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obxa

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Everything posted by obxa

  1. No, it's duo-timbral. 2 sounds Layered or 2 Split. Easy to set split points with fader or midi. Wait for the next sale.
  2. Yes- don't have my numa in front, but experimented with things below until it felt right. From the manual: VELOCITY CURVE You can select different velocity curves, according to your taste and playing technique. There are 4 factory curves: SOFT, NORMAL, HARD, FIXED. Fixed setting value can be set in VELOCITY FIXED parameter. KBD SENSITIVITY Starting from the current curve, you can adjust the sensitivity in a range between -25% (heavier) and +25% (lighter). KBD B/W BALANCE Change the balance between black and white keys of your keyboard with a range of +/-15%. The folks over at pianoworld love to obsess discuss 😀 such things at a granular level, if you have a few hours, you can read through the many Numa threads there too.
  3. I went bleeding edge and back to a hybrid rig: 90% hardware with Mainstage for auxiliary/complimentary sounds. For anything mission critical, ends up being safer and actually easier to deal with. The redundancy means if something goes down I can always make sound. Have enough to deal with reading charts and running a show, don't want to be wondering why my Ipad stopped responding to bluetooth. Love Mainstage as a sound module. But not for anything primary (piano, organ). I'm convinced the finger connection is better with hardware. Was early adopter of IK's B3x - still love it in the studio, but was never able to make it work live. I prefer drawbars, knobs. etc. Using a Nano-controller or similar is ok for basic control. For rehearsals, love Korg Module or similar on an ipad. Used it on some trio gigs with hardware piano to add some layers. I keep the apps as another backup. This coming from an older guy, and my comfort level may be different from yours. Ask any of the younger cats here, and you'll probably get a more positive experience.
  4. I had the same experience . I too really like the NS2 88 action but keep it at my church for weekly use and only bring it on certain shows because I hate moving it....or these days just about any 88 note. Originally bought the Numa with the intent I would just use it to control Nord Compact/Electro piano sounds when they're the top board. I shopped the Cp73, and also the P121. Also considered a weighted Electro. I feel the Numa needs a fair bit of tweaking out of the box. Especially if your ear is attuned to the Nord pianos (White, Velvet, Yamaha etc.) With that in mind, look at the "Vintage Grand" or the Yamaha (aka "Japan" ) models. Turn the pedal noise, resonance, and sympathetic stuff way down. Also the reverb. Do the same on the Bass patches. Going from a completely sampled base piano sound to the hybrid modeling of the Numa is also a different thing too. I've used PianoTeq in the studio and occasionally live since 1.0 - the playability of modeled pianos is wonderful, but sometimes the sound can throw off your ears. All that said - I'm still struggling to be happy with the Numa's AP sound through an amp on intimate small format gigs. Got some good advice from the members here I'm going to try this weekend. All and all have still loved it for the other stuff I mostly do that's primarily IEM & Theater stuff with big PA. Any show recordings I've heard sound great. FOH folks always have great comments. The keyboard action took a little bit to get used to, but have grown to really like the responsiveness. There are settings there that need to be personally tweaked too. Going from Numa gig on a Saturday night to Nord (or real acoustic) on Sunday morning, don't feel any real adjustments. On solo/duo/trio gigs also do a fair amount of key bass- mostly with the upright sound, and have been pretty happy. Again, after some tweaking. As a bottom board the Numa is ideal for the sounds I'm using: AP, String layer, EP, Marimba, Pads ,Vibes. The Wurli needs some tweaking. . The organ is wretched, but not what I bought it for. Looking long term- If only doing solo-trio stuff, I might re-consider Yamaha because I'm so used to their (sampled) pianos for plug and play. 73 notes is important, I've heard mixed reviews about the Cp73's. I wish they had done a CK73. Got a small fortune in Nord stuff already. There's a long ongoing Numa piano thread on this forum already- and you'll see some great real world comments there.
