 Too often, your choice of a stage piano requires compromise. You do your homework, make phone calls, and scour the Internet seeking advice on the perfect stage piano, yet at every turn, you're forced to give up some benefit and choose between the lesser of compromises. You like this one, but the action is too stiff; another one feels right, but the sounds are thin and weak; another still sounds great, but of all its features you'll only use a few; yet another one feels and sounds right, but weighs as much as your car. We believe your search is over. Introducing the Nord Stage 88, the culmination of Clavia's award-winning technology and design in a full-range weighted-action stage piano. Nord is known for being ideal for poerformance, and the Stage 88 is designed with practical benefits for real-world pianists. Of course, style factors in as much as substance - what would a Nord keyboard be if not bright red? The Nord Stage 88 is a high quality yet very road-worthy performance instrument. Constructed of the same light metal as other Nord keyboards, the Stage holds up to the rigors of touring and constant transportation. At around 40 pounds, the Stage 88 is among the most portable controllers available. Wood panels round out the style of the Stage, providing the classic yet discernable look of a Nord instrument. The Stage divides its sound into three sound sections - Organ, Piano, and Synth. Each section has its own design, so individually these sounds can be controlled completely. You can layer these sections together to create lavish combined programs, and you can assign key zones for splits. Using the Panel function, you can quickly move between two split or layered setups immediately. You can layer the Panels, too ... that's two organ manuals, two synths, and two pianos layered together all at once! Clavia's patented pitch-stick and modulation wheel construction is included for maximum expression, and the unique Morph Grouping technique allows you to combine effects and sound parameters together into one physical controller. The Stage also has four outputs, giving users the opportunity to run individual sounds through different outputs - this is a great way to dominate your performance, and control your sound mix. We're getting ahead of ourselves, though. Come in and see why the Stage is quite possibly the world's best stage piano ... 
The Organ Section is based on full simulation of electromechanical organs. The Nord Stage contains not only the famous sound of a traditional tonewheel organ, but it also adds Vox* and the Farfisa* organ models as well. The complex digital modeling recreates every nuance of these unique instruments giving you the full arsenal of Organ sounds. The Nord Stage emulates the energy stealth from the tone wheels, resulting in the �compressed� sound that occurs when playing many notes simultaneously. The rotary speaker emulation is the final touch of our rich organ sounds, and is available for the pianos and the synths as well. The key-click on the Hammond organ model is now a user-defined parameter, so players have even more control over their sound. Controls for percussion, 3 vibrato types, 3 chorus types, rotary speaker, and overdrive controls are found in this section. You can also assign keyboard zones, transpose by octave, and activate the sustain pedal and pitch bend functions here. The digital drawbars indicate the position of the different organ harmonics using bright red LEDs. The rotary speaker, once turned on, can be sped up and slowed down using the panel buttons, or you can use a standard switch pedal to ramp up and stop the rotary motion. The rotary speaker is not only available for the Organ - by pressing the Shift button (located in the center of the panel) with the rotary on/off button, you can route the Piano or Synth sections through the rotary speaker, creating some interesting timbres. The Organ's volume knob [the lighted encoder] and all the drawbars are controllable using Morph Grouping, meaning you can assign all or some of them to an external control pedal, the modulation wheel, or aftertouch. * Farfisa and Vox are trademarks of their respective owners and are not affiliated
or associated with Clavia. Farfisa and Vox are mentioned only to
describe the types of sounds reproduced by the Nord Stage.  The Piano Section is comprised of 6 different sound groups. These groups include the Mega Clavinet D6, the Wurlitzer 200A, the Rhodes Mark I, II, V, and the custom Electric Grand model CP-80. The Acoustic Piano Group includes a Steinway Concert D and a Yamaha C7 Grand Piano and two upright pianos. A Miscellaneous group also exists, for any future sounds that Clavia will develop for the Nord Stage.
