Looking to purchase a new 88-note weighted keyboard with the following features:
- A high quality selection of sounds across all categories – pianos, B3 organs, EP’s & Strings being most important but I need everything else too.
- A Favourites feature for quick access to frequently used patches and performances (layers/splits).
- 4-8 zones for splits & layers (8 is ideal but 4 is not a deal breaker).
- Sound not cutting off when I changes patches/performances.
- Ability to import my own samples would be useful but not a deal breaker if not available.
- Easily configurable with external sources like MainStage
Discussing those 6 bullets just from the Nord perspective:
1. Nord is excellent for pianos and organs, above average for EPs, okay for strings.
2. Nord has 5 patch select buttons which can be used in different ways. For a fixed set of favorites, you could use them for 5 favorites that can each be selected with a single button press, or 25 favorites that can each be selected with two button presses. You can also navigate to different sets of 5 or 25 favorite sounds.
3. Nord lets you split/layer up to 2 piano sounds (includes related instruments like clav and EP), 2 organ sounds, 2 other internal sounds, and 2 external sounds (from another attached device you may have), for up to 8 sounds total, sharing up to 3 split points. But there is no way to (for example) split/layer three internal sounds that don't include some kind of piano or organ, the max is two. IOW, zoning/splits/layers is not its strength. It is consistent with Nord's general approach... make it easy to do the things that are most commonly needed, but often impossible to do the things that are not. Splitting/layering a small number of sounds? Easy. Splitting/layering a ton of sounds? Impossible.
4. Sound does not cut off when when changing programs (what you refer to as a patch or performance), however sound CAN cut off when changing a sound WITHIN a program (i.e. turning different split/layered sounds on and off WITHOUT going to a different program).
5. Among boards where you can import your own custom samples, Nord probably does it most easily. However, you are limited to single-velocity samples (you can't trigger different samples at different velocities).
6. If you mean having the Nord control Mainstage sounds, a Nord program can include up to two external (in this case Mainstage) sounds addressable on different MIDI channels. If you mean having Mainstage control the Nord, Mainstage can recall Nord Programs, or treat it as a 2-sound multi-timbral sound source (by treating each panel separately, each panel having up to three internal sounds... one piano, one organ, and one other).
And yes, the RH3 keybed from Korg (Kronos 88, Grandstage, etc) is also better than the Fatar keybed in the Nord.
These are my personal opinions, mind you.
For a different personal opinion... I think the 88 key Nord Stage 3 action is a lot better than the Kronos RH3. (But I feel different about different models. The 76 key Nord Stage 3 doesn't feel nearly as good as the 88; the RH3 in the Korg SV1 feels a lot better than the implementation in the Kronos.)
That said, Kronos is still a strong option for the OP to consider. I'd personally rank them this way, in terms of the OP's sonic priorities:
PIANO: All three are good. I happen to like Nord best, but this is very subjective, and someone else could easily prefer Korg or Roland.
B3 ORGAN: Nord best, then Kronos, with Roland in last place.
EP: Kronos best, then Nord, with Roland in last place.
STRINGS/ORCHESTRAL INSTRUMENTS: Kronos and Roland beat Nord.
The Roland Fantom has the best Mainstage integration, but so far, does not support importing custom samples.
I'd also consider taking a look at the Kurzweil Forte and PC4. I think that's another option that beats the Roland in organ, EP, and possibly strings. PC4 is very well priced and is lightest to carry around of all the options mentioned, though Forte has the better action and better piano/EP compared to the PC4 (though both are good for piano/EP). Purgatory Creek makes some very nice additional EPs you can download into the Kronos and Kurzweils.