User manual

chaptEr 5 NorD ElEctro 4D rEfErENcE | 13
Additional MIDI keyboard
You can connect an additional MIDI keyboard to the Electro 4D to use
the organ in a dual manual fashion, with the external keyboard operat-
ing as the lower manual.
1 Connect the external MIDI keyboard’s MIDI out to the Electro 4D’s
MIDI in.
2 Set the MIDI channel of the external keyboard to the channel that
is set in the MIDI menu, the Lower Channel setting.
The default Lower MIDI channel in the Electro 4D is “2”.
3 Select the #7 MIDI Split option in the MIDI Menu and set this to
On.
Read more on how to change settings in the MIDI Menu on page 18.
4 Press and hold Shift and the Split button.
This will activate the organ split mode, but since MIDI Split is set to On,
the Electro 4D’s keyboard will only play the upper part without being
split.
Adjust the drawbars for the lower, external keyboard when the Preset/
Lo LED is lit and for the Electro 4D’s keyboard when the Drawbar/Up
LED is lit.
The drawbars
The drawbars of Nord Electro 4D behave just like to their mechanical
counterparts. With the B3 and VX models you pull out and push in the
drawbars to make the settings. The Farf model uses the drawbars as
on/off switches..
Piano section
The pianos in the Nord Electro 4D are
divided into six different types; each
type can contain several instrument
models. You can freely add new piano
instruments and samples via USB us-
ing the Nord Sound Manager.
Right out of the box, Nord Electro 4D
features a fine collection of carefully
selected acoustic and electromechani-
cal pianos, harpsichords and sampled
instruments. A lot of effort was put in
to ensure that the response and sound
of the sampled instruments matches
every nuance of the real article. Each
piano instrument has been multi
sampled in a vast amount of velocity
levels. That’s one reason why they all
sound and feel so authentic.
The Piano section also includes the
ability to use samples from the Nord Sample Library, like the Mellotron
or Chamberlin sounds that have been licensed by Clavia.
Clavinet sound
On an original Clavinet D6 you can select different pick-up and filter
combinations by pressing a number of rocker switches. This functional-
ity is very faithfully simulated in the Nord Electro 4D, which means that
you get all the possible original Clavinet D6 sound variations (plus an
additional four) by selecting different pick-up and filter combinations.
Here’s how it works:
Pick-up type
A Clavinet D6 has two separate pick-ups, one on the “neck” and one
on the “bridge”. By selecting either one pick-up or both in different
combinations you can alter the character of the sound quite drasti-
cally. When the Clavinet is selected in the Nord Electro 4D, you use
the Model button in the Piano Select section to select one of the four
pick-up variations:
Pick-up Type Description
Clav Model 1 (CA) Only the “neck” pick-up; a warmer, less bright
sound.
Clav Model 2 (CB) Only the “bridge” pick-up; a bright sound.
Clav Model 3 (DA) Both pick-ups on and in phase; a very full sound.
Clav Model 4 (DB) Both pick-ups 180 degrees out of phase; the
fundamental is almost cancelled out and the sound becomes thin.
Clav EQ
The Clav EQ button works as filter selectors. By selecting different
combinations of the Brilliant/Treble and Medium/Soft filter indicators
you can reproduce all 15 possible filter variations, exactly like on the
original D6. Use the Shift button together with the Clav EQ button to
access the Med and Soft settings.
Acoustics
Activating the Long Release feature will add a slightly longer release to
an acoustic or electric piano. This is equivalent to what happens when
you adjust the damper tension in an acoustic or an electromechanical
instrument.
M If a piano is selected that isn’t compatible with the Long Release
feature this feature will be disabled. Only pianos of version 5.2 or
later are Release compatible.
Turn String Resonance on when you want to include the pedal-down
samples in an acoustic piano sound. These samples will then be used
when you play and activate the sustain pedal, with a very rich sound.
M The Sml-sized pianos do not include the string resonance
samples.
Hold Shift and press the Acoustics button to playback a selected
stereo piano in mono.