eric

February 14

I must be living under a rock or this is extremely obscure. I've never heard of any of this and I'm fascinated by it. I will be digging deeper.

The interesting grooves and use of multiple keyboardists, the horn section, that bass player definitely has the cool facial expressions, LOL.

I didn't come away with any memorable hooks, just sampling several of the videos in this thread. I was entertained!

February 14

9 minutes ago, davinwv said:

We are both reformed-saxophonists-turned-keyboardists from West Virginia.

Very cool! He is part of my wife's tennis club in Richmond and I guess it was at least ten years ago that I met him. I gave him some advice in early days that led him to getting a Nord (I think NE5) - shocker that I'd recommend a Nord to someone, LOL. Then, next thing you know he has the VV EP and is playing cool gigs all over town!

Sorry to take the thread slightly OT...just mainly that people in weekend warrior bands are gigging with VV pianos that meet the criteria of "expensive" for sure.

February 14

1 minute ago, davinwv said:

Scott Young?

You are correct! Small world!

February 14

If I had an OB-X8 I would love to use it live! Probably just for very special types of gigs.

I got a Prophet 6 several years ago with intentions of using it live. I had worked out a cool stand solution and everything. Then the pandemic shut down gigs for a long while and I kind of forgot about wanting to use the P6. I have it in my music room and have been low key thinking of selling it since it hasn't been getting much use.

Back in the '00s I used a real vintage Jupiter 8 at gigs for a while.

I have a friend that uses a Vintage Vibe green sparkle flake EP at all of his gigs and that's a pretty expensive instrument. Looks and sounds great!

February 13

1 hour ago, ProfD said:

The Rick Beato video does a great job of analyzing Super Bowl halftime entertainment.

It is a 13-minute production designed to entertain folks in the stadium and millions of eyeballs around the world.

The Super Bowl halftime show is definitely not the time to tune in for real artistry or musicianship.

There are fewer Pop music acts with a deep catalog of hit records. That will cause a shift in Super Bowl halftime shows.

In a few years, future Super Bowl halftime shows might be a big screen with AI-generated sh8t on it.😁😎

Good thoughts. Rick's comments about the lack of artists that can truly serve a SB halftime were interesting. I'm surprised he forgot about U2. I think they are one of a few true rock bands that could command a worldwide stage. In fact, there was some brief U2 footage from their residency at The Sphere. I'm surprised they didn't consider them for the SB show, though they have done it in the past.

The days of real rock shows seems less common. I remember loving Tom Petty, Prince, and Bruce Springsteen...and The Who just played it a few years ago...usually we host big SB parties and the game plus halftime are hard to see based on the loud people in the room LOL.

This year, my wife had the brilliant idea that we should DVR the whole thing. Last night, we watched JUST the commercials up through halftime and then the halftime show. We'll watch the second half commercials in a separate sitting. It was very enjoyable to watch this in a quieter setting.

February 13

3 hours ago, MikeT156 said:

I've been reading that the half-time show was the Worst Ever. I only watch the highlights (no paid TV) so I don't know.

I thought it was a highly entertaining show. Very complex and well-produced with so many dancers, roller skating, set changes, guest artists, etc. I always find myself wanting a little more or different from these shows, yet this one was very good.

February 9

Look on the used market for an Invisible brand stand. They have been out of production for quite a while, though they do show up on Reverb and eBay etc. This is my all-time favorite stand for having the top keyboard ride right on top of the lower one.

This is an older picture of me using one so you can get the idea. I may have one taken from above to show how the upper keyboard sits perfectly to allow access to the lower keyboard...which is an issue with many of the more current stands.

February 8

Thanks for all the fun responses and interest in this topic. I may be going through a phase - we'll see. The main thing I'm looking to do is to expand my sound capabilities. I've been using a NS3 Compact for EVERYTHING since about 2018 and it has served me well. There are certain songs and use cases where I simply max out the capabilities of the NS3. It has been fun working within those constraints and now I'm excited to build upon them with a solid rack synth. The XV-3080 is chock full of so many sounds and there is a special "Roland" quality to the sounds that will sit in the mix a bit differently than my NS3. I think in a good way.

I'll keep you posted once I have a chance to get some good programming done and have this thing integrated into my rig. I also just ordered a small Redco mini snake to easily link this new rack unit into my existing rack (stereo audio and MIDI in a short cable...I'm a stickler for keeping all of that neat and clean).

February 7

I've had this on my mind for a while and have created more than one post on the topic over the past few years.

