Nord Announces The Nord Piano 6

Nord Announcement

Nord announces the latest generation of their Piano series. "The latest generation of the Nord Piano series features a new panel design with LED faders, dual layers for Piano and Synth with independent effects, and a premium Triple Sensor keybed. Combined with excellent portability and our world-class sounds, the Nord Piano 6 offers great flexibility for performance and sound creation." - Nord

Highlights of the Nord Piano 6

Specifications

General

• Dual Piano and Dual Synth Layers

• OLED Display

• Seamless Transitions

• Split Point Crossfades

• 16 banks with 36 programs - 576 locations

• Organize for programs

• Live Mode - 6 Live programs

• Global Transpose: +/- 6 semitones

• Global Fine-tune: +/- 50 Cents

• Program Transpose: +/- 6 semitones

• 88 or 73-note Triple Sensor keybed with grand weighted action

• Selectable split point with LED indication (9 locations)

• Nord Triple Pedal 2 included

• MIDI over USB

Piano Section

• 2 independent Layers

• 2 GB memory for Piano sounds

• All sounds can be replaced using Nord Sound Manager (Mac/Win)

• 120 Voice Polyphony

• Categories: Grand, Upright, Electric, Digital/Layer, Clav/Harpsichord and Misc

• 3 Selectable Keyboard Touch Curves (Heavy, Medium, Light)

• Piano Timbre controls with custom settings for Electric Pianos and Clavinet

• String Resonance for acoustic Grand Pianos and Uprights

• Pedal Noise when used with Nord Triple Pedal 1, Nord Triple Pedal 2 or Nord Single Pedal 2 on acoustic and electric pianos

• Dynamic Compression

• Unison functionality

Sample Synth Section

• 2 independent Layers

• 1 GB memory for Nord Sample Library

• Amp envelope with Attack, Decay/Sustain and Release controls

• Vibrato with Rate/Amount, Delay, button or pedal

• Unison with 3 amounts

• Mono, Legato and Glide

• Octave transpose: -1/+1 (-6/+6 in Split mode, depending on Split position)

Effects Section

• Mod 1: Tremolo, Pan 1 (Soft), Pan 2 (Hard), Spin, Wah, Ring Modulator (controllable via optional pedal)

• Mod 2: Phaser 1, Phaser 2, Flanger, Chorus 1, Chorus 2, Vibe, Spin. Stereo/Mono options for each effect

• Equalizer: Per Layer or Global, 3-band with sweepable mid (200 Hz - 8 kHz)

• Amp: Twin, JC and Small. Each with Alternate Tone option

• Compressor: Per Layer or Global, Amount control

• Delay: Per Layer or Global, Tempo, Feedback and Mix (Dry/Wet) controls, Ping Pong with 3 amount options, Tap-Tempo, Feedback Filter (HP/LP/BP), Flam

• Reverb: Global Reverb with Dry Wet amount optionally controllable per Layer. Spring, Booth, Room, Stage, Hall and Cathedral Reverb types, each with optional Pre-Delay, Chorale and Bright/Dark modes.

• Group mode for Effects

Connections

• 2 Audio outputs L & R - ¼", 6,35 mm jacks, unbalanced

• 1 Monitor input - 1/8", 3,5 mm stereo jack

• 1 Headphone output - ¼", 6,35 mm stereo jack

• 1 Sustain Pedal input - ¼", 6,35 mm jack. Compatible with Nord Triple Pedal or a momentary pedal

• Triple Pedal - 5 pin DIN connector. Use the included Nord Triple Pedal 2

• 1 Control/Volume Pedal input - ¼", 6,35 mm TRS stereo jack.

