Kawai Nord Grand User manual

USER MANUAL
Nord Grand
English
OS version: 1.0x
Edition: A
Part number: 50476 Copyright Clavia DMI AB
Edition: A

CAUTION - ATTENTION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
RISQUE DE SHOCK ELECTRIQUE
NE PAS OUVRIR
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK).
NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL.
ATTENTION:POUR EVITER LES RISQUES DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE, NE
PAS ENLEVER LE COUVERCLE.
AUCUN ENTRETIEN DE PIECES INTERIEURES PAR L´USAGER.
CONFIER L´ENTRETIEN AU PERSONNEL QUALIFE.
AVIS: POUR EVITER LES RISQUES D´INCIDENTE OU D´ELECTROCUTION,
N´EXPOSEZ PAS CET ARTICLE A LA PLUIE OU L´HUMIDITET.
1) Read these instructions.
2) Keep these instructions.
3) Heed all warnings.
4) Follow all instructions.
5) Do not use this apparatus near water.
6) Clean only with dry cloth.
7) Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance
with the manufacturer’s instructions.
8) Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat
registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including ampliers) that
produce heat.
9) Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or
grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one
wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades
and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong
are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not t
into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the
obsolete outlet.
10) Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched
particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point
where they exit from the apparatus.
11) Only use attachments/accessories specied by the manu-
facturer.
12) Use only with the cart, stand,
tripod, bracket, or table specied by the
manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus.
When a cart is used, use caution when
moving the cart/apparatus combination to
avoid injury from tip-over.
13) Unplug this apparatus during lightning
storms or when unused for long periods of time.
14) Refer all servicing to qualied service personnel. Servicing
is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way,
such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been
spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus
has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate nor-
mally, or has been dropped.
The lightning ash with the arrowhead symbol within
an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the
presence of uninsulated voltage within the products en-
closure that may be of sufcient magnitude to constitute
a risk of electric shock to persons.
Le symbole éclair avec le point de èche à l´intérieur d´un triangle
équilatéral est utilisé pour alerter l´utilisateur de la presence à
l´intérieur du coffret de ”voltage dangereux” non isolé d´ampleur
sufsante pour constituer un risque d`éléctrocution.
The exclamation mark within an equilateral triangle is
intended to alert the user to the presence of important
operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the
literature accompanying the product.
Le point d´exclamation à l´intérieur d´un triangle équilatéral est
employé pour alerter l´utilisateur de la présence d´instructions
importantes pour le fonctionnement et l´entretien (service) dans le
livret d´instructions accompagnant l´appareil.
Instructions pertaining to a risk of re, electric shock or injury to persons.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS
Trademarks: The Nord logo is a trademark of Clavia DMI AB. All other trademarks
mentioned in this publication are the properties of their respective holders.
Specications and appearances are subject to change without notice.
Copyright © Clavia DMI AB
No naked ame sources, such as lighted candles, should be placed on
the apparatus;
Do not use the apparatus in tropical climates.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of re or electric shock, do not expose
this apparatus to rain or moisture.
The apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing and that
no objects lled with liquids, such as vases, shall be placed on the
apparatus.
The maims plug is used as the disconnect device and shall remain
readily operable.
Il convient de ne pas placer sur l´appareil de sources de ammes nues,
telles que des bougies allumées;
L´appareil n’est pas destiné á étre utilisé sous un climat tropical.
L´appareil ne doit pas étre exposé á des égouttements d´eau ou des
éclaboussures et de plus qu´aucun objet rempli de liquide tel que des
vases ne doit étre placé sur l´appareil.
Lorsque la prise du résau d’alimentation est utilisée comme dispositif
de déconnexion, ce dispositif doit demeuré aisément accessible.
