Learn the Nord Stage 3 Synth Engine (Part 4) | Tutorial / Training 

Hello Walt686868! Fantastic that you are learning all this! Yes, it can be quite the challenge for those who are brand new to synthesis. Thanks for checking this out and best of luck on your journey to experience it. Once learned, confidence builds and the rewards are fulfilling...

My Keys To Music ...I’m a full time pianist whose been giggling all over NYC for decades. Thx to your videos, the world of synthesis is much clearer. I had basic knowledge of of tweaking sounds on my Korg Tr and my Motif but now on my Nord, I’m creating on a whole other level!

@@walt686868 Wow. So happy to hear this. I was just in NYC all last week on a family vacation. Next time I go, I'll give you a heads-up so I can check out one of your gigs. 😄 The talent of musicians in NYC (referencing the pit musicians at Lion King, Frozen and Wicked) are top-notch. You'd swear you were listing to a recording. Happy learning. Today Clavia/Nord announced a new Synth (the Nord Wave 2) so that will keep me busy for 2020 and 2021 for sure... 😎

My Keys To Music... agreed!

I"m sitting in front of my Nord right now creating sounds. All thanks to you, how do I start donating via Patreon again?

Hi Projective Sound. That is a mighty fine (and much appreciated) compliment here. *Thank you so much for saying so and for watching!* 🙏

Glad to hear this narfsounds!

@TheChaserTV - glad to know you finally got it rockin' - now it's time to take it out for a spin. Try creating a sound you've been meaning to explore - that's the best way to learn. But be patient, some sounds are harder than others - a lot harder in fact. Cheers 👍🏼

Greetings from Southern California here in the U.S. So, do you use the auto-translate option in RU-vid to convert the subtitles to Spanish?

Dear Marc, Thanks a lot for your response. It has been I while since I started following your tutorials. I have learned a lot. I am really thankful . I can speak in english so I do not need the translator. But there are a lot of good musicians that would like to have access to these knowledge but they don’t speak english. Well, I think They will have to wait for you to learn spanish lol.

@@maximilianojuarez1 Haha - yes I understand. Well, for those who don't speak English, I usually have them use the built-in RU-vid translator which helps - but I know it's not ideal at times. Thank you for following me and stay tuned for more!

So happy to hear this Michiel Pam. One of the main reasons for starting the channel was to help people where I could when it comes to music equipment and to share the love of music together etc. Yes, the possibilities seem nearly endless. 👍👍

Hi David. Thanks so much for your insight! You took the words out of my mouth and that's exactly why I created the entire site where I provide pro video training for these keyboards. Sure, the manual gets us started, but seeing it (and hearing it) through video makes all the difference in my opinion and gives people a fighting chance to understand this stuff and more importantly, be inspired by it to take things to the next step on their journey to learn and eventually master it for themselves. So glad you stopped by to say this.

Hi David! Thanks for your comment. So happy you are learning about the possibilities. I think most of us are feeling that same way - I know I am...

Thank you Charlie!

Hello, Marc with a "C" - well done on putting this together! Wow, the Arp 2600. I think I remember that being advertised when I was a kid and thinking how cool it would be to have one of those. What an age we live in today with keyboards like the Stage 3 to have a single instrument that contains fantastic pianos, amazing organs/electro-mechanical instruments, and in a feature-rich synth in one package. Glad the videos helped - it's rewarding to hear these stories of accomplishment. 🙏

Glad you like it Martin! Enjoy your Nord keyboard and be sure to check out my main website for more courses related to the Nord Stage 3.

That's very nice to hear. So happy to know that this content makes a difference! Thanks for stopping by. 👍🏼

Hi Mark! Yes, this particular video uncovers some of the biggest mysteries of the Nord Stage 3 synth and is one you may have to watch a few times to get it all. Thanks for watching the videos and so happy we cracked the mysterious LFO too. Videos on the Arpeggiator, Glide and synth presets will arrive in the coming weeks to finish up the series. Then we'll look at a new series called "Discovery" which will take everything we learned and start applying it to real-life scenarios/songs/inspiration moments. Stay tuned!

