Korg SV-1 or Clavia Nord electro 3 ??

[lionskull]

Hello, newbie here,

I have been trawling through many websites (and shops) trying to find a serious keyboard upgrade...
I gig and record regularly with various groups (funk, soul, indie, pop, rock) and have been using embarressingly bad equipment for too long now..

I'm after something that can give me great rhodes-esque sounds, authentic organ sounds and realistic pianos, therefore, I have narrowed it down to the Korg SV-1 or the Clavia Nord Electro 3.

I didn't really want to go past the £1000 mark but it seems to me that either of these two would serve my needs well (?) and would be a better investment than buying yet another mid-level keyboard that isn't exactly right.


Your advice and thoughts would be greatly appreciated

 

[chasyboy]

Don't even think about it GO NORD. $1550 brand new from ProAudioStar. You get all the samples from Nord for free. Serious, it feels great, easy to use...and is like having a 'pedalboard' right in front of you. No screens, no sequencer crap, just pure tone.

 

[Randelph]

Lionskull,
Just got me the Nord Stage 88, which is a bigger, weighted keys version of the electro 3. I was in the market, similar to yourself, and while the SV-1 is GORGEOUS looking and sounding, it's pretty limited- 1 sound at a time, no splits, no layers, and it's primarily a electromechanical keyboard: it does have an organ sample, but it's really limited.

I LOVE my Nord Stage, it's the keyboard I've always wanted. The Electro 3 is similar but it doesn't have the synth section, but unlike the Stage, it can load in new sounds (other than piano, which the Stage can do).

It's hard to believe how much I enjoy the rhodes sounds one the Stage- it has a growl and chunkiness to the low end that cuts thru and is so satisfying- and then you layer the modeled organ, using the dedicated swell pedal to bring it in or out, and you're in heaven!!!

Seriously, if you can afford it, and like weighted action (it's actually moderately weighted to accomadate the other sounds besides piano), the Nord Stage is amazing. I would love to have the SV-1, but with no layers or splits its seriously limited (as is the Stage in comparison to the Japanese boards- but these are the right limits: power and simplicity!)
Randelph

 

[chasyboy]

The Electro 3 allows you to download ALL the sounds, including synths! Make sure to download the latest sounds...the one that come from the factory are not necessarily as good (except the electric piano samples...sound great). There is a downside - only 256 MB of flash memory...so you can run out of space fast. You can split the organ. Randelph is right - its an electromechanical - which is cool...you design as you go, add as you want, plus you can put your own samples in.

 

[lionskull]

chaseyboy...randelph,

much appreciated words of Nord encouragement!
Think i shall set my compass towards the Stage 88..synth section would actually be the clincher.
Yeh i think i was wooed by the prettyness of the SV-1 but perhaps its more style over content..
great stuff..

cheers,

lionskull

 

[brizzlefeller]

Don't even think about it GO NORD. $1550 brand new from ProAudioStar. You get all the samples from Nord for free. Serious, it feels great, easy to use...and is like having a 'pedalboard' right in front of you. No screens, no sequencer crap, just pure tone.

I feel like maybe you don't know what the SV-1 is...

I work in a Music Store and have had the priviledge of using both extensively. We also have a Rhodes, a hammond organ (not a b3 don't get excited), and other vintage gear. So I feel like I have had the unique chance to compare these on a up-close and personal level. When I saw this thread I was dissapointed that the obvious wasn't pointed out.

If you want to have piano and e-piano sounds (Minus the mellotron) then you want the SV-1. Because their RX-Noise or whatever its called makes all the difference. Samples from a perfectly recorded piano are just that and a lot of manufacturers can do that. What Korg has done is they have actually modelled all of the unintentional sounds the original gear makes and includes that in what you hear when you play them.

The Nord does do the noise thing but only for the organs. So if you want organ sounds then Nord is the way to go.

As far as the feel of them goes I have had more piano players admit to liking the feel of the sv-1 more than anything else. Maybe its a psycological thing against the nord thou because its red and looks synthesizery and classically trained pianists are scared of new technology.

