Wow, Tony, this was wonderful again! You capture various moods in pianoplaying in such a short given time! Thank you so much! Looking forward to your next demo!
For me, being an NG owner, there is no comparison. The Nord just sounds like an acoustic piano. I play the White Grand every day and it's great! Thanks, Tony!
@Eliraz Biton Sorry that I missed your question... I use Sennheiser HD600 headphones. The output on the NG is more than strong enough to drive these 250ohm headphones. I find that I do not like any speakers for slab pianos. They all sound artificial to my ears. I have tries several different brands of speakers and did not like any of them. I think that only a "planar" style speaker will work and I do not want to spend that kind of money. Sorry again and I hope this helps!
@SAMUDRANIL: Absolutely it is worth the price... to me. But for you, and what you are expecting a specific feeling to be is a very personal thing. I have two grand pianos in my house (yes I am spoiled but I worked damn hard to get them!). One of them is a Steinway "A" 62 inch. The touch of the Steinway is better than the NG... But I haven't had to call my piano tech to work on my NG! LOL! "My" Steinway feels very similar to the NG. It is fast and accurate like the NG is. That is another reason why I like it. It basically matches my Steinway. When I bought the Steinway I played every piano in the San Francisco area of Northern California and decided on the Steinway because of the action. A Shigeru Kawai was a very very close second. But I liked the sound of the Steinway better. The NG is the perfect companion to my grand piano. I beat up a song on the NG then go downstairs and play the Steinway when it is okay for other people to listen to my terrible playing abilities. I just now looked over at my NG while typing this and I cannot think of any negatives about it. I have had it now for 8 months I think? The White Grand, with a touch of reverb and two minor tweaks to EQ is all it needs through my headphones. I am set for pianos for now and the future. I use it to drive Piano Marvel as I continue to work on my sight reading abilities. Play an NG, if you can, to decide. I was not able too since there are no NG's in my area (middle Virginia). Good luck!
Nord have the best sound with that even character on a lower notes as a real ones. I like Steinway it's a really precise sounding piano with that saturated note buzz, you can hear exactly how a strings are vibrating.
If you ever hit and hold a chord or even a single note on almost any acoustic piano and you will hear a very long sustain, including a noisy mechanical clunk produced by the damper pedal. You are hearing the entire piano sound “open up” via the sound board. Natural vibrations from all over the piano are heard and felt. Press the sustain pedal on almost any digital piano and all you will hear is deadness. Neither of these otherwise fine digitals accomplish this. I still feel hope for future digitals since things have been improving, But real pianos have what I’ve coined a “dirty” sound that have all these mechanical noises along with that beautiful string tone which almost no digital can yet mimic. This must be recognized by the digital designers. Probabaly a few more “tons” of memory and the additional expense are needed to accomplish all this, but well worth it. There, I’ve said it. My first comment on any blog anywhere.
The Nord Grand has switchable 'string resonance' and 'pedal noise' which do exactly what you say it doesn't, though this effect most pronounced on their 'XL' samples (ie the very large ones that take up a lot of memory).
Appreciate your channel Tony. I like to LISTEN to all of these demos on a set of really good headphones with my eyes closed. In this video, I preferred the Nord from Middle C upwards but the Dexibell from Middle C downwards. One of my biggest complaints about digital keyboards has been that they lacked that "Biting Edge" of an acoustic piano in the bottom end. Certainly things have gotten MUCH better in the last few years, as electronic component prices have plummeted and polyphony has increased, but I still found this Nord bottom end approaching an organ or guitar bass rather than having the clarity of an acoustic piano. Personally, I've actually been really impressed with what Casio has been rendering as of late. No longer just a toy when/if you anti up a few more bucks!
Nord's imperfections make it great. Those few slightly out of tune notes here and there give Nord an outstanding realism. If only its base could open as much as the notes in the mid and second octave... The Dexibell does splendidly as well, yet if I were to buy one, I'd choose the Nord. Thanks for the video and all the best!
Both sound awesome! I've not had a chance to try a Dexibell, it sounds great. I have to add though; I've been playing stage pianos since my first FP-8 in 1991, usually moving "up" every few years when a new make or model would inspire me. I had an RD-700NX last year when I tried a NG at the store. I just bonded with it instantly; honestly the first few notes and chords hit me like lightning, what a connection, just like sitting down at a C7 or even a Steinway. I'm not saying it sounds as good, or fills the air the same, etc...after all, all pianos have variation, in different rooms, etc...what I felt was the "connection" with it. I still smile everytime I sit down at my Nord Grand, the same way I do on the rare chances I get to record/play with a nice grand. It's the first electric grand to have that effect on me, and a year later it's still there. AND it records so well... I love my NG.