  5. Thanks for that info. That makes more sense now. They have to know half the buyers aren't GT, or using the full 3 pedal - and as you said, the pedal they include doesn't even do HP. It becomes most irritating when you're creating a show full of presets -trying different pianos models, and having to reset that parameter every time. It's worse on the EPs. At very least, they should just offer a default global value that can be overridden per preset. They're not the only ones; Pianoteq, and many Kontakt piano libraries do the same thing. But I get now why the Numa is set so high. I concur they've been great about updates and listening, so here's hoping they finally address this.
  6. The Rhodes was a mono instrument, the only stereo would come from effects. Yes corrrect-sorry as owner of 2 of them should of finished my sentence: in a mono amp . My MKII has the Retro Flyer stereo preamp installed, sounds good in mono, but glorious in stereo.
  7. Mentioned earlier had been rehearsing on a real Rhodes for a couple of weeks before I needed to change plans.. Was playing it through a relatively cheap Squire amp, yet still sounded great. It's often been said when Fender was building them, Rhodes were set up on Fender Twins. Those amps became the standard gig set for many back in the day. Something about that sound works great in mono, and doesn't need to be Hi-Fi. When putting together Rhodes patches on the Numa, I ran it side by side through the same amp so I could match it better to the real Rhodes sounds I had gotten so used to. It ended up working great live, and in my IEMs.......after you turn down the ridiculous pedal noise of course!
  8. Thank you all - Much appreciated!! These comments help me at least explore some free options, before I throw the credit card at the problem... Hrestov's and Pianoman's comments make perfect sense, (thank you) I usually just default plug into Numa's Mono. The few times I've used my Nord 88, I'd use the Mono button but wasn't with my Bose. Will try the dummy plug thing, or the RH side. Hadn't considered the nulling aspect. When putting some Numa mono tweaked patches together in my studio, I was actually facing the Bose from about 6 ft. and it sounded good. So there is absolutely something to the distance relationship aspect. Ewall- thanks for the kind offer. The Pastor (also my boss) at my church gig is a banjo player 😀 and owns 2 Bose Pro 8's. Bought them for his bluegrass band after seeing my L1. So can definitely borrow one to try. RE: Replicating onboard speakers. I had considered using a soundbar at my feet on solo gigs since it's low volume. Use a repurposed Vizio on my Mojo at home for organ practice and it works great. Got the idea from someone on this forum. Elmer, thank you: I do have one of those "snack size" Mackies that Berhinger cloned, so that's an option too. I've actually used it with mic'd real piano for cocktail hours with large guest counts, and low volume rehearsals. Had bought those EV's Zs for my last church gig to use in their cry-room & as auxiliary AV. Very impressed any time I used them, especially the EQ curves.. So those and the Altos Reezekeys mentioned will be something to consider if I don't stay in the Bose sphere. RCF TT08 look like they'd be awesome, but unfortunately way more than I'd want to spend. BTW- my retired piano was a Yamaha P-255. Good workhorse for solo gigs. Great action and CFX sample from the Cp40/4. But schelpping any 88 note in Atlanta venues (and being able to use guest elevators) makes me love the ultra-light Numa even more.
  9. +1 on waiting. If not mistaken, your V copy entitles you to update to the most current version of Analog Factory, or at very least next version up. So you can at least get a chance to try out the new synths and see if they work for you - albeit with limited editing. Starting from Analog Factory, I've cross-upgraded semi- regularly up to current V9 only during the usual sale seasons. Though I've skipped a couple. Nothing has ever been life-changing. I also have the pre-amps. This last go around, was primarily interested in the Ensoniq SQ80, Emulator, and Prophet VS . Wasn't interested in the CS-80 refresh, but the Jupiter update was very good. Also, wasn't initially interested in them, but the augmented strings and voices were actually pretty cool and useful. Arturia offer some nice freebies, and is very good about updates/fixes. They've overhauled their preset system very nicely. With exception of the Vox and Farfisa, not a fan of any of their electro-mechanical stuff - or the piano.