Quick background is that back when I was actively touring for a decade from late '80s into late '90s (and part time after that), I was dependent on rack modules for a large portion of my show. Early days included the Korg M1R with a Emu Proformance module, then I had the Roland JV-880 and Dynacord CLS-222, plus a few various rack mixers and MIDI gadgets like the JL Cooper MSB+. All of it took a lot of time offline to set up as my MIDI controllers at the time weren't sophisticated.

Fast forward to latter years and I was using a Yamaha Motif XS Rack for a number of years and downsized from a big 6-space rack to my current 4-space rack, which is just for my wireless IEM rig, my Vent, and my Radial KL-8. I've really been wanting to add another sound source to the equation without adding a keyboard and I'm not a soft synth guy for live shows.

This past week @Legatoboy enabled my rack cravings with a nice deal on his Roland XV-3080 with Session card on board. This week I dug out my old 2-space rack that I was using on the road with my JV-880 and CLS-222...it's a bit careworn, though it is perfect for the XV-3080. I've got it set up and have been working through the sounds, making notes on the various MSB/LSB settings needed to access banks and programs remotely, saving Favorites and figuring out how I will use this in my live rig, mostly with my new cover band. I'll have some overhead related to programming External settings into a bunch of NS3 Programs, though once I get into the flow it goes quickly and is fun!

It's early days of testing sounds and deciding what will bring newness to my rig, though first impressions of the classic Roland poly brass/synths, strings, big stacked sounds, great leads, some cool sound FX and hits, etc...lots of territory covered in a rompler that throws me back to my JV-880 days. It's a fun little excursion that was a great value and scratches an itch I've had for a while.

February 7

Not bad. Sounds like FM harp blended with FM piano on the sound they were using. Cool form factor! Are you getting one?

Posted February 7 · February 7

16 hours ago, zxcvbnm098 said:

For those not familiar with the greater LA area, Glendale and next door Pasadena have many many awesome older homes.

If you're looking for Craftsman or Hollywood Spanish or other types of home built from the early 1900's to, say, the 1930's, Glendale and Pasadena is where you want to look...

If I recall correctly, forum member Eric is a big architecture geek and has done some of the tours of well known older homes in the area?

Great memory! I have taken sidebar excursions during NAMM trips to seek out architecture - namely the Pasadena area. My very first NAMM nearly 20 years ago was highlighted by visiting The Gamble House, a very important build by Greene & Greene (also made popular as Doc Brown's house in Back to the Future). I learned of a "Behind the Curtain" tour that lasts hours and they take you into all the closets and mechanical room etc. that I was able to schedule some years later. I just wandered those streets in Pasadena loving all the houses.

Then there was the time I went to visit The Rose Bowl when there was nothing going on there. I was wandering around the parking lot taking pictures and a lady came up on a golf cart asking me questions like "sir, what is your business here?" and I was afraid I was going to be in trouble for trespassing or something. I nicely told her I was visiting from the East Coast and always wanted to see The Rose Bowl. She then invited me onto her golf cart and took me on a thorough tour of the entire facility, including the locker rooms and the field, etc. Her name was Arnetta. I will never forget her. Here are some pictures from that visit in 2009, including The Gamble House and my time at The Rose Bowl with Arnetta giving me a very impromptu tour.

I am so happy to hear that our beloved California forum members appear to have escaped the impacts of flooding. Let's hope this was an isolated occurrence.

February 6

3 hours ago, MikeT156 said:

Amazon Prime is a rip off. Correct me if I'm wrong bu the want you to pay 79 dollars a month for Free shipping. I don't know if businesses that ship products they sell can make use of that, but now they want you to pay to get rid if ads embedded in videos and movies? Major league rip off. No thanks

When I run a video on you tub if a long winded ad comes up on what I am watching I close the window and move on. If we as a consumer go along with it they will ruin the internet.

Amazon Prime is an annual membership currently $139 per year. If you use it often, it pays for itself quickly. I am unaware of the ads you mentioned, as I haven't noticed them.

Posted February 6 · February 6

The morning news was full of worrisome reports and videos of massive flooding in California, looks like 10" or more of rain in a day and impacting much of the state.

We have a bunch of forum people in California and wanted to check in to see how you're doing. Sending positive mojo and hope everyone is ok and avoided catastrophes. 💙

February 6

Yamaha CP Reface? Nord Piano Library?

I'm guessing this is a tricky one that will surprise everyone.

February 4

On 2/2/2024 at 12:51 PM, linwood said:

That was a great one! Here's another doc that's worth a watch.

Watched it tonight and had tears in my eyes throughout the entire movie. Exceptional.

February 2

I watched it last night and absolutely loved it. I could watch things like this all day, every day. SO GOOD.