@@MyKeysToMusic Really looking forward to the Discovery series! I really liked that Asia song, incidentally, which I didn't know and a great keyboard riff - though I know of the band (since I'm a massive Yes fan), they weren't quite as successful in the UK as in the States. Eighties synth riffs to us folk on this side of the "big pond" brings to mind a largely different collection of records, I think!

@@MRFThorne I'm also a big Yes, Genesis and Rush fan. Played in a progressive rock band (mostly originals) from 1985 through 91 and spent many a day worshiping the Gods of Prog Rock. Hey, I've been toying around with an idea to re-create part of "In the Cage" from the Three Sides Live album (Genesis) starting at the 8-minute mark and go for a few minutes. That is perhaps some of the greatest prog music ever written in my view. I think the Stage 3 could handle all 3 parts (Organ and choir in the left hand and synth melody in the right hand). The hard part is actually playing it! I'm no Tony Banks - although I think I could get the point across. Gives me chills listening to that and I think people would love to see and hear the Stage 3 pump that out on a single patch.

Hey James - very happy to hear that. Thank you for your comment!

So glad too hear this! @adamwrightjr - keep up the good work and consider my online and free courses if you haven't already checked them out on my website... 🤙🏻

@@MyKeysToMusic Thank you - I took the intro to synthesis course. Also, I’m looking into your Nord Stage 3 course, is there a good amount of information there that is not already on your youtube channel?

@@Adamwrightjr Great question. Most of the course is all new material and exclusive to the course. There is some overlap, but most of the lessons are unique and newer than what I have here on RU-vid. I also include the downloadable programs in the course for the videos you see here on RU-vid to make it a snap to load on your board (versus programming them from scratch). Thanks for your interest!

Glad to hear it! Continue to enjoy your Nord Stage 3!

Happy to do it - thanks for your comment regisnieto!

Hey awass68, thanks for your comment. Yes, in this video it all starts to come together and the last remaining mysteries are discovered. Let me know how it goes...

Hi @Minhee Jones !! How are you? Been a long time - I miss your posts (from your channel)! Where have you been?

@@MyKeysToMusic Hi!! Been doing a music production course so haven’t uploaded any new videos in a while but hoping that will change soon haha 😁

@@MinheeJones Awesome - looking forward to it! And adding to your music production skills - yup, that's a good thing!

@Davide Fasulo Did you get your Nord Stage 3 yet? Congrats on your purchase by the way and sorry for the delay on this response. So, yes the LFO can modulate the square wave width with one of the configurations called "shape." Great question.

Thanks!

Thanks for the great explanation! The description of velocity explained in this way eluded me at the time of making this video but I have since adopted it in my current teachings. Thanks for watching and for your valuable input here! 👍🏼

Hi Walt! Hope you like it...

I think you may mentioned doing this but tutorials on how to create SPECIFIC sounds (Billy Jean, Breathless by Ariana Grande...synth solo from Home At Last by Steely Dan...etc etc...) could be very useful. Thanks to your excellent tutorials, anyone can sit in front of the Stage 3 and create interesting sounds but the real challenge is how to put this knowledge to practical use. The reason I mention the Ariana Grande song is because I had a gig recently where I had to play this song and there is a very specific synth pad throughout the song.

