#881548 - 06/25/00 04:23 PM
Live keyboard sequencing
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botmline2@AOL.COM
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Registered: 06/25/00
Posts: 3
Loc: Apex,NC,UNITED STATES
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My band is losing its keyboard player, and must resort to using sequenced or recorded parts until a suitable replacement is found (not easy 'round these parts!)
I would like to hear solutions that others are using in live situations. We have all the other instruments, so I anticipate using a sequencer or some prerecorded keyboard tracks plus a click to be used by the drummer for synching.
Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
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#881549 - 06/29/00 02:39 PM
Re: Live keyboard sequencing
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catalano
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Registered: 02/16/00
Posts: 12
Loc: Holtsville, NY USA
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Hey there,
We use sequencing pretty successfully in our shows. We use it mostly for dance stuff, but its good for some piano based rock songs as well.
I basically do the sequencing at home. I'm a guitar player, but I can get by enough on keyboards do step record the parts. When we play live I have the *.mid files loaded onto a laptop computer with an old version of "Midi JukeBox". It's basically just a midi file player, but it has a mixer window where you can mute or solo different parts, adjust levels, etc. So sometimes I'll have a percussion part in the sequence, but then maybe a certain night we have a real percussion player sit in, so then I can just mute the part with the percussion in the sequence. We use a pretty simple Yamaha General MIDI module the gets driven right from the laptop. And then the MIDI module in turn drives an old Casio drum machine which merely generates a click for the drummer's headphones.
Some bands merely pan the instruments left and the "click" track of the sequence to the right and then just send the right output of the MIDI module to the drummer. I prefer having the sequences in stereo to provide a really wide sound image, so that's why I use the drum machine. More specifically what I do is put the click track on part 16 of the sequence. Then I use a sysex message to mute part 16 in the Yamaha. But even though part 16 is muted in the Yamaha, it will still pass through the information on part 16 (as well as all of the other parts) through the MIDI Out (or Thru). So I set the drum machine to listen to channel 16 and ta-dah, it generates the click track. I can then use the mixer to combine the click signal with other instruments to give the drummer a specific mix in his headphones.
Every sequence has an 8 click intro. The drummer hears 4 then counts 4 for the band.
I even use the MIDI capabilities further like switching the delay effects on the vocals at certain points in a song. I have our reverb and delay units chained after the drum machin e in the MIDI setup.
Anyway, there's a lot of stuff you can do. So don't fret about losing you keyboard player, you can definately get by without one.
Keep us posted on how you make out.
Cheers,
Chris
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#881550 - 08/17/00 05:24 PM
Re: Live keyboard sequencing
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Botch.
MP Hall of Fame Member
Registered: 08/17/00
Posts: 8149
Loc: Ogden, Utard
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My last band sequenced about 1/3 of our songs (I'm the keyboardist and the sequences just added extra key parts, horns, etc). I used a Yamaha EX-5, which I don't recommend (too many button pushes) but here's an idea I had before the band blew apart. I wanted to record my sequences onto one channel of a Minidisc player, with the click track on the other channel. You can get portable minidisc players that don't weigh more than a pair of drumsticks, and they all offer random track access; it looked like a neat way to go.
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Botch "Eccentric language often is symptomatic of peculiar thinking" - George Will http://www.puddlestone.net
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#881551 - 09/07/00 05:57 PM
Re: Live keyboard sequencing
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kevinkli@hotmail.com
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Registered: 05/25/00
Posts: 13
Loc: Long Prairie,MN,UNITED STATES
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Hi!
I use sequences all the time. I'm a solo guitarist vocalist and try to cover Classic Rock, Blues, Country etc., doing private parties, club work, etc. I use older technology...an Alesis MMT-8 sequencer. I do all my sequences at home and then store them in "real-time" on an Alesis Data Disk. The Data Disk is then used on the gig for playing my tunes off the floppies. Neither unit is made any more, but I believe Yamaha still makes a Midi Data filer which I would think would work the same way.
Good Luck
Kev
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#881552 - 09/25/00 03:12 PM
Re: Live keyboard sequencing
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blocky@dingoblue.net.au
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Registered: 09/25/00
Posts: 3
Loc: Perth,,AUSTRALIA
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depending on the gig there are a number of options, lap top computer running logic or similar that has touch tracks, this enables you arrangement to be flexible, you could trigger the touch tracks via a midi guitar pedal system while running a click to the drummer,while calling the arrangement in real time, or a cheap multitrack HD recorder running stereo keyboard mix on two trax plus click to the drummer on another track ( u can also use this to record your band if u r into that)or finally something like a Korg Triton that has an onboard sequencer and great sounds plus touch trax ( one footpedal = chorus, next = bridge etc) while running a click to the drummer, the touch track systen allows u to do things like trigger a chorus anytime in the last bar of the verse etc but it wont come in until the right time, i have used all three at one time or another and they all work great, just depends how much flexibility u need in your arrangements
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