The Nord 6D truly covers all the bases. If you need keys for a live setup or a studio setup this is the one. I’ve only had for less than a month and have been able to get the sounds I want out of it and I know I’m only at the tip of the iceberg in terms of learning it’s capabilities. I really wanted a traditional piano sound but the also a genuine B3 organ sound and this fit the bill. The many other sounds compliment my Korg Prologue synth great, I also was able to setup as an external instrument in Ableton so I can pull all those great sounds into my DAW. If you can spend the extra change, I highly recommend this product.

Amazing

Overall:Grabbed one of these about a month ago now. If you’re anything like me and you desire top notch bread and butter sounds then you need the electro/stage. I’ve been “pro” Motif for over a decade but got tired of those boards being overkill feature wise and subpar for sound quality. Sure they get the job done. But as for acoustic pianos, EPs, organs, brass and stings...Nord all day long. Love the hands on in your face editing. The online gadgets work well too. I literally went to Nords website, downloaded their sound editor onto my Mac, updated the OS on my Electro and was swapping and adding sounds all within 20 minutes or so. It’s all that easy. As long as Nord keeps upgrading their library...I literally have no use to buy another board for years to come. At ... MoreOverall:Grabbed one of these about a month ago now. If you’re anything like me and you desire top notch bread and butter sounds then you need the electro/stage. I’ve been “pro” Motif for over a decade but got tired of those boards being overkill feature wise and subpar for sound quality. Sure they get the job done. But as for acoustic pianos, EPs, organs, brass and stings...Nord all day long. Love the hands on in your face editing. The online gadgets work well too. I literally went to Nords website, downloaded their sound editor onto my Mac, updated the OS on my Electro and was swapping and adding sounds all within 20 minutes or so. It’s all that easy. As long as Nord keeps upgrading their library...I literally have no use to buy another board for years to come. At the same time...again...my bread and butter sounds (APs, EPs, organ) are light years ahead of every Motif I’ve had before. It’s like having a baby grand and fender Rhodes that only weighs 20 pounds. My ONLY con with the electro (probably the same for the stage too) is that you MUST run stereo outposts (L and R) to get the full effect of 90% of the patches. Other than that...I really have no complaints about this board.

Awesome as advertised

I use it for entertainment and recording - I don't gig, but it was designed for live performances. Highly realistic sounds as advertised. Don't be scared of the controls- YouTube videos will make it a breeze to understand. Easy to carry! The 6D's "Waterfall" keyboard action pushes back as a spring might - took some getting used to if you normally use high-end weighted keys (get the 6HP for that feel). INCREDIBLE VALUE when compared to the Stage 3! I would recommend as long as you can afford it. No drum sounds if you are using it for recording - but plenty of very realistic instruments- check YouTube for demos - I found those to be accurate. Much better output levels than the Yamaha MX-88.

Nice keyboard

This is my first Nord product, so I do have a learning curve to be able to master it. I love the sounds of the organ section especially the Leslie effect. The piano sounds are nice but they tend to be a little nasal, I am sure I can fix that when I hook it up to the mixer. The effects are nice especially the flute snd violin. Saxophone sounds are average. I wish they had buttons to access each instrument. It would tremendously help during live gigs. I hate that I have to scroll through 200 sounds to find the one I want. I guess I could remember the number of the sounds that I am looking for. It is very light for 73 keys and has the frame of a 61 key keyboard. The semi hammer keys are great for organ playing.

