User Manual Nord Stage 2 OS Version 1.x Part No. 50341 Print Edition 1.
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.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual Vibrato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Introduction Thank you! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . About the User Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X Extern menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Reference: Effects Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 About mono/stereo and effect routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 The Slot effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Introduction Thank you! About the User Manual We’d first like to thank you for purchasing the Nord Stage 2! Our goal when developing the Nord Stage 2 was to create a flagship stage instrument encompassing the whole range of our company’s accumulated expertise.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X 2 About the Nord Stage 2 Great sounds and maximum expressiveness are two essential features in the Nord Stage 2. To make a great tool we believe that you have to put all the focus on a few important things and that is exactly what we have tried to achieve. Let’s look at some of the key features: The Organ section It’s over ten years since we made our first digital model of a tonewheel organ.
Chapter 2 About the Nord Stage 2 Pedal Noise The Synth Section The Nord Stage 2 is compatible with the accessory Nord Triple Pedal (not included, sold separately) which offers an unprecedented functionality. The Piano Pedal adds dynamic control of the mechanical noise during operation, and the ability for you as a player to use half pedaling and “release and catch again” techniques. The Stage 2’s powerful synthesizer engine was built from the DNA of the Nord Wave.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X 3 Getting Started Let’s spend a few minutes to get acquainted with your new Nord Stage 2. In order to make you feel confident in using the Stage 2, this chapter is written as a guided tour. We will show you the fundamental aspects of the unit in as few steps as possible. We know you’d rather play than read. 3 Hook it up 1 Connect the Nord Stage 2 power cord to the unit and a mains power supply, connect the sustain pedal and a set of headphones or a sound system.
Chapter 3 Getting Started Holding Shift and pressing a selector button (with the exception of the Type button) will cycle through the settings in a counter clockwise fashion. The Shift Button Many buttons on the Stage 2 have a secondary function, which is printed immediately below the button. These additional functions and/ or parameters are accessed by first pressing and holding Shift while pressing that respective button. 1 Hold Shift and press the Program Page 3 button.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X Turning the Memory Protection Off Live Mode When the Nord Stage 2 is shipped from factory, the memory protect is turned on to prevent you from accidentally overwriting any of the original programs. This memory protect feature can be turned off by toggling a setting located in the System menu. Memory Protect Off 1 Hold Shift and press the Program 1/System button below the display.
Chapter 3 Getting Started If you have more than one effect activated in a program, you can shift the focus by pressing the Focus button between the Encoders. Focus will automatically be set when a new effect is activated. Hold Shift and press an effects source button repeatedly to quickly cycle through the sources. Activate another instrument 1 With the piano still active, press the On/Off button located below the Synth Value Encoder.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X Load a Synth sound The Extern section can also be part of a split or layer scenario, e.g. if you wish to control an external unit from just one zone. 5 Turn off a Slot combination by holding the slot button you wish to keep and press the other slot button. The Morph By setting up a Morph, you can use a physical controller like the Wheel, an attached control pedal or the aftertouch on the keyboard to adjust one or several parameters, while you are playing.
Chapter 3 Getting Started The Synthesizer Arpeggio clinic Let’s have a look at some of the features in the Stage 2 Synthesizer. Are you ready for some action? Let’s try the Synth arpeggio. 1 Hold Shift and press the Bank D/Synth Init button above the display. 1 2 Press the Oscillator button until the sawtooth waveform is selected. 3 Play some keys and adjust the Freq dial in the filter section.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X 5 Hold Shift and press the Focus/Mst Clk button between the effect dials, the Mst Clk LED lights up. 6 Turn the effect Rate/Tempo dial and look in the LCD to select the subdivison for the delay. 7 Try 1/16, which will be half the note value or twice the “speed” of the arpeggio. Turn up the Amount knob up to but not beyond 12 o’clock to hear the delay taps together with the arpeggiated notes.
Chapter 4 Reference: Program Section 4 Reference: Program Section A : 01 : 1 Piano Imperial Large The program section gives you access to performance functions such as recalling and storing of programs, system/menu pages etc. The four menus and their settings are covered in a separate chapter - starting on page 42. We’ll explain the features in this chapter, staring with the buttons in the program section’s lower left corner.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X keyboard to play the Nord Stage 2 as a “second manual”. By activating Dual KB you can quickly switch between these modes without having to bother with MIDI menus. Having this function easily accessible on the front panel makes it easy to turn off and prevent the external keyboard to play when it’s used to play its own sounds. Program Buttons The 5 Program Buttons gives you immediate access to all the 5 programs in a selected Program Page.
