Pricing and availability
Average Price: $1,980
High-end/Boutique
$500
$1501+
Price Tier
Budget
Standard
High-end
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Description
Versatile 73-key stage instrument with drawbars.
The Electro 5 by Nord represents the further expansion and refinement of a design platform that has been a stalwart of stage musicians for more than a decade. The Electro 5 provides a wide complement of piano, electric piano, organ and synth timbres with dozens of choices within each of those categories, all with a thrilling, robust presence and useful control features. Nord Electro is a natural choice for musicians in need of authentic emulations of classic electro mechanical and acoustic instruments in a portable and easy-to-use package. With greatly expanded memory, the added ability to split and layer and a live focused program section, the new Nord Electro 5 is a highly refined, focused yet flexible stage keyboard. This, an SW model, features semi-weighted organ type keys with a rounded "waterfall" tip, brilliant for rapid organ shredding and synthesizer licks, but also plays nice with piano sounds. Key range C-C on Electro 5D 73
Organ section
The Electro 5 Organ section features a new additional Principal Pipe Organ mode as well as the Tone Wheel simulation and the highly acclaimed Rotary Speaker simulation of a vintage 122 unit from the award-winning Nord C2D Combo Organ. This model features a physical drawbar set that can greatly enhance your organ playing.
The C2D B3 Tone Wheel engine is the result of over a decade of perfecting tone wheel simulations, a journey that started with the original Nord Electro and followed by the award winning Nord C1 and Nord C2 Combo Organs. Not only has Nord analyzed the signals from each of the 91 spinning tone wheels inside several original instruments - they have also paid years of attention to each and every one of the intricate details that make up the characteristics of the actual sound in a vintage organ.
A new B3 Tone Wheel Bass feature gives you the classic 16' and 8' bass drawbars in the left hand and can even be used with the Piano and Sample section for a thick and meaty bottom. The Farfisa* and Vox* models are just as impressive as the B3, simulating the behavior and unique response of the original instruments. The Farfisa Compact Deluxe, considered by many to be the mother of transistor organs, involves routing matrixes and complex filter combinations that offer a tailored sound with massive energy and high-end.
The Vox* Continental's brute design brings you a more hollow tone, but with a very intense character. Both these transistor organs have their own unique, irreplaceable personalities. Combine them with any of the Amp simulations, add some distortion, adjust the EQ and they will definitely get you through any organ gig.
Piano section
The new Electro 5 series all feature 1GB of Piano Sample memory, allowing you to bring even more of Nord's unique sampled acoustic and electric pianos on stage. The subtle but effective Sympathetic String Resonance technology derived from the Nord Piano is now implemented in the Electro 5 delivering an unprecedented degree of realism to your performance when using Grand or Upright pianos.
The piano section of the Electro 5 contains acoustic and electric pianos from the ever-expanding, and freely downloadable Nord Piano Library. Expertly sampled and brimming with unique character, the Grand and Upright Acoustic Pianos, legendary Electric Pianos, Clavinet and Harpsichord, provide a stunning sound palette.
The entire Nord Piano Library is included on DVDs and new additions can be downloaded free on the Nord Piano Library page. Replacing the sounds is simply a matter of dragging and dropping files in the Nord Sound Manager for Mac and Windows. The Long Release feature is suitable for legato playing styles and the Advanced String Resonance feature on Grand and Upright Pianos can be turned off when desired. 4 Dynamic Response Curves are available for customizing the keyboard response to your playing style.
Update: The new OS v1.30 features a number of bug fixes and improvements from the previous version. New units will ship with the new OS. Control pedal handling over MIDI has been improved, and rotor pedal operation has been improved to handle certain pedal types. Also, in Set list mode, drawbar Live could previously behave incorrectly when switching between organ programs. This update is recommended for all users and can be downloaded at Nord's website.
Product specs
| Brand | Nord |
| Model | Electro 5D SW61 Semi-Weighted 61-Key Digital Piano |
| Finish | Red |
| Year | 2015 - 2018 |
| Made In | Sweden |
| Categories | Digital Stage Pianos, Digital Synthesizers |
| Analog / Digital | Digital |
| Key Size | Full Size |
| Keyboard Action | Semi-Weighted |
| MIDI I/O | MIDI Input, MIDI Output, USB MIDI |
| Number of Keys | 61 Keys |
| Polyphony | 60 Voices |
FAQs
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What type of keyboard action does the Nord Electro 5D have?
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The Nord Electro 5D features a semi-weighted keyboard action, providing a balance between the responsiveness of a synth action and the feel of a traditional piano, making it suitable for both organ and piano playing styles.