Hi Walt! Thanks for your comment. I completely agree with what you are saying here that creating a sound on your own by way of experimenting is one thing, but creating a sound to mimic an existing sound (like from a famous song) is entirely another. And I'll go on to say that there appears to be a strong demand from folks who not only need these sounds (for cover gigs and such) but also want to know exactly how to create them (from scratch in some cases). This particular skill is something that I assume gets better over time and one I'm still working on myself. However, there is much that can be learned (and taught) even if my own skills are not yet sharpened to the point of "expert level". As such, a "Discovery Series" is planned in the future whereby we take sounds from famous songs and break down their composition so we can all see first-hand what goes into them. One idea is to get help from others who have already programmed these sounds to supply the material and I can do the teaching part. In addition, the completed songs will be made available for sale for those who want a shortcut into getting them and don't have time to build them up on their end from scratch each time etc. The paid part is also because these programmers/creators currently make these completed sounds/bundles available for sale today and it's partly how they make their income. So, those are my latest musings on this subject. I'm sure the ideas will evolve as we get closer to starting this series. On a side note, you may have already seen the latest installment of the Nord Stage 3 Synth series of part five yesterday (2/2/2019) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RYBD-JmsCeE.html. In fact, in part five, you'll see an abbreviated breakdown of the Genesis song which hints at what a discovery series might be like. I have two more parts planned for that synth series before calling it complete (Arpeggiator and Synth Preset). After that, I have a strong desire to make a "Nord Stage 3 Complete" course for sale on the www.mykeystomusic.com website. A course like this needs to be offered for those who want a single place to go to get the complete training for the Nord Stage 3. The course would be well-organized, fully comprehensive, track the student's progress for them, allow for direct, engaged discussion, and it would also be ad-free. There has been a promising steady enrollment into the free Synthesizer Fundamentals course so far and just about everyone enrolled in that course is a Nord Stage 3 owner. Pretty exciting times. Thanks again for ALL your support Walt. The feedback helps my understanding of the marketplace better and is also very motivating for me as a creator as well! I hope that answered your question and provides for an honest look into what's currently in my head.

My Keys To Music Looking forward to all this Marc! Thank u!

I’ve been creating sounds I never would have dreamed possible. This is all because of your excellent tutorials. The instructions that come from Nord are sufficient but don’t provide any real hands on instruction. If it hadn’t t been for your tutorials, I probably would not have even attempted to create any sounds. Now I spend hours in front of the Nord experimenting and creating. I can’t thank you enough.

Glad you like it! Thanks for watching and stay tuned for more. Also, you can check out my free and paid Nord-related courses on my website in the description.

Glad to hear it Julia! Thanks for watching!

Thank you for your comment!

Glad you like it David!

@jensarnold50 Hello Jens! Thanks for your request. I don't plan on making a complete synth training course on RU-vid for the Nord Stage 4. Instead, I have all this pro training almost ready from my main website. You can find the upcoming course here and it's available for early adopters today as it's about 90% complete at this point: www.mykeystomusic.com/courses/master-the-nord-stage-4

Hey, thanks for checking it out Albert!

Hey bobcat1948! Long time no hear. Thanks for stopping by today! Part 5 out soon...💪

Great, thanks David.

@@MyKeysToMusic This is I believe the most complex part

@@MrNot4saken Yes, I tend to agree with you. You may have to watch it a few times in selected spots. Let me know if there are questions along the way...

@@MyKeysToMusic Still waiting for my Nord Stage 3 will be so fun to experiment

@@MrNot4saken Oh right. That's great. When will it arrive?

Thanks for your question and for your positive comments on the videos! So, the Amp envelop is used to make adjustments to either the cutoff frequency, the LFO amount or the Modulation amount over time. That's what I was demonstrating on a large part of the video here. The AMP envelope only controls volume over time (which is really the main envelope that most people focus on). So in the video here I'm using the MOD envelope to adjust the frequency ("buzz") of the sound while I hold the keys. That effect requires the MOD envelope. Had I just used the Amp envelope, only the volume would be adjusted, instead of the buzz/frequency amount. Hope that helps explain it. It can be very confusing when you first get your head around this.

Hi David. Keep the questions and requests coming as they are both motivational and informative. They really help define what the needs are. So I plan on having 2 to 3 more videos to complete the synth training that will include the arpeggiator, the glide options with mono and legato, as well as the synth presets. And I'll be sure to throw in a few minutes for the fast attack and anything else I left out on the synth training thus far. Then, I'll switch gears a bit and finish the "Nord Stage 3 Complete" training course available for sale at www.mykeystomusic.com in the coming weeks as well. This new paid course will be for people who are brand new to the instrument and want one place to go to get complete training in an organized and professionally delivered course engine from A to Z that tracks their progress and allows them to learn things in the correct order etc. Pretty excited about that offering. Think of it as a "living video manual" for those who want to "watch the movie instead of reading the book." The course will also be searchable by lesson title so it makes a nice reference to refer to for those enrolled. Thanks for your support and your questions!

