synthizen2

This is exactly what I do (for some gigs), running my PC3 audio out into my MOX8 audio in. Then I eliminate any FX that the MOX8 might apply to those inputs. There is a volume knob on the MOX8 to adjust the amount of incoming signal from the PC3. Works real nice, eliminates need for a sub-mixer when I only have a stereo pair available to me on the main mixer. Actually, it also works out real nice when I DO want the MOX8 effects on the incoming signal; I did this for Steve Miller's "Fly Like An Eagle", processing the synth sound from the PC3 through the MOX8's effects section.

Speaking of single-oscillator synths, I just bought a used (but mint condition) Minibrute for my son for Christmas. Got it home for testing before re-packaging it with gift wrap. As I test ran it, I discovered a whole new way to obtain thickness and warmth from that single oscillator (and it's a good one; the Steiner-Parker multimode filter rocks too). The single osc produces simultaneous sawtooth, square, and triangle waveforms... plus a sub osc... plus noise!... but you can't detune these against each other because... yup... they're from the same osc. But they give you a "supersaw" (or something like that) parameter that thickens up the sawtooth, and a "metalizer" to thicken or distort the triangle wave. I suspect these are just types of continuous waveform shaping that are given these weird gimmicky names by Arturia. I was able to dial in some cool sounds... but the whole thing really came to life after running it through a reverb/delay unit. Hell, I was even able to re-create a close-as-hell mockup of Tony Banks' famous lead sound on "Firth of Fifth". I took some snapshots of sounds I made, to give my son a head start on synth programming. If he doesn't want to learn synthesis, Santa will be unhappy, and will replace the Minibrute with a lump of coal.

You probably got enough specific piano-centric songs already mentioned here that I can't add to... but, by my experience, almost any OLD STYLE barn-burning country tune can use some rip-roaring piano, even if there's no piano on the original recording. Folsom Prison, Workin' Man Blues, Good-Hearted Woman... 3 examples.

I happen to know that a fully spec'd Kurzweil PC3 with the Kore 64 expansion serves as an excellent dustpan. But definitely not without the Kore 64 expansion. (The electromagnetic field generated by the Kore 64 helps to collect the dust toward the rear of the synth, where it's easily scooped up).

Ahhh... it's Mr. Jobson in that photo! Didn't realize it at first, I just searched for a picture of a "keyboard player surrounded by spaghetti, laptop & controller" and this picture came up. Well, I have so much respect and admiration for the guy, I feel a little embarrassed. Just having a little funzaroni here.. I mean, use the tools you like, bottom line. This thread was actually inspired by a thread EscapeRocks made about how he could monitor his Mac Mini on stage. It just had me thinking... To some extent, I turn to some of my plugins for new sounds and programming ideas... not necessarily for the plugins themselves. Some old VA-style plugins that I've had for 15 or more years are still sounding great, especially when hooked up to a controller with velocity and AT.

For gigging musicians... I love the way modern keyboards (i.e. largely workstations) have a whole library of sounds, pretty much containing EVERY sound you would ever need for any gig. Kind of like Ravioli... all of the cheese and meat are cooked right into the "pasta envelope". Yet, for some reason, I see many modern gigging keyboard players sitting amongst a pile of controllers, laptops, mixers... (and all of the Wire Spaghetti that comes with it)... and for what reason? I realize that a real Rhodes EP sounds more like a genuine Rhodes EP than the samples stored in workstations... and that a real polysynth sounds more like a polysynth than the offerings in workstations. But... with all of the professional workstations available these days (with much improved sound)... I am at a loss as to why any modern gigging keyboard player would need to look like the guy in the picture. Is a spicy meatball. Buon appetito!

Corrected that for you. [video:youtube]

Actually, I prefer Fm (because no static at all).