Warning - When using electric products, basic precautions should always be followed, including the following:
Additional Safety Information

1. INTRODUCTION | 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1INTRODUCTION .......................................................................... 5
Thank you! ........................................................................................................5
Features .............................................................................................................5
Nord Online ......................................................................................................5
About the User Manual ..............................................................................5
Reading the manual in PDF Format ...................................................................5
Restoring the factory presets.............................................................................5
OS upgrades.....................................................................................................5
Free sounds ......................................................................................................5
Disclaimer..........................................................................................................5
2OVERVIEW......................................................................................... 6
The Nord Grand panel................................................................................6
Master section...................................................................................................6
Piano section – page 10 ....................................................................................6
Sample Synth section – page 13 .......................................................................6
Program section – page 14 ..............................................................................6
Effects section – page 17 ..................................................................................6
3GETTING STARTED................................................................. 7
Hooking it up...................................................................................................7
Panel controls .................................................................................................7
Dials and knobs ................................................................................................7
Buttons .............................................................................................................7
The Shift button ................................................................................................7
Master Level......................................................................................................7
Panel Lock ........................................................................................................7
Soft buttons ......................................................................................................7
Programs...........................................................................................................8
Select a program...............................................................................................8
List view .............................................................................................................8
Edit a program................................................................................................8
Select a new piano sound .................................................................................8
Turn off Memory Protection ....................................................................8
Store a program.............................................................................................8
Live Mode .........................................................................................................9
Activate effects...............................................................................................9
Layer with Sample Synth...........................................................................9
Create a split ..................................................................................................9
Set up a Split cross-fade (Split Width)...........................................................9
Turn on Panel Lock ......................................................................................9
4PIANO ...................................................................................................10
On/Off and Level .............................................................................................10
Octave Up/Down.............................................................................................10
Sustain and Volume.........................................................................................10
About the Piano sounds..........................................................................10
About Piano size .............................................................................................10
Piano Info ...................................................................................................10
Piano Select...................................................................................................10
Type and model...............................................................................................10
List view ..........................................................................................................11
String Res and Soft Release ................................................................11
String Resonance............................................................................................11
Soft Release....................................................................................................11
Nord Triple Pedal.........................................................................................11
Pedal Noise.....................................................................................................11
Half Pedaling ...................................................................................................12
Sostenuto........................................................................................................12
Soft Pedal .......................................................................................................12
Timbre...............................................................................................................12
Acoustic Piano Settings...................................................................................12
Electric Piano settings .....................................................................................12
5SAMPLE SYNTH.........................................................................13
On/Off and Level .............................................................................................13
Octave Up/Down.............................................................................................13
Pedals.............................................................................................................13
About the Sample Synth .........................................................................13
Selecting a Sample..........................................................................................13
List functions ..............................................................................................13
Shaping the sound .....................................................................................13
Dynamics ........................................................................................................13
Amp ...........................................................................................................13
Filter ...........................................................................................................13
Attack, Sustain and Decay/Release.................................................................13
6 PROGRAM........................................................................................14
Transpose On/Set.......................................................................................14
Mono...............................................................................................................14
KBD split..........................................................................................................14
Keyboard Split settings ..................................................................................14
Choosing a split position.............................................................................14
Split Width settings.....................................................................................14
Store ..................................................................................................................14
Storing a program ...........................................................................................14
Naming a program (Store As...) .......................................................................15
Shift / Exit button.........................................................................................15
Live Mode .......................................................................................................15
Program Buttons.........................................................................................15
What is a program?.........................................................................................15
Program dial .................................................................................................15