  10. Thanks Ewall and Ken- I didn't want to pollute this thread, so started another one. I'd love if you share your thoughts there. C
  11. In another thread, was bemoaning the fact that I love the sound of the Numa X piano with my IEM's and large venue stuff and how it translates to big FOH...but for other bread and butter stuff I do not using IEM (cocktail-ceremony, solo, duo/trio) I've been struggling with the AP sound. For these typical small hit and run gigs, I've used a Bose L1 compact for the last 7 years. Exclusively with Yamaha slab pianos w/built in speakers. Setup was great. I could plug in a sax or vocalist with me and call it a day. I was always relatively happy with the sound. Then I retired the Yamaha. I wonder if all these years, because I was primarily hearing (and feeling) the Yamaha's speakers, maybe never heard the Bose all by itself, and perhaps wasn't that good after all. Though clients and band folks always said it sounded great. Did an out door ceremony/cocktail last week with Numa and still not happy with the AP sound. I know AP sounds are tough, and mono makes it worse. Was thinking the combination of modeled piano and line array was a bad match. The Rhodes of course, sounds great. Previously tweaked several Numa piano presets just for mono use but still not there. So other than the standard "Bring Other Sound Engineer" snark- have others experienced this with piano sounds and Bose - or other Line array systems? What's a lightweight solution that will cover 75 and less guests, and sounds relatively good for solo piano type sounds? Qsc-Alto-EV? Again, don't need to compete with loud band, I'm on IEMs for those gigs. Thanks in advance!!! ps- Jazz quartet gig next Sunday -sax player brings his two L1's for stereo, will be curious how that works with the Numa.
  12. I've tweaked those to death. Normally default to keeping them really low or off in most patches. Did tweaks with that Bose L1 compact in my studio with those parameters, also pulling the reverb down. Funny thing is I was facing the Bose about 6 feet away and it actually sounded pretty good. But last solo cocktail gig (outdoors) with it behind me same distance, no joy. Got an indoor quartet gig next Sunday afternoon with two identical Bose sticks (sax player's) I'll see if stereo makes any difference. As per normal around here, throwing a credit card at the problem might be the only solution. 😀
  13. On the negative side..... Ok so I mostly love the Numa. Super happy with AP/EP sounds on IEM gigs & shows, and the way it very nicely translates in the Hi-fI house PAs. My only ongoing frustration is small format (trio/solo) gigs, when using a Bose stick. Rhodes always sounds great, but still not happy with AP sounds. I'm guessing it might be time to look at other amp options. My old Yamaha slab pianos always sounded decent through the Bose, but there is something about the Modeling and Line array that doesn't work. I've made mono patches, EQ and other tweaks, still not happy. I know AP sounds are always the achilles heel, curious if anyone has had success with anything for low-volume gigs that's worked well with the Numa??? Again this is for low-impact musical wallpaper gigs. QSC seem to be the default around here. Also curious about some of the cheaper options (EV, Alto etc.). THANKS!
  14. Truth be told: when shopping for a 73 note controller, I looked for alternatives to the Yamaha p-121 , which was out of stock. I was set to buy Studiologic 's 73 as a bottom controller to drive a Nord Compact situated above. Because of this thread, found about the Numa X73. I figured it's always best to have something that can make noise on its own, and worth it for a little more cost . I've since gotten very used to the Numa Action (and it's sounds). Just finished another long string of smooth jazz gigs that had couple weeks rehearsal on real Rhodes MkII. Had all intentions of dragging the beast out, but due to travel restrictions, went with the Numa. It actually worked out great as a responsive Rhodes sub (after doing some 1:1 tweaking on the sounds). My (old) hands also felt much better - had forgotten how much of a beating a real Rhodes action can be with long rehearsals. Forgot: Sat in for R&B band set on friend's P-125/Roland Vr 09 rig last Sunday night. Yikes!! If the P-121 action (or sounds) are the same, really happy I didn't go that route.