The acoustic pianos were created using a very advanced sampling technology. The sounds are stereo multisamples, recorded at many different velocity levels. The key-release, pedal down, and pedal up sounds have also been added. In an acoustic piano, the vibrating string will make other strings with shared overtones vibrate, creating its very energetic and full sound. The Nord Stage pianos will produce the sympathetic string resonance when each note is hit with the pedal down. This full sound was attained through the development of a completely new sampling engine, which provides the lushest, most accurate and expressive grand pianos ever made for a digital keyboard. The piano section is very flexible, allowing the use of any of the Stage�s rich effects, splits, and layers, and in the future Clavia will release new piano samples that can be loaded via the Nord Stage�s USB port. The multisample engine of the Nord Stage displays subtle nuances throughout the whole dynamic range. Thanks to the carefully designed sound engine, an aura of authenticity is created that can only be heard in a Nord instrument.  The Synthesizer Section is like no other that Clavia has produced - instead of digging through parameters and sculpting your sound with a large array of knobs and encoders, the Stage's synth section features just the essentials for quick and easy programming with amazing results.
Clavia is world famous for synthesizer technology since the groundbreaking Nord Lead from the mid-1990s. For discriminating musicians, a subtractive synthesizer has been built into the Stage, creating opportunities for texturing and layering piano and organ sounds. Here, though, a single knob moves you through various oscillators, glide and unison functions are added, as well as a low-pass filter, modulation envelope, amp envelope, vibrato, and and EQ. The synthesizer unit in the Nord Stage is sonically rich, very easy to use, and has it�s own unique personality. The heart of this synthesizer is the Oscillator section, where you can choose from basic sound elements. The Analog section recreates all the elements from classic subtractive synthesizers. The FM section recreates the glossy FM sounds that dominated the 1980s. The synth section also includes digital wavetables, which create seemingly organic synth textures. The timbre knob controls them all, varying multiple parameters within the selected oscillator/operator/waveform preset, allowing players to sweep between different characters of the sound in one movement. The filter section has 12db and 24db filters. You can easily manipulate filter cutoff and resonance, and control them with velocity or keyboard tracking as well. There is a modulation envelope which shapes both the filter and the oscillator, and an amp envelope to control the attack, sustain, release, and decay of the sound.  The External Section gives you control over any MIDI-connected synth module or computer. Since you may need to use non-keyboard-oriented sounds in your performance, Clavia has made controlling them an exclusive and separate function of the Nord Stage.The rotary knob has multiple functions. You can use it to control the patch volume, change the patch you want to trigger, or assign any MIDI control change number to it. The External MIDI channel can be set and saved for each Stage Program, meaning that you can recall external programs without having to manually change them on the module.Zone, octave, pitch bend, and sustain pedal functions can be activated and controlled here, and anything the rotary knob controls can be Morphed using the modulation wheel, a control pedal, or aftertouch.
 The Stage's Effects Section contains all the effects of the Nord Electro, and adds more.
The Phaser, Flanger, and Chorus effects are modeled from the classic analog stomp boxes that were popular in the 1970s. With parameter knobs for realtime adjustment of effects, all the swirling phasers, metallic flangers, and meaty chorus effects found on classic recordings are here - crystal clear and faithfully simulated. Modulations include Tremolo, three Wahs, and Auto-Pan. There is a Ring Modulator on board, an effect used by many experimental and electronic musicians. From jazz, funk, prog-rock, and pop to fusion, R&B, and avant-garde, this useful effect has conjured incredibly unique tones for a generation of players. A delay unit has been included to create haunting echoes or slap back effects, and its tempo can be controlled with the Rate knob or using the Tap Tempo button.  The Amp Sim Section extends the Stage's vintage authenticity even further by including carefully-modeled emulations of classic stage amplifiers.
The three simulated amps are the Fender Twin Reverb, a Roland Jazz Chorus, and Wurlizter speakers. You can also set the drive of the amps creating the sound of an overdriven amplifier which works when no amp model is selected. As with the Effects Section, the Organ, Piano, or Synthesizer can be routed through the Amp Sim, and its sweepable EQ can shape your sound.  Owners of the Nord Electro made many suggestions for improvements, and they were taken considered when designing the Nord Stage.