Chapter 4 Reference: Program Section Storing a Program Categories To store a program without changing its name or category, proceed as follows: Every program can be assigned to a category as described in the previous section. This can help you find e.g. all the programs in the “Organ” category if you look for a specific organ sound. The category is shown in the upper row of the display like in the example of a program in the Piano category. 1 Press the Store button once.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X MM Program Bank buttons Select a desired Bank by pressing a Program Bank button. The currently active Program Button’s LED will start to flash to indicate that you need to select a Page (optional) and a Program to enter the Bank. Each Bank holds 20 Pages, with 5 programs in each Page. The Program Bank and Program buttons are not affected by the sort mode. If you e.g.
Chapter 4 Reference: Program Section Morph Assign The Morph is a very powerful tool, which allows you to control several parameters at once with one “source”. You can use a foot pedal to control the level balance between a piano and a synth sound, use the wheel to do a major change in the drawbar settings of a B3 sound, and increase the amount of a selected effect by aftertouch - all at the same time.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X 5 Reference: Common features The Nord Stage 2 instruments, effects and the Extern section share a few common features and characteristics. Level encoders The Level encoders are located at the top on each section and allows you to adjust the volume for each instrument. Master level The Master Level control is located in the upper, left area of the panel. This control sets the overall output level of the Nord Stage 2, at the line level and the headphone outputs.
Chapter 5 Reference: Common features 3 4 Assign one of the active instruments to play on the lower Keyboard Zone by holding Shift and then press the KB Zone Select button in the instrument’s section until only the LO KB Zone indicator is lit. Assign the other instrument to the upper half of the keyboard. Hold Shift and pressing the KB Zone Select button for the other instruments section until both the UP/HI KB Zone indicators are lit.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X MM The bend range is fixed to -/+ 2 semitones In most of the factory programs, the organ has neither sustain, nor pitch stick activated, the piano has sustain but not pitch stick active and the synth has usually both activated. But there may indeed be exceptions to this. Change this as you like, and do not forget to store any changes that you wish to keep. Output Routing The Nord Stage 2 has four audio outputs.
Chapter 6 Reference: Organ 6 Reference: Organ The Nord Stage 2 features three organ models, all digitally modeled; a tonewheel/B3 organ and two transistor organs (Vox and Farfisa). While holding a drawbar button, you can press its sibling button to momentarily auto-increment/decrement in the opposite direction. The Organ section features three main areas: With the Farf model, drawbar buttons act as switches, toggling each register on or off.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X B3 Drawbars The Volume Soft button toggles between Normal and Soft percussion level. The Decay Fast button toggles between Slow and Fast decay times. The harmonic intervals for the tonewheel organ are printed on the panel below the drawbars. For basic drawbar operation, please refer to “Drawbars and Buttons” on the previous page. Each drawbar represents a partial with a fixed harmonic interval in relationship with the played note.
Chapter 6 Reference: Organ The Vox Model Vibrato The original Vox™ organ is probably the most famous of all the transistor based combo organs that emerged in the early 60’s. Transistor technology made it possible to manufacture compact and portable organ instruments.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X The illustration below shows the pitch interval between each voice when the key of C3 is played. Though some voices have the same pitch, they differ in tonal character. C3 Vibrato The original instrument has two basic vibrato modes; “Light” and “Heavy”, with different rates for each mode. There are several types of vibrato and choruses available for the Farf model in the Stage 2, which are activated using the ON button in the Vibrato section.
Chapter 7 Reference: Piano 7 Reference: Piano The Piano sounds The Pianos in the Nord Stage 2 are organized into six types. Each type can contain several instrument models. You can freely add new piano instruments via USB using the Nord Sound Manager utility (read more about the Sound Manager on page 46). Right out of the box, the Nord Stage 2 features a fine collection of carefully selected acoustic and electric pianos, and harpsichords.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X Pick-up Type Description Clav Model A: Only the “neck” pick-up; a warmer, less bright sound. Clav Model B: Only the “bridge” pick-up; a bright sound. Clav Model C: Both pick-ups on and in phase; a very full sound. Clav Model D: Both pick-ups 180 degrees out of phase; the fundamental is almost cancelled out and the sound becomes thin.