Hey KidCrippler! *Amp Envelope* on the right (also known as Amplitude Envelope) changes "VOLUME" over time (or amplitude). So, this is the main envelope for your synth engine and the one you'll be spending the most time with which makes a big impact on the sound shape regarding volume. Here is the excerpt from the Nord Stage 3 manual for this: The final stage of any synth signal chain normally consists of an amplifier to control the volume. By modulating the amplifier with an envelope, the sound is given its basic “shape” over time. In fact, the “volume shape” is one of the most important factors in how we identify the sound. By setting up a proper volume envelope you can make a sound “soft”, “hard”, “plucked” “static” etc. *Mod Envelope" (Modulation Envelope) is similar in the way that it works but instead of having effect over volume/amplitude, it has influence over the Oscillator control (which is how much of that second oscillator you hear mixed with the first) AND / OR the frequency cutoff amount (frequency being how much highs/lows are let through). The Nord Stage 3 manual has this to say: The Modulation Envelope (MOD ENV) is a three-stage envelope which can be applied to the Osc Ctrl parameter and/or to the filter cut-off frequency. Used for modulating Osc Ctrl, it can perform a wide variety of time-based alterations, depending on which oscillator configuration is used. With the frequency cutoff filter, it is used to modulate the tone color over the duration of a note, for instance creating a bright attack by modulating the filter at the start of the note. Hope that helps and thanks for the good question...

10x Marc, you rock!

Hello @Daniel Mikkelsen glad you like the videos! Well, the Nord Stage 3 was largely based on the A1's design so yes, there are a lot of similarities between the two. What you'll learn about the Stage 3 synth will translate well into the Nord Lead A1. In fact, there are similarities between the A1 and the Nord Wave 2 as well. Consider them all brothers and sisters. Once you learn one, you'll have 70% knowledge of the other. A used Lead A1 is a great way to start your journey and the best part is that if you later get a Stage 3, the two compliment each other giving you a ton of options - especially for synth sounds. Hey, by the time you're ready for the Stage 3, perhaps the Stage 4 will be out and you'll be happy you waited. 😀

@@MyKeysToMusic Thanks a lot for the feedback! I will definitely be enrolling in the world of Nords. It's exactly the kind of proper controls and clarity I always missed in my earlier synths. So now I finally understands these things, and thanks to your videos! Oh yeah, a Stage 4, that would be awesome :) If it's still possible to improve things further, cause the 3 seems very perfected

​@@danielmikkelsen5470 I agree that the Stage 3 is full-featured. If I had a wish for a Stage 4 on some of the items, it would be this: 1) More piano and synth memory 2) More layers/panels (and more polyphony to accompany that increase) 3) Optional digital and/or physical drawbars with all 3 size offerings. I have a wish list of about 20 little things but those the main ones. All in all, nothing to complain about. For the most part, the Stage 3 gets the job done for almost any occasion.

@@MyKeysToMusic Awesome, those are great suggestions! I was just thinking about these Layers via Panels the other day as I overheard the old song, The Final Countdown and how fat that sound actually was, (think it was a Roland D-50 back then). Would I be right in guessing you need both panels for such fat sounds, or would one panel be enough? Or maybe sufficient with a super wave with unison...I remember that also Jean Michel Jarre made similar sounds at the time, and I could never get them that massive on my Korg M1 and other Keyboards, but I never had the D-50. It could also have been my knowledge lacking about programming of course.

