James, I have the Quicco mi.1 but haven’t seen anything on a version II till now, plus I’m not understanding how the cable works - their website and videos are confusing - can you post clearer info?
The original Quiccosound mi.1 has been replaced by the mi.1 II. It serves the same purpose as the original but now supports MIDI timestamps, and has lower latency. The connector's housing is also a little smaller, so thery are able to plug into instruments that have a small gap between the MIDI IN and OUT terminals. As I say, I had one of the 1st generation mi.1 units, which has been great. However, upgrading to this one, I immediately noticed an improvement in latency, and it's not such a squeeze to connect.
The Quiccosound mi.1 Cable is a brand new product. It's a set of two interfaces that allow fully wireless MIDI (via Bluetooth) without the need for a computer or iOS/Android device as a bridge. In the video above, Katsunori-san uses the mi.1 Cable to connect a Reface CS with a Nord Rack 3 wirelessly. This would not be possible with the original mi.1. I guess theoretically you could connect an mi.1 to both instruments, and then pair them both with the same computer, and then use MIDI routing software to link the two...but it would be complicated, and the latency would be double (Reface --> computer --> Nord Rack 3). With mi.1 Cable, you do not need a cable to provide the intermediary connection - the two instruments can effectively communicate with each other directly. Moreover, you can prioritise timing by connect the white mi.1 Cable into the instrument that requires it.
Not exactly the same thing... I was at a Dixie Dregs show way back, around 1979? So the Dregs were in the middle of this insane complex awesome jam, when they abruptly and perfectly launched into My Sharona (which had blown up huge right around the time of this gig). The place went crazy, and then they effortlessly and perfectly segued back into their jam.
For a lot of folks, the nostalgia aspect is worth paying for...even though an updated, improved version, with all of the appropriate updates and inclusions, would be a better solution.
If I ran the company--and I clearly don't--I'd have the nostalgic repro for sale as option one, as well as the new-and-improved version aforementioned, as plan-B. Win-win, for the company and the consumer.
15 degrees to the right and that could have been a "Weird" Al video. Excellent! Worst insider joke of the whole thing: The ARP 2500 emitting a Rhodes ROMpler sound. Hah.
Too late for me. The strongest reason i migrated from Cubase to Logic was because i was moving from a desktop to a laptop, with the idea to work on public transportation. In that kind of situation you do not want a dongle that somebody can easily grab and run.
But today i am happy with Logic, that suite me better, and i sold my Cubase Pro copy (still have Cubase Element to read old file). No plan to go back.
Nord Electro or Stage. Best ease-of-use interface, all-around stellar sounds that you can keep updating for as long as you have the drive space. I tend to look at some other brands that keep going off in all directions as "last year's" models fairly quickly*, whereas Nords stick with a design that works, makes incremental improvements mostly "under the hood." And they are very well built, by hand. They maintain value in resale.
*case in point, the disruption of the CP line with the YC line. That was fast.
I have my first shot Monday. Going the small town drug store route. It is a large national chain with a crappy online system that is down most of the time, but they schedule 1 person every 15 minutes so you don't have to be in a crowd. Some of the large hospitals in my state have been heavily criticized for herding people in long lines with no spacing and no masks. I've seen those sites on the news and would seriously be more worried about catching the virus while in line for my shot than somewhere like a store where you can at least distance yourself from others.
Ran into the singer from the first band I was in back in the late 1970's. He is in a band and said all their winter gigs have all been canceled but starting the end of April they have a string of outdoor gigs that will satisfy their need to play. He asked me to join the band and it is very tempting, but my sister has an extremely low white blood count and is afraid that if she catches Covid it could kill her. I don't think I will add to her anxiety by joining a band at this time.
Thanks for sharing. Coincidentally, I just played the Steve McQueen record the other day while perusing through my Vinyl collection. My 29yr old son just purchased a turntable and I intend on lending this album along with others to him as a way of introducing him to the sounds "we" grew up with....an amazing, underrated band.
Glad to be responding to you - I've read your posts for years (mostly a lurker here, although I've been coming out of my shell more lately), and you never fail to impress me with your knowledge, articulate writing, and thoughtful takes on not only music but LIFE. I really mean that.
