Nord Stage 4, is it worth buying or upgrading?

Nord's new keyboard comes with a HEFTY price tag. Watch this to see if it's worth it or not!
00:00 Intro
00:35 Triple Sensor Keybed
01:04 8 Preset Buttons
1:36 Dynamic Compression
2:07 Piano Unison
2:42 Physical Drawbars
3:21 Wave 2 Synth Engine
4:16 Sample Memory
5:40 Should You Buy It?
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73 Compact:www.zzounds.com/a--3981586//i...
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[@luisgregoriojr762]

Got the Nord Piano 5 thinking it would save me some bucks but the piano 5 is so limited that I returned it and got the Stage 4. Don’t hesitate on buying the Stage 4. Your skill as a keyboardist/pianist will grow due to the amazing action it has.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Valuable insight, thanks for sharing!

[@HonorV2ultimate1tb]

absolutely correct.... i initially purchased the piano5 as there was no stock of stage4 like forever in my country..... then the stage 4 came and i purchased again. Unfortunately...... returns are not embraced where i come from..... all these 2 pianos in 2 months

[@LikhithDorbala]

Smooth edit & on point. Great Job, buddy! 💪🏼

[@jamesholmes9940]

An absolute excellent presentation. Thanks for your time and willingness to share.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

For sure and thank you for watching!

[@itamarlushi1475]

Great video! Short and on point

[@ruanof7]

Great review ! Thank you.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Thanks for watching!

[@thomasfowler2099]

This channel has incredible production value and editing for having so little subs. Good work man!

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Thanks you so much for the kind words

[@kre8a361]

Thanks for sharing your insight about the enhancements, added features and which way to go about, whether to upgrade to this digital keyboard workstation With so much onboard, it'd be fun to explore, tweak parameters, create and play.

[@JonArmenta]

Great rundown and delivery. Clear and concise. Other KZbinrs would do well to copy your style.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Thanks! I'll keep that in mind!

[@Bashanvibe]

If I get it I would use it for just rehearsal and certain types of gigs!!! This is great perspective very practical!!! I’m a new sub btw!!!

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Thanks! Would love to know what else yall want me to review

[@jacksmith4145]

Amazing player, smart and great communicator.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Thank you!

[@brendandunn6700]

Think you've just sold me on upgrading my old Kronos. Love the beast, but you hit on two very important points for me - the ease of access vs. cumbersome workflows, and even moreso the piano feel. Time to sell that kidney!

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Glad I was able to help provide some insight. And yes it surely does take a kidney haha I’m still rocking the Stage 3 for now. The 4 is only worth it if you really need the extra synth work (I want it but don’t NEED it currently since I’m doing mostly studio work and have Omnisphere) but I still want to upgrade one day haha

[@debrincatj]

Just upgraded from the Stage 2 to the 4 (got it last week). Totally worth it!

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Sweet man!!! Can’t wait to get my hands on one!

[@Nick_toronto]

Great review. Please may I ask what is your opinion on the Nord speakers monitors vs Yamaha hs5 or 8 ? Thank you. More interested in sound quality as opposed to aesthetics.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

I haven't tried the Nord speaker monitors so I can't comment on those. I have used the Hs5 and Hs8 and they are great speakers. Overall I prefer the JBL LSR306 and 308s over the yamahas though. I did do a review on those JBL speakers (as I have them and use them currently for my nord) if you want to check that out.

[@ikepre]

Good review. Got my Stage 4 88 couple days ago from Sweetwater. Absolutely love it and think the price is reasonable for what you get. It would take 2-3 quality boards to replace one Stage 4. I love Yamahas and have a CP88 and YC73 and P515. Nord beats them all by a good margin. Initially I didn’t like the Stage 4 keybed as much, but after playing with sensitivity settings, I now prefer it overall. Triple sensor makes a noticeable difference. If the Nord is too expensive definitely look at the YC Yamaha. Not nearly as powerful as the Nord but similar usability.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Yes, the new stage 4 def gave us two boards in one. But I do agree you have to be "all in" to invest in one to make it make sense. Yamahas are amazing alternatives.

[@awsomecp173]

How's the keybed feel and sounds with the Nord compared with your YC73?

