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Want to add small sampler w/ Pads to Ballpark Organ Setup


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Hey guys,

 

I have a specific need and wanted to get your thoughts.

 

My rig for the baseball / hockey / indoor soccer games is a Hammond SK2. I want to add a small sampler w/ sample pads so I can do some clap based charges or mix the organ / clap stuff together. Lots of other sports organists do this but they might have bigger organs w assignable keys or they'll have a second keyboard like a Tyros or they'll have something like a 360 Systems Instant Replay. I don't want all of that. I don't have room and on 2 out of 3 of these gigs I have to load my stuff in each time.

 

I was thinking about this:

 

Akai MPX8SD

 

And maybe a tiny mixer.

 

I'm thinking about a Key Largo as I use a DI anyway so this can mix and replace that.

 

 

Regarding the sampler, I will load a couple clap samples into it, and then I was thinking maybe a couple of Linn style drum loops at different styles and tempos that I can play along to if I wanted.

 

Any thoughts on a better way to do this? I want to avoid the hassle of a laptop which is why I want a self contained sampler. Maybe I should reconsider and just bring a laptop everytime which would give me unlimited options controller wise if I used Live.

 

Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section

https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native

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Haven't tried that particular model, but I've always liked the Akai samplers, in particular the MPC stuff. Looks like that would fit the bill perfectly.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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Feel free to disregard if the sampler is more what you're looking for, but I'm wondering if a phone or tablet-based DAW might be a low-profile way to accomplish what you need. If all you need to trigger are a few loops and the occasional sample, I imagine Cubasis or Garageband or something of that ilk might do what you need without having to deal with as much setup/teardown. That said, I know sometimes having a big pad or button to whack is a little less fiddly than a touchscreen.

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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I have that unit. Here"s my take

 

Pro"s

-Small and good form factor

-Easy to operate

-cheap

-pads feel Nice

 

Con"s

-loading times are sloooow. When I have bigger samples, it can take like 30 seconds to load a bank.

-preparing samples a bit of a hassle, but it works well with audicity

-you can"t turn off velocity sensitivity of the pads.

-my unit Sometimes doesn"t trigger a sample. Not often, but say 5% of the time. Maybe my unit is broken?

 

 

Rudy

 

 

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Iloading times are sloooow. When I have bigger samples, it can take like 30 seconds to load a bank.

 

Can you set it to preload when you turn it on? Last Akai sampler with pads that I used (don't remember the model) used an SD card for the samples and you could set it to preload on power up. Doesn't sound like Bobby needs to load multiple banks of large samples.

 

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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Yet another comment that the Akai is fussy (as Sound On Sound put it) about samples. Like RudyS said, you have to "wash" them (so to speak) in Audacity. I have had no luck exporting from Cubase (in a variety of formats) and importing.

 

Edit: Ah. I see it was related to BWF metadata. Never figured that out before.

Roland Fantom 06; Yamaha P-125; QSC K10; Cubase 13 Pro; Windows 10

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I have that unit. Here"s my take

 

Pro"s

-Small and good form factor

-Easy to operate

-cheap

-pads feel Nice

 

Con"s

-loading times are sloooow. When I have bigger samples, it can take like 30 seconds to load a bank.

-preparing samples a bit of a hassle, but it works well with audicity

-you can"t turn off velocity sensitivity of the pads.

-my unit Sometimes doesn"t trigger a sample. Not often, but say 5% of the time. Maybe my unit is broken?

 

 

Do they need to load every time the unit powers on? Not looking to change banks really.

 

Velocity Sensitivity kinda sucks! I have no use for it with one shot samples.

 

My other 'con' is that this unit is kinda old. I wonder if something newer and better is being prepared to make its way out into the market place.

 

Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section

https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native

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Feel free to disregard if the sampler is more what you're looking for, but I'm wondering if a phone or tablet-based DAW might be a low-profile way to accomplish what you need. If all you need to trigger are a few loops and the occasional sample, I imagine Cubasis or Garageband or something of that ilk might do what you need without having to deal with as much setup/teardown. That said, I know sometimes having a big pad or button to whack is a little less fiddly than a touchscreen.

 

Not a terrible idea but I literally use all my mobile devices for other stuff. My iPad for charts. My iPhone for social media / texting / misc. Also, like you said, I do dig a tactile button.

Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section

https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native

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The Akai is probably fine for hits and one shots like a clap, but I wouldn't use it for longer form beats and loops.

 

I use my Roland FA-07 for sample triggering in a portable keyboard, and I also have an Alesis Sample Pad Pro that is a larger form pad that I strike with drum sticks. For your use the Akai is probably good and cheap as long as you use it within its limitations.

Yamaha U1 Upright, Roland Fantom 8, Nord Stage 4 HA73, Nord Wave 2, Korg Nautilus 73, Viscount Legend Live, Lots of Mainstage/VST Libraries

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The Akai is probably fine for hits and one shots like a clap, but I wouldn't use it for longer form beats and loops.

 

Why not?

Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section

https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native

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Bobby, I saw that the organist at Wrigley Field, Gary Pressy, is retiring after 33 years, and thought of you.

 

Yes indeed the legend's time at Wrigley comes to a close. What a career!

Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section

https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native

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I have that unit. Here"s my take

 

Pro"s

-Small and good form factor

-Easy to operate

-cheap

-pads feel Nice

 

Con"s

-loading times are sloooow. When I have bigger samples, it can take like 30 seconds to load a bank.

