WORLD OF MUSIC ; PORTABLE KEYBOARD - Latest Portable Music Keyboards, Synthesizers and Music News

The new Nord Grand features a 88-note premium weighted keybed 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. To further improve on the authentic feel, each key is treated with an Ivory Touch surface.

As with the sound engine, it is split into two sections: Piano and Sample Synth. The Piano section includes a selection of Grand, Upright, Electric and Digital pianos from the Nord Piano Library, all of which can be replaced via the Nord Sound Manager. The Sample Synth section includes a variety of Strings, Brass, Synths, Choirs and many other sounds from the Nord Sample Library 3.0, which includes licensed Mellotron and Chamberlin sounds. The synth section is equipped with controls for attack, decay/release and dynamics (filter/velocity) and dedicated Category buttons enable quick navigation and selection of sample sounds. In addition, you can also create your sounds with the free Nord Sample Editor for Windows and Mac.

The Nord Grand Effect section gives you a broad range of instantly adjustable, studio-grade stereo ef-fects modeled on coveted vintage Stompboxes, plus Tremolo, Phaser, Chorus, Pan, Wah, RM, Flanger, Vibe, EQ, Delay, and Reverb. All effects can be freely assigned to the Piano or Sample Synth section. The Reverb effect has three different types: Hall, Stage, and Room, each with an optional Bright mode.

Decked in the familiar red wooden chassis, the Nord Grand looks to be available with a metal foldaway stand option for stage use, and a more permanent wooden stand for the home. In addition, it also comes with the Nord Triple Pedal.

The Nord Grand 88-note Kawai Hammer Action with Ivory Touch will be available in Spring 2019, with priced at $4,099. Check back often for updates.

Nektar’s new SE MIDI keyboards come in SE25 and SE49. The SE USB MIDI Controller keyboards look to have several things going for them including portability, affordability and DAW control.

The Nektar SE25 is a 25-note, velocity-sensitive, mini-keyed model that sits nicely in front and almost the same width of a 13-inch laptop. Six buttons enable you control over the likes of sustain, pitch bend or modulation wheels. If you use the Nektar DAW Integration software, you also get transport control when you are using Logic Pro, Reason, Cubase, Bitwig Studio or Studio One.

Besides, there is also a Part Two function that enables you to change to a second MIDI channel, layer a sound on top or shift octave and transpose at the touch of a button.

The Nektar SE49 comes with 49 full-size velocity-sensitive keys and proper pitch bend and modulation wheels. There are four buttons and one 30mm fader for accessing system settings and Nektar DAW control, leaving you with a workhorse MIDI keyboard that has some useful extra strings on its bow.

The SE Midi controllers price is stunning and lowest too.