Wow, both sound fantastic. Seems like the low end EQ is turned up on the Nord. Not sure if that is a result of the mics used or post processing EQ. At first I liked the Nord, but after listening to both several times, I think I favor the Dexi. The low end is more powerful on the Nord, but also just slightly muddy. Either way this is just one sample with no effects, so you can easily adjust either of these to get the sound you want. Pretty amazing from the EP's we were playing just 10 years ago.
Dexibell: Broad Bass section, nearly equal to N, clear ,well registered Mids. The needle stitching brilliance of the high notes is border lining on my < ache resistance Nord: The smoother sound and well calibrated. The bass section with good range (as played) from Domination to harmonic accompaniment, full satisfactory middle section, bright highs. Thank you, Tony! wish we had your professional advice and a Bonners in Austria!
Hello I'm a retired recording engineer and have had the opportunity to hear many Steinway pianos also Bossendorfer Kawaii and Baldwin, that being said, l look for clear clean distortion free sound. Now to the comparison. The Nord did appear to have a richer sound but in the first bars the low end sounded artificial with a noticeable bass boost almost curtain like behind the sound. When the pianists moved up the scales it began to sound more natural. It was better then but that artificial bass added was a bit distracting to me. Now the Dexibell, it was open and airy the sound was not as heavy and the tonality was very real to me although the low end was a bit thinner. On the Nord it was artificial and heavy. One thing to keep in mind is American acoustic pianos are bit deeper in low end and European pianos are lighter possibly more airy than the US counterparts. So now my opinion, all that being said l feel the Dexibell with a tiny EQ tweak on the bottom end wins my vote. It sounds more natural ultimately. It's sampling is superior and has a more satisfying sound to my ear.
In person, since I have tried both out, I give my vote to the Dexibell as well. The sound engine they created has so much potential and it inspires me to play. They are both quality units but the Dexibell has the Superior keybed.
That’s actually quite difficult, I think the Dexibell is slightly brighter, but I guess that’s to everyone’s tastes and styles, but they are both amazing. I personally think the decision might come to price and features / sounds etc. IMO they are both fine instruments, and think which ever someone buys is going to get an excellent instrument.
So the decay/reverb on the Nord seems to give everything a nice glue/ambience which sounds somewhat more polished. However as most pianists will know pianos rarely sound that forgiving by themselves, you really have to work at that. Dexibell is drier by default so you get more of an experience of a piano in front of you in perhaps a smaller room. However I own a dexibell sx7 and one thing to bear in mind is that you do need to do a bit of fiddling with the models in the unit to get them to sound good in the midrange, the low mids can be a bit boxy at times, luckily dexibell give you an EQ for that - perhaps it would also be good if you could access more detailed EQ on the Nord which I know is not straightforward. I would also add that the dexibell sounds very 'in tune' and consistently regulated by default. The octave stretch/inconsistencies in the white grand help it to sound more organic.
Thanks so much making these videos about such amazing keyboards. Just a question. What about the keyboard action. I know the Nord has a Kawai one, but the Dexibell uses a new Fatar action. How gods is that action on the Dexibell?
I took classical piano and my teacher had a Steinway model B. It's a great acoustic piano. There are some things I like about the Dexibell sound but the Nord has a chunky visceral embodiment of the Steinway B that rather makes it untouchable. Someone else uses the word saturation, that's just it I think. Thank you kindly for this demonstration.
Both are excellent !!! The recording of the dexibell seems to me more "closed" than in the North. In other recordings the sound was better.How did you recorded it? it seems not well mixed, a few highs and a few bass. For expert ears it is worth trying them live. Both are in the top area !!!
The Nord sounds the most natural. The dex sounds like it's coming from a keyboard. It's a little smaller and box your sounding. The ambience to the sound and general Elegance is well under what the Nord has accomplished
I have a Dexibell S7 and have downloaded the USA Piano sound. I have to say the video gets the sound pretty nicely. The Nord does sound bigger and deeper on the video but perhaps try the USA Piano LIVE sound. It has more of a jump factor.