Program List, Abc and Cat ..............................................................................15
Numeric Pad Navigation mode ........................................................................15
Panel Lock......................................................................................................16
Organize .........................................................................................................16
Enter the Organize view...................................................................................16
Swap two programs........................................................................................16
Move a program .............................................................................................16
MIDI LED indicator......................................................................................16
Panic..................................................................................................................16
7EFFECTS.............................................................................................17
Activating effects ........................................................................................17
Effects 1 ..........................................................................................................17
Trem (Tremolo).................................................................................................17
Pan (Auto Pan) ................................................................................................17
RM (Ring Modulation) ......................................................................................17
Ctrl ped ...........................................................................................................17
Effects 2 ..........................................................................................................17
Phaser 1 & 2 ...................................................................................................17
Flanger ............................................................................................................17
Chorus 1 & 2...................................................................................................18
Vibe.................................................................................................................18
Deep ...............................................................................................................18
Delay .................................................................................................................18
Equalizer ..........................................................................................................18
Amp/Comp ...................................................................................................18
Amp models....................................................................................................18
Dist..................................................................................................................18
Comp..............................................................................................................18
Reverb ..............................................................................................................19

4 | NORD GRAND USER MANUAL OS V1.0X
8MIDI...........................................................................................................20
MIDI functions...............................................................................................20
MIDI Channel...................................................................................................20
Recording a Nord Grand performance to a MIDI sequencer or DAW ...............20
MIDI Messages.............................................................................................20
Note On/Off ................................................................................................20
Controllers ..................................................................................................20
Program Change.........................................................................................20
Local Control On/Off..................................................................................20
Panic..................................................................................................................20
9NORD SOUND MANAGER .............................................21
About Nord Sound Manager.................................................................21
System requirements ................................................................................21
10 MENUS..............................................................................................22
System Menu ................................................................................................22
1 - Memory Protect .........................................................................................22
2 - NumPad Program Select............................................................................22
3 - Global Transpose .......................................................................................22
4 - Fine Tune ...................................................................................................22
5 - Output Routing mode ................................................................................22
6 - Sustain Pedal type ....................................................................................22
7 - Control Pedal .............................................................................................22
Type............................................................................................................22
Gain............................................................................................................22
8 - Version and model info...............................................................................22
Sound Menu..................................................................................................22
1 - Piano Pedal Noise Level.............................................................................22
2 - Piano String Res Level ...............................................................................22
MIDI Menu ......................................................................................................23
1 - Local Control .............................................................................................23
2 - MIDI Channel .............................................................................................23
3 - MIDI Control/Program Change...................................................................23
MIDI Control Change .................................................................................23
MIDI Program Change ................................................................................23
4 - Transpose MIDI At......................................................................................23
11 CONNECTIONS........................................................................24
Audio connections......................................................................................24
Headphones ...................................................................................................24
Left & Right Out...............................................................................................24
Monitor In........................................................................................................24
MIDI connections ........................................................................................24
MIDI In ............................................................................................................24
MIDI Out .........................................................................................................24
USB connection...........................................................................................24
Pedal connections......................................................................................24
Sustain Pedal ..................................................................................................24
Vol/Ctrl Pedal...................................................................................................24
Nord Piano Monitor....................................................................................24
II APPENDIX: MIDI CONTROLLER LIST.................25
III INDEX ....................................................................................................26

1. INTRODUCTION | 5
1
INTRODUCTION
THANK YOU!
Thank you for choosing the Nord Grand. This stage keyboard has
been designed to present the user with an uncompromising piano
playing experience, as well as an easy-to-use interface with an elegant,
retro styling. The premium Kawai Responsive Hammer Action keybed
features triple, hammer tracking sensors for every key, giving an
unprecedented level of realism and dynamic control. Powered by the
free and ever growing Nord Piano Library – an extensive collection of
meticulously sampled piano and keyboard instruments – we hope the
Nord Grand will keep your playing inspired for many years to come.
FEATURES
The Nord Grand has the following main features:
Piano section with acoustic Grand and Upright pianos, tine and reed
based Electric pianos, Clavinet and Harpsichord sounds and a Dig-
ital category which also houses rich sounding Layer combinations.
The memory capacity for the Piano section is 2 GB.
88 key Kawai Responsive Hammer Action keybed with triple sensors
and Ivory Touch keys.
Sample Synth section with 512 MB of sample memory and intuitive
envelope and dynamics controls.