Nord electro 6D 61 key

Overall:I've played just about every keyboard ever made. It's kind of hard to buy based upon reviews alone, so when I had the chance to demo an electro 6d 73, I had a really hard time walking away. Afterwards, I vowed to not play another board until I purchased the Nord. Well, I did t have much choice because they were on backorder. After a couple weeks, I became sustained by the new Yamaha P125 I bought from zZounds a month or so ago. That was until I ordered the electro 6d 61. Even though it lacks a few extra keys, It's really not a problem. The feeling I had when I tried it out for the 1st time came back instantly, Only this time I played for about 2 hours straight. Between the action, the samples and the articulation and customization of the sounds in real time ... MoreOverall:I've played just about every keyboard ever made. It's kind of hard to buy based upon reviews alone, so when I had the chance to demo an electro 6d 73, I had a really hard time walking away. Afterwards, I vowed to not play another board until I purchased the Nord. Well, I did t have much choice because they were on backorder. After a couple weeks, I became sustained by the new Yamaha P125 I bought from zZounds a month or so ago. That was until I ordered the electro 6d 61. Even though it lacks a few extra keys, It's really not a problem. The feeling I had when I tried it out for the 1st time came back instantly, Only this time I played for about 2 hours straight. Between the action, the samples and the articulation and customization of the sounds in real time are amazing. I now understand what I've been missing for over 30 years of playing keys...Just never had $2200 floating around to justify on a keyboard. With zZounds 12months financing , I was able to finally get it. I was anticipating the 61 to be my second, but after playing it, It's probably going to be the only thing I ever use on or off stage. Maybe,..Perhaps the Nord piano 4 as a primary...Should give me enough time to pay this off before they release it. Either way, I must say that Nord is absolutely the finest electronic keyboard in today's professional market. I still haven't even dug into the setting yet or the library. There is still so much to learn and I certainly look forward to it!Thanks zZounds!!!

Nord just can't stop being awesome at what they do.

Active/gigging musician for 15 years.There's no need for me to babble about how amazing the piano's, EPs, organs, synth samples, etc sound. If you are looking to spend this kind of money, you've done your homework on this bad boy or have owned previous Nord products. What I can tell you is that I continue to be amazed at how expressive these instruments can be. I really didn't think all the upgrades would matter to me (layering, seamless transitions, multiple split points, etc) until I played the instrument and the versatility has expanded exponentially. Don't worry, you can still hammer out organ or EPs all night, but the options are there.Unless you're a hammer-action snob, don't sweat over the semi-weighted keys. You will still be amazed at how expressive you ... MoreActive/gigging musician for 15 years.There's no need for me to babble about how amazing the piano's, EPs, organs, synth samples, etc sound. If you are looking to spend this kind of money, you've done your homework on this bad boy or have owned previous Nord products. What I can tell you is that I continue to be amazed at how expressive these instruments can be. I really didn't think all the upgrades would matter to me (layering, seamless transitions, multiple split points, etc) until I played the instrument and the versatility has expanded exponentially. Don't worry, you can still hammer out organ or EPs all night, but the options are there.Unless you're a hammer-action snob, don't sweat over the semi-weighted keys. You will still be amazed at how expressive you can be, even with the acoustic pianos - somehow, Nord just pulls this off. Plus, you can do all your cool organ licks and flashy fast stuff all night without developing carpal tunnel syndrome. (Nobody in your band or the audience cares if the keys aren't weighted).It's portable, powerful, expressive, easy to use after a little experimenting, and is one the best sounding instruments in its class. Worth every red cent.

Review of Nord Electro 6D 73 Organ, Piano and Sample Player Keyboard

Exceptional sound quality with very useable hands-on controls, needed for live use. Would have liked, some filtering controls on the sample-side engine, but as it was primarily bought as an organ, it does that very well. The rotary speaker (Leslie) emulation is incredible - better than the Yamaha equivalent to my ears, and feels more sturdy.

Separates Itself From The Rest of the Pack

As a 35 year veteran of keyboard/midi instruments, and owner of many over the years, I can verify there is a big reason you see these on virtually every other stage and performance. Very organic instrument with playable and EASILY tweak-able sounds. The core instruments here are done superbly and everything is open-ended where you can take sounds out and add more of what you need. The user interface is so refreshing after trying to navigate many of the others. I have the 6D73 with waterfall keys, which I love. Did I mention the weight ? Under 20 pounds. I sit on the couch with headphones often and practice and program presets. Bottom line is that it's fun to play and sounds great live and in the studio. Some players may miss the gobs of "stuff" that typically ... MoreAs a 35 year veteran of keyboard/midi instruments, and owner of many over the years, I can verify there is a big reason you see these on virtually every other stage and performance. Very organic instrument with playable and EASILY tweak-able sounds. The core instruments here are done superbly and everything is open-ended where you can take sounds out and add more of what you need. The user interface is so refreshing after trying to navigate many of the others. I have the 6D73 with waterfall keys, which I love. Did I mention the weight ? Under 20 pounds. I sit on the couch with headphones often and practice and program presets. Bottom line is that it's fun to play and sounds great live and in the studio. Some players may miss the gobs of "stuff" that typically accompany boards in this price range, but I'll take the core quality of the sounds I use, along with the incredible versatility this instrument offers any day. "Get what you pay for".