• MIDI In, MIDI Out - 5 pin DIN connectors

• USB - type B connector - for transferring sounds and USB MIDI

• IEC C14 power connector

Dimensions

• Nord Piano 6 88:
  1282 mm (50.5"), 121 mm (4.7"), 349 mm (13.7")

• Nord Piano 6 73:
  1069 mm (42"), 121 mm (4.7"), 349 mm (13.7")

Weight

• Nord Piano 6 88:
  19.2 kg (42.3 lbs)

• Nord Piano 6 73:
  16.2 kg (35.7 lbs)

Included Accessories

• Nord Triple Pedal 2

• User Manual

• Power cord

• Dust Cover

Optional Accessories

• Nord Piano Monitor

• Nord Single Pedal 2 (SP-2)

• Nord Keyboard Stand

• Nord Soft Case

• Nord Music Stand

• Nord Wood Music Stand

Check Out Nord Keyboards at Sweetwater Using My Affiliate Link

My Thoughts

Making a quick comparison between the Nord Piano 6 and the Nord Piano 5 leaves me thinking, "These boards are more the same than they are different." Therefore, I'd call this an incremental upgrade versus a revolutionary one.

Let's focus on what is different/upgraded for the Nord Piano 6:

1. Like the Nord Stage 4, the effects can be applied independently by layer. For example, if you want to use a different chorus effect for Piano 1, Piano 2, Synth 1, and Synth 2, you can do that. (Reverb can be applied either globally or independently). With the Piano 5, effects that are already allocated to an engine, are not available for the other engine on the same panel.
2. Although there is a "Mono" mode on the new Piano 6, there doesn't yet appear to be a "Glide" option or a Legato mode. If this is the case (I don't see a manual yet available to double-check this), then this is a downgrade from the latest versions of the Nord Piano 5, which includes Mono, Legato, and Glide options for the synth voicings. (Note that early versions of the Piano 5 didn't include vibrato, mono, or glide features).
3. The Piano 6 is actually a touch heavier than the Piano 5 by 2.2 lbs for the 88 key and 1.6 lbs for the 73 key. (The size dimensions are very similar between the two versions.)
4. The Piano 6 is compatible with both the Nord Triple Pedals 1 and 2 along with the Nord Sustain Pedals 1 and 2.
5. The Nord Piano 6 uses volume sliders (like the Wave 2 and Nord Stage 4), which some argue are "easier to see and control" versus the traditional round knobs to adjust the volume.
6. Like the Nord Stage 4, there are 576 locations for programs versus 400.
7. Easier to use? Because of how the panel is designed and effects are assigned independently, the new Piano 6 could be a touch more straightforward to use than the previous Piano 5. Some argue that the Nord Stage 4 is easier to use than the Nord Stage 3 for the same reason.
8. Slightly different options for effects. See the comparison chart here.
9. NP6 offers 9 split points, and the NP5 offers 7 split points.

Surprising Similarities:

What hasn't changed?

1. Both versions feature a similar (if not the same) keybed.
2. Both feature 2 GB of Piano and 1 GB of Sample memory with 120 note polyphony in the piano section. (We don't have a listing for polyphony for the NP6 for the Synth section, but it's listed as 40 for the NP5.)
3. Both have the ability to play up to 2 pianos and 2 synths at the same time.

Final Thoughts

The net result of comparing one to the other is that they will sound the same and have the same layer capability and polyphony. Well, let me clarify that. They will sound the same in so far as they both use pianos and samples from the same exact Nord library. But, the NP6 has the edge because you can assign an EQ/Effect per layer, giving you a notable amount of flexibility and sound enhancement over the NP5.

A small but notable feature is absent from the NP6. As far as we know, there is a slight downgrade with the NP6 in the area of "Glide" not being included. But aside from that, things are improved. So, if you are a happy owner of the Nord Piano 5, think long and hard about whether this upgrade is worth it or not. Nothing jumps off the page for me as being "revolutionary" to the point where it would make me pull the trigger immediately. However, assuming I didn't already own a Nord Piano and given the choice between a brand new NP6 versus a NP5, I'd spend the extra $300 to get the additional features of the Nord Piano 6.

Pricing as of 1/17/2025 (Sweetwater, U.S.)

NP5 73: $3299
NP5 88: $3499
NP6 73: $3599
NP6 88: $3799

Feel free to comment with your thoughts.

Note: Master the Nord Stage 4 is now live!

Thanks for visiting!

Marc 🎹

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