Comprehensive Effects section.
Seamless Transitions: Sustaining notes are not cut off when chang-
ing programs.
Keyboard split functionality with optional split widths, allowing
sounds to smoothly cross-fade over split point.
NORD ONLINE
On the website nordkeyboards.com you will find:
»Information about the Nord Grand and other Nord instruments
»Latest Operating Systems for download
»Free software: Nord Sound Manager, Nord Sample Editor and
drivers
»Nord Piano Library sounds for free download
»Nord Sample Library sounds for free download
»Nord World: Nord releated news stories and videos
»User Manuals for download
»Tutorials can be found at nordkeyboards.com/tutorials
Follow Nord Keyboards on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
Feel free to tag your content with our official hashtag #iseenord.
ABOUT THE USER MANUAL
The manual is arranged mainly as a reference manual. In many cases
you’ll also get tips on how to practically use the various features in a
musical context.
READING THE MANUAL IN PDF FORMAT
This manual is available as a digital PDF file. It can be downloaded
from the Nord Grand section on our website.
RESTORING THE FACTORY PRESETS
The factory programs, samples and pianos are available as individual
Nord Sound Manager backup files for download from our website.
There is also a complete backup of the entire instrument and its factory
content, in case it needs to be restored to its original state at some
point.
OS UPGRADES
The latest OS (Operating System) version for the Nord Grand is always
available for download from our website. Please visit our website from
time to time, to make sure you have the latest version in your unit.
FREE SOUNDS
Since the Nord Grand is designed as an open system, each and every
piano and sample in the Nord Grand can be replaced. This is done
using the Nord Sound Manager application which is available as a free
download from our website.
The Nord Grand is compatible with the continuously expanding
Nord Piano Library and the Nord Sample Library. When new sounds
become available, these can be download for free from the Sound
Libraries section of our website.
DISCLAIMER
Any trademarks and brand names mentioned in this manual are the
property of their respective owners and are not affiliated or associated
with Clavia. These trademarks and brand names are only mentioned to
describe certain sound qualities reproduced by the Nord Grand.

6 | NORD GRAND USER MANUAL OS V1.0X
2 OVERVIEW
THE NORD GRAND PANEL
The Nord Grand front panel is laid out with all related features and
controls logically grouped in individual sections. Let’s have a quick
look, from left to right:
MASTER SECTION
At the far left is the Master Level control for the overall volume level, as
well as the Panel Lock feature for protecting the panel controls while
playing. Read more about this feature on page 16.
PIANO SECTION – PAGE 10
The Nord Grand benefits from the ever-growing Nord Piano Library
and includes a wide range of piano and keyboard sounds including
Grand, Upright and Electric pianos as well as Digital piano and Layer
sounds right out of the box. New sounds are regularly made available
free of charge on the www.nordkeyboards.com website.
Among the Piano section’s panel controls are buttons for activating the
Advanced String Resonance feature (for acoustic pianos), adjusting the
keyboard velocity response or quickly altering the character of a piano
sound using the dedicated Timbre settings.
With the included Nord Triple Pedal connected, the dynamic Pedal
Noise feature – mimicking the sounds produced by a mechanical
damper pedal – can be activated. The Triple Pedal also enables half
pedaling techniques as well as using Una Corda and Sostenuto pedal-
ing to enrich the performance.
SAMPLE SYNTH SECTION – PAGE 13
The Nord Sample Library 3.0 gives Nord Grand owners access to a
huge free library of world-class sounds, including the famous vintage
Mellotron and Chamberlin sounds. A large selection of samples are in-
cluded from the start and the Sample Synth section is where these are
browsed and loaded. A number of functions for adjusting the character
and response of the sample are accessed directly via the panel.
PROGRAM SECTION – PAGE 14
A program on the Nord Grand contains settings for both the Piano and
Sample Synth sections, as well as for effects and any split or trans-
pose configurations. The middle area of the instrument – the Program
section – is where programs are navigated and stored, and various
performance features and settings menus are accessed. All this is
aided by the large OLED display, which also shows the name of any
selected Piano and/or Sample sound.