​@@danielmikkelsen5470 Great question! So, the answer is yes and no. There are some "big" sounds where a single panel is more than enough to pull it off, while others require two panels. It may depend more on the sophistication of the sound versus the thickness of the sound. For example, using the superwave with unison and the right amount of reverb and filter, you can have a very nice thick lead or lush pad on a single panel. On the other hand, to make the THX effect, that requires two panels (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hbRgMZpwp_Y.html) The "Final Countdown" (as you mentioned) may in fact work best using two panels because I hear a sort of very slight "bend" with each note during the attack (requiring more for the setup of that sound). Interesting that you mention this particular example because I explored this sound as a result of a sample providing this main sound on single panel with every sound from the song using a total of two panels. You can see how the Final Countdown was done here in my review of a third -party song pack that included this song as the first one I demonstrated with: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-G4vIDEiKoas.html So, it really depends. In any case, having more than two panels at a time would really come in handy such as a case where you would like to layer a flute with strings in the right hand while also holding down a sampled bass guitar in the left hand using a keyboard split. This particular combination is not possible because you are limited to two synth layers. Some songs also demand that you have several different sounds being used depending on the part of the song played (verses, chorus, bridge, keyboard solo, etc.) When a song outmatches the layers available, the only workaround I found is to switch to another program and then back again. The seamless transitions feature really shines there. For example, the song called "Mr. Blue Sky" from ELO, required 3 programs to pull it off (no samples used). Then again, ELO had 3 keyboard players to do this each with a couple of boards when they replicate this song live (not to mention a small string/orchestra section). I have that demo here on my Patreon page: www.patreon.com/posts/elo-mr-blue-sky-47503116? Hope that helps clarify things a bit... 🔍

Hey @Christopher Moore First, a big congrats on your Lead A1! Did you purchase second-hand or new? If new, was it in stock, or did you have to wait? I've been debating (for months now) to build a Lead A1 pro course or not. If I do build a course, I'd likely have it as a paid pro course on my website with a yearly subscription. Then again, I love the world of RU-vid and I have the desire to continue to grow the channel. Finding the balance between what to charge for and what to give away for free has been the single biggest roadblock for me since I started Nord keyboard training. Would love your feedback on this.

hi Marc, thanks for your reply, i tried to get an electro 6d- after selling my stage 3 76hp because the action was just terrible. I got the lead a1 second hand, not sure what the availability is on them new. The electro had a long wait and the shop messed up which ment that they would have had my money for like 6 months so i had to cancel the order. Anyway i got the lead now. In regards to you creating content: 1. you are a great teacher and deserve to be paid. 2. People have got used to getting free expert content online- i sort of appreciate this but as a piano teacher see it as a bit regressive as we have put so much energy into become authorities in our disciplines. It seems to me the free content thing benefits mostly the platforms. 3. i personally would be happy to pay for a comprehensive tutorial of the a1. 4. Not sure about the yearly subscription model. I think i’d rather pay up front for the course. How much would depend on the cost and personal finances at the time. Best wishes Marc. love your passion and knowledge. chris

@@BusyLizzy575 You made my day when I read this. I really appreciate what you said and coming from a fellow teacher, it means even more. I'm seriously considering a course for the Lead A1 and making it a subscription. The first year is full price and every year after that is 1/3rd the price to keep it active. As I get closer to this, I'll respond back here to see where you are at with things. Hope you are enjoying it - the hours will certainly zoom by...

@Thom Broom - sorry for the delay on this response here. So, you will be fine with your second-hand Nord as there is no serial number check or registration required in order to download samples and pianos from the website. I know this first-hand because two of my Nords were purchased second hand. 😊 Good luck and let us know when/if you pull the trigger.

Thanks Thomas! Coming from you that is a compliment.

The velocity option is nice to have too and works well with a pad sound (as you've noticed). I'm amazed at just how versatile the "Super Wave Saw" sound is.

Hello @zaffrolumpkoins3021 Unfortunately, no, there is no way to make a true reverse envelope for the Nord Stage 3. You can do this using the Nord Wave 2 as it has a dedicated button for it.

Great question Costanza. You explained yourself perfectly. To have the LFO start at zero each time you first have to synth the LFO rate to the Master Clock. Once you do that, each time you press a new key the LFO pattern will start at the beginning. Note that once you sync the LFO to the master clock, the rate knob turns into subdivisions instead of tempo. The master clock will dictate tempo once the LFO is synced. Good luck!

​@@MyKeysToMusic Hi Marc! I haven't noticed your answer until now ahah. One year ago I resolved this problem in another way but now I find myself again needing to solve this problem. I tried to sync the rate of the LFO with the master clock but I'm having the same problem. Could it be a technical issue of the nord? I hope you can give me a suggestion. Thank you again for the incredible help you're giving to us!