Anyway that's my long-winded way of saying: Piano, E-Piano = Korg / Organ, Mellotron = Nord

 

[lionskull]

brizzlefeller you are a legend!
nearly two years ago since i posted my question and i STILL haven't bought a new board! (been recording on an upright and not gigging out on keys as much!) but since then a friend of mine got a SV1 and I've played it a bit more and you are totally right..piano and electric piano sounds are lovely..when I do manage to get the dosh together I shall heed your advice!
Cheers

 

[ootini]

Can I throw the cat amongst the pigeons here and recommend instead picking up a decent second hand sampler and a decent sample library? You can get Akai S6000's fully loaded on eBay for about £300 these days.

 

[goz211]

Don't think I was on here when you first posted, lionskull. Temporarily removing my moderator hat to post the following:

See when you make your mind up, see when you get some cash together, see when you buy something like, it'd be dead good if you'd log on and tell us all what you got 'cause we'd like to know so we would - we'll be jealous but. This making any sense to you cause it's going to be right and hard for the rest of them on here to work out what's going on so it is.

Moderator hat back on. Fingers crossed for a lotto win for you and you can tell us about your new Kronos and Jupiter 80 and ...

 

[brenden]

VINTAGE the name says it. I have played live with fender rhodes pianos, Wurlitzer pianos, yamaha acoustic pianos and also a Hammond b3 on stage and in studios for 26years and until i played this keyboard i had only been satisfied with a yamaha p120 (which was really only because of the action and piano sound).
The KORG sv1 is an INSTRUMENT for players. You can invent in the moment and also spend time tailoring specific sounds for special gigs or recordings. It has its own feel to it and is the first keyboard since the real thing to inspire me to feel like i am actually playing an "instrument" and not a digital emulation.
For people who like pushing buttons and scrolling through menus and spending all day twiddling synthesis parameters, there are already plenty of options (and i am not a technophobe by any means)..... The KORG SV1 is made to play music !! so have fun and play !!!

 

[delaware dave]

The Kurzweil PC3 is equally as good in all areas and is cheaper. It also has 9 sliders to emulate the hammond drawbars and a great new leslie emulation.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/KURZWEIL-PC...8288572?pt=Keyboards_MIDI&hash=item231cdfdd3c

 

[brenden]

I haven't tried the Kurzweil, and didn't even know about it,... i have been impressed with their keyboards in the past.
The sliders are definitely a bonus and the Nord and the Kurzweil both have it over the Korg as far as the hammond goes,.. but a "semi-weighted" keyboard for me is halfway,.. the weighted keyboard of the Korg covers all the piano sounds, and for me the hammond is just an added bonus,.. I have an Oberheim OB3 squared module and a lightweight controller keyboard to get the feel and sound of the hammond right.... for only 300€ extra. To have the two keyboards i find is a necessity to grab the rips and stabs of the hammond and still have a full piano with the right action at the same time. Lucky i didn't know about the Kurzweil,.. would have made it even harder to choose,... but i still go with the Korg because it inspires me,.. and the manual controls are far superior to buttons and a screen in a live situation..... check out the playing posture of someone,... hunching and pushing buttons or trying to read the display to change and adjust sounds at a gig..
With the KORG after a couple of days a quick glance to grab an eq or amp setting, or effect and you still have eye contact while controlling the sound and playing a solo at the same time,..

 

[delaware dave]

The reason for the semi-weighted keyboard (Fatar TP-8) is so that you can play both piano and organ on the keyboard. I had a gig Saturday night and was playing John Lord organ and Greg Rolle piano. I never gave the keyboard action a second thought. It is light enough to play organ and heavy enough to play piano. That was the specific design of the action. The 9 sliders on the Kurzweil are also controllers; not just to be used to emulate the organ drawbars but are available to control anything a button would control. The display is also fairly large and tilted toward you so that you don't have to hunch over. I use the PC3 to control a Voce V5+ (same as you would control an OB3). And as you said, you haven't even tried it and didn't even know about it. Listen to this with a GOOD set of headphones:

 

[brenden]

Ok, i can see you really like your keyboard. cool. its right for you.