They do not work at all? Perhaps just a broken cable or plug de-soldered. The other possible thing is the potentiometer gone bad but there is nothing else to an expression pedal. Perhaps it is worth borrowing a soldering iron. Two of them don't work at all, and one of them is "dodgy"... if I tug on the cord a little, it comes back to life, and then dies again. I suspect it's a soldering issue. Although I could probably do the repairs myself, I just don't have the time. I know a local electronics guy who would do it... but again, for the same $ (or more) than the cost of a new one. In any case, I'm happy with my new KEP100. Let's see if this one lasts.

I recently replaced my EV5 with one of these: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/KEP100 The On-Stage KEP100 has a longer throw than the EV5, and more of that throw actually effects the volume. Still a cheap-ish plastic pedal, but I like it a lot better than the EV5. The EV5 also has a long history of going south on me... besides my still working one, I have 3 more of them (not working) stuffed away in a closet. Never bothered to get them repaired because the cost of doing so would be more than the cost of a new pedal. That's why I looked for an alternative. We'll see how long the KEP100 lasts. Also didn't go with FC-7 because the polarity is opposite of what I need (Roland compatibility, which works with Kurzweil and others), and didn't want to deal with polarity reversing cables.

Okay, enough with all the holes and adjustability nonsense. Time to whip out more pictures of the discontinued On-Stage 2-Tier Z Non-Adjustable "RED BARON". Doesn't hold the 2 boards very close together (can always take it to a welder's shop to fix that), but very few parts to come loose or get lost... a predicament that used to curse me, now gone forever. http://peaksonline.net/images/schematics/IMG_0129.jpg http://peaksonline.net/images/schematics/IMG_0126.jpg http://peaksonline.net/images/schematics/IMG_0118.jpg

I experience both situations. Due to the nature of the show the country band puts on, we establish a setlist for the whole year (wandering from it occasionally), and once rehearsed, we're good to go for the whole year of touring. No mid-year rehearsals. The local classic rock guys, on the other hand, like to rehearse and learn new songs all year 'round, and add these new songs into our setlist during the course of the year. It sometimes gets to be a chore... but at the end of the day, I appreciate the work put into learning new material, it keeps us fresh and gives our steady audience new material to hear. And continually adds to my personal repertoire of classic rock songs that I can jump in and play with any rock cover band. Good stuff. I like the idea of "our gigs ARE the rehearsal", and sometimes both bands would book inconsequential low-level gigs to serve exactly that purpose. Only thing about that is you can't really "rehearse properly" with interruptions and corrections at a gig. It's a different kind of rehearsal. Like air-brushing the final product to perfection. But generally not a good place to work out a new song from scratch.

I've dealt with this issue at 3 different levels... (1) Local classic rock covers band, only a 15 minute drive to rehearsal space (and I cross state a border!), local gigs, good pay, appreciative audiences. I would probably not drive more than 30 minutes to rehearsal (one way) for such a gig. (2) Regional country-rock band, 45 minute drive in-state, regional gigs (state fairs, festivals, mid-range sporting events, etc.), great pay, very appreciative audiences. I would likely not drive more than about 1.5 hours to rehearsal (one way) for such a gig. (3) Special prog-rock project, 4 hour drive out-of-state (!), very few gigs, very little pay, small audiences. This was a vanity project simply for the rarity of playing such music with such musicians. Doesn't happen often, and for the brief period it was happening, to me it was worth it. This gig went belly-up a few years ago. (Wonder why?).

Anybody got a clever play on words for Prokofiev or Mussorgsky? Having a hard time with these Russian names.

Yes, most of the time the best deals are done in person with a local buyer. I know this also from experience, it's how I bought my MOX8... from a local Craigslist ad. Local seller, let me try the board in his studio, friendly guy, great deal (for both of us). During the conversation, the seller (strictly a studio guy) asked me what my plans for the keyboard was. I said "it's getting gigged". He let out a wide grin, happy that his in-studio board will be seeing audiences in its future.