@@costanzapuma8347 Good to hear from you again. You have to sync the LFO rate to the master clock and also set the sync option for KBS for "On" You'll find the KBS option available when you click and hold the master clock button. KBS means that it will "restart the clock phase" every time you push a key. This will reset the LFO at the beginning of it's sequence. Keep in mind, too, that the LFO starts with the filter setting on the lower setting and moves to the higher setting. So, when you first push a key, it's going to start playing with the filter on its' low set point versus its high set point. For example, If you set it up like this, it means if you set your LFO (for filter) to its' maximum effect while also making the rate really slow, you may "never" hear any notes being sounded unless you hold them for a while. This is because the LFO favors the lower filter setting when starting up. With a slow rate, it takes a while for the note to reach a filter setting that is high enough to hear. This combined with the fact that you are now telling the synth to start the sequence with every new note, the LFO never has a chance to fully open (only because the rate is so slow). Now compare that same scenario but this time make the LFO not sync to the master clock. With every note you play quickly, the LFO will eventually open up using it's natural clock cycle and you'll eventually hear all the notes again with every key you play until the LFO makes it way back to the beginning (with the filter being fully closed). Hopefully, this is making sense. The idea here is that with the KBS (Keyboard Sync) set to "on" the LFO is supposed to reset its phase each and every time (and I can confirm that it does behave this way). But at the end of the day, I'm not sure this is exactly what you are hoping to do. You can also experiment with the LFO patterns while you do this.

@MyBash10 Hey Glenn - welcome to Nord! You'll see a mod envelop button in the filter section. That one adjusts the filter only. Also note that velocity can play a part in that with the velocity button. Then, you'll see an oscillator section with its own envelope to the left of the filter section. This will mod things based on the currently selected oscillator configuration you have dialed up above. In other words, in that section, the mod envelope can vary based on the configuration (e.g. shape). Then, you have the Envelop to Pitch option to perform a mod envelope on pitch (a button also found in the Oscillator section). FYI, I have a pro course where I break up the entire synth section into about 20 different lessons so that all this can be learned step by step in a better way than here in a single paragraph. The new course can be found at this location (currently hidden): www.mykeystomusic.com/courses/master-the-nord-stage-4

@@MyKeysToMusic thanks for that. I have realised that the button I was asking about is for morphing in various envelopes. Your explanation does assist. I shall look at the web link with interest. Many thanks

@@MyBash10 Good luck with your journey!

@Max Reder I had to make a quick video to explain how best to deal with this situation. Please let me know your thoughts... vimeo.com/600718557/e13113bd4b

Hi Felix. Happy to hear these videos have helped you get through all the features. So, I tested all this just now and I'm not able to duplicate this exactly. I assume you adjusted your control pedal morph on the keyboard so that you increase the volume as you move the pedal up and down? And the moment you turn on the synth engine, the piano gets louder with that? Do you do that for both the piano and the synth engine at the same time? So, this is all very strange and never heard of this happening to anyone that I know of. Now, I have to admit, sometimes when I turn the synth on it "feels" like the piano gets louder too. Think of it as an "audio illusion". But I suspect this is not the case for you. Have you tried this using different programs too? If you're willing to make a video on your phone showing the issue, I'm happy to take a look at it to see if anything jumps out at me.

Thank you for your answer :-) I also thought it could be just the "audio illusion" but wanted to ask first, if I made some wrong settings. I really think it's about the "audio illusion" now. How do you handle this with recordings? Do you try to compensate that like making the piano louder as the organ (..)? Or do you think this is not so much important or even a loss of quality? thank you so much!! :)

another question to this: If I'm using the rotary speaker it's totally clipping - I would need to lower the output of the whole organ, which I don't want. Is this normal? or is there a speical trick to prevent the clipping?

@@felixbirsner839 I think with any situation like this, you actually need to adjust the volumes accordingly. I don't know of any other effective way of doing this. Generally speaking, when you add the synth to the mix, you want more energy, more volume, etc. I suppose if you have a foot pedal (controller pedal) you could morph the volume of the piano down ever so slightly the moment you put the synth on - that would be an easier way to make this maneuver since you already need one hand to turn the synth on, you could use your foot to adjust the volume and then keep one hand on the keys during this process. Just a thought.

