GEAR REVIEW
NORD GRAND 2 | Bruce Adolph
KEY FEATURES
• 88-Key Kawai Responsive Hammer Keybed
• Triple Sensors touch sensitivity
• 2 Piano and 2 Synth engines onboard
• 120-Voice Polyphony
• 578 total # of preset locations
• Triple Pedal 2 included
If you are a keyboard player as a worship leader , or a keys player on the worship team , you can ’ t help but notice all of those distinctly red Swedish keyboards being used by everyone from small to large churches , touring worship artists playing concerts in major venues or music producers using them in their recording studios .
If you have only played the Stage series of NORDs before , there are some differences when sitting down with the Grand 2 . The first thing you will notice is the slanted dashboard on the Grand 2 is way easier to reach and read than the flat design of the Stage boards . Second , the Grand 2 has less overall knobs , which can be less intimidating to some players . I like the actual keys and the action on the Stage 4 88 , but this upgraded Kawai Responsive Hammer Keybed takes it to a whole new level . This is why it is truly a stage piano . Wow !
Add to that the triple sensor touch sensitivity while playing and the nuance is palatable . My worship leader ( who was raised on playing grand pianos and has one currently at his home ) was certainly impressed with the Grand 2 ’ s action and nuance as well .
One more noticeable physical difference between the Stage series and the Grand 2 is that the actual keys themselves on the Grand 2 are slightly shorter than the Stage 4 88 ’ s .
So now let ’ s look under the hood of the Grand 2 .
What has been upgraded ? How about deeper sound-design capabilities for both the synth and piano layers ? Piano and Synth engines can now be combined through dual-layer or split configurations , each featuring a dedicated effects section . They have a small light on the panel that visually displays split points on stock patches ... which is really handy to note while playing live .
Speaking of effects , the Grand 2 sees an
NORD keyboards are so prevalent in today ’ s worship music genre that I heard the following humorous observation … “ Where the NORD is … there the Lord is !”
When we heard that the iconic NORD Grand stage piano was getting a major makeover we jumped right in and said , “ Please send us one !” When the rather large shipping box arrived it was quite fun to open it – with the help of my own keyboard playing worship leader that is – as the keyboard by itself weighs in at 47 lbs . But as you will see , it is 47 lbs . of goodness ! 80 October 2024 Subscribe for Free ...