Thus the Master Effects Section. The compressor gives you dynamic control over your sound, subtle or laden with special effects. The reverb unit has five algorithms that create different ambient atmospheres for your sounds. The Master effects apply to the entire Program you've created, allowing you to blend with your band whether you're plugged into the PA, or running your sound direct to an amplifier. 
The Nord Stage's control Panel is where you find all the basic navigation functions: 1. Morph Assignment
Morph Groupings is Clavia's unique method of assigning multiple parameters to one physical controller. In the Nord Stage, these controllers can be the Modulation Wheel, Aftertouch, or a connected variable Control Pedal. 2. LCD Display
The 16-character LCD display shows the current program, as well as the submenu you happen to be in when assigning global settings. 3. Store Button
Press twice to save an edited program. Press once to select a new location, then again to save it. Use [Shift & Store] to rename a program. 4. Page Navigation
The Stage as 21 banks of 6 Programs each. To go from 1:1 to 2:1, just press the [Page +] button. 5. Main Rotary Control
Navigate through programs one at a time, or through the options of a submenu's settings. 6. Program & Menu Buttons
Programs are stored in each of these locations. Using [Shift] with any of these takes you into the Stag's submenus. 7. Panels A & B
A Stage Program can consist of an Organ, Piano, Synth, and Effects. An alternate Program can be stored in a second 'Panel' for quick transitions, or can be layered, allowing a Program to contain up to 2 Organs, 2 Pianos, and 2 Synths at once. 8. Live 1 & 2
Activating either of these allows you to record the changes to a Program for quick recall, even after you've shut the Stage off. 9. Zone Control
Assign the key ranges of the Organ, Piano, & Synth Sections here. 10. Shift
Allows you to access secondary functions of buttons all across the control panel, which are noted below the button (main function is named above the button). The Stage is built for performance, and the Panels create a unique method of getting to alternate sounds quickly. Often songs require multiple sounds, and finding another program in the middle of a song can be a recipe for disaster. Using the Panels, whose controls are conveniently located front & center in the navigation section, you can switch between sounds without even looking at the display.You are able to layer and split an Organ, Piano, and a Synth sound all at once. Each Section can be assigned a different effect and can be routed through amp sims and the rotary speaker emulation. Once you achieve the sound you desire, you can Store and name the custom sound on Panel A. By pressing the Panel B button, you can create a variation of that sound, then Store the Program again, creating the opportunity so swiftly change between these two sound combinations.You can also layer the two Panels together to create a Program that uses 2 Organs, 2 Pianos, and 2 Synths at once. Simply set up each Panel individually, then press both Panel A and Panel B buttons simultaneously. Stage Connections
 Organ SwellConnect any variable control pedal to this for exclusive control over the volume of the Organ Section, independent of other Section volumes.Control PedalYou can use a variable control pedal here as well, but it can be assigned to a number of parameters using the Morphing technique. Morph assignments are saved with each individual Program.MIDI In & OutFor control of MIDI-enabled gear such as synth modules or software.USBFor use with any standard USB cable, this port is what you use to perform Operating System upgrades, as well as swap samples and Program sets.Rotor SpeedA momentary footswitch will alternate between the rotary speaker's Fast and Stop settings when the rotary speaker is turned on. Sustain PedalMomentary or spoon-style sustain pedals can be connected here. The Stage 88 and Stage 76 are shipped with a spoon-style pedal, already configured for the Stage's polarity.Note - When using multiple pedals with the Stage, a good rule of thumb is to make sure all pedals are made by the same manufacturer. This prevents polarity issues that can cause some pedals to work in reverse.Channel 1 & 2 OutThese 1/4 balanced connections are the Main Outputs of the Nord Stage, which act as the primary Left/Right pair.Channels 3 & 4 OutThese 1/4 balanced connections are the Auxilliary Outputs of the Nord Stage, which can be assigned to any Section from the main internal menu.HeadphonesThis 1/4 stereo out can serve as a connection for headphones, or can be used to route the entire signal to a stage amp for live monitoring if using the 4 mono outputs with a PA system FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about the Nord Stage Can the USB port be used for MIDI control?
