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FWIW: After first using the Numa cold on solo and duo gigs was going to get rid of it. It sounded weird, especially through my Bose, and first couple of gigs I couldn't bond with it. I tend to use the "Vintage" piano, and have found turning the string release and duplex WAY down (like almost off....) made a gigantic difference. Adjusted the sensitivity. Also did EQ/FX tweaks for mono, as well stereo sounds, and now I'm super satisfied. I'm baffled why so many settings (like pedal noise) are jacked up on the Numa. At very least turning the reverb down, and the aforementioned piano parameters will really help. Just finished a month of multiple large theater shows on 2.0 Using piano string layers, Wurli, and some marimba/vibes things. All the many FOH folks were very happy.. Didn't want to risk installing 2.1 update, but will now that I'm home. My only complaint would really welcome any ideas, maybe should be a separate post.) Haven't figured how to integrate Numa program change with this particular rig: NordS2, Numa, Mainstage and Ipad. Currently send bluetooth program changes from Forscore to the Nord using a Yamaha BT adaptor. Nice clean setup. Problem is Nord doesn't have Midi Thru, nor does the Numa (on the 5 pin)... so have no way to daisy chain them. I need ton of preset changes with the Nord, and that works great w/Forscore. Mainstage is just a few String/brass/orch sounds, and those get played/controlled from that Nord's BT midi out, with liberal use of the external section stored within the Nord patches-which unfortunately can only do 1 channel and no way to feed the Numa. Numa is my bottom board piano. I can get by with 5 or 6 patches for a typical show, but would love to have them automated without adding a clunky interface/midi thru box. AFAIK-Forscore can only do one bluetooth at a time, otherwise I'd add another BT adaptor to the Numa. I wish Studiologic would have option to use the midi out jack as a thru, and it could then be first in line with a short midi cable to the Nord. I'm considering this: https://www.cme-pro.com/midi-thru-split-bluetooth-midi/ RE:Cases. I tried really hard to use that Gator 61 case, too tight. I got (and loved) a Yamaha Modx7 case- that worked so well, I was going to get another for my Nord until they spiked the price up $100!!! I ended up getting a Hammondj Sk1 case- those are reasonable and with a pool noodle fit perfect with the Numa. I had posted the pic in this thread:

Yes!! Numa CompactX 73 I think 73 is the ideal compromise. I'm sure many here did tons of Rhodes and Wurly gigs at some point in their life, and we survived. After using some form of 88 note slab for the last 15 years or so, I absolutely love it. Posted before the joys of not struggling with loading an 88 note case anymore. I now enjoy guest elevators and using the front door on most load-ins. Plus my full show rig set up is so much easier and lighter to deal with. I switched over in December. Solo cocktail, ceremony Trio/Quartet (one or two horns, drums, me) where I play LH bass. Set bass split down an octave so it fits. Also duo with Female torch singer. First couple gigs, I'd sometimes run out of keys - mainly due to muscle memory. After a few tunes got more comfortable. For everything else I do (pit band, show/artist) I can think of maybe 1 song where I really needed the lower keys. Octave button to the rescue. I think the mind-set is similar to driving an unfamiliar rental car, or recently for me: Yank driving in the UK!! Takes a little bit to get your head around it, but you can adapt.

On that note..... With exception of my house Church gig and Nord Stage88 - Since December, I've switched to using a Numa X73 (no speakers) for nearly all gigs as my lower and main piano board. I've noticed there's definitely something missing not having a bit of that vibration and sound that came from my slab piano's body. Kind of gave it a bit of an acoustic feel, and the stereo was nice to hear as monitor. No surprise to those who dislike them, also made me realize how unpleasant Bose is when too close. For longer DP gigs, I've been experimenting and preparing to add a sound-bar at my feet for a bit of stereo ambience monitoring. It's one more thing to drag in, but want to see if it makes the longer nights more tolerable. I've also thought about using some inconspicuous bluetooth in-ears., but worried it would throw off keeping perspective on volume in the room. Do in-ears all the time for band, but never have for DP solo. Anyone ever try it?

Got the upgrade. Love it!! For lack of better words, it has more life than other plugs. I often used Arturia mainly because MM1 was so hard on the eyes. The Arturia has the vibe, and great workflow - but none of the Mojo. If you want or need a virtual, for the price new or upgrade, you can't go wrong with the Gforce. It took forever, but what a great update.