  15. Off topic: I thoroughly enjoyed and totally got lost reading about your Cybrid project!!! Not sure if you've got an engineering background, but total respect for what you've accomplished. I'd faint at the prospect of such an undertaking. My skills limited to gutting uprights and grand pianos to make them into shells. 😀 Real pianos that do that is certainly a niche. When one popped up years ago- I considered buying Moog's short-lived piano bar system to retrofit my studio piano. I've done sessions in some studios that had the Yamaha acoustic diskclavier with Midi output, and it was wonderful... but the price on those are scary. Anyway, amazing stuff CybeerGene Честито!
  16. This. Do a fair amount of what we call our unplugged "Bossa Trio" - piano, sax/clarinet, and with a great drummer/percussionist who brings just snare, cajon, and a conga. We do latin, swing, and pop jazz. Also swap female vocalist in place of Sax. Clients like it because it's dinner-converstation friendly. When budgets only allow for duo, we use an app called Soft Drummer It's understated because it uses brushes or drums struck by hand. For me it doesn't scream "drum machine". Doesn't use any cymbals, which to me always is the cheese factor of backing tracks. I like it because you're not tied down to any arrangement or tempo. I can get by with 5 or 6 presets and tweak tempo as needed. Started using it a bit on some long solo gigs too. Runs on the barest of Ipads or Iphone.
  17. Correct, and indeed may not be what you want. One thing logic does allow is multiple controllers and definitions for the same function. I end up doing that more by mistake than on purpose. 😀 So you could in theory just go through a couple of screens on the Numa and have each do the same thing.
  18. Actually in Logic (or Mainstage) you can. It's done as a plug-in or global specific control. If a hardware knob is outputting any kind of midi (type indicated in Logic's info window) it can be mapped to anything.- just remember it's function would be defined by Logic, and not the Numa. Same applies to any generic controller.
  19. In Mainstage, Aliases are your friend. Recycling the same patch, or reference to said patch will save a ton of resources. Also, using some of the stock reverb plugins (e.g. Apple's humble Silver Reverb) or Stock EQ will make things run smoother. With that in mind, some plugs like IK's Organ-can be resource hogs with their built in FX. With the exception of the spring reverb stomp box, I always defeat the built in t "rack" limiter and reverbs if using B3-X. With Kontakt I use "Lite" versions of most of my string/brass libraries if available. Also routinely disable any convolution reverbs on any plug-ins. For generic orchestral sounds only needed for occasional use (e.g. Pit Band) - I just use stock Apple stuff, or this. https://www.pluginboutique.com/products/1560-Xpand-2. then treat them like a GM module. Xpand is great for bread and butter stuff and is low-impact. Periodically goes on sale cheap, or often free with some packages. If you're doing planned sets where songs are in a pre-determined order, you can load specific concerts for each. In my case: Artist shows, Pit band, and Sunday service I'd typically load other concerts during intermission(s). I've had a hard time doing some wedding/bar gigs where songs might be audible calls, but if you have a couple of go-to generic synth patches you can pull it off; and keep the piano/organ stuff always on the ready. After using it since it's inception, I've come full circle with Mainstage - in that I treat it like a sound module. Rarely use it as my sole primary sound source anymore. My current soundsets are usually about 10 patches that utilize Korg Triton/Wavestation, Kontakt (Strings, Epiano, MTron, and orchestral sounds). I have a Silicon 16gb Macbook that is fearless, but even my old 2015 8gb Air will still run most everything if not trying to run heavy-duty primary instruments. That's why depending on the gig, I mix and layer Mainstage with a hardware piano and/or organ keyboard to create a "hybrid rig". That's made programming less involved, and less taxing on the computer- and me. 😀 FWIW just my opinion, and off-topic: Personally I've found for peace of mind, having at least one primary keyboard that can make noise on its own, is the safest bet. But I have friends and many others here that are 100% mainstage. So whatever works best for you. All depends on the gigs you're doing and your comfort level. (edited for spelling)