No; the USB port is only used for operating system upgrades and sample downloads.
Clavia develops its own technology pretty much from scratch, and MIDI control has not been created yet. It is probable that future Nord keyboards will include this feature, however current models must use a MIDI interface for sequencing and softsynth control. Can Nord Stage samples be used with the Nord Electro, or vice versa?
No, both models are mutually exclusive regarding sample formats. The close-mic'd Yamaha and ambient-mic'd Steinway samples have been compressed and ported for the Nord Electro, and are available from the Electro downloads page. What's the deal with E.Piano? Are they Rhodes samples?
Yes they are, however the Rhodes name is a trademark, and cannot be used in an official capacity, either on the Stage's panel, or in the documentation. Is the Stage's B3 model the same as the Electro's?
Yes, it is. My Nord Stage says Revision B; what does this mean?
Shortly after the Stage began shipping in 2005, Clavia made a couple of minor improvements to the body of the Stage. First, the metal panels went from smooth to slightly textured. Secondly, music stand mounts were added to the chassis. No changes were made to the internal hardware, so there are no sonic or operating system changes that cannot be obtained without upgrading to the most recent OS version. At this time, the only way you can make an original Stage a Revision B instrument is to purchase a new panel and chassis, then have an authorized service center reassemble the components inside the new casing. I need brass and string sounds to fill out my performance; are those sounds available on the Stage?
Not necessarily. Although you can emulate brass-like and string-like textures using the Stage's Synth Section, there are no samples or models outside of keyboard-oriented sounds - i.e. piano, electromechanical piano, organ, and synthesizer. If you prefer to use more realistic brass or string sounds, you can connect a third-party sound module to the Stage via MIDI, and control it with the External Section. I want to buy a Stage, but am concerned a new version will come out soon. Does Clavia have plans for a Stage 2?
Currently, no. Any improvements to the Nord Stage will be OS upgrades and new samples only. The Nord Electro has been a faithful instrument since 2001 - a seeming enternity in technology terms - but longevity is an intention of Clavia's. Since the Stage has only been shipping since late 2005, it is very unlikely that a Stage 2 will replace it any time in the forseeable future. Are there plans for a Stage 61 or a Stage Rack?
No, there are not. It's simply a matter of space - the internal circuit boards are far too large to be made into a 61-key or Rack model. Will there be new piano samples in the future? A Mellotron, perhaps? Maybe a mono piano?
A Mellotron is a difficult proposition, since it has a very unique way of creating sounds. Furthermore, sourcing even the most popular tapes would be an espansive and time-consuming project.
Clavia is, however, hard at work developing new samples, and in fact many have been attempted and rejected based on quality standards over the past year. A mono piano is a definite possibility, though. Can the Stage be used as a MIDI controller, even if the USB port is not involved?
Certainly! That's what the External Section is all about: having an independent section where users can control other hardware or software. Of course, that's not the only option. Each Section of the Stage - Organ, Piano, Synth, External, complete Panel (x2 since there are 2 panels) - can transmit and receive on a different MIDI channel. Where can I get a spare power cord?
They can be ordered through a Nord dealer, or direct from Nord USA. However, you can save yourself some time and effort by going to your local electronics retailer - Best Buy, Radio Shack, Circuit City, etc. - and looking for a 2-prong AC cable with a figure-8 female connector. They should only be a few dollars, and are the same kind that are used in portable radios, electric shavers, alarm clocks, etc. I'll be traveling to Europe - do I need a power converter?
No you do not. The internal power supply of the Nord Stage has a switch between 115v (US, Japan, Canada, etc.) and 230v (Europe, etc.). It must be done by a qualified technician if it's under warranty, since opening the case can void it. You will need an adapter once you get to Europe, since there are several types of outlets in use. Will the Nord Combo's organ models be available for the Stage or Electro?
No, they will not. Several compromises has to be made in the Stage and Electro regarding the organs, especially in the key response. Since the Combo is a dedicated organ, those compromises did not have to be made, and the organ models are fleshed out from there. |