Two wonderfull instruments at the very top of the peak. For my musical ear, for what it is , the dexibell just had it. Warmer sweeter sound. Although i would say the Nord had a more dynamic sound. Score wise i would say 9/10 fir the dexibell, and 8/10 for the beautifull Nord. Thanks for good video
Both are great. But to me, the Dexibell seams to have more powerful sympathetic resonance. Which means that it "sings" a bit better than the Nord Grand. Listen, for instance, to the last tones played, in the upper register. But I think that it's discernible all the way.
I'm not a fan of Nord, but in this video Nord sounds more vibrating, richer, maybe a resonance thing that I missed at the Dexibel, but I assume he just compared the sounds out of the box without any further tweaking..
Wow, wow for both. Yes the Nord does sound better but how about the touch? Apart sounds, one of the first issue would be the touch. In fact if I have to choose between touch or sounds I will go for touch first. Because if the touch is not good there nothing one can do about it but for sounds one could use external module...Apart sounds and touch other features are important when it concerns the right choice.
I don't have a dog in this race, but listening to it from an enjoyment standpoint, I really liked the Nord over the Dexi. I listened to the intro up through the high notes comparing the two back to back multiple times, and I just loved the Nord sound as it climbed the scales. It sounded kind of muddy in the bottom of the range to me, but the Dexi sounded kind of plastic/synthy in the bottom range. Of course, it could be my old ears or my computer speakers. Also, maybe the pianist played them slightly different and just preferred the first performance more. Hard to say, but both sound better than my Yamaha MM6 by a long long shot.
Oh...to my surprise the Nord sound sas far better. Is this a completely identical setup as in reverb, eq, how its recorded etc? Tbh both of these have multiple different piano sounds so its not really fair if youre using the "worst" piano sound on the dexibell vs the "best" on the nord.
Dexibell, i think, better, because clean sound, as like as a Nord, but more powerful sound, may be as like as a Roland, i mean quality of sound, Dexibell is depth of sound (brighter & powerful), richer and deeper low bass tones along with high! I listened fiew times & at a fiew days. Thank you, Tony, for that video!
Nord sounds better, but there’s alot to be said about the feel of the keys. Nord uses kawai grand feel action (mid spec) version. To have a much cheaper alternative buy a Korg d1 for 450 with lifting hammers and a nord electro 6d 1200 and you can have best of both without paying 3k for a nord grand
You didn’t mention the touch. Which one feels and responds most like an actual Steinway grand piano? As for the sound, I own a Steinway D concert grand and also a B seven foot grand. To me, listening on my iPad, the Nord sounds more authentic.
I couldn’t bring myself to buy the Nord at that price.id buy the Nord piano over the grand if I just wanted piano specific sounds or the Nord stage.The Nord grand just isn’t priced well for me
Just on listening to both here and without playing either, one thing I can tell straight away is that the Nord would sound more ‘real’ if recording a grand piano but the Dexibell will blend better into a mix of other instruments
The Nord White Grand sounds excellent and I've played it for 3 hours or so in comparison to the Rd2000, CP88, ES8, CA99 and CLP685, so I know how it feels to CONTROL compared to the ES8 with the same action. To me, I love the sound, but it doesn't feel quite right. Control of dynamic expression is idiosyncratic. I think the Nord team have tried to capture that brilliance or brightness in the sound that digitals lack, but the resulting compromise feels odd to play, especially in passages where there are lots of dynamic change. I have to say that I preferred the CLP685 overall, and thought that the ES8 felt more like a piano with respect to how pianos feel when you play them. The Nord here definitely sounds more alive than the Dexibel, so I'd say that they definitely succeed in their sampling to create something more alive. As for the Nord tinkering of the Kawai RHIII action, it feels noticeably lighter (not by much) than the ES8. This probably is an advantage playing organs and synth on stage, so is a plus for stage-craft if you play other tones often. Actually, I liked the sloping interface: puts things closer to the hands. So overall, why did I choose an MP7SE instead of the Nord Grand? Well, a) the Kawai feels better to play even though the Nord sounds very good. b) The e-pianos and organs on the MP instruments are so good. c) The functionality on the Kawai MP7SE is superior to the Nord, more comparable to the Rd2000. d) The Nord is totally over-priced. I can make my Kawai sound better than the Nord by adding a VSTi for a few hundred dollars. Plus the Kawai piano sound really suits a lot of music that the Steinway suits less so, ie, it's easier to add-on the Steinway because there are some very good VSTi's sampling Steinway pianos. Love to get a play on the Dexibel. I'm wondering how good it might sound if the effects are employed to spice it up a bit.