Chapter 8 Reference: Synth 8 Reference: Synth Basics Oscillator The Synth section in Nord Stage 2 was designed to be a versatile yet easy to use stage synthesizer to supplement the other instrument sections. While being compact and easy to use, it is capable of all kinds of synthesized sounds, from piercing leads and fat basses to swirling pads and shimmering bells. You have hands-on control of all parameters, which is essential on a stage instrument.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X Shape Mod Pulse This knob governs the amount of modulation applied to the Shape parameter. The Shape parameter can be modulated by the LFO or the Mod Envelope. The pulse wave contains only odd numbered harmonics (3, 5, 7 etc.)at 50% pulse width (square wave). This waveform is special in that its harmonic content can be varied continuously, by adjusting the pulse width (PWM). The examples below have 50%, 10% and 5% pulse width.
Chapter 8 Reference: Synth sources, or by the Modulation Envelope. This will generate a signal with continuously varied harmonic content. If you choose one of the synchronized oscillator modes, the Oscillator will start over with a new period of the waveform, each time the syncoscillator does so. If the Oscillator then has a higher frequency than the sync-oscillator, it will get a complex waveform that depends both on its own pitch and on that of the sync-oscillator.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X Description (FB = feedback) 1.1 3-OP 1:1:1(+FB) Carrier + Mod + FB, same frequencies 1.2 3-OP 1:2:1(+FB) Carrier + Mod + FB, freq. ratios 1:2:1 1.3 3-OP 1:3:1(+FB) Carrier + Mod + FB, freq. ratios 1:3:1 1.5 3-OP 1:5:1(+FB) Carrier + Mod + FB, freq. ratios 1:5:1 1.9 3-OP 1:9:1(+FB) Carrier + Mod + FB, freq. ratios 1:9:1 1.f 3-OP 1:1:2(+FB) Carrier + Mod + FB, freq. ratios 1:1:2 Selecting synth sounds 2.F 3-OP 2:1:1(+FB) Carrier + Mod + FB, freq.
Resonance = 10 Filter Frequency Filter Frequency Chapter 8 Reference: Synth Resonance = 7 | 33 Resonance = 3 Resonance = 0 High Pass - HP KB Track ter Frequency Filter Frequency Filter Frequency Filter Frequency ter Frequency Filter Frequency Filter Frequency Filter Frequency If HP is used, frequencies below the Filter Frequency setting will be attenuated, frequencies above the cutoff will not be affected.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X Release When the key is released, the envelope enters the release stage. The release time is set with the release knob. Waveform Description Square (no LED lit) Use for abrupt modulation changes, suitable for trills, distinct tremolos, etc. Sawtooth Use for ramp type modulations. Triangle Suitable for natural vibrato effects and also used for classic pulse width modulation. S/H Sample & Hold Creates an smooth random modulation.
Chapter 8 Reference: Synth Legato mode Storing Synth Sounds To activate Legato mode, press the selector button until the Legato LED lights up. In Legato mode you can only play one note at a time, just as if the Mono mode is active. If you play a new key before releasing the previously played key (legato), the new note will replace the previous one at the current Envelope stage of the previously pressed key. The new note will not re-trigger the envelopes.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X 9 Reference: Effects Overview The Slot effects The effects available in the Nord Stage 2 can be divided into three main categories: Activating Slot effects Slot Effects - these can affect one instrument (per Slot) at a time. The Slot effects are located in the main Effects section and in the AmpSim/ EQ section. All Slot effects have separate engines and settings for Slot A and B, you have two sets of Slot effects available for each Program.
Chapter 9 Reference: Effects The Focus button If you have more than one effect activated in the Effects section (e.g. Effect 1 and Effect 2), the Focus button is used to select which effect’s settings (Rate/Tempo and Amount) you currently “see” and can edit. Pressing the Focus button will alternate focus between the currently activated effects. The LED beside the corresponding Effect 1/Effect 2/ Delay section is lit to indicate the effect in focus.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X Effect 2 The Effect 2 section offers six types of vintage style effects to add that special flavour to your sounds. Phaser 1 & 2 The digital models of the phasers in the Stage 2 are inspired by models like the Bi Phase, a classic unit that is heard all over some of the 70s most epic music, and the fierce Small Stone unit. The phaser effect produces a characteristic “sweep” effect commonly used with electric piano sounds.