Waylon Jennings, hmmm.

January 30

I am a laid back slumlord that requires a "pet deposit" for renters with pets. If the renter's pet does damage that is out of hand, I keep their deposit. If I receive complaints of unacceptable behavior (e.g. renter's pet mistreating a neighbor's yard), I will warn the renter. I have been doing this for 20+ years with no issues.

As for the "emotional support" pets, I have less commentary there, other than it seems to have become more of a norm in recent years and seems a bit questionable. I've had pets since I was a young child and have never found the opportunity for my pets to accompany me to each event/trip...they generally stay at home. At least that's how I was conditioned with pets.

January 25

5 minutes ago, BluMunk said:

For me, the worst part of the schlep at the moment is just getting gear from my upstairs studio/storage space out to the car. Some narrow hallways, sub-optimally oriented doors and stairs, and lack of decent floor space near the main door to stage things means everything is a hassle. I sold my Roland RD-700GX mostly because getting it loaded in and out of the house without hurting it, the house, or myself was a risky proposition.

Not sure if you have the space or the desire to do this...one thing I gradually did over the years was having gear that was dedicated for gigs and secondary gear that was for my use at home. This evolved over time to being two of the same keyboard - one always locked down for gigs and the other in a soft case for rehearsals or home use. In earlier days, I was still schlepping things across the driveway to haul into my basement, though I've had a detached garage now for about 15 years where I can keep my gig gear in a closet and only have to move it a short distance on a cart. Over this same time period, I simplified my rig to use smaller and more portable keyboards. There was a time when I would actually drag a Leslie 122 (in a flight case) up my outdoor concrete basement steps...this was 20+ years ago...never again, LOL.

January 25

On 1/23/2024 at 6:15 PM, cphollis said:

We currently do two JJ tunes in our band -- Look Sharp, Is She Really Going Out With Him, . It always goes over well, and is a nice contrast to our other material.

I've played both of those songs for years in a few bands. The piano part in Look Sharp is really fun to play. I've also played Sunday Papers, One More Time, and Got the Time...essentially 50% of the Look Sharp! album.

1 hour ago, ABECK said:

It does have a trigger out, so it's possible it could be triggering another device. But now you've "triggered" the conspiracy theorist in me. When the tech comes on stage, you can see him plug the power in, the he plugs in what looks like a single cable....assuming audio out. So it doesn't look like he plugged anything else in. Then when the drummer hits the start button, it is a hair after we hear the audio. So maybe there's an FOH guy starting the pattern and he's just trying to make it look good. (in another angle of the vid, there's a laptop behind the drum machine). Then, finally, he signals the downbeat of the first bass note....perhaps telling said FOH guy when to add the bass part.

I have a sneaky suspicion that the drum machine might be more for show and there's another source actually providing the rhythm and bass. I will need to watch that video again and seem to recall from the show I saw a few years ago that it looked a bit more like a stage prop...yet a fun one at that.

January 25

On 1/24/2024 at 9:43 AM, BluMunk said:

Do you have a plywood ramp or something to roll it into the car? I don't imagine you lift that fully-loaded cart?

Apologies for the confusion...I meant that I roll the cart as loaded around to the back of my car parked in the garage. Then I individually load each piece into the back of the car, along with the cart...which is a small effort made easier by the fact that the gear lives on a cart that I can easily roll from a gear closet across the garage to my vehicle.

January 23

I love to create efficiency in the movement of gear and have been using a cart for around 20 years in various configurations, multi keyboards and amps, more slimmed down rigs, etc. What I like to do is make it possible for ALL of my gear to load in with a single trip...all on a cart. This can be complicated if the venue has steps that don't allow for a cart, though I've found that 90% of the gigs I play are cart-friendly. I keep all my gear loaded on the cart in my garage gear closet. When it's time for the gig, I roll it out and around back of my Subaru to load it up...then repeat at the gig. This has worked pretty well for me over the years.

Here's my current live rig sitting in my gear closet.

January 22

I've loved Joe Jackson since the Look Sharp! album and have seen him several times...and played covers of his songs in various bands. JJ kicks ass!

I saw him do the drum machine routine a few years ago when he came through my town.

I appreciate this version by Tom Brislin, who I think (?) is part of the forum. I've met him a few times at NAMM. This is a fun one.

January 19

There's killer clav throughout the song...the main solo part is near the end. Love this song!

January 19

These are very interesting, as I've been noodling about rack modules recently. Korg is coming in hot this year!

January 19

https://www.nordkeyboards.com/products/nord-grand-2

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