EFFECTS SECTION – PAGE 17
The Effects section puts a wide selection of classic effects at your
fingertips:
The Effects 1 and 2 units provide essential modulation effects such as
Tremolo, Chorus and Phaser – modelled after legendary stomp boxes
and effects units. The Delay effect can be used for anything from sub-
tle ambience or slap-back effects to almost endless soundscapes.
Classic amplifier simulations, tube-like distortion and a punchy Com-
pressor effect are found in the Amp/Comp section. A versatile EQ with
sweepable Mid range frequency can be applied to any of the Nord
Grand sound engines.
Finally, the lush Reverb – with an optional Bright mode – provides an
array of small and large room simulations for instant atmosphere.
PIANO PROGRAM
SAMPLE SYNTH EFFECTSMASTER
158
Studio Grand 2 Med
Piano80
A:45
Studio 80

3. GETTING STARTED | 7
3 GETTING STARTED
Let’s spend a few minutes getting acquainted with the most fundamen-
tal features of the Nord Grand, and go through some common tasks
and scenarios in a stepwise fashion.
HOOKING IT UP
1 Connect the power cord to the Nord Grand and a mains power
supply, connect the sustain pedal and a set of headphones or a
sound system.
2 Make sure to turn on the Nord Grand first, before the sound sys-
tem. Please be careful with the output volume!
For more information on all the connections of the Nord Grand, see the
Connections section on page 24.
PANEL CONTROLS
DIALS AND KNOBS
The dials on the Nord Grand are knobs without fixed
start and stop positions, used for navigating parameters
and settings. The PROG/MENU dial is one such example.
In this manual, dials are sometimes also referred to as
encoders.
Potentiometer-type knobs are used for many parameters
on the Nord Grand. When a program is loaded the
physical positions of these knobs will in most cases not
correspond to the actual parameter values. As soon as a
knob is turned however, its associated parameter value
will “snap” to the knob’s position.
Holding the SHIFT button while turning a knob allows for monitoring
the stored value of a parameter without changing it.
BUTTONS
Selector buttons are used to select one setting in an
array. They have a set of round or triangular LEDs to
indicate its current setting. Press the button several
times to cycle through the possible options.
ON/OFF buttons are used for activating a function
or a group of functions such as effects and have a
LED close to them to indicate the on/off status and
sometimes also the source or zone.
MThe On/Off buttons of the Effects also have a selector functionality,
as they can be “double clicked” (or pressed once with the Shift
button held down) in order to select the other source.
THE SHIFT BUTTON
Many panel controls on the Nord Grand have a sec-
ondary function, which is printed immediately below it.
These additional functions are accessed by pressing and
holding SHIFT while operating the control.
The Shift button is also used to EXIT a menu or to cancel an ongoing
Store operation.
MASTER LEVEL
The Master Level knob sets the overall output level of
the instrument, both for the Left/Right outputs and for
any connected headphones. Unlike most other panel
controls, its value is not stored with individual programs
but will always have the level to which it is physically set.
PANEL LOCK
The Panel Lock function deactivates all buttons, knobs
and dials on the panel except the Program dial – elim-
inating the risk of inadvertently changing any settings
during a performance. Note that the button needs to be
pressed down for one second, as indicated by the “6“
symbol, in order to turn the feature On or Off.
The 1-5 Program and Live Mode buttons can in fact still be oper-
ated, even with Panel Lock active. However, they also need to be
pressed down for one second to take effect.
SOFT BUTTONS
Menu and settings pages – as well as the Organize view, shown below
– may contain several related options in which case “soft buttons” are
used for focusing a setting or performing a task. Soft buttons are placed
at the bottom of the display and are controlled with the PROGRAM 1-4
buttons. As an example, pressing Program button 3 in the example
below will select Program A:12 for a Swap operation.