If you make a point of fronting any venue you haven't played before, and asking for guest count- then you pretty much know what you'll need to cover the room. But I think guest count is pretty much the criteria more than size of room. I'd rather have too much than not enough available. That said, done several home parties on a Yamaha P255 for only 12 or less guests- used the internals and it was fine. Left my Bose in the car, but still always bring it. I constantly have this internal debate with myself when setting up in ceremony/office/event spaces with marble floors that are super reverberant. Always think I can get by with built-ins, but have usually regretted it once the room filled with guests. I actually think it's always harder to cover outdoor spaces with any system, so wouldn't even attempt it using internal speakers. RE Acoustic piano. I often bring a little Mackie 150 or the Bose to mic up acoustic piano on large cocktail gigs for weddings/corporate/ mitzvahs with 175+ guest counts. Even with lid fully open, I find it hard to compete at basic conversational level in typical large narrow carpeted pre-function areas like those typically outside a ballroom. I always end up killing my hands. Another pianist friend says he purposely plays at lower volume in these situations, thinking it subconsciously makes people listen more. Hasn't worked for me, but I get the science behind it.

After years of trying I've found there is no be all- end all when it comes to these. Bottom line: If you can find a demo, that's the best thing. It's not that crazy to own more than one. One thing that helps is additional processing (not the plug's), and can make a HUGE difference with any of these. It stands to reason the coder's forte is the instrument, not FX- so IMHO you're way better off using dedicated plug-ins for things like EQ, Phasing, or even Tremolo. For instance, the Soundtoys Tremolo or Phase mistress can make even the most generic rhodes patch tons better. Add a smidge of a Neve type preamp and you'll have something that sounds like the recordings you're used to hearing. As real Rhodes owner, I'm embarrassed I own just about all the Virtuals. The real thing is inspiring, but not practical for recall tracking, or live use. With all of these it's often playability vs sound. I tend to find the physical modeling ones (Pianoteq, Lounge Lizard) respond and play wonderful, but don't always have the mojo. Love the Neo-Soul and original Scarbee mentioned above but in context with other stuff they easily get lost in busier arrangements, and don't always have a great finger connection. I've often done ambitious things like re-amping to create some fairy dust, but under deadline I get lazy. I think that's why the endless you-tube shootouts are always pointless if the instrument is not taken into context of a real song. I tell myself owning several is no worse than any other plug-in investment, so I've picked up nearly all these during various sales. I'll try them all depending on the track. Because I favor the "straight-traditional" pure Rhodes sound (Bob James/Stevie Wonder), I will say I probably end up using the dry Famous Rhodes most for recording. For live, the Pianoteq and LoungeLizard work well, and are CPU friendly- albeit not overly inspiring.

THIS If I need more than two keyboard sound sources, I'll add mainstage. I'll add that sometimes you need multiple carts for different type of gigs, and sometimes you need them all on the same gig. Got the RnR cart, little mini folding hand trucks, and those collapsable file box things on wheels. Minis are perfect for theater gigs- where stagehands are overly eager & plentiful to help unload your car, but then mysteriously disappear at show close and then you're on your own. File boxes on wheels are great for gigs using house piano/keyboards where you need your own stool, iPad, powerstrip, and other crap......or hauling the female vocalist's lyric binder. I think a big correlation to how you load your cart is what you actually need to put on it.. For me, giving up on 88 note keyboards and their associated gig cases has made my (load-in) life so much easier. Also: In-ears for monitors whenever possible on band gigs, Bose for solo/jazz gigs. What's super prevalent here in the Peach state: Hotels and special event venues with multiple elevators to get to the ballroom. That and loading docks without access ramps. That's where it gets tempting to do it all in one trip. My cranky MO is ask forgiveness rather than permission; and just use guest elevators and front entrances whenever possible. That means stacking vertically. Having successfully switched to 72/76 boards and less gear, it's now much easier to do than trying to squeeze a RnR cart with an 88 note case stacked to the gills. This

Probably old news for many: I'm addicted to these things: Pipe wrap and pool noodles from the dollar store. Also liberal use of shelf-liner underneath my keyboards when using platform stands or keeping my Ipad from slipping off the B3 at church. I recently switched over to a K&M stand and used pipe wrap to slightly elevate keyboards on the bars. . I use pool noodles in my gig bags to fill the extra gaps and cushion the. bottom of the case a bit more. In my office I have an industrial desk that had bottom bars that were a knee killer and long swear word generator - Pipe wrap to the rescue!!