Chapter 9 Reference: Effects EQ section This is a 3-band equalizer which features bass, sweep-able midrange and treble controls. The bass frequency is 100 Hz, the treble frequency is 4 kHz and the mid range frequency can be set between 200 Hz to 8 kHz. The boost/cut range is +/- 15 dB. • The rotor acceleration rate, the time it takes to go from slow to fast and vice versa, can be adjusted on the Sound menu, read more on page 43. • The Rotary speed can be continuously controlled with a Morph source.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X 10 Extern Section Extern section Control of external MIDI instruments is an integrated feature of the Nord Stage 2. You have all the essential external MIDI control functions as accessible and easy to use as the functions and parameters for the built-in instruments. That’s what you get in the Extern section. The Extern behaves like the internal instruments in most cases. It is enabled and assigned to a keyboard zone in the same way.
Chapter 10 Extern Section Extern Parameters The Parameter section comprises the three buttons in the Parameter Select section and the Parameter rotary encoder at the top. Simply put, you select a parameter and vary the value of the selected parameter with the rotary knob. MIDI CC This feature makes it possible to transmit MIDI Control Change messages to control a parameter of your choice on the external instrument.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X 11 Reference: Menus Any settings that you change in the System, Sound, MIDI or Extern menus will take immediate effect on a global basis, and the settings will be stored until you change them the next time. Enter the menus by holding Shift and pressing the System, Sound, MIDI or Extern button (Program buttons 1 to 4). Select a function with the Page 3 and 4 buttons and change the setting with the Value Dial. Exit the menus by pressing the Shift/Exit button.
Chapter 11 Reference: Menus Ctrl Pedal Type Different brands of control pedals have different specifications (resistance, offset and linearity). To simplify setup and to optimize the response of the pedal for the Nord Stage 2, the most common pedal makes are pre-configured, and you simply select the type of pedal that you have connected. Roland, Yamaha and Fatar are linear control pedals with different scaling and offset.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X MIDI Menu Hold Shift and press Program 3/MIDI to access the MIDI menu settings. Use the Page 3 and 4 buttons to navigate between the various menu items on the MIDI menu. The Value Dial is used to change settings, the Slot buttons to switch between A and B where applicable. When you are done, press Exit (Shift) to exit the menu.
Chapter 11 Reference: Menus Extern MIDI A/B Bank Sel cc32 This allows you to set a value for a MIDI Bank Select message on Control Change address 32 (cc32). MM There are many different variations between instruments in how Banks are numbered and accessed via MIDI. Please consult your other units manual. Range: Off (Default), 0-127 Extern MIDI A/B CC Value This will transmit values for the selected MIDI CC number.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.x 12 Nord Sound Manager The Nord Sound Manager is the application that allows you to organize the various memory areas, the partitions in the Nord Stage 2. It is also used to download pianos or programs to the Nord Stage 2 or to upload any of these items - called sounds - from the Nord Stage 2 memory to the computer hard drive.
Chapter 12 Nord Sound Manager The Toolbar Right-Clicking If you right-click on a sound, a context menu will provide the following options: The Toolbar gives you direct access to some of the more frequently used functions in the Nord Sound Manager. Clicking on an icon will activate one of these functions, and a dialogue will often appear asking for confirmation or further instructions from you.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.x 1 Using the Toolbar or Menu command: Click on the Sound Down icon in the toolbar. The same command is also available in the File menu: Sound Download (Ctrl-D). 2 Browse to the folder on the hard drive where the desired sound is located, select it and click Open. The sound will now be added to its bank. The Quick Tour Let’s get acquainted with some of the functions in the Nord Sound Manager.
Chapter 12 Nord Sound Manager Upload a complete partition 1 Make sure that the desired partition (and bank) is focused in the Nord Sound Manager. You will also have the opportunity to change the source bank in an upcoming dialogue. 2 Click on the Bank Up tool, or select the File/Bank Upload menu command (Ctrl-Shift-U). Verify that the source bank is correct and browse to the desired destination folder on the computer hard drive.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.x the Flash memory. Select another program or download the missing piano to the Nord Stage 2. Sound Manager reference Bank Up Toolbar This function will upload an entire bank of pianos or programs to the computer hard drive. The default source will be the currently active bank, but you may choose another partition and bank if you wish. Click on the Choose Folder button to select the destination on the hard drive.
