allan_evett

I saw something similar to that appear on my FB feed for a few days last week. Some 'lightly damaged' or 'overstock' Nord keyboards were being heavily discounted...

I agree. I've found either of those Rolands to be very playable, especially for a small short-notice gig. The Stage 3 does sound great - with solid tones and playability at its core, but I had to 'dial-in' mine to get a stage piano sound that was comfortable. Roland and Yamaha pianos have always seemed more immediately 'forgiving' for the hand-to-ear connection.

Same here. We've been together the past 23 year (married for 15, now). We initially met at a local club - for me not so local then, as I was still living over in Chicago. She's always been supportive of my career choice, through thick and thin. Initially she followed the party-rock band I was with, then some of the country bands that followed. Very occasionally she'll come out to a gig, but is somewhat past the whole band and club scene now. Plus with a 2021 career shift to work in the private sector, she's been quite swamped, work-wise. So downtime to recharge is even more a priority. She still gets out for live music, several times a year, but mostly when we go to concert events.

Great, small-footprint synth! Sold mine when I switched over to a controller - XV-5080 combination - which soon became 'controller - Fantom XR. Roland's Performance mode was so easy to use, and insanely powerful. The elegance and simplicity of Roland's interfaces has continued on through to the Fantom-7, which is my overall synth Go-To.

And yet another program to investigate... Had the lite version of Cubase running on this PC, a few years back. Wanted to see what running a DAW on Windows 10 was like, after being a Mac-oriented player since 1995 (I started with Opcode Vision.). I still have MixCraft 9 on this 2017 Acer Aspire, though my main DAW remains Logic Pro. It's fun to play in a different 'sandbox'; keeps the brain active. Good to see that VST Live runs on Mac, though. I plan on taking my 2020 MBP out, sometime in the next year or sooner. Looking to return to some kind of MD, or assistant-MD gig.

Thanks, J.F.N. ! I missed your response, initially. But will definitely be checking out MidiFire too.

I've been studying Gig Performer, plus a couple of other options. There used to be a program that actually had vertical 'equipment' racks in its skeumorphic design (very different from horizontal tracks or a vertical mix grid), but it seems to be long gone. I recall checking that one out circa 2010, when I was using a MacBook with a Roland A800 - 2nd tier over a digital piano. At that time I was simply using a Logic Project template, then selecting sounds from different tracks. Simple, but it worked at the time. Logic Pro I get, but MainStage is quite different. The core sounds and construction items appear to come from the same place, but the assembling process leaves a lot to be desired - at least to my learning style. Apple's manual looks to be a good reference guide, but for beginning assembly instructions? Nope. I'd searched for logical, step-by-step instructions - i.e., 'These are the components, here's the organizational hierarchy, then here's how you assemble a Concert'. A top-down or bottom-up outline would be awesome to find, in print or well-presented video. Slightly veering from the original thread, but how have the rest of you learned to assimilate MainStage? Or should I bite the proverbial bullet and pay the $$$ for GP?

Happy Birthday, dB!

From a live rig standpoint, the Stage 4 has worked out fine. If an extended variety of synth sound options became gig-necessary, I'd likely take out a second keyboard. I've been taking the MacBook Pro to my teaching space, as it's been a useful tool to have with an increasing number of students. And at least one of them has expressed interest in learning more about MainStage. I use Logic Pro often there, so it makes sense to expand my working knowledge to include MainStage. Slow going so far though. Sometimes I wish there was a software program with skeumorphic design / routings that emulates my old rack module setup - including the Digital Music MX-8, which was an awesome programmable MIDI matrix module. Have been considering a deeper search for something like that, now that last week's church-accompanying gig palooza is done..