  20. I've used a couple variations Mackie stuff because I wanted the option to do a pre-send mix of stereo keys for IEMs that also included house mix and ambient mic. I was curious about the Key Largo. In an effort to streamline gig stuff, I mostly just use the Numa Xpiano's built in mixer. Between its 4 inputs, It can do 2 stereo, or a combination of stereo & mono plus fx. Based on excellent previous recommendations from some folks above, (thanks Samuel and Stokely...) pair that with a Rolls P55 to mix stereo keys from Numa & house mix to my IEMs . Rolls also takes care of limiting and replaced two Behringer boxes I was using to accomplish the same task. Already had a Radial stereo DI; but most sound companies usually provide them, so often just stays in my gig box. For most gigs I do, usually have no more than 3 sources: Numa Piano, Mojo organ or Nord Stage, and/or Mainstage. Sometimes Melodica and Harmonica rig. It's taken a little bit to get used to, but the Numa mixer and Rolls have handled everything great and love not bringing a mixer anymore...at least on gigs I'm main keys. Only thing I really miss is option to have an ambient mic for stage conversation and audience bleed in the IEMs. I also do 2nd/aux keys gigs just on organ, usually along with Nord or Mainstage, I'll have to bring a mixer for those. I have friends that use Maintage's mixer to do advanced monitoring and control, and listen through the laptop. I'm afraid to go there. For those using Nords: been shopping for a new Electro, noticed the 1/8 inch aux input now routes to the main outputs? That's different from when aux audio only went to the headphone output on previous models (e.g stage 2). . So in theory, you could use that as a low-rent mix input from another keyboard. Actually hoping we get rained out for the 4th LOL. At least load-ins are getting simpler.
  21. Not sure if it's because I own other Gforce stuff , or if you didn't get a proper link?? But upgrade was $38.00. (29 pounds sterling) I totally agree on usefulness . Certainly not for every track; it's one of those things when you need it, you need it. If you can live with the previous GUI, then the upgrade may not be worthwhile. If on silicon and aging eyes, it's worth it.
  22. Of course.everyone needs a(virtual) Mellotron!! . Gforce has been killing it with their updates lately. Been using the old version since 1.0. This adds a ton of great updates. Most importantly the GUI and being silicon ready. Installed without a hitch. Great price for new purchase, and very fair upgrade for previous owners. You should have gotten an email link, but if not log into your account. https://www.gforcesoftware.com/products/m-tron-pro-iv/
  23. Hey Bruce- The way most of these sites work, you'll list the type of events & music you do when you join (changeable as needed). You list your categories: one man band, solo organ, solo piano, singer, band, polka band, etc. I'm also on weddings sites (knot-wedding wire) with memberships for solo piano & band. They crossover: I've sold a bunch of band stuff when original inquiry was for soloist; I've sold cocktail hours on band stuff etc. The secret to success on all these sites is: respond quickly, be able to communicate, and sell yourself. Also have some decent demos and feedback. That said, my demos and photos are ancient & in need of updates. I'm much better player than when they were done. There are more Gen-Z/Millennials buyers these days who of course abhor actual phone calls LOL, but I still try that first. I constantly hear clients say talking in person makes them feel more confident when hiring something unknown. Duh? . You respond to what you feel best suited for, and the leads you get will reflect that. But I get a ton of people who request "Big Band" or "Classical" when they really mean standards or cocktail. That's where talking helps. A potential client will either contact only you, or they'll let the site contact a bunch of vendors at once. That can create a cattle call-free for all, and some buyers may only be looking for the cheapest option. So be it. It's a numbers game. I get at least 5-10 leads a day among the sites I'm on. Some not worth responding to, but I still politely reply "Thank you, not available". Below is a Bash inquiry from this morning (blurred some info for client privacy). I also offer piano-violin duo as a category, which is popular for weddings/funerals. The wedding sites are similar. Thumbtack has always been a crap-shoot for me. I get maybe 1 or 2 sales a year from them, and bunch of low ballers. Have friends (harpists, tradespeople, magicians, ) who do great there, but I do better on the music specific sites. My best advice: see what booking site comes up in your area after googling "solo piano" or "one-man band" etc. Then look for similar vendors on there to you who are selling the most, then see what's working for them as far as presentation etc. I'm sorry to hear about you closing down Ashby Solutions I don't want to hijack the thread. Feel free to PM me if you need more info. Or if others are interested I'll be happy to post more here. Best, C