@@felixbirsner839 Test this: Check to make sure you only have one panel playing at a time, then check to be sure the drive amount is down to zero on the rotary speaker. Does it still clip. Does it clip for you in headphones, with an amp or with both?

I was thinking I guess I could just use the two panels to layer and have one oscillator per layer with each being affected by their respective LFO modulations... but I guess I'm really not used to combining "two separate synth patches" to make one sound

@@christopherroberts5340 You have this theory precisely correct. That's what you would have to do is to use two different panels to achieve this. However, that's the most panels you get so it puts you at quite a limitation if you wanted to mix a third synth sound layered on top of that. The Nord Wave 2 works the same way with its LFO but it does provide 4 layers at least to give you more options. This is one area that people have been critical with the implementation of things like this with Nord synth engines.

Hi Thomas. You have keen ears to notice the sound quality so thanks for that. Here is a short equipment list (Amazon affiliate links below too). - The microphone described here is used on most videos starting on Feb 13, 2018. Although for the synth series specifically, I didn't start using that Mic until part three I think. Prior to that, I was using a lav mic but it was picking up more surrounding noise and echo. So, the mic is the Heil Sound PR-40 Gold Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone: amzn.to/2PPv5bx - I'm doing 99% of all my recording, editing and exporting using a piece of software called "ScreenFlow." This is a program that only runs on the Mac. You can find it in the Apple App store. It simultaneously records everything coming from the audio interface, the computer itself (both audio and the screen), as well as a single external camera. I then import and sync my head talking. If you want something similar for Windows, use Camtasia from TechSmith. amzn.to/2CO93gX - The audio Interface for MIDI/Audio between keyboards and computer: (Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 Second Generation (2nd Gen): amzn.to/2WkQGco The combination of Screenflow and the Focusrite Scarlett allows me to separate all the audio tracks and mix each one individually. This provides for me the distinct advantage of capturing both the left and right output from the Nord enabling me to pan each channel to each side respectively (left and right). This allows for the best quality from the Nord in my opinion. I do not add any EQ adjustment or any special effects on the audio whatsoever during the editing process. Everything you hear is coming straight from the Nord or the Mic. I do smooth the volume levels on the mic at times to bring the levels up to an optimum level. If you want to hear this mic at it's best (the best from my library that is), listen to the first 30 seconds of this video. I recorded this at a fairly close distance to the mic and it really responded well I think: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-E18TnMOVifo.html&vl=en I need to do a video to describe all this in detail! You can tell I love questions like this. Thanks for your curiosity, Thomas.

@@MyKeysToMusic It would be great to see a video of your setup

@@MyKeysToMusic I am interested in how the pre-amps in the i8 handle the gain requirements of that mic.

@@teashea1 Well, truth be told, I have to put the gain all the way to 10 and even with that, the overall recording volume is very low. So I do boost the volume in my editing software to bring it back to normal levels and that all seems to work. It's true though, the mic requires a lot of gain and the Focusrite alone seems to have "barely" enough. Something like a preamp might help. (The sE Electronics DM1 Dynamite 1-channel Active Inline Preamp) looks interesting.

@@teashea1 I'll put some thought into this. The current plan is to have some behind the scenes content for people that are patrons on my Patreon account so that's where I was thinking of housing this sort of into. Of course, others have asked about here as well.

Hi Steven. I can't comment too much on the Kronos because I'm not close to one on a daily basis. But I've heard it's a great board and yes, it's been said that there is a lot more to learn when getting around on it. There is something special about Nord and having all the buttons at your fingertips for sure. I can guarantee that in my training videos, I may not always be presenting the sonic capabilities of the Nord boards in their best light. For that, you should check out more of my "Discovery" series of videos which are more completed ideas taking Nord as far as I can take it in most cases. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the Kronos! For those reading this, there is a fairly good comparison between the two boards here (read the comments - you'll get strong arguments from both camps): ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--FrL4o2Sk7w.html

@Laklander Make sure you review your current Filter Cuttoff amount as well. You may likely have it either at 0 or 10 if nothing is happening.

Happy to do it BrookstonHoliday - thanks for checking it out!