Call me shocked! GROUP #1: Like a lot of folks on this forum, I used a real Rhodes back in the day. Some of us remember the weight, action sluggishness, and ONE sound that it made... and kept that in our heads. GROUP #2: Some of us on this forum apply to GROUP #1 except we didn't keep that thought in our heads; instead we reminisced and nostalgized about the old instrument we used to play, thinking that having it back again will change everything. GROUP #3: Some of us on this forum NEVER played a real Rhodes back in the day, and they fantasize about having a real one, thinking that having one will change everything. GROUP #4: Some people (on this forum or elsewhere) may fit into any of the 3 GROUPS mentioned above... but they have enough cash to throw at anything that tickles their fancy. This about wraps up the market for this instrument, with GROUP #4 being the winning contestant.

Why not just MIDI the AX to your Kronos or Stage3 for better organ sound? i.e., why did you need a keytar with built-in sound?

With modern multitimbral 128-voice keyboard gear (no real need for 4, 5, 6 boards, or a tower of rack-mounts), this seems to be not so much the case anymore. My recent experiences are that the main body of work is in getting the drums and the PA gear set up. The PA job is a group effort. The drummer is still responsible for setting up own kit (that has never changed), and takes as long as it ever did (unless you're Neal Peart). I usually beat the drummer by a whole half-hour when it comes to set-up, and I then get on with helping out with PA.

I wonder how many keyboards support Bluetooth MIDI besides these BOSS products. Probably the reason for the slim response. Not sure I understand you here? Why do you need a keyboard with bluetooth? It connects to a keyboard via either a MIDI cable or USB....Bluetooth is just an option available for other situations, Because I thought the reason you wanted one was to actually go wireless... and because this is a keyboard forum. I figured if you wanted to go wired in the usual manner, you have a lot of cheaper options.

I wonder how many keyboards support Bluetooth MIDI besides these BOSS products. Probably the reason for the slim response.

This is exactly what I do for my MOX8. A spare wall-wart kept in the keyboard case's side pocket, always there in case the one in my main gig-bag gets lost. And speaking of taking things in and out of my gig bag (to customize for a particular gig)... I never do that anymore. I always find myself slapping my forehead over some item I should have kept in the bag that I now need. Biggest mistake was taking my long 30' audio cables out of the bag because they're heavy and I thought I wouldn't need them for this gig, because I'm using DIs instead of running cables directly to the mixer. Nevermind that, change of plan, now I have to run directly to the mixer. Where did those long cables go?

I would say, learn as much of Ian Stewart's piano style as is possible for you... Then, instead of outright copying his exact notes, incorporate that style into your playing style, making it fit like a glove, so you don't have to think about it too much. It's more important to stay in the spirit of the tune and get comfortable with it on your own, than to try to impress people by copying his exact passages note-for-note. Nobody in the audience will notice or care except for your other keyboard-playing buddies.

Go either tabletop stand or single tier Z stand. You won"t ever have the failing locking pin problem ever again (because those stands don"t have one), and you"ll have plenty of floor space for your pedals.

Ford used to make a mini-pickup called the Ranger (back in the 90s and early 00s) which they discontinued for about a decade and a half, before bringing the line back recently. Now they have the Maverick. Good to see some new pickups that are not the size of Monster Trucks. I had a (used) blue 2004 Ranger from 2015 to 2021 (earlier this year), which I used for both regular job and gigging. It did not have the extended cab, but had plenty of flatbed space, and I had the cap (or "topper") to protect gear from the weather. It was nice for its purpose... but my recently acquired (used) 2014 Honda CRV, with its convertible rear space (from back-seat passenger space, to a full flatbed space), is just as good (or better) for gigging, and gets better gas mileage. Modern mini-SUV is still a good choice for gigging. But I do remember the days of almost every musician having a mini-pickup.

Another single rack space unit that worked for me was the Digital Music Corp. MX-8. I used to have 2 of them. I no longer needed them so I sold them both a few years ago, but they were great MIDI routing and processing units.