If there is any piano that has been built for the stage, it is the Nord Piano 5. The piano sounds great and is also extremely easy to use. It looks elegant than most of the pianos that have ever been made. But this piano is for professionals and serious musicians. A casual pianist generally does not afford such a costly piano. The piano holds the best features and features an upgraded memory, independent piano layers, an advanced keyboard, advanced string resonance, and exceptional sound quality. Let us discuss the other inherent features of the Nord Piano 5 here.
Nord Piano 5 Review 2023
| Features | Rating |
| Performance and sounds | 9.3 |
| Connectivity | 9.2 |
| Build Quality | 9.3 |
| Value for money | 9.4 |
Table of Contents
Key Specification of the Nord Piano 5 digital piano
- The piano features an 88-key triple sensor weighted hammer action.
- The piano holds MIDI connections and USB connectivity.
- The piano features an OLED display to display the sound banks and programs.
- There are two piano sound engines and two sample synths with dual sound layers.
- The Nord piano library features a memory of 2GB.
- It features a 120 note polyphony.
- The piano comes with the characteristic three-pedal units from Nord.
- The weight of this piano is about 18.5 Kg and it is thus extremely portable.
Also check: Nord Stage 3 Review: Piano for Stage Shows?
Piano with a synthesizer
The piano 5 is the latest version of the range of pianos from Nord and it is available in two size key beds, namely the 88-note and the 73-note version. Both these pianos have similar specifications and make use of the virtual hammer action on their fully-weighted key bed. The difference between the two pianos, however, is the number of notes they hold.
With version 5, Nord has enhanced the features. The piano features two piano engines and two synth engines. It is now possible to play the sounds at once if the pianist wishes to. Each of the keyboard sections will hold a layer A and layer b button, so that we can have different sounds assigned to each of the buttons, to control the sounds independently.
The layer buttons allow the pianist to flip between the two sounds and also apply settings differently to each sound. By pressing the two-layer buttons with each other, it will be possible to layer two piano sounds together. By combining this synth section with the piano section, it becomes easy to play four piano sounds at a time in one program. To enable all these functions, the piano comes with 2GB memory for the piano section and 1 Gb memory for the synth section.
Piano layout with the keyboard
The layout of this piano is intelligently designed, and it offers a lot of useful features in a very small space. This layout has been in use by Nord for a long time, and thus pianists find it very easy to alter and select sounds and effects as easily as a cakewalk. The key bed of the piano features triple sensors and grand weighted action. The keys could feel a little stiff but when it comes to performance, there is no compromise.
Piano sounds
The sounds of the Nord Piano 5 are sampled from the Nord piano library. There are sounds of 9 different acoustic pianos, ten electric pianos, and 9 acoustic uprights inside the Nord Piano 5 digital piano. Each of these sounds is sampled individually with their sound and character. These piano samples are also eligible for swapping freely or undergoing up-gradation to suit the sound manager software from Nord.
The piano also features several controls that help pianists in shaping their piano sounds. These controls make all the difference in creating stunning piano sounds. There are three different velocity curves in this piano, that decide how this piano will react to one’s playing style. This is of tremendous use while jumping between electric, digital and acoustic pianos.
There are three filters in this piano, namely soft, mid and bright and we can select this to change the tone and timbre of the piano sounds. This feature can be of great use in live stage shows when we have to change the EQ quickly to match with the stage acoustics. The acoustic pianos feature their settings, namely the soft release and the string resonance settings. The string resonance is the sympathetic vibration of the strings, within the piano shell, whereas the soft release is the subtle feature that benefit pianist who are looking to render a smoother release to the notes of music, they are playing.
Sound effects
The Nord stage pianos are known for their effects, and their effects seem to improve with their model versions. There are six modules in the effects section of the Nord Piano 5 and they are Mod1, Mod2, EQ, delay, Amp/Comp, and reverb. Such variations in modules help in routing the effects exactly as desired, rather than rendering a blanket effect overall piano tunes. It is possible to assign effects on the individual piano layers in the sample synth sections. At the top of each section, there is a dial that allows the pianist to adjust the rate or the amount of the sound effect. the connected pedals can also help in controlling the effects.
The piano also holds five reverb types, along with the dark and the bright modes, to add a lot of ambiance to the piano tones. The Chorale effect in the Nord Piano 5 helps in adding a smooth and creamy modulation to the piano sounds. The dry/wet dial allows adjusting the balance between the reverb web sound and the dry sound.
Aspects that differentiates the Nord Piano 5 as one of the best stage pianos
The Nord Piano 5 is an exceptional combination of the studio and the stage pianos and has undergone tremendous board improvements. The piano features two powerful sound engines, dual sample synths, and also twice the memory of its predecessors. Some great features that differentiate this as one of the best pianos of its class are as follows.
- Independent piano and sample synths: Both the piano and the sample synth sections of the Nord Piano 5 are comprised of two independent layers, that we can deploy simultaneously. This, when combined with the effects results in a variety of music combinations from vintage tunes to contemporary sounds.
- Innovative technologies: The key bed of this piano is engineered meticulously to help with great control over music dynamics at any velocity level. Its advanced string resonance helps in the complex interplay of the piano strings.
- Dual piano engine: The powerful piano section of this piano features two powerful sound engines that can be used in layers or split concurrently. Being a premium instrument it is built for use right out of the box.
You can check out: Best Sounding Digital Pianos: Top 10 Most Realistic Pianos
Pros & Cons of Nord Piano 5
Pros
- The piano features an 88-note triple sensor key bed with graded weighted action.
- The piano encompasses Nord Virtual hammer action technology.
- Its OLED display shows the piano features at a glance.
- The piano holds the best build quality and is hand-made in swede with tremendous attention to detail.
- All the sounds in this piano are replaceable.
- Nord’s cutting-edge sampling technology captures the minute nuances and the authentic vibes of the source instruments.
- The piano has two independent piano layers and twice the memory than its predecessors.
Cons
- Not for casual pianists and beginners.
Alternatives of Nord Piano 5
These are some of the best alternatives you can consider if you are not buying Nord Piano 5.
So, we hope it helps you make the right choice. You can also check some quality Pianos under $3000 here.