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How many keys are on the Nord Electro 5D SW61?
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The Nord Electro 5D SW61 comes with 61 full-size keys, offering a compact yet versatile option for live performances and studio sessions.
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Is the Nord Electro 5D suitable for live performances?
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Yes, the Nord Electro 5D is designed with live performances in mind, featuring intuitive controls, a lightweight design, and high-quality sounds that are easily accessible during a gig.
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What are the main sound engines in the Nord Electro 5D?
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The Nord Electro 5D includes piano, organ, and sample synth sound engines, allowing for a wide range of sounds ideal for various musical styles and settings.
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Does the Nord Electro 5D support MIDI connectivity?
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Yes, the Nord Electro 5D supports MIDI connectivity with MIDI Input, MIDI Output, and USB MIDI, making it easy to integrate with other MIDI-compatible devices and software.
Videos
Kraft Music
Kraft Music - Nord Electro 5 Keyboard Demo with Chris Martirano
Reviews
PROS
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Extremely well made and versatile
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Amazing organ sounds with awesome drawbars
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Built-in Leslie competes with top models
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Superior piano sounds in Nord Piano Library
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New Upper and Lower voices enhance blending
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Set List feature greatly improves performance organization
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Bright, easy-to-read OLED screen
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Highly portable for gigging musicians
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Effective for both live performance and home recording
CONS
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Limited to playing only 2 sounds at a time
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Nord Electro 5D.
Features and functionality
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The Nord Electro 5D is praised for its organ engine, which is considered superior to the Korg Krome's organ sounds.
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The 5D features a semi-weighted keybed, providing a feel between piano and organ, which may not suit everyone's preference.
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Electro 3 and 4 models lack OLED screens, avoiding burn-in issues but also have limited internal memory, restricting access to newer sound libraries.
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User experience
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Nord Electro 5D is noted for its intuitive 'one function per knob' design, making it popular among touring musicians.
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Comparisons
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While the Nord excels in piano and organ sounds, it lacks the extensive synth capabilities and 16-channel layering offered by the Korg Krome.
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The HP action is significantly better for serious piano or electric piano work compared to the SW action, which feels too light for authentic piano play.
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Use cases and applications
Value and pricing
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A Nord Electro 5D was offered at €1250 with accessories, undercutting the local used price of €1400, highlighting potential for good deals.
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Setup and maintenance
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OLED screens on older Nord Electros, like the 5D, can suffer from severe burn-in if left on for extended periods, impacting screen readability.
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Critic Reviews
4.5 out of 5
Based on 6 Reviews and 18 Ratings
49
Fantastic
Extremely well made, versatile, amazing organ sounds, the one keyboard that I always bring to all gigs! Drawbars feel awesome, built-in leslie is on par with neo ventilator 2 and GSI Burn (I have both). Piano sounds in the Nord Piano Library blow away everything else, even my RD-800. New Upper and Lower voices make blending things much easier, and the Set List feature is the best thing ever! The OLED screen is bright and very easy to read. I absolutely love this keyboard.
144
Can’t lose with nord
I loved the fact the electro 5 had the lord screen and the ability to play 2 sounds at a time
162
Great Keyboard
Very versatile. It's a great live keyboard, as it has everything at hand. And for home recordings, the sound is very well achieved.
This review has been translated automatically into English. See originalArtist usage
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Charlie Puth is shown playing the Nord Electro 5D in a live performance, as seen in the user-uploaded photo from EW.
In the YouTube video "TOP 20 KEYBOARD INTROS OF ALL TIME," Rick Beato is seen using a Nord Electro 5D, which he mentions he borrowed for the segment.
In these pictures, you can clearly see the electro 5d keyboard being played by Alana during the Sister Sister Sister tour in 2018.
JJ plays the Nord 5D when he is not playing the trumpet. It can be seen clearly at 1:23 in the video.
The Imgur album titled "Romil Hemnani's Keyboards" features a photo of Romil Hemnani's gear, including the Nord Electro 5D synthesizer.
From the article from music radar, upon asked What hardware synths they were using. They answered: "We have a Dave Smith Mopho - the x4 with the four oscillators - and we bought some Nord Electro 5Ds recently, which have been awesome. We also have a Korg MS-20 Mini, which is sick, a Jupiter 8 and a TB-3 and VT-3 - the new Roland AIRA products."
In an interview with MELTED, Alex Brettin of Mild High Club mentions using the Nord Electro 5D as his main keyboard.
Taken from a Pitchfork video live from Rough Trade. It can be seen, for example, at 31:45 in the video.
Album Usage
The Nord Electro 5D has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Nord Electro 5D, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
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