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Single Keyboard Rig for covering 60's, 70's and 80's music


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You've sort of described what I do, and I use a Nord Stage 3 Compact. Unlike you, I'm sensitive to weighted key actions, so I bring along a weighted controller so not really a single board solution, more like a board and a half. If I'm too lazy to recreate a classic 80s synth sound, I go with any of the many hundreds of synth samples that are out there, usually for free. The pianos and organs are among the best in class.

 

One feature I really have come to appreciate (when it's a stable set list) is the Song Mode function. Super easy to set up, I just scroll sequentially from song to song, and move around from part to part within a song. Where has this been all my life?

 

Lots of other good alternatives, though.

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On two occasions in the last ten years, I"ve discovered one keyboard completely dead at the start of a gig. The 2nd keyboard completely saved me

 

I not only want both piano and organ actions, I want the piece of mind in knowing I can get through the gig without desperately seeking an open music store on a Sat night in wherever the gig might be.

Barry

 

Home: Steinway L, Montage 8

 

Gigs: Yamaha CP88, Crumar Mojo 61, A&H SQ5 mixer, ME1 IEM, MiPro 909 IEMs

 

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I also use a Nord Stage and an 88-key controller (PX5s) on the bottom. Footprint is no larger than one keyboard, since they are stacked. Weight is not a concern - PX5s is like 26 pounds.

I use an IPad/SetListMaker to call up patches (songs) on the Nord, which calls up patches (stage settings) on the Casio.

Easy-peasy. Lightweight. Some redundancy if one board fails. Me likee.

Professional musician = great source of poverty.

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Folks,

 

I thank each and everyone of you for the input. That's why this forum is so valuable. I have a lot to think about as each of you brought a different perspective.

 

I will think about this a bit and not rush to judgement. Will keep you updated.

 

Thanks, Mike

My Rig: Stage Piano: Korg Grandstage 73 - Organ: Hammond SKx - Amps: Motion Sound KP-500s - Mixer: Yamaha MGU10
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Great discussion and as interesting for what is not mentioned as what is:

 

new Fantom. (best keybeds, best interconnectivity, best sequencing/arranger type functions, great interface, etc etc) Tonewheel is basically untested, but until that is sorted: https://m.thomannmusic.com/ferrofish_b4000.htm

Weight: FANTOM-6: 15.3 kg; FANTOM-7: 17.7 kg; FANTOM-8: 27.7 kg........considerably lighter than Kronos or Forte.....unless I missed something.

 

If one sorted a tonewheel, what advantage would the Kronos have over the Fantom, honestly?

 

Kurzweil PC4 (Cheap, good action, 30lbs, and Forte power (if less storage))

 

Imagine a user not familar with any of the options, what will be easiest to learn? Maybe Nord, followed by the new Roland?

 

Please shoot that Fantom down before I do something stupid ;)

 

 

RT-3/U-121/Leslie 21H and 760/Saltarelle Nuage/MOXF6/MIDIhub, 

SL-880/Nektar T4/Numa Cx2/Deepmind12/Virus TI 61/SL61 mk2

Stylophone R8/Behringer RD-8/Proteus 1/MP-7/Zynthian 4

MPC1k/JV1010/Unitor 8/Model D & 2600/WX-5&7/VL70m/DMP-18 Pedals

Natal drums/congas etc & misc bowed/plucked/blown instruments. 

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I played a Cars band, a David Bowie band, a Bon Jovi band, a General Covers band, a UFO band, etc ... I play all of them with a one board rig and they all sound spot on after extensive sound programming. I did it all on Yamaha boards (Motif XF, now MODX7). It all depends on how picky OP is on keybed feel - I'm not picky. the big weakness is an OP priority = B3. B3 can be tweaked to get a usable voice but I'd bet over half here hate it. no way it meets OPs stated need.

 

I wouldn't overthink tonal purity in an a 9-piece rock band. you need to first just cut thru the mix and that right there is going to subtract from any hypothetical tonal purity. Most of the boards recommended will all work. I currently ride a MODX7 as mentioned. it works great, I program every song specifically and crowds adore my sound. B3 is not the best, but get no complaints on the few B3 songs I play. then again I don't do alot of blues-rock where B3 stands uniquely tall in the soundscape. its is not a priority sound for me. but as a bread and butter platform of APs, EPs, synth sounds, natural instruments (string, guitar, wind, percussive, etc.) - its a great all in one at its price point. Splits, layers, switching, ease of arranging for the night's set list ... very usable. I like in can flip it around easily (very light) for those quick stage changes.

 

I will just recommend OP buy the new Phantom so we can get another review posted :)

 

 

The baiting I do is purely for entertainment value. Please feel free to ignore it.
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The mentioned Fantom and MODX fall behind other options in requirement #2, "2. Strong organ section with all associated controls (Leslie, percussion, CV, etc.)."

 

on the Kurzweil, you'll have to decide whether at any given time you want your 9 sliders to control drawbars or synth controls or some of each, and you'll have to set up the controller assignments you want instead of having them all already "there."

This is not completely accurate. On the Kurz there is a feature called zone mutes in which you can use any controller (usually a switch) to turn off the zone controls of one zone while simultaneously turning them on for another zone. Zone 1 could be the organ zone and the 9 sliders control the organ's 9 drawbars, Zone 2's 9 sliders could controller a synthesizers 9 functions (pitch, vcf, vfo, etc). By hitting a button (a switch) you can disable the organ's 9 sliders and simultaneously activate the 9 sliders for the synth. Retapping the button reverses the logic.

