28 |  NORD STAGE 3 USER MANUAL OS V1.X
 M When the Nord Stage 3 is shipped from factory its memory is 
protected, to avoid accidental overwriting of programs. To be able 
to store Programs, The Memory Protect parameter needs to be 
set to “Off” in the System menu. Read more on how to do this on 
page 52. The Memory Protect function does not affect the Live 
Mode memories, or operations performed through the Nord Sound 
Manager.
STORING AND NAMING A PROGRAM OR SONG
To store a program or Song without changing its name, proceed as 
follows:
1 Press the STORE button once. The Store button will start blinking, 
and the display will show the name of the program or Song, and its 
location.
2 To select a different store location use the dial and/or PAGE 3/4 
buttons. A program can also be stored to one of the five Live 
program locations. This is done by pressing the LIVE MODE button 
and then selecting the desired Live program button. The program 
at the selected store location can always be auditioned by playing 
the keyboard.
 E To cancel an ongoing Store operation, press EXIT.
3 When a suitable location has been found, press STORE again to 
confirm your intentions.
STORE AS
1 To store and name your program or Song, press STORE AS (Shift + 
Store).
2 Hold down the Abc soft button to bring up a row of alphanumeric 
characters and use the dial to select a character for the current 
position. Letting go of the Abc button moves the cursor to the next 
position. The dial or PAGE 3/4buttons can be used to move the 
cursor freely. The Ins soft button is used for inserting a blank space 
at the current position and the Del soft button is used for deleting 
the currently selected character.
3 Pressing STORE will now bring up the Store Program/Song To 
screen. Use the dial and/or PAGE 3/4and Program buttons to 
select a location.
4 When a suitable location has been found, press STORE again to 
confirm your intentions.
  Naming programs and songs can also be done with the Nord 
Sound Manager.
SONG MODE
The Nord Stage 3 features a dedicated Song Mode 
which is used for referencing and grouping program 
locations, according to how programs are used within 
songs in a set list or similar. Program references are 
referred to as song parts, and a group of 5 song parts 
is referred to as a song. There are a total of 8 banks 
of 50 songs each.
 M It is important to note that songs only contain references to pro-
gram locations, and not copies of the programs and their data. This 
means that if a program is edited and stored to the same location, 
any songs previously using it will now use the edited program 
instead. 
When SONG MODE is pressed, the last active song will be selected and 
the Song Mode LED will light up. The display will show the location and 
name of the Song, along with the currently focused program within the 
Song. 
Navigating parts within a song is as easy as pressing one of the SONG 
PARTS 1-5 buttons. Songs are changed either by pressing the PAGE 
3/4 buttons or by turning the PROGRAM dial.
  Song parts can also be changed by using an attached Program 
Up/Dn pedal.
SONG EDIT
To select which programs should be part of a song, activate SONG EDIT 
(Shift + Song Mode), indicated both in the display and by the Song 
Mode LED and current Program LED blinking.
To then change which program is referenced from a song part, simply 
press the corresponding SONG PARTS button, and turn the dial. To re-
turn from Song Edit mode, press EXIT.
 E Any changes made in Song Edit mode need to be stored through a 
Store operation to take effect.
STORING A SONG
Storing and naming a Song is done in exactly the same way as storing 
and naming programs, see the previous Store section for details. 
STORING EDITED PROGRAMS
Program edits that have been made when in Song Mode will not be 
stored when a song is stored, as the song only contains references to 
program locations. To store an edited program you will instead exit Song 
Mode by pressing SONG MODE - which brings up the edited program at 
its program bank location - and then perform a Store operation.
PANEL BUTTONS A & B
There are two independent panels available 
for each program: Panel A and Panel B. 
Each panel provides a complete setup of 
the Organ, Piano, Synth, Extern and Effects 
sections. The two panels can be used as a 
vehicle for quickly switching between two 
different sounds, or for creating layers utilizing the sound engines of both 
panels.
To activate both panels press the PANEL A and PANEL B buttons simul-