Worth every penny!

As a working musician for the past twenty years I have used a variety of rigs. Starting off with a a Hammond B3, Leslie 142, and a Yamaha S80. When it became impractical to use the B3 regularly I moved to a variety of VST plug-ins and a controller for my organ work, along with the S80. While I love the Yamaha for piano work, it's 60 plus pounds with case has become difficult to deal with now that I'm in my mid 60s. A couple of years back i tried a competitors less expensive "all in one" product for smaller gigs. However, the sound and overall product quality was disappointing. The Nord 6D 73 key does everything I need and more! The semi weighted keyboard is a great balance between the piano and organ feel. The quality of the B3 modeling is truly amazing and the ... MoreAs a working musician for the past twenty years I have used a variety of rigs. Starting off with a a Hammond B3, Leslie 142, and a Yamaha S80. When it became impractical to use the B3 regularly I moved to a variety of VST plug-ins and a controller for my organ work, along with the S80. While I love the Yamaha for piano work, it's 60 plus pounds with case has become difficult to deal with now that I'm in my mid 60s. A couple of years back i tried a competitors less expensive "all in one" product for smaller gigs. However, the sound and overall product quality was disappointing. The Nord 6D 73 key does everything I need and more! The semi weighted keyboard is a great balance between the piano and organ feel. The quality of the B3 modeling is truly amazing and the physical drawbars and waterfall keys feel comfortable and familiar from years of playing the Hammond. The pianos and EP's are quality patches and having access to the Nord sound libraries give it virtually endless possibilities. Working every week, often multiple times, the Nord has become a practical one stop rig without compromising the quality of the sound. It's allowed me to go from a 500lb rig years ago, to 20 something pounds. There's a reason this little red beast has become a standard touring tool for keyboard players in the past decade, and it's worth every penny! Only wish I had picked it up sooner.

powerful keyboard made with skill & quality materials

I have been saving gig money for this keyboard for quite some time & it was worth the wait. No keyboard does EVERY thing & the electro 6D lacks a few functions that I have found useful with other keyboards I have had: it does not have pitch bend/modulation or arpeggiators/sequencers. However, my purchase of the 6D was based upon its vast, excellent sound library, effects section, split keyboard & friendly programmability. the Nord menus are of a different sensibility from what I have been used to, but I was quickly able to organize sounds with split keyboard assignments so that I could quickly play through our show which requires a variety of vintage keyboard sounds. I have been a live Hammond organ player for 38 years & I will now leave my tone wheel organ at home. ... MoreI have been saving gig money for this keyboard for quite some time & it was worth the wait. No keyboard does EVERY thing & the electro 6D lacks a few functions that I have found useful with other keyboards I have had: it does not have pitch bend/modulation or arpeggiators/sequencers. However, my purchase of the 6D was based upon its vast, excellent sound library, effects section, split keyboard & friendly programmability. the Nord menus are of a different sensibility from what I have been used to, but I was quickly able to organize sounds with split keyboard assignments so that I could quickly play through our show which requires a variety of vintage keyboard sounds. I have been a live Hammond organ player for 38 years & I will now leave my tone wheel organ at home. the organ sounds are frighteningly good & the 6D has manual drawbars for real time performance. the vibrato, percussion, leslie functions are astounding. Rhodes, Wurlitzer, vox, mellotron/chamberlin, elka strings, orchestral instruments, analog synths (roland, prophet, oberheim), FM synths (DX7), ethnic world instruments, mallet percussion, amazing acoustic pianos. this library allows me to assign sounds for an evening of classic rock, soul music, jazz, pop, funk & just about any progressive rock piece your band has the audacity to play live. Nord is a supportive company that notifies you of updates to software & their world wide sound library. If you want some crunch on your Rhodes or if you want to put it through a slow swirling leslie, or put a piano through a fast spinning leslie, go at it! if you want to put a slow phase shift on an elka string machine for a 70's Styx, Gary Wright or Kansas song, have it your way. if you want clavinet and horns on a split keyboard for funky goodness, nothing's holding you back. with some creative thought & clean technique, you can set the tempo of the delay to simulate an arpeggiator from any 80's synth based pop. an insightful programmer can do a ton with a Nord!