it's not perfect but it's better than most and it looks great.
I bought a Kawai ES4 (same sound as the MP4 but with internal speakers) and like it a lot. Modelled digital pianos rather than sampled really do seem to sound better. I use it as a MIDI controller on stage but it's piano sound is half-decent.Ĭurrently I think the best digital pianos are the modelled pianos by GEM and Kawai, and of those two the Kawais are the most easily found. In fact I actually bought one of the Radio Shack $299 pianos which is a copy of the Casio CDP-100 and is a great bargain - they're getting harder to find now that so many people have snapped them up. The most impressive sampled piano to me of the past year was the new Casio Privia series. There is no Yamaha or Roland piano currently made that I like - I'm in the minority with that opinion but I'm sincere and I've played them all. The famed Kurzweil piano sound no longer impresses me like it used to. I had a PC2x for a while and sold it because I didn't like it. I recently pulled it out and hooked it up and IMHO it no longer compares to much of anything action or sound-wise. Although the new NE3 has more sound selctions, for what I need the NE2 is an excellent keyboard.I'm a former Kurzweil fan, and still have my PC88mx tucked away because I don't think I can sell it. The only thing that I wish that the NE2 had was onboard Reverb.which was added to the updated NE3. There are now 3 speed settings for the Leslie, andI have the oprion of adding two more Rhodes pianos and a Yamaha C7 grand. I've updated the OS to the 3.04 which add some additional features. It has a nice EQ and filter section that allow theuser to set a presence level and boost or cut by +/- 18 db. But I think the setting is a little too aggressive in the high end. It also has a Stereo Pan that simulates the stereo vibrato pan on the Rhodes. The Tremolo is very nice.especially on the Whirly.
The onboard effects are very nice two chorus settings, two flangers, two phasers, two wah-wah settings plus and Auto-Wah. Because of it's light weight - 23 pounds - the NE2 is geat for rehersals, and is short enough to fit into the back seat of my car. I do that with my PC2X and the feel is mush more accurate.
It's fine for the Clavs and the Hammond, but for a more realistic feel for the Rhodes I suggest controlling it via midi with a keyboard with piano action. Being a piano player, the action of the Nord is a little too spongy for my tastes. The NE2 accoustic pianos are OK, but I prefer the pianos in my Kurzweil PC2X much better.
In the organ mode, the keyboard is splitable with two different settings AND a second keyboard can be connected via midi and you have a two manual organ. The B3 with the Leslie is outstanding, and with a touch of the onboard distortion, you get that old grinding 70's overdrive B3 sound. The Whirly is dead on - add a little of the onboard tremolo and you have "Do It Again" or "Pretzel Logic" by Steely Dan.
I've played Rhodes pianos since 1972, and the Rhodes in the Nord are as close to the real thing as anything I've played. I bought the Nord Electro 2 for the Rhodes, Wurlitzer A200, and Hammond B3 sounds.