Hi Phil- I don't want to hijack the OP's thread. I'l be happy to send you a PM or email. I've happily been with you since version 1, but do have thoughts. Thanks C

For quick shorthand I just use note pad and this : https://apps.apple.com/us/app/song-memo/id1459218009 or this: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/musician-keyboard/id1279722356. Both install a music chord font and keyboard that can be used within any other app, so you don't need to actually use the parent app. You choose like emoticons. Chord symbols etc., and you can select the key so it automatically has the relative chords of that key. Simple and easy. Should be able to use it with anything that lets you enter text on. I sometimes find it easier to add annotations via text in Forscore using one of these. I do wish both had repeat sign- so going to check out 1Chart. Usually just use brackets or parenthesis, never thought about using apple pencil to draw them. Great idea. I use Forscore for shows with a book or defined setlist Igigbook for Realbook- Fakebook etc. type stuff- it has an annotation feature that has some symbols too. Many books are indexed (including Jewish Fakebook for Klezmer). Irealpro does a pretty good job too and can be exported into anything. (PDF,Finale etc.) just wish it had more text ability. Lots of stuff in the Irealpro user catalog community (including Klezmer, Irish) but often requires corrections. EZ to make setlists. I often use it for simple Bluegrass charts when playing bass- the transpose feature is great. It can also be run on a Desktop to make editing quicker, then export to IOS.

By current production values : Yes. What's hip? Crappy, murky, and imperfect. Take a view of Christian Henson's pianobook site. https://www.pianobook.co.uk/instrument/pianos/upright/. Spin the radio (or spotify) dial. Most sessions I do, producer or artists often say Grand piano is too piano sounding!!??? I'm in the "better than nothing camp". I'd hate to gig on one. But no matter how many electronic thingies and plug ins, always nice to plunk out or check a chord on something that's a real acoustic instrument -warts and all. I think Miles Davis used to quip "electric instruments are only great until they turn off the electricity". I felt your pain. 😀 Also brought up on a crappy decommissioned player piano- which was also tuned down a 1/2 step!! To this day I still hear pitch that way if I'm not careful. Finally bought (um, financed) a nice grand. After 20 years still love it, but takes up half my studio space. Because of late hours and courtesy to family and neighbors, I end up playing & practicing on a DP most times. Considering moving it to the LR. Singer in my big band recently asked if I wanted to "Foster" his lovely Mason & Hamlin conservatory. Tempting, but It's bigger than an SUV. I've noticed most of my film scoring heroes have those nice Yamaha upright grands, which I'm considering cross-grading to. But a few also have some charming spinets just to work stuff out. Disclaimer: Guilty of re-purposing several spinets/uprights that were headed for landfill. Two for my main church gig and satellite campus, (see below) and a local theater. If they're beyond hope- they make great, vibey piano shells. Call it PETU: people for the ethical treatment of uprights.

Originally bought this for band gigs as an in-ear ambient stage mic. Often had a great night on solo gigs and wish I had recorded it. Getting ready to try it for recording as it's easy to just plop in place vs stereo setup. As you know, prices jump considerably on the better stereo condensors. but might be worth a shot. Of course zoom stuff and most personal recorders have built in stereo mics. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002YLDZA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 As we've all been discussing in another thread- are you using any loops or is it just straight piano? Haven't personally done it in a very long time. Not always appropriate; but on my longer gigs (e.g airport, restaurant) getting ready to add some light drum stuff via SoftDrummer. But that now means needing audio to pipe it through.

If you can find a way to get it home safely, buy a portable Harmonium or smaller Shruti box!!! You're in the right place to get one super cheap. Fun to play, and great souvenir. Just be sure to get one that's tuned A440.

When I was doing hotels, used to pride myself that I often outlived the revolving door of catering managers. Not sure if you want to go out of pocket: I have one of those snack-size Mackie 150 speaker things that mounts on a mic stand. If I know I'm going to have a tough time keeping up volume, I sometimes bring that (or a Bose) with a small PZM or Barcus berry pickup and set it out aways from the piano. The 5" Mackie's lack of bass is actually a plus, relatively feedback free, and volume is just enough to help lend some support. Plus not kill your hands. Wonder if you all have experienced this pet peeve of mine: Showing up for large rehearsal-anniversary dinner at a Country Club or venue; and the party planner/ host thinks it's a great idea to cover the entire (now closed ) piano with family pictures, or gifts. I now put in my letter of agreement I'll likely need to open the lid, and please leave clear.

