand the reason the kawai vpc1 is back ordered? I wonder