User's Manual

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8. EXTERN | 43

EXTERN SECTION

Control of external MIDI instruments is an integrated

feature of the Nord Stage 3. By using the Extern sec-

tion, all essential external MIDI control functions are

as accessible and easy to use as the controls for the

Nord Stage 3 sound engines.

The Extern section behaves like the internal instru-

ments in several important ways. It is enabled and

assigned to a keyboard zone in the same way. It has a

multi-purpose VALUE encoder, which is used to send

MIDI Volume, Program Change and Continuous Con-

troller messages. The associated parameter button is

used for selecting the parameter(s) to transmit.

Detailed settings for MIDI Channel, Program Change

and Continuous Controllers, among other things, are

accessed through the Extern Menu (read more about

this on page 56). These settings can be part of the

Programs, which makes it possible for the Nord Stage

3 to send MIDI messages – such as Program Change

– to your external units when programs are changed.

SETTING UP

1 Connect a MIDI cable from the Nord Stage 3 MIDI Out to the

MIDI In on the external device, which could be a rack synth unit, a

computer or most anything else with a MIDI In port.

2 Hold SHIFT and press EXTERN (Program 4 button) to access the

Extern menu.

3 Use the PAGE 3/4buttons to access the “Extern Settings MIDI

Channel” page. This page will say “Per Program” or “Shared”

depending on how the ﬁrst Extern menu page setting is set.

4 Use the PROGRAM Dial to select the transmitting MIDI channel

(1-16) which should be used. The Panel A and B buttons are used

for accessing the channel setting for each panel. Press EXIT (Shift)

to leave the menu.

5 Set the external instrument to receive on the MIDI channel deﬁned

in the previous step.

M On the ﬁrst page of the Extern menu it is possible to select be-

tween Shared or per-program MIDI Channel settings. When set to

Shared, all programs using the Extern sections will use the same

MIDI channels for Panel A and Panel B respectively. With the Pro-

gram setting (which is the default), each program uses the Extern

MIDI channels deﬁned for and stored with that Program.

USING THE EXTERN SECTION

ACTIVATING

The Extern section is activated in the same way as the Nord Stage 3

sound engines are, by pressing its ON/OFF button.

KEYBOARD ZONES

There are two Extern sections, one for Panel A and one for Panel B.

Keyboard zones can be used for creating splits and layers just like

for the internal sound engines. As an example, if the Extern section is

assigned to only play in zones 1 and 2, the external instrument will only

respond to notes played in these zones.

See the section about Split functionality on page 27 for information

on how to set up and use keyboard zones.

NON-KEYBOARD EXTERN SETUP

In addition to the regular keyboard zones, there is an extra option -

selected the same way as regular keyboard zones - that doesn’t assign

the Extern section to the internal keyboard at all, signiﬁed by all KB

ZONE LEDs being off for the Extern section. However, all other Extern

features are still active, such as the Pitch Stick and the Value encoder.

This is useful when you want to control external equipment with no

need for MIDI keyboard messages.

OCTAVE SHIFT

Press OCT UP to shift sent MIDI notes up an octave and OCT DOWN (in

conjunction with the SHIFT button) to shift them down. The shift range

depends on the total note range of the external instrument, and the

range of the keyboard zone(s) that the external instrument is currently

assigned to.

PITCH STICK / SUSTAIN PEDAL MESSAGES

Hold SHIFT and press the parameter button to determine whether the

unit should send pitch bend and/or sustain pedal messages via the

Extern MIDI channel, as indicated by the SUSTPED and PSTICK LEDs.

EXTERN SETTINGS 2/10

MIDI Channel

PANEL A

14 Per Program