Program Organize
A:11 Royal Grand 3D
A:12 Nefertiti Mk I
A:13 Amber Upright
A:14 Orch Strings
Swap Move

8 | NORD GRAND USER MANUAL OS V1.0X
PROGRAMS
The Program area is located at the center of the panel, with the OLED
display in the middle. One program contains complete settings of every
parameter on the panel and is stored in the program memory of the
Nord Grand, with enough room for 400 programs.
Programs are organized into 16 banks, labeled A-P. All programs can be
edited and replaced as you wish.
MA complete set of the factory programs is available on the www.
nordkeyboards.com website. This means that the program memory
can always be restored to its original state.
SELECT A PROGRAM
1 Programs are selected by pressing any of the five PROGRAM but-
tons located below the display, or by turning the PROGRAM dial. A
Program bank on the Nord Grand can contain 25 programs divided
into 5 program pages.
LIST VIEW
Any dial that has LIST written below it – such as the Program dial – can
be used to access a useful list view.
1 Press SHIFT and turn the PROGRAM dial to enter a list view of all the
Programs.
2 Browse to any program, using the PROGRAM dial. All 16 program
banks can be accessed when in List mode.
3 Try out the Abc and Cat soft buttons respectively. Note that in Abc
mode, all programs are shown in a list sorted by name and in Cat
mode as a list sorted by Category.
4 Press SHIFT again to EXIT the List view.
List views for the Piano and Sample dials work in a similar way.
EDIT A PROGRAM
Editing a program is as easy as turning a knob or pressing a button, to
change an existing setting. Let’s give it a quick try:
1 Dial up the first program (or any piano based program) for this
exercise.
The controls for the Piano instrument are located at the left end of
the front panel. Notice that the Piano section of the Program area
display shows the name of the selected piano sound.
SELECT A NEW PIANO SOUND
2 On the Nord Grand, piano sounds are grouped according to their
Type (for instance Grand or Upright). Press the PIANO SELECT
button until the desired Type is selected.
3 Now use the PIANO SELECT dial for selecting a specific sound
within the chosen Type.
MNote that changing any parameter on the panel causes an “E” to
appear next to the program number in the display. This is to show
that the program has been edited but not yet saved. If another
program is loaded before a Store operation is performed, any edits
are lost and the program will have its original settings the next time
it is loaded.
TURN OFF MEMORY PROTECTION
When the Nord Grand is shipped from factory its memory is protected to
prevent accidental overwriting of original programs. Memory protection
can be turned off by toggling a setting located in the System menu.
1 Hold SHIFT and press the SYSTEM (Program 1) button below the
display.
2 Memory Protect is the first setting of the System menu. If the
display shows a different setting, use on-screen soft buttons to
navigate to the Memory Protect setting.
3 Change this setting to Off by turning the PROGRAM dial.
4 Press EXIT (Shift button) to exit the System menu.
MThis setting, like most other System settings, will be permanently
stored until it is changed again.
Read more about menu settings on page 22.
STORE A PROGRAM
1 Press the STORE button above the display once, to begin the pro-
cess of storing the current program.
2 The STORE LED will begin to flash and the display will ask you for
the location to where you want to store the program.
3 If you want to store the edited version to the current location,
replacing the original, simply press STORE again. If not, use the dial
and/or PROGRAM buttons to select a different location.
The program in the selected location becomes active on the
keyboard, allowing it to be auditioned before it is replaced by the
program being stored.
4 When you have found a suitable location for your program, press
STORE again to confirm the store operation.
MPress Shift/Exit once to abort an ongoing Store process if you
change your mind.
Read more about Store and how to name a program in the Program
chapter, on page 13.