[@ikepre]

⁠@@awsomecp173the YC 73 is an amazing board. The keybed feels great for a mix of piano, electric piano, synth and some organ. The YC73 keybed is lighter than the 88’s. Sounds are great and maybe ‘better’ than Nord for some live settings. But since getting the Nord, I’ve truly bonded with that thing and usually only play the Nord now. The sound / keybed connection is dialed in just right for me. But of course, keybed feel is subjective so try to play them before buying if you can. You won’t regret either instrument.

[@kyleadams1434]

Even though Im not the best yet, Id get an Electro for its organ engine, but the Piano 5 I have is amazing for what I do now. I’ll upgrade as my skills grow.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Good call!

[@edrumsense]

I think you din't mention the Low Priority, where the keyboard only plays the lowest note regardless the chord you play... AMAZING for bass layer to add that weight to only the low notes without ruining your 5ths

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Yea it’s a great feature!

[@EverettDudgeon138]

It’s funny, I got out of workstations and switched over to more tactile knob per function type synths due to the extensive menu diving on workstations. Although the MPCKey61 is tempting I think it’s the simplicity of Nord’s what you see is what you get layout that’s winning me over. It feels like the perfect compliment to my Prophet X. Although the sample manipulation and synthesis in general is limited, the quality of the on-board samples, 7 layers, dedicated effects per layer as well as dedicated MIDI tracks per layer, almost gets into that workstation type territory when using external sequencing and drum machine (in my case the ISLA S2400). Certainly have the Nord Stage 4 on my list down the road.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Yea that was a major reason for me also. I just prefer hands on touch. Computers can do more but I personally like the immediacy and the limitations. Just stimulates my creativity.

[@briann5001]

Everett has your PX ever frozen on boot ?

[@itsmaistro]

Im inly considering upgrading now because im in need of a weighted keybed feel but still want to have physical drawbars and omit menu diving like other workstations have. I just hate the board costs as much as it does

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Yea it’s expeeeeennnsive. If you didn’t need physical drawbars you’d Be good to get a used stage 3. Have you considered the Yamaha YC-88? I think that has physical drawbars and weighted keys as well but 2k less expensive

[@itsmaistro]

@ZacBarnesMusic yes I have c9nsidered atleast the YC73 which could be a good trade off but it has less layer capabilities like the electro. I have a few dope patches that can only be done on the stage unfortunately

[@aleksandrshen]

what track is playing at 18 seconds. ?

[@user-vb2rm2cl6h]

Hi, I'm currently using a Kronos 2 which I had for 2 years. I had a Nord Stage 2 before but I ended up selling it because of its too many limitations (the effects routing for example). The thing is I really miss the hands-on and easy-to-use layout of the Nord. Kronos is a beast but at the end I don't use it at its full potential because I don't really need to. The release of the NS4 might be a game changer though. I'm seriously thinking of selling the Kronos and buy the Nord. I believe You used to have a Kronos as well. What are your thoughts about the NS4 compared to it ? Do you miss features that were on the Korg ? Thanks for the video. Cheers

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Yes I had a Korg Kronos 88 and I didn’t use a lot of its capabilities as it was too “computer” like. The Nord stage 4 synth engine and the ability to have effects for each engine separately finally takes away the big limitations Nord stages used to have. I don’t miss my Kronos at all. If you were using it in the studio and it was your only source for sounds, I think the Kronos has more sounds for overall production. But if your main thing is piano, Rhodes organ with good synth to play with as well I recommend the stage 4 over the Kronos. The ease of use plays a big factor in creativity and even if the Kronos has more firepower, it’s useless if it’s too hard or cumbersome to use.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Hope that helps.

[@user-vb2rm2cl6h]

​@@ZacBarnesMusic Thanks for your answer. I totally agree with the "computer-like" qualification of the Kronos. I sometimes have the feeling of dealing with an excel file to program the enveloppes of my synths :) It's powerful but quite counter-intuitive and it can be an obstacle to a creative workflow (sorry for my English). I have a more specific question though. Do you know if it's possible to assign the sustped command to individual layers of a section ? Like having 2 synths controlled by the sustain pedal but not the third one for example. Or is it always per section. Thanks again !