When you say superior functionality, what are you thinking about specifically? As a new Nord Grand owner I love the sounds, feel and "playability", but I'm missing a few things: ability to use at least one more layer of sounds, metronome and simple sequencer since not always "plugged in" to an iPad or comp and want to record at times. Also, would have liked a few more settings for dynamics/touch (now only 3: heavy/medium/light). Also, I'm worried the action will be too light so I will have trouble playing other pianos. What do you think of practicing on the Grand? Will it ruin me? ;) I've rarely played an easier action, even the toughest sections feel like a breeze so love it but worries me as well haha.
We use the Dexibell in the studio so I am aware our situation or use will differ from most people here. Ever single engineer, musician etc.. Loves the Dexibell. Our hope is they further develop the T2L tech. Dexibell started as a company by EX-Roland Engineers.
@@obriantomlinson2776 A VSTi is an abbreviation standing for Virtual Studio Technology - Instrument. In this case, a Grand Piano VSTi. As well as a piano controller (eg Stage piano) you would require a PC, MAC or Laptop etc that has a suitable Audio Interface built in (one can also purchase external audio interfaces eg RME babyface Pro). Suitable VSTi for piano include eg: Pianoteq 7, VSL Steinway D, Ravenscroft 275, Ivory II, Keyscape, and if you like Yamaha Grand Pianos, Garritan CFX is one of the best VSTi. Physically modelled VSTi like Pianoteq are CPU heavy but Hard Drive memory light. Sampled VSTi (all the rest mentioned) are multi-giga-byte libraries of 5.32 to 123 gb in size. So a fast solid state hard drive is advantageous.
Nord easily wins this one. The S9 was suprisingly good, but still I could hear that "digital" in there abit, If I didnt know I would say its a real acoustic piano when you played the Nord.
Very hard to choose between these two. I think a bit of eq applied and you could get them sounding the same. The action would be what I would want to compare and how that linked with the sound.
senti um medio muito forte no nord, e a ressonancia bem aberta. frequencias muito diferente entre o dexibell e o nord grand. mas por ser bem mais aveludado o dexibell eu iria nele com certeza som parece ser mais natural. senti amostra meio curta no dexibell mas pode ser impressão tambem. duas maquinas. Sem contar que o rebote das teclas do dexibell é visivelmente mais rapido. isso ajuda muito o erudito. ((((Dexibell the best of the best))
Dexibell patch sounds less digital, i. e. better. But keyboard of Dexibell likely is worse than Nord Grand (Fatar action vs Kawai), albeit at 2:14 he clearly plays soft, but note came off loud for some reason.
So I thought I would share. I tried the nord grand, rd2000, yamaha stage piano (can't rememeber model) They had the korg version but by the time I had tried a few, including the big workstations.. Montage and fantom I just had a feel without it switched on. It wasn't setup and by this point knew these new smaller pianos where just not going to work for me for feel anyway. Really disappointed honestly. I had previously owned a v piano years ago. Basically wanted the next best thing to a real piano which I never had the luxury of being able to own. None of these compare to the v piano for the feel. And only going off memory, I'm not sure any of them are better for sound either. Was Actually surprised how small they all are, but clearly there isn't a market for something like a V Piano. Anyway some notes. Nord always win for wurly. That was really nice to play on the nord grand. But for piano. Way too light for me. And the piano keys seemed a bit small too? Roland rd2000. Having always had Roland in the past. Ie rd700sx. 800 and v piano. I was expecting this to be brilliant but I got nothing from it. Not inspired at all, I think I was so disappointed in the feel that I wasn't open to having a real go at trying the sounds out though. The yamaha montage surprisingly had a better feel I think but I couldn't figure out how to change the sound so I walked away from it. I will probably get a V piano again 🤷♂️
@@BromeliadBro isn't it a shame Roland havnt brought out a newer model of the v piano with its great feel and response coupled with what I thought was one of the best sounds. I Do not like the feel of the rd2000 at all.. Maybe most companies feel like Kawai has this part of the market covered so don't even bother competing? 🤷♂️
Read better! Its a 100% Italian Brand born from the former Roland Europe ( that Jean they established theyr core business insidie the old building). Anyaway i’ll attach a link For a better explanation. www.pianobuyer.com/brand/dexibell/
The Dexibell has the realism of a concert grand piano compared to the Nord (which is great too) but like most great piano samples that sound great in the studio, lose that realism when playing live.