Chapter 12 Nord Sound Manager Clean Deleted Space Menus In the Nord Sound Manager, the usual Windows and Mac OSX keyboard commands can be used. The menus can be accessed by pressing the Alt key and the underlined letter in the menu bar. This function will clean up the space where any previously deleted pianos or programs have been. This is done in order to make this deleted memory space available to new additions.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.x Auto Select (Ctrl+K) When this function is active, pianos or programs will be automatically selected in the Nord Stage 2 when you browse through the sounds in the Manager list, with the computer keyboard arrow keys. Help Info This area may contain error information about broken, corrupted or rejected files, in the unlikely event that something has happened with a particular piano in the Nord Stage 2 memory.
Chapter 13 MIDI 13 MIDI About the MIDI implementation Nord Stage 2 with a sequencer The following MIDI messages can be transmitted and received from Nord Stage 2: You have two connection options if you want to use the Nord Stage 2 with a sequencer. Use the traditional MIDI connectors if your sequencer (or computer) has the standard MIDI ports, or use the USB connector if your computer is not equipped with a MIDI Interface. Note On/Off • Note On and Note Off messages are transmitted and received.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.
Chapter 13 MIDI MIDI Implementation Chart Function Transmitted Recognized Basic Channel 1 - 16 1 - 16 1 - 16 1 - 16 Default Mode 3 Mode 3 Message X X 0-127 0-127 Default Channel Mode Altered Note Number True Voice Velocity Note ON O, v= 1 - 127 O, v= 1 - 127 Note Off O, v= 1 - 127 O, v= 1 - 127 After Key’s X X Touch Channel O O Pitch Bender O O Control Change O O Program Change O, 0-127 O, 0-127 O O X . X . X X . X .
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X I Appendix: Connections MONITOR INPUT Audio connections Headphones This is where you connect a ¼" stereo connector from a pair of headphones. Audio Outputs 1-4 The four audio outputs (CH Out 1-4) are line level and unbalanced. If you wish to connect the Nord Stage 2 in stereo to your audio equipment, you should use CH1 and Ch2 outputs. Use audio cables with ¼" connectors to connect the Nord Stage 2 to an amplifier or recording equipment.
I Appendix: Connections Music Stand The rear panel on the Nord Stage 2 has two brackets where the Music Stand (optional accessory) can be mounted. Nord Triple Pedal The Nord Stage 2 is compatible with the Nord Triple Pedal (sold separately). If this pedal is connected, you need to select this in the Nord Stage 2 System Menu, read more about this on page 42.
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X II Appendix: Factory Presets Factory Presets and OS Internal memory The Operating System, Programs, Pianos and Samples in the Nord Stage 2 are stored in a Flash memory. A Flash memory keeps the data also when the power is turned off. Another big advantage is that you can replace data in the Flash memory at any time.
III Index III A Index F Acoustics 28 Amp Envelope 34 Amp model 38 Amp Sim 38 A-Pan 37 Arpeggiator 35 Attack 34 A-Wha 37 B B3 Model 23 B3 Vibrato 24 Backup 50, 51 Band Pass 33 Bank Down 50 Bank Download 51 Bank Up 50 Bank Upload 51 Notch Octave range Arpeggio 35 Octave Shift 21 On/Off buttons 20 Organ Init 18 Organ Model 23 Organ Preset 24 Organ Split 18 Oscillator Synthesizer 29 Glide 35 Oscillator Sync H Panic 16 Partition Memory 52 Pedal Noise 28 Percussion 24 Phaser 38 Piano 27 Piano Init
| Nord Stage 2 User Manual OS v1.X S Samples 32 Sawtooth 30 Select All 51 Shape 29 Shape Mod 30 Shift 16 Size 52 Skip Sample Attack 32 Slot Buttons 15 Slot Detune 28 Slot effects 36 Sort Mode 18 Sostenuto 57 Sound Down 50 Sound Init 32 Sound Menu 43 Sound Up 50 Sound Upload 51 Split Keyboard 19 Stop Mode 39 Store 16 Store As….