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

@@user-vb2rm2cl6h Good questions, and yes you can program per layer. (you can in the NS3) and I'm sure they didn't take that out of the NS4. Sorry for the late reply, I didn't get the notification.

[@EverettDudgeon138]

One thing I wish Nord would do is do a desktop module version of The Stage or even Wave 2.

[@obedplayskeys]

That would be ideal

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

That would be great. Especially for the wave 2

[@xiaoxia5]

what’s your opinion on the Wave 2? i had the Prophet XL, and the Wave 2 at the same time. when the P10 came out, sold the PXL to help with the P10, and kept the W2. now that the Stage 4 is out, debating to sell the W2 to help with the purchase of the S4. it’s either the S4 or the 3rd Wave.

[@EverettDudgeon138]

@@xiaoxia5 I would go with the PX over everything. The Wave 2 is really limited in regards to the sample manipulation and overall modulation. The PX is my favorite synth...so much so I was seriously debating getting a PXL to accompany it.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

@@EverettDudgeon138 yea most deflinitely. Prophet all the way for synth work. Nord is like someone who plays piano and dabbles in synth. But for real synth programmers Nord would NOT be my first choice. They are great if you are a preset tweaker though!

[@BonafideToolJunkie]

With Nord stage 4...88-key vs 73-key. Would they both hold resale value? Or do most people prefer 88 key?

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Good question. Depends on the area/market. Those that gig will value the portability. Those in the studio will value the 88. But any more as good resale honestly

[@giacomorml]

Let me go back on this topic. Did you finally buy the NS4? I didn’t see any video about that

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

I decided to keep my ns3. Made a video about it. I think you watched it. Ns3 is still worth it in 2024.

[@giacomorml]

@@ZacBarnesMusic I saw a video where you mentioning that NS3 still worths in 2024 yes, but I also understood that you were going to buy the NS4... you were so excited in this video :)))

[@midiexpert]

My reservation, as a dihard Stage 3 owner, is the lack of Song Mode. Sure, there are more butttons, but dedicated Song Mode is essential for me in my tribute band. What say you?

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

I think you know you’re needs better than anyone. If thats what you need, than I surely can’t argue that. I am curious, when you say song mode what do you mean exactly? I might be wrong but the stage 4 still has the set list mode to organize patches for gigs. Or are you referring to something different?

[@midiexpert]

@@ZacBarnesMusic I'm not sure what the set list mode is on the Stage 3--unless you are referring to Live Mode. Song Mode allows you to organize your programs for a Song, and cycle between 5 different programs corresponding to the numerical buttons. So once I select and place each song, with it's corresponding programs in a list there's my set and I just select the next song and it automatically brings up the set of 1-5 programs I need for each song. So if you could possibly explain what you are describing as set list mode I'd greatly appreciate it, because it would surely make me reconsider my feeling about upgrading. Thanks.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

@@midiexpert Good news is the nord has that song mode. .It's actually called just that. "song mode" and it lets you ordganize 5 patches per song and then you can change to a different song and those patches will be programmed for that song and you can even organize it on the fly. You should check into it!

[@midiexpert]

@@ZacBarnesMusic No, not on the Stage 4 I have the Stage 3, which is how I developed using Song Mode extensively.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

I wow i didn’t know they took that out!

[@threadoflife]

I’m about to pull the trigger should I if I’ve never owned a Nord have the money and want to learn!’b

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

If you have NEVER played piano before I recommend a starter keyboard first. But if you have extra money and the price isn’t a big deal then sure why not!? Just make sure to learn so it’s not a waste.👍🏽

[@LordoftheBadgers]

Have to admit I see the benefits but the difference for me and my needs between ns4 and np5 don't stack up. Better midi def a nice thing. Np5 plus in my case a crumar mojo desktop probably covers most of it. I think I'll prefer the crumar if Internet opinion is that reliable (lol) Got plenty synths.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

You know your needs better than anyone! I would agree though, coming from a NP5 to NPS4 doesn't make sense unless you'll fully utilize the synth as that's much of that price tag. Cheaper organs can def be found elsewhere and sound just as good if not better.