STORE PROGRAM TO
A:11
Royal Grand 3D
Program EPiano2
A:31 Grand Imperial
A:32 Ballad EP 1
A:33 Bambino Upright
A:34 Mellotron Flutes
Num Abc Cat

3. GETTING STARTED | 9
LIVE MODE
The five Live programs differ from other programs in that all edits made
to them are instantly stored, without the need for a manual Store
operation.
1 Press LIVE MODE and use the PROGRAM buttons to navigate the
five Live programs.
2 Make an edit, such as activating one of the effects sections, to one
of the programs.
3 Select a different Live program and then return to the one that was
edited. Note that the edit was automatically stored.
4 Press the Live Mode button again to exit Live Mode and return to
the Program banks.
If Live Mode is active and you wish to store the settings permanently
as a program in one of the Program banks, you can do so using the
standard Store methods (see above). Conversely, programs can also
be stored into any of the Live Mode memory locations by pressing LIVE
MODE and selecting one of the Live program locations.
ACTIVATE EFFECTS
1 Make sure the first program (or any piano based program) is
selected.
2 Activate the reverb by pressing the Reverb ON button.
3 Adjust the DRY/WET balance with the knob above the reverb
selector.
4 Activate the delay effect by pressing the DELAY ON/OFF button.
5 The LEDs above the button indicate which sound engine is routed
to the effect; PIANO or SYNTH. Press SHIFT and the Delay SOURCE
button so that the PIANO LED is lit, if it is not already.
“Double-clicking” the On Off / Source button is a shortcut for quick-
ly changing the source for any effects unit.
6 Try the TEMPO, FEEDBACK and DRY/WET controls, to alter the char-
acter and intensity of the Delay effect.
LAYER WITH SAMPLE SYNTH
1 Turn ON the Sample Synth section.
2 Use the two CATEGORY buttons to select the Strings Ensemble
category (the categories are alphabetically sorted).
Pressing down both Category buttons simultaneously presents a
list of all available categories. The desired category can then quickly
be identified and selected using the Sample Select dial.
3 Turn the SAMPLE SELECT dial and select a string sound from the
selected category. The name of the sample is shown at the bottom
of the display.
4 Use the LEVEL control to set an appropriate sound level for the
strings.
When a sample is selected, preset settings for the Sample Synth enve-
lope (Attack, Decay/Sustain/Release), Dynamics and Filter settings are
also loaded. These parameters can subsequently be adjusted manually
as desired. Descriptions of these controls are found in the Sample Synth
reference chapter, starting on page 16.
CREATE A SPLIT
1 Make sure that the Piano and Sample Synth sections are both
turned on.
2 Press the KBD SPLIT button. There are two configurations to
choose from: PNO/SYNT and SYNT/PNO. In this case set it to Pno/
Synt. This means that the Piano sound is placed at the left side of
the keyboard and the Sample Synth sound to the right.
3 To adjust the position of the Split point press SET SPLIT (Shift +
KBD Split button.
4 Make sure that the Pos setting is focused by pressing the Pos soft
button, corresponding to the Program 1 button. Set the split point
to C4 using the dial.
The keyboard is now divided into two zones, the split point being
indicated with a LED above the keyboard. Feel free to use the OCTAVE
UP/DOWN controls in the Piano and Sample Synth section for accessing
different ranges of the respective sounds.
SET UP A SPLIT CROSS-FADE (SPLIT WIDTH)
As a final step, let’s adjust the split point so that the split Piano and
Sample Synth sounds will transition gradually between one another:
5 Again, press SET SPLIT (Shift + KBD Split).
6 Press the Width soft button (Program 2 button). The Split width for
each split point can now be adjusted.
7 Set the width value to 12 by turning the dial. Let go of the KBD
SPLIT button.
Playing across the Split point will now “cross-fade” between the lower
and the upper sound. Note that the split LED above the keyboard is lit
with a red light, indicating that width is set to 12. When width is set to 6
the LED is yellow and with width set to 1the LED is green.