-preparing samples a bit of a hassle, but it works well with audicity

-you can"t turn off velocity sensitivity of the pads.

-my unit Sometimes doesn"t trigger a sample. Not often, but say 5% of the time. Maybe my unit is broken?

 

 

Do they need to load every time the unit powers on? Not looking to change banks really.

 

Velocity Sensitivity kinda sucks! I have no use for it with one shot samples.

 

My other 'con' is that this unit is kinda old. I wonder if something newer and better is being prepared to make its way out into the market place.

 

I searched for a newer/more professional unit. I could not really find it. There is a device called the Beatsqueezer, but it doesn"t have pads, so you need something to trigger it.

 

The samples need to be loaded every time you power it, as it loods the samples from the SD card. You can load 8 samples in a bank. I don"t use it for Very long samples or loops, I can imagine it takes a while to load them. Also I found out that leaving pads empty in a bank creates some noise. So I always load a bank completely. Pad I don"t need I fill with really small samples.

Rudy

 

 

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I have the Akai MPX-8 larger samples take a long time. I think the length of a sample is limited to 2 1/2 minutes. If your not looking to change banks for $100 its pretty much the only thing like it anywhere near that price.

I use mine for one shot samples such as the crack of the bat in John Fogerty's "Centerfield".

 

Boards: Kurzweil SP-6, Roland FA-08, VR-09, DeepMind 12

Modules: Korg Radias, Roland D-05, Bk7-m & Sonic Cell

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It's not exactly the same form factor, slightly bigger and (yikes) more expensive than I'd anticipated... but just throwing out the idea of the Korg microsampler.

MainStage; Hammond SK1-73; Roland XP-80, JV-90, JV-1080, JV-1010, AX-1; Korg microSAMPLER;

Boss DR-880; Beat Buddy; Neo Instruments Ventilator; TC Electronic ND-1 Nova Delay

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The Roland has dynamic memory allocation. No limit on sample length given you have enough available storage. One of my samples I have loaded is the entire Looney Tunes theme which I use to end the gig followed by Porky"s That"s All Folks. It"s pretty long. It includes the key change. ..... Or just If you have the top space you could pickup a FA-06 and get the keyboard and sound engine as a bonus.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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For a hundred bucks there's any number of used keyboards that'll have clapping as a sound effect, if nothing else in the GM soundset. Not exactly small though, most cheapie keyboards are at least 61 notes.

Numa Piano X73 /// Kawai ES920 /// Casio CT-X5000 /// Yamaha EW425

Yamaha Melodica and Alto Recorder

QSC K8.2 // JBL Eon One Compact // Soundcore Motion Boom Plus 

Win10 laptop i7 8GB // iPad Pro 9.7" 32GB

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For a hundred bucks there's any number of used keyboards that'll have clapping as a sound effect, if nothing else in the GM soundset. Not exactly small though, most cheapie keyboards are at least 61 notes.

 

Correct, which is why I am not entertaining that option at all.

Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section

https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native

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I have the unit.

I've tried it twice live. It's failed twice live.

Both times, the SD card got dislodged / unseated sometime between soundcheck and downbeat.

There won't be a third time.

Maybe it's just me and maybe YMMV.

 

 

Nord Stage 2 Compact, Yamaha MODX8

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It's not exactly the same form factor, slightly bigger and (yikes) more expensive than I'd anticipated... but just throwing out the idea of the Korg microsampler.

 

This ^, and/or the iPad suggestion.

 

I was playing in a Reggae/Dub band for several years recently, and spent a LOT of time trying to find the easiest to use, smallest form factor, most reliable way to be able to play dub sounds/hits, bits of movie Dialoge to 'dub out', etc.

 

The best was on an iPad using the sampler in BeatMaker 2 (not the more recent Beatmaker 3, too complicated).

 

8 banks of 16 samples each, easy to edit, easy to trigger on the glass iPad screen (although you can also MIDI assign each to a CC note).

 

 

The second best was the Korg microSampler. Very powerful, small, and rock solid. Can load multiple banks containing unique, individual 'one shot' samples each on a different note across the keyboard.

 

 

 

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I have the unit.

I've tried it twice live. It's failed twice live.

Both times, the SD card got dislodged / unseated sometime between soundcheck and downbeat.

There won't be a third time.

Maybe it's just me and maybe YMMV.

 

Edit: not to argue, or question your remark, but just as an oppositie experience.

I"ve never had this. Sometimes while traveling the SD comes lose, but that is because I have the unit loose in a bag. Before soundcheck I check if the SD is seated and the patches are loaded and if they are, I have no problem with it unseating the SD.

 

Rudy

 

 

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I've tried it twice live. It's failed twice live.

Both times, the SD card got dislodged / unseated sometime between soundcheck and downbeat.

 

Edit: not to argue, or question your remark, but just as an oppositie experience.

I"ve never had this. [...] I have no problem with it unseating the SD.

 

To be fair, both times was at a multi-band show where stagehands moved my rig aside after soundcheck and back in to place between bands. I"m sure they jostled it. Bobby"s situation would presumably be under more uniform circumstances...

Nord Stage 2 Compact, Yamaha MODX8

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As someone who is constantly trying to streamline and downsize, I empathize with your scenario. Instead of adding another device, how about replacing the SK with a board that 1) is about the same size as the SK, and 2) can handle both the core organ and the clap samples? You probably already considered this, but throwing it out there.

Some music I've recorded and played over the years with a few different bands

Tommy Rude Soundcloud

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