Great point. You still don't have access to the controls simultaneously as you do on a Nord, but that could still often do what you need, especially since, if you're using a hand to adjust controls, at that moment, you're probably playing JUST an organ sound or JUST a synth sound, even if the two sounds are part of the same Multi/Setup. You do lose some flexibility, though, in terms of things like the speed with which you could go back and forth between the organ and synth sounds that are in a split (i.e. if you need to hit a button to get your controls back) or the ability to tweak a synth sound while playing the organ or vice versa. But realistically, the ability to quickly switch what the sliders do might be almost as good as having all the functions available at the same time, in most realistic scenarios.

 

or an Artis which have the semi-weighted keybed that allows you to play organ and piano. I don't think that the Artis will provide the zone mute functionality.

Artis does have Zone Mute buttons (though I can't confirm that they 100% duplicate the functionality in the higher end models). And only the Artis 7 has the semi-weighted keys. The Artis and Artis SE do not.

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Please shoot that Fantom down before I do something stupid ;)

 

Ok :-)

 

Weight: FANTOM-6: 15.3 kg; FANTOM-7: 17.7 kg; FANTOM-8: 27.7 kg........considerably lighter than Kronos or Forte.....unless I missed something.

 

If one sorted a tonewheel, what advantage would the Kronos have over the Fantom, honestly?

 

The Forte 8 is a good chunk lighter at 22.5 kg. The Kronos 88 falls in between at 24.1 kg.

 

Personally I wouldn"t do anything to sort out the Fantom"s tonewheel issue. The tonewheel should have been there right from the beginning, you shouldn"t need to buy sound modules or external effects to get a decent organ sound out of a 4000-dollar workstation IMHO.

 

But generally the Fantom seems to be very EDM-orientated. If you are more into classic rock and pop music and you like to have a proper organ sound, it is very likely that you are going to like the sound sets on Forte/PC4 and Kronos more than the Fantom.

Currently: Kurzweil PC4, PC3X & K2000.

Novation Mininova. Roland FA-06.

IK Multimedia SampleTank 4 & Syntronik.

 

Previously: Korg Trinity Plus. Roland XP-80. Yamaha EX-5.

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I"m not expert like some of the gang here and I agree MODX (Phantom?) is short of great for B3 ... but I"d just note that many of the expert recommendations are Board X + Controller and that violates not just requirement #2, it violates the entire thread title.

 

Single keyboard is single keyboard. No cheating here ... :)

The baiting I do is purely for entertainment value. Please feel free to ignore it.
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And since the release of the MODX, you can get some really good deals on used MOXF"s.

 

I used mine last night for the first time in a long time. I"d kind of forgotten that with the Chick Corea EP pack and Organimation B3 loaded in, it"s quite the killer little rig.

 

Might work for you, too.

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many of the expert recommendations are Board X + Controller and that violates not just requirement #2, it violates the entire thread title.

 

Single keyboard is single keyboard. No cheating here ... :)

 

Most of the "expert recommendations" are prompted by the thought that a single keyboard violates the combination of requirements #1/#2/#5. So if you can't successfully meet all requirements, what's the best compromise?

 

Cheers, Mike.

 

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I would have said Kurzweil pc3 (I think the organ is as about as good as the Kronos cx3 personally), but I have had reliability issues with mine. Those issues ironically scared me away from doing anymore 1-keyboard gigs unless they are free, short benefits or something.

You ain"t kidding. I will never buy a single thing from Kurzweil again.

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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The best one board experience I"ve had was with the Nord Stage 2 HA88. I did single board gigs with this keyboard for 3+ years and could cover anything reasonably well. Playing organ and synth on weighted action went surprising well. I never had the other boards mentioned in this thread so I don"t mean to imply that the Stage is better.

 

Problem for me was that it was a compromise on a compromise. What I mean is the first compromise is that an electric keyboard is emulating AP, EP, and B3 (which of course is unavoidable). The second compromise is a group of things that all have to do with not comparing well with the best stuff available: examples include not great action, not great B3, mediocre strings, mediocre horns. The only sounds I really enjoyed were the AP, EP, and synths. After a while I had to switch to two boards (weighted and unweighted) and I"ve been happy since.

 

In theory a single keyboard with a laptop should be the answer, and for some it is. However, I keep working on my laptop rig but as of yet don"t enjoy it as much as my hardware keyboards.

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many of the expert recommendations are Board X + Controller and that violates not just requirement #2, it violates the entire thread title.

 

Single keyboard is single keyboard. No cheating here ... :)

 

Most of the "expert recommendations" are prompted by the thought that a single keyboard violates the combination of requirements #1/#2/#5. So if you can't successfully meet all requirements, what's the best compromise?

 

Cheers, Mike.

I"m just playing - i don"t care what people recommend. But since you ask me ... :) ... obviously, clearly, without doubt the laws of sequential order demand that we prioritize the first headline title requirement as supreme. Modifying the foundational criteria to 'what 2 keyboards will ...' is a fundamental violation of OPs question.

 

Sounded like OP needs a lot of groovy B3 to me so my one-board MODX rig isn"t the right one for him. Tis a shame as its 1/3 the weight and half the cost of where he will end up and it nails everything else quite nicely imo. I"m sniffing a Kronos solution here.

 

The baiting I do is purely for entertainment value. Please feel free to ignore it.
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With everything considered in this thread I"d go NS3 Compact. This is probably my next planned purchase as I usually run one board. In fact with my current live projects, I've been running just my NE3 73 and been mostly fine with that. For me, upgrading to the to the NS with the same footprint, with greatly upped technology and a synth section will have me pretty set for my needs.
Steinway L, Yamaha Motif XS-8, NE3 73, Casio PX-5S, iPad, EV ZLX 12-P ZZ(x2), bunch of PA stuff.
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