TURN ON PANEL LOCK
The PANEL LOCK function is found at the far left of the
panel and will when engaged protect the panel controls
from unwanted interaction. Here is how to turn it On and
Off:
1 Press down the Panel Lock button for one second, so that its LED
lights up.
2 Try turning a few knobs on the panel. Notice that they have no
effect and that the display reads “Panel Locked”.
3 Press down the Panel Lock button again for one second, to turn
the feature off.
The Program dial can still be used normally, even with Panel Lock
turned On. The Program 1-5 and Live buttons can still be used as
well, but also require being pressed down for one second in order
to have effect.
KEYBOARD SPLIT
Split Position
C4 1
WidthPos

10 | NORD GRAND USER MANUAL OS V1.0X
4 PIANO
ON/OFF AND LEVEL
The Piano section is turned On or Off by pressing its ON button. The
LEVEL knob controls the volume of the Piano sound.
OCTAVE UP/DOWN
Use OCTAVE UP (Shift + Pedals) to transpose the Piano section up by
one octave (+12 semitones) and OCTAVE DOWN (Shift + Piano selector
button) to transpose down by one octave (-12 semitones). When as-
signed to the entire keyboard it can be transposed one octave up or
down. When a split is active the available transpose values may vary, but
always provide access to the entire range of the Piano.
SUSTAIN AND VOLUME
SUSTAIN activates an attached sustain pedal, such as the Nord Triple
Pedal, for the Piano section.
VOLUME assigns an attached control pedal as volume control for the
Piano section. The maximum volume available corresponds to the value
set by the LEVEL knob.
Read more on how to configure attached pedals in the Menus chapter,
on page 22.
Both the sustain and volume pedal can be active at the same time,
indicated by both LEDs being lit.
ABOUT THE PIANO SOUNDS
The Pianos in the Nord Grand are organized into six types. Each type
can contain several models. New piano sounds can be downloaded
from the www.nordkeyboards.com website and added to the Nord
Grand by using the Nord Sound Manager.
Right out of the box, the Nord Grand features a large collection of
acoustic and electric pianos, digital piano sounds and piano layers. A lot
of effort was made to ensure a nuanced response and sound, matching
the original models as closely as possible. The available memory size for
piano sounds is 2 Gigabytes.
MWhen piano sounds are downloaded to the Nord Grand using the
Nord Sound Manager, these will always automatically be placed
into their corresponding type/category.
If a program references a piano that isn’t currently downloaded onto
the Nord Grand, the display will read “Piano not found”. If this happens;
either navigate to another instrument model from the same or another
category (using the Piano Select button and dial) and select to use this
piano instead, or use the Nord Sound Manager application to download
the missing instrument to the Nord Grand.
ABOUT PIANO SIZE
Nord Piano Library sounds come in up to four different sizes. Below is
an overview of how they differ in functionality:
Sml Med Lrg XL
Stereo sampled 3 3 3 3
Detailed velocity mapping 3 3 3 3
Pedal down samples for middle range 3
Pedal down samples for entire range 3 3
Fully mapped keyboard 3
MThe pedal down samples only come into use when String Res
(String Resonance) is active on the panel. Read more about this on
the next page.
Small (Sml) piano files use the least amount of space in the piano mem-
ory as they do not contain any pedal down String Resonance samples
at all.
The Medium (Med) versions include pedal down String Resonance
samples for the important middle region of the range.
The Large (Lrg) versions have the pedal down String Resonance sam-
ples all across the keyboard.
Many pianos are also available in an Extra Large (XL) version. These are
“fully mapped” across the keyboard, meaning that each key on the Nord
now matches its exact equivalent on the original instrument. This natu-
rally imposes a substantial increase in size.
PIANO INFO
Pressing PIANO INFO (Shift + On) will display some addi-
tional info about the currently selected model, such as its
version number and its exact size.
PIANO SELECT
TYPE AND MODEL
Use the PIANO SELECT button for selecting the desired Type of piano
sound. These are the six types into which all piano sounds are placed: