Nord Electro 6D Review! The Best Lightweight Stage-Piano?
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Digital Piano Reviews, Stage PIano Reviews
The Nord Electro 6D is a powerful and flexible keyboard that combines award-winning emulations of vintage electro-mechanical and acoustic instruments in an ultra-portable package.
With three independent sound sections, a new streamlined user interface, and the addition of seamless transitions, the Nord Electro 6 is a refined modern classic that offers a unique and immersive musical experience.
MORE: For a detailed review of some of the other best-selling stage pianos from Nord, check out the following articles:
The NEW Nord Stage 4 is Here! (Review)
The New Nord Piano 5 Review – An Upgraded Classic
Nord Electro 6D Review! The Best Lightweight Stage-Piano?
Contents [show]
Models
The Nord Electro 6 comes in three models: the 6D-61, 6D-73, and 6-HP.
The 6D-61 and 6D-73 feature physical drawbars and semi-weighted organ-type keys with a rounded “waterfall” tip that is perfect for rapid organ shredding and synthesizer licks.
The 6-HP however, uses amazingly portable weighted hammer action piano keys that are ideal for electric and acoustic piano sounds but can be great for organ playing.
Which model you will prefer is down to personal preference, and it is recommended to try out the 2 different keybeds before making a purchase.
Check Price: Amazon (Waterfall)
Check Price: Sweetwater (Hammer Portable)
New Features
Some notable features that have been added over the previous Nord Electro 5:
Seamless Transitions
3 part multi-timbral
Split and Layer all 3 sections with optional Split Point Crossfades
Organize Mode for quickly rearranging programs, sounds, and pages
Piano Filters
Greatly expanded polyphony
Expanded memory (512 MB) for Nord Sample Library
Extended Voice Polyphony
2 Pipe Organ models
Dual Organ Mode
Reverb with Bright Mode
Piano Section
This ‘Take Your Mama’ Cover below is recorded using the Nord Electro 4 and a pre-installed piano sound.
The Pianos onboard the Nord Electro are high-quality and cut through the mix well.
You can also swap out the sounds that come pre-installed (using the Nord Piano Library), for larger downloads. The largest XL samples are the best-sounding overall.
The piano section of the Nord Electro 6 is equipped with a wide selection of acoustic, electric, and digital pianos.
It offers extended voice polyphony and creative new piano filters. The piano section also features a new “Layer” category with rich dynamic layered patches.
The Nord Piano Library is consistently updated with new exclusive world-class sounds, always free of charge. The piano filters provide an additional level of sonic control, accentuating softness, mid, or brilliance.
The Electro 6 has 1 GB of memory allocated and greatly expanded polyphony over the previous model. It has expressive filters that enhance the onboard sounds, and sympathetic string resonance which adds to the realism of the piano sounds.
There are also 4 dynamic curves that you can alter to perfect your sound.
Rhodes
The ‘Ain’t Nobody’ cover below uses a Nord Electro 4 Rhodes sound.
Another area where the Nords really shine is in the Rhodes category, as the samples are lifelike and faithfully recreate the original instruments.
There are many Rhodes samples to choose from, and you can swap out the pre-installed sounds for others in the Nord Piano Library.
Organ Section
The organ sounds are fantastic, and very usable in live settings, as you can here in the video above, where I am using the Nord electro 4 (semi-weighted).
The Nord Electro 6 features the same acclaimed Nord C2D Organ engine as the previous models, including the extremely authentic B3 Tonewheel simulation with four different tone wheel settings.
It also includes simulations of the classic 1960s Transistor Organs, Vox Continental, Farfisa Compact, and two different Pipe Organ models.
It contains a vintage 122 Rotary Speaker simulation, adding an essential character to a live organ performance.
This instrument also has the latest generation of the vintage 122 Rotary Speaker simulation from Nord, adding an essential character to a live organ performance. It features Slow, Fast, and Stop modes as well as a Drive control.
The dedicated new Dual Organ mode provides quick access to dual manual setups and offers a great overview and control of the drawbar settings for both the Lower and Upper manual.
The Electro 6D 61 and 73 also support the Nord Half-moon Switch (optional accessory).
Synth Section
The Sample Synth Section contains a broad selection of high-quality sounds from the Nord Sample Library 3.0, including the exclusively licensed sounds of the legendary Mellotron and Chamberlin.
The Sample Synth is equipped with essential controls for attack, decay/release, and dynamics (filter/velocity). A unique Nord feature allows you to create your own samples using the free Nord Sample Editor software for Windows and Mac.
Keybeds
Each Fatar keybed is meticulously calibrated at the Nord factory to ensure an even response over the whole keyboard range.
Hammer Action Portable (HP)
The Nord Electro 6 HP keybed uses amazingly portable weighted hammer action piano keys. It is perfect for electric and acoustic piano sounds but also works great for organ playing. Key range 6 HP: E-E.
Semi Weighted Waterfall (SW)
The Nord Electro 6D 61 and 6D 73 have semi-weighted organ-type keys with a rounded “waterfall” tip, which is brilliant for rapid organ shredding and synthesizer licks.
They are also usable for piano sounds though the Hammer Action is slightly more well-suited to pianos due to the more realistic key action. The key range is C-C on Electro 6D 61 and E-E on Electro 6D 73.
Performance Features
Seamless transitions
The Nord Electro 6 features seamless transitions when changing sounds or programs while playing.
This advanced feature is extremely useful for live performances, as musicians can change to another sound or ‘patch’ on the fly without cutting out the sound they are currently using.
This feature makes it easier for pianists to cover popular songs effectively and convincingly, and for original bands, it adds to your expressive capabilities on stage.
Layer & Advanced Split Functionality
The panel has three independent sound sections; Organ, Piano, and Sample Synth which can be used simultaneously as a layer or a split.
It features 6 Split Points and the new Split Point Crossfade functionality introduced with Stage 3 for smooth transitions between two split zones.
Choose from 3 different crossfade widths (Small, Large, or Off) as indicated by different LED colors.
Refined Program Section
The new streamlined Program section features a handy Organize mode including Copy/Paste and Move functionality for quickly arranging your Programs to your desired order.
A new Page View lets you easily sort and organize pages as a song list. All Programs, Pianos, and Synth Samples are easily navigated using the new List View that offers alphabetical, numerical, and category sorting options.
Effects
The powerful Effect section features a wide range of instantly tweakable high-quality effects modeled after classic stomp boxes.
All effects are stereo and can be assigned freely to the Organ, Piano, or Synth sections. The Nord Electro 6 also features a Reverb section with a new Bright Mode.
Connections & Pedals
The Nord Electro 6 supports a wide range of control pedals, including Fatar, Yamaha FC7, Roland EV-7, Korg EXP2, and Korg XVP10. The Control Pedal and/or Sustain Pedal can be assigned independently for each section.
It also has a rear panel Monitor Input, allowing you to connect a second Nord keyboard or any other audio source.
Software
The Nord Electro 6 comes with the Nord Sound Manager software for organizing and transferring sounds to your keyboard. The software also allows you to create your own samples using the free Nord Sample Editor.
User Reviews
The Nord Electro 6 has received high praise from users, with an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon. Users have praised its range of sounds, build quality, and versatility.
However, some users have noted that it has a steep learning curve and that it is expensive, which is a common feature of Nord instruments.
MORE: For a detailed review of some best-selling stage pianos from other popular brands, check out the following articles:
Is the Korg Kronos Still the Best Workstation?
The Korg Nautilus Full Review – The Best Workstation in 2023?
Roland FP-30 vs. Roland FP-30X – Best Digital Stage Piano Improved?
Conclusion
The Nord Electro 6 is a powerful and versatile keyboard that offers a wide range of features for musicians of all levels.
Its combination of vintage electro-mechanical and acoustic instrument emulations, along with its powerful effects section and user-friendly interface, make it a standout choice for any musician.
Whether you’re a professional performer or a hobbyist, the Nord Electro 6 is a keyboard that can cater to your needs and help you express your musical creativity.