Kawai MP11SE Vs Nord Grand
Musicians are always looking for the greatest sound, that’s why music instruments have to adapt and afford their needs. For pianists, they’re always looking for the amazing piano sounds to deliver their music. The best option for piano is the Grand type, it’s able to create vibrant sound and thus making music sounds more beautiful. However, Grand Piano is enormous and heavy, it’s not easy to carry around and it takes too much space. Therefore, the solution is a smaller piano with the ability to produce sound like Grand Piano, thus, an electronic piano is created.
Electronic piano or stage piano is supposed to create the sound quality of a Grand Piano but it’s also able to deliver various setting to complete stage performance. It’s much smaller and compact than Grand Piano but its performance mimics how Grand Piano should be. The competition to recreate Grand Piano sound on stage piano continues on happening. Two of the leading companies are Kawai and Nord. Today, we’re going to compare each product from them: Kawai MP11SE and Nord Grand.
Kawai MP11SE
As the second largest piano manufacturers in the world, Kawai keeps on developing and innovating new products which is they released MP11SE. Later it was praised as “Pro Digital Piano Line of the Year” in 2014 and 2018 by the readers of MMR Magazine. Offering $2,799.00 price point, the MP11SE offers authentic keyboard with realistic sound and articulate control. This stage piano is acknowledged worldwide for their outstanding tone and performance. The stand-out feature of the Kawai MP11SE digital piano is its class-leading first-rate Grand Feel wooden-key keyboard action, which faithfully recreates the natural motion and feel of an acoustic piano. a masterful MIDI controller and a stunning selection of acoustic grand piano sounds, the Kawai MP11SE is the stage piano for musicians who will not accept compromise on performance.
Kawai MP11SE offers strong selection of realistic electric pianos and other sounds. With 129 type of sound effects and 88 wooden keys, they’re made to create grand feel action with grade-weighted hammers and ivory touch white key surfaces. The intuitive panel interface with independent sound sections and effects with a wide selection of realistic electric piano and subsidiary sounds. Those combination makes the MP11SE a great option for the serious piano players or it can be a great instrument for beginners. Featuring a strong 4-channel MIDI master controller and a triple-pedal unit: damper (with half-pedal support), soft and sostenuto, MP11SE continues to offer impressive features. The touch dynamics closely mimic the feel of a grand piano. This piano has many on-board sounds that can be layered or it can be used as a keyboard controller with a computer.
| Kawai MP11SE | Nord Grand | |
|---|---|---|
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| Product Dimensions | 60 x 24 x 11 inches | 50.7 x 15.2 x 6.6 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 89.8 pounds | 46 pounds |
| Shop now at Amazon | Check price | Check price |
With wide variety of Virtual Technician sound editing parameters, it is easy to record and export MIDI files. For accessing the features, MP11SE is supported by 128 x 64 pixels LCD with backlight display so you can easily see and control the piano. MP11SE also offers three kind of resonances: damper resonance, string resonance and undamped string resonance. Supported by 256 note maximum polyphony, MP11SE is able to produce extraordinary sounds of an outstanding stage piano for any piano players. The design is made from sturdy metal chassis with black polish wooden side arms and weigh in total of 34 kg, it’s sleek and elegant. For connectivity, MP11SE supports USB audio which can play, record and overdub MP3 and WAV files. It also supports 6.3 mm Jacks for Line Out (L/Mono, R or 2x Mono) and 1/4″ XLR outputs and 1/4″ inputs with line in level fader and ground lift headphone socket.
However, there are some minor issues. When you press the sustain-pedal, it creates a shattering sound that is virtually only audible using headphones but still irritating and with 34 kg, it is quite heavy and cases take some time to manufacture. The multitude of ways to tweak the different settings is at first quite overwhelming so this piano is better suited for professionals or if you’re beginner and looking for a great stage piano, make sure you have the time and patience to learn about the complex settings because once you get the hang of it, you’ll enjoy the excellence.
Nord Grand
Nord have a reputation for making some of the best pianos in the world. Nord pianos and keyboards are a common sight in jazz bars to international stadiums to rehearsal spaces or award-winning studios. Nord Grand features premium weighted keys with advanced triple sensors that capture the movements of the hammers with exceptional precision, delivering the smooth and natural feel of an acoustic grand piano. Priced at $2,660.00, Nord Grand combines award-winning performance features and hands-on user interface within 46 pounds weight and 50.7 x 15.2 x 6.6 inches dimension. It’s lightweight to carry around so performers are able to easily move and pack it anywhere they go. Read also: Casio CTK-2550 vs CT-S200.
Nord Grand not only provides an extraordinary playing experience, but is also an elegant new approach to our stage piano series. The main features of Nord Grand are the first ever general 88-note Kawai Hammer Action with advanced triple sensors Ivory touch keys which gives the keybed an optimal feel and authenticity and seamless transitions when changing programs. These features can track the movements on the hammers rather than the keys which result in delivering the smooth dynamic touch of an acoustic grand. The well balanced and responsive triple sensor keybed features an advanced mechanism providing extraordinary control both when playing percussively as well as pianissimo with fluent repetitions and retriggering without lifting the key completely.
When it comes to Nord, performance is no compromise. The Nord Grand has dedicated knobs and buttons for all essential functions required in a live performance situation. Creating Layers and Splits with Split Point crossfades and OLED display for excellent overview and adding effects or transposing the instrument can be accomplished easily. The Nord Grand has 7 Split Points indicated with LED lights and the Split Point Crossfades which offers smooth transitions between two split zones. Choose from 3 different crossfade widths (Small, Large or Off) as indicated by different LED colors. Each of the sound sections can have specific effects, volume pedal and/or sustain pedal assigned to them.
The Nord Grand contains a wide selection of unique grand, upright, electric and digital pianos from the exclusive Nord Piano Library, it’s constantly updated with new unique world class sounds and always free of charge. It also supports 2 GB memory for the Nord Piano Library with 120 Voice Polyphony and Nord Grand factory bank which includes 10 grands, 9 uprights, 10 enhanced electric pianos, clavinet, digital pianos and more from the exclusive Nord piano library, these effects are uniquely made and handpicked to deliver maximum sound. All effects can be controlled with a control pedal and all sounds can easily be replaced using the Nord Sound Manager. Not only that, Nord Grand offers piano filters for additional level of sonic control, it features dedicated piano filters for acoustic and electric pianos accentuating softness, mid or brilliance. The EP filters also include unique dyno filters based on the legendary preamp delivering the characteristic punchy, bell-like sound that was an essential part of the classic West Coast sound during the 70s and 80s.
Furthermore, Nord Grand is equipped with Advanced String Resonance which reproduces the intricate interplay of piano strings resonating at their fundamental or harmonic frequencies when other notes are played. It also adds the rich resonant ambience of a real piano when playing with pedal down. Nord Grand also supports quality stereo effects that’s modelled after classic stomp boxes with reverb in three modes: room, stage and hall. The included Nord triple pedal features soft and sostenuto pedals in addition to a unique dynamic sustain pedal. The triple pedal also enables pedal noise that dynamically simulates the mechanical sounds of lifting and releasing the damper mechanism.
Kawai MP11SE Vs Nord Grand
Conclusion
Both Kawai and Nord are well-known brand and provide great quality stage piano. From the comparison above, Nord Grand offers way more greatness and features. The price for Nord Grand is also more affordable than Kawai MP11SE which is why the Nord Grand is better contender.