  24. One thing you can do on the Bash , Wedding Wire, the Knot et al is set your travel radius, and your actual town. Don't know anything about Mass & Boston area other than Boston gigs and I stayed in Lowell for a couple of months . But you might still be able to get some work for local weddings and corporate. I don't think those sites are end all, just another resource. Another good source are wedding/event planners, and old school booking agencies- yes, they still exist. I'm with a few local agencies and event planners. I've been on the Bash (formerly Gigmasters). https://www.thebash.com/piano/chris-corso Band listing: https://www.thebash.com/jazz/gentlemenof-swing since 2005 as a top vendor, but post-Covid I'm currently booking maybe 10-12 between band and solo listings. Where before I was doing 25-30 a year. The basic membership on sale is $69.00 so if you book a couple gigs it pays for itself, and of course is tax deductible. Happy to help if you (or anyone) want some insight on how to best use those kind of sites. That's of course if you even want to do that kind of thing... I do these kind of gigs strictly out of need, not love. As mentioned I'm transitioning to other things so I don't have to. I don't miss wedding receptions with Bridezillas & Anal retentive Wedding planners. However, "second marriage" gigs are always easy. I'd rather play just about anything than ceremonies, but I'm ok with funerals. I can do cocktail hours or low impact receptions standing on my head as those are clean gigs where you get your money, and are mostly left alone. Very true- it has gotten a little better. I sus out the ones that make most sense and money. Short runs are typically two or three nights of shows and a couple rehearsals. But every market is different. I look for how involved the show is, the budget, and the white space on my calendar . Budgets can be anywhere from $600- 1500. If you're the designated MD those pay more. Often times as MD they'll negotiate a lump sum turn-key and have you sub out the players. Oldies -legacy circuit budgets all over the place. I do mostly local ones. I only take out of town if it's an act I've always loved, or fun/exotic location. My whole thesis is there are always alternative gigs out there, but may not always a dream gig. If one has a day job/career or retired with security- that person will have much more flexibility. I envy that. I've been lucky to be a full timer. But I don't have kids, I pay my own healthcare, and retirement is entirely self-funded. Non-linear income is not for the faint of heart. My wife is a school teacher (like I was) and I know she'd much rather be painting but she loves the security. I do jazz jams and some pro-bono work that keep me grounded and those are probably most rewarding and favorite things to do, but they don't pay the bills. In early 90s I lived in Maui for 6 months with a friend to regroup from divorce, clear my head and recuperate from endless touring. Amazing magical place to hang, but just like my home town NYC, I realized being a tourist and resident are two very different things - especially when it's time to make a living. Always fun talking with everyone here!! C
  25. There's always other gigs out there, and life beyond. May not be most obvious, or first thing that comes to mind.... or glamourous. If you're a decent reader, there's pit band. These days many are non-union and typically do short one or two week runs for plays and shows. Schools, regional theaters, arts alliances etc.. Go to any local show (or it's website) look at the program and get in touch with the MD or director. Most oldies legacy acts carry a traveling MD, but very often hire local or regional back up bands. MD is usually just piano, so they'll need 2nd or aux keys (strings, brass, orchestral, organ etc.). Some don't have an MD or he/she is on another instrument, so main keys is the gig. If you can sell yourself as MD/bandleader that's even more $$. Somebody in your town is playing those right now. Solo piano, solo keyboard-tracks, duos: Because of the senior explosion there's tons of assisted living place gigs. I have a singer -pianist friend that does 2 or 3 in a day, then does her restaurant gigs at night. If you sing, all the better, but it's not mandatory. Those places are always looking for entertainment and very appreciative. Call or email the social or events director. It's not 40's music anymore. They often do themes. You can't beat the hours: I regularly do instrumental "Happy Hours" (5 p.m- 6 p.m) on nice house grands and I'm home before dark. Did "New Years Eve" with trio and singer this past December, and we finished at 9 p.m You won't retire on these, but you also won't get beat up.
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