I think the OP might have already given you the answer best in the initial post, because they have both the Nord Stage 4 and now the Montage M to compare directly to each other. I don't...I'm deciding between getting the Montage M7 or Nord Stage 4 73 Compact. In your opinion, which one sounds better? The M7 or Nord Stage 4? I'm debating on whether to spend the extra money if the M7 can do everything the Stage 4 can and possibly more.
However, for my two cents worth of opinion, I would suggest that if sound quality, presence and dynamic range for live gigs are important to you, then the Montage M might be the best choice. The OP is selling both of their Stage 4s and buying a second M for my home studio after their experience between the two keyboards. Thay says something I think.
This may be in part due to the new “Pure Analog Circuit 2” (PAC2) on the Montage M. I have have the original Montage with PAC, and it is super awesome, so I think PAC2 would likely be a step better... But also, everything in the Montage (& most likely the Montage M) is of the highest quality sound-wise. They way Yamaha sampled the acoustic pianos, was on the same level as the best sampled pianos out there. You will likely need to tweak them a bit, depending on what your preferences are, but what I've found is that you can tweak a piano to sound like an actual acoustic grand &/or you can tweak it to sound like the best 'recorded' EQ'd grand on professional recordings.
I wouldn't decide based just on online demos either. I've yet to see a decent comparison video between the the YC or the Montage M and Nord Stage 4. Many of them compare apples (CFX grand) to oranges (White grand), when they should be comparing to the new (Hamburg grand) instead...
For pianos, in all demos I've heard the Nord White Grand (& this is just my opinion based on the sound, not on first hand experience with a Nord), it sounds like an awesome 'recorded' EQ'd grand piano and appears to have very good velocity/playability. Knowing what my Montage can do (I also have the Synthogy 'American Grand' Montage library as my Steinway...tweaked & re-tweaked for various pianos Performances), and knowing how well the Hamburg grand would have been sampled by Yamaha, I am confident that if I had a Montage M, I could make the Hamburg sound (& play/velocity) as good or better than the Nord's 'White Grand', mainly by tweaking the EQ'ing and Velocities, but also the keyoff & resonance as well. But I would also make sure to create a few Hamburg Grand performances that sound and play like an actual acoustic Steinway (as opposed to a great sounding 'recorded' piano), one with the lid close, half way and full open... This is how I like just relaxing and playing pianos. But when recording pianos, I choose the appropriate recorded sounding/EQ'd pianos. Or for live gigs (depending on the song) I'll use the best sounding stage pianos.
Not everyone has the luxury of trying and comparing directly before buying...I certainly don't. I would weigh the strengths and weaknesses of both, regarding what are the things you 'need' & what are the things you 'want' most.
If cost is a factor, then that might make the decision easy, but I would still weigh that against the features/capabilities of both. If organs are your #1 main thing and you want all 9 drawbars to play with, then the Nord might be your best bet. Not sure if weight is a concern to you between the M7 or the Nord 4. Otherwise, if weight is not the issue and 9 draw bars for organs not not a must and you are good with 8 draws, then I would definitely suggest going with the Montage M. The Montage is so tweakable, that I believe it can do anything as good or better than the Nord Stage 4, or any other competitor synth for that matter. That is just my subjective opinion, based off what I can do with the original Montage, and the bits I know about the Montage M & the Nord Stage 4.
I wish I had the $$ to trade up for the Montage M, but I don't, so for now I will enjoy my Montage, make it sound the way I need it to, and drool just a little bit each day over the Montage M (mainly for it's additional pianos/preset waveforms, the keybed on the M8x, E.S.P. + the new enhancements they will likely be making in future OS updates, likely to include FM-X enhancements as well as a new piano resonance/noises effect)!
Statistics: Posted by vertig0spin — Wed Feb 14, 2024 4:23 pm