[@fml169]

Good points, but for me is expensive for what it deliveries. If you compare the evolution from NS, you see it happening in a shape, BUT, the problem is that the Keyboard is very limited. For me mix EFFECTS, is something so old, in so many keyboards, and they are telling us that is a big innovation, looking for the market is not. I Love Nord stage sounds, piano, organ... the improvements from Synths finally came, but honestly, the price does not match from what they are delivering in my opinion..... with this price no way to buy one, i would go for other options.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Mix effects are definitely not new technology and you are right Nord lags behind other companies. And if there is no value for you, then for sure don’t buy it. The main reason to get a Nord is for its sound. What I can do and the sound I’ve crafted I CAN’T get out of another piano which is the majority reason why Nord users deal with the limitations. Still the best piano Rhodes and organ on the market IMHO and it’s not even close. Only software pianos sound better but then that’s a whole different type of rig. Thanks for watching and sharing your insight!

[@tuneunleashed]

@@ZacBarnesMusicPianos and Organ absolutely agree on that but I think you need to take a look on Korg Kronos Rhodes…it’s just 🔥🔥🔥🔥 but to each its own.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

@@tuneunleashed Korg Kronos rhodes is dope! I used to have one ! it was my favorite engine on there. I totally can't be mad at the opinion, the kronos rhodes do rival the nord. Saying it's better is not out the question that's for sure!

[@mysticsailor9]

Nord actually leads in one thing. Great sounding boards that are easy to use.. that’s either worth money or not to you. To me.. am looking to upgrade my stage 3 to this..want to nerd out? Then pass, wanna be productive?..get a Nord

[@productamadeus8745]

Great video! Still, that price is outrageous. That’s called being able to charge the crap out of you and people will still do it.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Yea that price is tough to swallow hahah I hate that I’m willing to fork it over!🥴😭

[@obedplayskeys]

But the price…😢 For sound design the stage 4 would open up so many possibilities with all those added layers and effects

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

Yea the price is STEEP!!! Gotta sell that kidney! Haha jk software and a computer is always cheaper, it just depends on how much one values hands on experience. I like hardware more than software (even though software is cheaper but I use both)

[@moogy77]

BOO, BOO! Nord still keeps not adding the most basic things that now, by the 5th edition, they'd get it RIGHT!! I just received my compact 4 and, one day later, it's going BACK! Let's see, NO POLY GLIDE! I had poly glide on my OB X in 84. Let's see, being able to save your patches on a USB stick! How could they have two buttons in addition to the others for morphing on the Wave, but the same old choice of three on the Stagr4? BOO!

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

No argument there. Valid points. Have you tried the wave 2? I don’t remember if it had poly glide. It’s been awhile since I had to sell it

[@moogy77]

@@ZacBarnesMusic Yes nice piece, but really, the filter can't self oscillate?!?!

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

@@moogy77 you are 100% not wrong about Nord skimping out on key features. It's one of those tricky boards where you really gotta check to see if it fits. When it fits, it's amazing, but where it doesn't fit, it's a bit of a bust lol. Since piano, rhodes and organ are my main concern, the synth is a nice addition. But for a synth guy like your self, I wouldn't look at nord as my first go to either. Personally I'd get the prophet REV 2.

[@amirprog]

You don't have the stage 4 though...

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

I don’t have to own it……music stores have demo rooms

[@RhafaelAnastacio]

Prefer NP 5…i have…

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

That’s def a beast of a keyboard. Perfect especially if you don’t need all the synth capabilities.

[@RhafaelAnastacio]

I have Roland JD-XA

[@marekwinski8854]

1 TB in 2023 for 5.700 USD 👍

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

😂🤣 I had the same sentiment but there’s a comment in here that explains why their memory is lower. It actually made a lot of sense.

[@marekwinski8854]

@@ZacBarnesMusic I know, I know. Funny anyway. I really love my Nord Stage 3 and will keep it until the 5 or 6th gen.

[@ZacBarnesMusic]

@@marekwinski8854 we’re basically victims of the fact we love Nord. They totally lag behind in certain key features but they know we’ll stick around for the abuse anyway 🤣😂

[@HonorV2ultimate1tb]

when the word Practical is used..... immediately it makes irrelevant , style , artistry , imagination , creativity and everything else related to the creation of beauty...in this case music.......