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EricBarker

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About EricBarker

  • Birthday 11/30/1980

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  1. I will stand until Satan himself yoinks me from this fetid world!
  2. yet... they still can't put on 9 drawsliders, and have very minimal control surfaces. PASS. You can generally tell when 90% of their market is for basement trolls and not live performers. I actually like Native Instruments software, but their hardware always seemed very tailored AWAY from my interests.
  3. I ALWAYS stand. Only time I sit is at a grand piano or stationary organ. And even then, when I get to rocking out, I often stand up in my chair, particularly on piano. Yeah, I come from a classical background, but unless I'm playing concertos, I'm on my feet. I'm 42, so maybe that will change... yeah, doubt it. In my seven years of playing 5-hour nights in Waikiki, I only sat once, and that was directly after I sprained my ankle doing a stage dive on keytar.
  4. I think the problem with the Deepmind12 is that it's a gorgeous performance keyboard that harkens back to an age where most of the content was very simplistic programmed patterns and symphonic pads. Things that often guitarists and producers laid tracks for in the studio, and then played on tapes live. There were very few "Juno Rockstars" the way that Wakeman/Emerson handled the MiniMoog, Lord handled the B3, Bernie handled the Prophet V, or Geddy and EVH handled the Oberheim. It makes sense that Behringer struck gold with the Synthpop Basement Producer crowd making rackmount boards, but as "synth forward" as the 80s was, a lot of the performance was tape or hired guns hiding in the shadows... so the market seems pretty slim for an 80s Synthpop focused board when most of this kind of stuff now is done with Ableton. Shame, cuz it's a very solid board.
  5. I haven't found the PolyD keybed to be bad at all. I use it as a synth bass, and I kinda like the super-light feel, it's a bit funky. The mod wheel is fine, but the pitch wheel is crap. Mine finally got super wonky, and I had to kill pitch bend, but since I mainly play it in the LH while I'm on the right, it's not a huge loss for my current projects. I bought a second one though, because I gigged the hell out of it with a less-than-idea gig bag, and put a lot of wear&tear on it. Unfortunately, my second board has a few minor defects, but not enough for me to send it back. The hinge was missing a pin, which I quickly fixed with a paperclip. The more annoying thing is that that the cable conduit that connects the bed to the mainboard is slightly too long, and sticks into the joint when I unfold the top. I have to reach around and push it back, which is obnoxious. One of these days I'll open it all up and see if I can zip-tie it a little shorter. That should solve it. Otherwise, INCREDIBLE instrument for its price. I've never played a synth that did better Bass Guitar duty in a full mix. I actually love the overdrive for that reason, it's really juicy on bass.
  6. I played in a Party Rock Cover Band for years. For that kind of gig, the #1 priority, above ALL ELSE is to "keep the beat going". Song ends, have the next one chambered and ready to fire within 2 measures, or it absolutely destroys the flow. If I started the tune and was more than 2seconds late on entry, the guitarist would call it a lost song, and start something else instead, and he was right to do so. I'm currently helping my kid brother-in-law out with his psyche punk band, and it's really a problem. He has a crappy guitar that always goes out of tune, and the energy just takes a nosedive when he stops. Sometimes the drummer just counts in and forces him to play anyway, honestly good on him. Showcase gigs, originals, jazz bands, totally different animal, take all the time you want in between songs to talk to the audience and center yourself. But not party rock, ever. You mentioned that you want your band to be a cut above the rest because they have you as a keys player, I'm sorry to say that your presence is not going to overcome the unprofessionalism of 2min detuning sessions, not in a million years. That makes the show about the BAND and not the AUDIENCE, which is death to a cover gig. The meat & potatoes 3-piece with a half-assed singer that can keep the fire burning will absolutely destroy you. That's just the reality. Lean on your guitarists to find some way of either playing the song in the original key, figuring out how to make it work the half-step down without retuning, or if all-else fails, skip those tunes completely. Your set will be way better off for it. I can't stress this enough. That said, your choice to play an interlude while they retune is admirable, I think you could pull it off once a night. Maybe position those detuned songs together at the beginning or ending of a set, and then use your interlude as another buffer. Practice your stage presence, and try to take all the spotlight off the guitarists.
  7. My vote is skip the keyboard stand, and GET THIS LAPTOP TRIPOD: https://www.amazon.com/Samson-Technologies-SALTS50-LTS50-Laptop/dp/B00OZES766/ref=asc_df_B00OZES766/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309779531175&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6583541762318668211&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033977&hvtargid=pla-343408319212&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=62412137260&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=309779531175&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6583541762318668211&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033977&hvtargid=pla-343408319212 I have 4 of em. They're solid, they swivel, tilt, lock, and they're good enough for my 15lb PolyD! I even lean mine over backwards and play vertical (keytar style), and it works wonders. I liked it so much I bought a few and leave one at my practice space. My wife uses one for her mini synth when we play with our band.