But i think you missed my point,..eg: how do you change from an organ sound preset to an electric piano preset then to a user preset and back without using the awkwardly placed cursor arrows ? Or pre-planning all those changes ?
And then while you are still playing change any of the sounds without having faders previously programmed/dedicated ?

Its about spontaneity !! creativity ! and flexibility !

I used beyer-dynamic DT880pro headphones,..,and i could hear the hum and buzz of your amps and some clipping too.

 

[delaware dave]

First of all it is not my recording nor is this my video (I found it on you tube), so the humming and buzzing is not coming from my amp. Depending on how the person who recorded it had the volumes set there could be clipping. There is no humming, buzzing or clipping coming out of the PC3 I own. The PC3 offers digital outs as well and they are absolutely quiet, i.e. no hiss Secondly, to address your question of pre-planning all of your changes, Kurzweil offers what is a called a quick access mode; you put the programs in a quick access list (you could have at least 1000 quick access lists if you wanted); in this mode you prearrange the programs you want to use in whatever order you want the programs to be in, you could create then dial-up the list before the set starts, then one flick of a controller (it could be a foot controller so your hands don't leave the keyboard) and you transition to the next sound you want. It also holds the 'sound' of the previous program in output until you start playing the next program so that there is a smooth transition from sound to sound. It is as flexible, creative and spontaneous as any keyboard on the market and sounds as good as any (IMO). With the PC3 you can also (if so desired) store up to 32 sounds in one program or 32 programs in 1 setup. These programs can be in same/different zones and can be faded in/out with any controller so that your hands don't even leave the keyboard.

I'm glad you're happy with your SV-1; great keyboard. But to insinuate that the SV-1 has greater spontaneity, creativity and flexibility than the PC3 without knowing anything about the PC3's features and how it operates is pure nonsense. I offered up this keyboard as a suggestion because of what I previously wrote: The Kurzweil PC3 is equally as good in all areas and is cheaper. All areas also includes spontaneity, creativity, and flexibility (IMO).

 

[brenden]

You're still missing the point---as you just said--- "you put the programs in a quick access list (you could have at least 1000 quick access lists if you wanted); in this mode you prearrange the programs you want to use in whatever order you want the programs to be in, you could create then dial-up the list before the set starts," .... sorry but that is not spontaneous. "prearrange" is very UN-spontaneous and "dialing up the list before the set starts" is not spontaneous either. Creativity is related to what one creates not whether you imitate John Lord, flexibility is for me is related to not being tied into (only) the sounds you already have programmed and to be open to make each moment different.

 

[delaware dave]

Enjoy your SV-1....

 

[brenden]

Thanks ... i will.
the same to you with the PC3

 

[Oyst3h]

I own an SV-1 AND a PC3.

They're both great at what they do, but I agree with brenden 100%.
The SV-1 is a beautiful and inspirational musical instrument that I can play for hours on end just noodling.
The PC3 is flexible, powerful and indispensible for playing with my band, but I never touch it if I'm not "working".

A significant part of the above is that - as a pianist - I love the RH3 action on the SV-1, compared to the unweighted keyboard on my PC361, but it's not just that. The SV-1 - while far from perfect - is just incredible in how it looks and plays, and connects with the player.

Is it obvious that I really love the SV-1 ?

 

[delaware dave]

First of all you are comparing a synth action keyboard to a piano action and then relating your experience as a pianist. I'm quite certain as an organist you would be more in favor of a synth action than a hammer action. As far as creativity create a trumpet sound for me on the fly on your SV1. Create guitar sounds for me on the fly. Add the following organ setting for me on the fly (838546627) with C2 chorus/vibrato and percussion on, normal and 2nd and slow decay. My point was ... for the money you get more with the PC3 and you get quality sounds and at a cheaper price. And as far as the RH3 keybed, it is even more controversial than the PC3's Fatar TP-8. I believe there was an issue with double triggering of the RH3 (just like there was when the CX3 came out). To each his own. Enjoy your SV-1 as well.

As you can see I really like my PC3 just like you like your SV1. Doesn't make either one of us right or wrong. It also doesn't necessarily make one keyboard more creative than the other especially if you know your way around the keyboards you own.