I've simplified a lot since the early 2000s, especially with regard to synth hardware. It's been a while since I had interchageable racks - a slightly more modest version of what The Real MC has listed above (And I thought my 1992 rig was elaborate 😄). Though I did cover the chair for a regional Pink Floyd tribute in 2015, gigging has steered back toward my musical roots of classic/alt rock, country and newer rock... So for local, minimum-stage-space gigs my Stage 4 Compact does an entire evening quite easily. Other than a couple nearby jobs, I've been out of the scene for a few months; but now that I'm driving again there are plans to ramp up playing out. For better paying/larger stage jobs I'd take out my CK88 with the Stage 4 73 up top. Having the weighted 88 is a big plus, when doable. If heavier-duty synth work is needed the Stage 4 can do a lot; plus I have a Fantom-7 and a couple other options. The Fantom-7 can be configured to imitate a multi-module 'phone booth-style' synth rack of yore, though I suspect the sounds would still have a somewhat characterist Roland 'vibe'. But I can now create a virtual rack in my 2020 MBP; have done some experimenting there, and want to explore more. I've messed a little with MainStage in the past, and am thinking it's time to dig in again - especially with the more powerful and lightweight laptop.

Looks like they're trying to appeal to various users: the cost-conscious stage-only player, someone who will connect it with a computer-based rig or a little of both. Major retailer street-prices reflect a $300 difference between the RD-08/RD-88. I see where this might be a good choice, though the user interface is the same as on the RD88 - which I found awkward at time, especially when 'menu-diving' beyond the basics. YMMV though... I've owned two RD88s. Good compact stage piano-synth instrument, but the final one was sold off when condensing my stage rig; the inclusion of built-in speakers and expanded front panel made the Yamaha CK88 a better choice for basic, live work. If Roland piano and synth models are needed, I've got that covered with an expanded Fantom-7 and GAIA 2. The RD-08 could be a good option for many. I just wish the company had done a refresh/upgrade of the front panel. Will be interesting to see how this one sells.

Trigon-6...

This one is rough... I've been a big fan since the mid 1970s. So many memories - from the Raspberries, "Go All The Way" to Eric's string of hits in the 80s. I remember wearing out the cassette copy of his album, 'Boats Against the Current'; lots of road time with that one in the car stereo. A song from that album is likely my favorite from Eric's catalog: "Love Is All That Matters". I've played that one for several weddings - for accompanying vocalists, and playing it as a background instrumental piece. Rest in Peace, Eric Carmen. It was an honor to play your songs.

I often refer to this style of playing as, 'Concert piano'; or those who perform it, 'Concert pianists'. I had approximately 12 years of studying that, and it enventually became a tiresome grind. My first two post-high school years were spent at a local college, and thankfully I had a sensitive and highly observant piano teacher. She helped in further strengthening my technique, but understood my wish to not pursue further 'classical' study. Thankfully that college's music dept. was structured for simple recital performances and single-teacher evaluations, vs. the typical live 'Jury' exams - the idea of which terrified me. I eventually transferred to a more 'alternative' arts college - where my major emphasis was theory/composition and keyboard playing with the jazz ensemble. Columbia College, Chicago was a proverbial 'Godsend'. Granted, I can understand the value of juried exams for those pursuing live, concert careers; but I've had several piano students who considered majoring in music theory, composition or school district music teaching, then passed on the idea - due to having to slog through 4+ years of 'Jury' exams on their major instrument. I feel those exams should be recommended for those pursuing solo, 'concert' careers, not neccessarily other music majors. That former piano teacher was a big help in defining a musical path forward for me. I recall one conversation when she stated, "You should go to Nashville after college, or maybe attempt the commercial jingle scene in Chicago. But I'll likely see your name in lights with a band, someday" . Hey, at least she got me connected for a couple of faculty cocktail parties - even when I was still finding my way through a set of basic standards.

Great memories from hearing this song, and several from the Michael McDonald catalog. And back to the original topic. I've always dug GP's playing. But the time I saw him in person was definitely a "Holy Something!" moment: NAMM 2011's Korg Kronos unveiling, then the resulting Greg Phillinganes rendition of Happy Birthday. His chord substitutions had their own substitutions flown in for the occasion. And then I made another discovery, from visiting page one of this thread: Mark Stephens. Yeah... From what planet are these previously unknown - at least to me - players coming from? Time to get off the computer and go practice .