  8. I've always figured that the Grand made larger difference for the performer than the audience in terms of sound. Sitting at a grand vs upright is a totally night/day experience. But from 10ft away, the two don't sound nearly as different at the same scale size. There's something about the off-axis chaos of a grand that's just glorious. Baby Grand is also just a much better ensemble/accompanying instrument from a practical standpoint. You're not sitting in front of a wall of strings, and... likely... a wall, since 95% of uprights are in a corner somewhere. Everything about a grand just feels better and more natural in a room, as long as you have the space and the $$$
  9. Being a bit younger player (early 40s), I first approached B3/Hammonds through 90s Romplers and sustain pedal triggers. I probably approach the Leslie differently than traditional hardware players, even after using Crumars and Nords for a number of years. For me, it's like vibrato on strings/horns, or AT vibrato for synths. Leave it slow for fast stuff, and then spin it up for big chords and long dramatic notes. I've always set my sustain pedal to double-duty and spin up the Leslie when held down. Sometimes I pump it a bit up and down for slower-acceleration up/down. I tend to play with percussion on in my rock contexts, excepting subtle backing pads. however, I just try not to leave the Leslie on when doing fast lines. You're right, that's not a good sound. But I do like my Leslie to be dynamic. The organ does have the potential to be very mechanical. Constant volume pedal control helps, but riding the Leslie can go a long way.
  10. This is true. I remember playing "Sweet Dreams" a few times with two sustain pedals set to kick and snare, and it worked pretty well. The early 80s sound was thanks to Peter Gabriel and Steve Lilywhite, who stole Phil Collin's hat and cymbals away to shake things up, and he eventually adopted it for his own sound. This forced other instruments to take over the ride role and also to allow for some kind of ominous empty space at times. "In the Air Tonight" wouldn't be what it was with cymbals. It's definitely a workable style. I don't think it would work for most of my music which has been described as "flying music". No hat keeps things very grounded and a bit stiff, and sometimes that's exactly what you want. Works very well for Synth New Wave, but would be absolutely awful for jazz, metal, driving prog, or any other genre that really needs to coast.
  11. Bought some Saturday at Costco (had an end-of-year coupon). WOW. This changes everything. I can hear my voice! I sing quieter (GOOD), and it exposes all my weak points (GOOD), and it saves my hearing (GREAT). But this is the first earplug option where I really feel like I can hear and feel the music in a meaningful way. I played 5 gigs with them this weekend and it was glorious! I have yet to try the transparency settings recommended by Redzekeys. Gonna try them out!
  12. I'm thinking of bringing it out of semi-retirement this weekend. I got a Nord Stage3 Compact, which has everything the Mojo61 has and more. But I actually miss the 61key limit, find myself off in no-mans land with the 72key on B3. I have a "boat-in" gig on a sandbar mid-river. I'd rather take a $1500 board than a $3500 one, and the Mojo will do fine for this job. The old Piano sucks and was updated the week after I bought the NS3C (of course), so I haven't actually tried it out myself, but the demos I've heard are glorious. I'm excited for you, Mojo61 changed my life, maybe one of the most important musical purchases I ever made. I came from Laptop VST rig, within 2 years I just wanted to throw it in the river and go old school. In the end, I found a middle ground with the NordStage, but it was a good step!
  13. I think those are all good observations, though it's hard to judge equipment by iPhone audio and PA, so many variables. Gonna play Devil's Advocate on the toms. Tom Waits does amazing things with really huge toms and piano. Really depends on the style you're going for. Large loose toms can create more of an old vintage vibe, which could be good here. Def how Tom Waits uses them.
  14. When I'm presented with a properly miked Grand Piano... screw my rig, it's Piano Time! This has happened a few times, often by happy accident. We played a statewide Folk Festival a few months back, and due to renovation the event was moved into a High School Theatre, which had a wonderful concert grand. No synth bass, no nothing. Was absolutely heavenly, and I play SO much differently. Similarly, last summer because of smoke (interior Alaska), our garden gig was moved to the Symphony Concert Hall, and we felt right at home, particularly with my wife being an opera singer. But curiously, in non-hall settings I've moved away from HA pianos. Even a good HA feels 1/10 of a real AP. The dynamic range, the speakers, it's just a different feel. Also, AP can be an awkward beast in a rock setting, particularly if your set butts up against punk and metal bands (some of which I'm also in, btw). So I've got a NS3 Compact and have learned to love the action for everything, even AP. It's different, it's weird, but it works with what I do. I'm mostly playing it in RH because my LH is on PolyD bass. The few times I've tried to play LH bass on the NS3C, it felt wrong, and very tiring. Pounding out piano bass LH on an organ-weighted bed is just death. Thankfully it's not what I'm doing. I'm pushing a fairly aggressive envelope for a keyboard-driven band: some Tool covers and metal-adjacent stuff. Not typical singer-songwriter indie pop. So AP isn't always appropriate, but that said, sometimes it translates better than I'd expect.
  15. These aren’t patch presets, just drawbar registrations. It’s more akin to the color-reversed keys on a B3. When I first got the Mojo I was scared of going preset-less too, but I quickly learned to love it. I didn’t even really use the 2 presets you get, I just learned to work the drawbars. All the other instruments have no presets of any kind, but all the controls are right there and very simple. You switch to a Rhodes, you adjust the drive, and turn on the trem or phaser, that’s it. The beauty of the instrument is its simplicity. Every instrument sounds perfect. Make sure you update to the latest firmware. The old AP was awful and an afterthought, but they’ve made a gorgeous new one.
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