NYC viewpoint here, but it should apply anywhere. ;-D
I know it can be a delicate situation politically/financially when dealing within a tight circle of friends and musical associates, but -
OF COURSE you should be compensated for your time and hard work.
(I know some have raised the very valid issue of the legality/rights of usage and selling under certain circumstances. Although I play a lawyer on TV, I'll leave that issue to those with greater expertise and am gonna stay out of that discussion for now. But of course, it's a vital topic, and is very relevant to what I'm about to say....
So, the scenario is - you purchased the tracks then customized/tweaked them?
If it's your band, and you're the one using them, great.
If it's for a person who's on your "I'm not taking your money, ever, even if it costs me" list (and we all have people like that in our lives) - pass the tracks along. Although, I'd likely ask that the friend reserve them for his own use, and not distribute them. A very fair ask, and any decent person should agree, seeing that they're getting tracks for free, to be used in perpetuity, that cost you time and money to create. (And of course, they're decent people since they're on your "A" list.) You could also ask for whatever other usage restrictions you'd like.
(As an aside - all too sadly in today's world, once any digital media is out there - charts, tracks, etc. - it's OUT THERE. I've been on gigs many times where someone pulled out a chart I had done (for my own use, or sold to someone), so tread carefully. Who knows how much things get passed around? Actually, we ALL do. And that phenomenon has taken a crippling toll on the music business - and our careers.
As far as the 2nd guy who wants the tracks - YES, charge. By the track, an hourly fee, or a flat fee for all of the tracks - IF you don't mind them being out there, and potentially passed around. An alternative strategy could be this approach: Say, "Look, I spent a lot of time customizing these tracks, and actually paid to acquire the tracks that I edited. Why don't we make them YOUR tracks - perhaps you want the arrangements to be tailored to your needs, and you may well want different tempos and keys. I'll create high-quality, personalized tracks for you, and I'll give you the best price I can, but I don't feel great about giving my work away."
Too often, we as musicians don't respect ourselves and our work enough to ask for what it's worth. We are highly trained, experienced and good at what we do. (Full disclosure:I'm a full-time musician, and I know that many people here aren't. In my my world (except among close associates/friends/special circumstances) we get paid fairly for all aspects of the gig: for rehearsals, writing charts, creating tracks, etc. OF COURSE, I cut people favors and consider all factors when determining a price. Negotiating is rampant, and one of the things I hate most. But if you want to make a living in this field - let alone during a pandemic and its aftermath - it comes with the territory. As we've watched the market for our talents dwindle down to a former shell of itself over the years, it's natural that we fear losing gigs, pissing people off, etc. But, as full-time musicians, we have to do it. As a matter of fact, it's the fear and reluctance to do so that has caused a race to the bottom, and contributed significantly to the sorry state of our business.
Sure you have to know your market, your area, and the relative value of your skills in your environment. And, I've dealt with the same music business scoundrels that you have. But in all honesty, I've generally found that when you screw up your courage and insist on being treated fairly, you generally get what you want, or damn close to it. Not always, but far more often that not. And it feels SO good when you hang up that phone that you had nervously dialed a few minutes earlier, in anticipation of a tough negotiation, knowing that you advocated successfully for your own self-worth! YMMV, of course.
OK, I'll get off my soapbox now. thanks for listening.
"In Würde altern" was released this Friday, but I didn't wanna accost you fine folks without having something nice to show for. Luckily, today also saw the release of the first music video:
If that piqued your interest, here are some more links:
Piano playing is much tougher. Some of it is just adjusting your touch, which I did gradually. I also bumped the velocity curve to make it more difficult to trigger the harder-hitting piano sounds.
I didn't spend a lot of time tweaking this on the MODX so I don't want to say this is necessarily as good as I could get it, but I did find the pianos much more playable when I quickly ended up at Velocity Offset 83, Depth 44. If not perfect, those are probably at least in the ballpark of what would feel best to me. That was with the S700 sound.
I only have the one album but it's definitely on Bandcamp It's an ambient / instrumental album, with each song inspired by one of Philip Larkin's poems...
It's an ambient / instrumental album, with each song inspired by one of Philip Larkin's poems...