The Labs stuff has some really nice stuff, and is Kontakt free. Newest piano: https://labs.spitfireaudio.com/autograph-grand?__s=m3xa728cm1f03ei2ujgi&utm_source=drip&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FREE+LABS+Autograph+Grand+🎹&utm_content=LABS+Autograph+Grand+launch+J-L In case you need another one- IK's take on Neve pre. Have used the smaller one forever. Top end is a wee strident if pushed, but pre-amp and mids are very nice. https://bedroomproducersblog.com/2023/02/01/ik-multimedia-t-racks-eq-81-is-free-until-february-14th/

Seems the consensus is NPR is the safe haven for most of us. So agree on Classic rock- great stuff, but on any given day you can hear the same exact tired daily playlist across the nation's stations. Have been known to walk out of a store until "Hotel California" finishes playing. Still work in the oldies business, having to transcribe & learn so much of it, good on that too. I swear this isn't a joke: Last MRI I had, tech said all they had were CD's. Choices were: Motown, 90's, Country, and Kenny G. Chose Motown. Talk about negative reinforcement. Hopefully won't be a next time, but I'll bring a Mahler CD. Exactly!! That's the other part of my brain I can't shut off. Like many here, I wear a bunch of hats. Worked as an engineer for many years and do the VO, music, and production for a local comedian's cable show. I'm feeling the recurring theme is probably just taking a break. I give Dave high props. Got a turntable for Christmas, not yet set up. Hope dusting off the old CTI, Blue Note, and Vox records - and the ritual of placing the needle, can rejuvenate some of my early enthusiasm.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I've been warming up to different spirits (the distilled kind). Sample the little bottles and still searching for a fav. Got two Pugs who think I'm the absolute best melodica player. It's reassuring some others have experienced this. I'm thinking out loud it's more about finding a way to turn off the analytical side. Or at very least, taking a vacay once in a while. Was recently in UK & Spain on honeymoon where I had two weeks off from all things music and gig stuff. Duh! (smacks forehead....) Now that I think about it, that was an incredible refresh. Hadn't taken a vacation since 2021, so there 's likely something to that... I often lean towards jazz before I start picking things apart too much. Have found myself going back to classical and film music because it's long form and at least more to chew on. That's a great point that it lends itself better to equally being background or foreground.

Is it just me?? My wife always finds it amusing that I'm usually seeking talk or news on the radio during long travel. She jokes that I'm a musician who hates music. LOL. Of course that's not the case. Old habit as the last thing I wanted to hear after a gig was any more music. But truth is, I do find it hard to just "listen" without a critical ear anymore. Maybe because of having to learn so much material on a weekly basis, and sometimes being burned out- I find it almost impossible to just listen for enjoyment. I may get in a minute or two, but then I'm analyzing, listening for chord changes, solos, drawbar or piano voicing, harmony, production, etc. etc. Going to concerts or live shows, easily do the same thing, or I simply get bored after a few songs. As a lifelong insomniac who also has tinnitus, if I'd ever try to listen to those ocean or forest sound things to relax, I'd immediately spot the loop points in the audio and then I'm focusing on those instead. Static white or brown noise is the only thing I can successfully use for sleeping. Besides music, I also do Voice-Overs. So it also affects listening to books on tape, or guided mediations. Because it's spoken word, I can focus more on content. But my mind will easily trigger after hearing a bad edit point, or some other anomaly. Then I'm focusing on vocal delivery, inflections and cadence, accent, or other production elements. So I wonder- has anyone else experienced this? I'm not ruling out professional help, but curious if others have found ways to deal with it.

Sometimes I get the creepy feeling this forum is watching me. I literally just pulled out Kenny's book yesterday for something to ( re) read for plane travel this week. Like most books of self help and philosophy, you can take nuggets and form your own pastiche belief system. I found a huge amount of worthwhile info in the book. Years have passed since I last read it, and wanted to see if I'd pick up some new insight. Particularly because of some changes I'm making in my career. The book has helped at times when I really needed it. I'm reading again because I've still never totally conquered that question of why you can have an awesome night where it all falls into place, and another where you're just trying too hard to recreate and chase that same experience and feel like a rank amateur. I have to admit, I could never do his meditations. With the utmost apologies to Kenny that It's for the shallowest of reasons: My suspension of mindfulness couldn't get past his accent. I'm originally from Brooklyn, it felt too much like I was listening to someone from the neighborhood. Again shallow and stupid, and my own problem- and shouldn't take away from the wonderful great stuff he's presenting. I will give it another shot.

I One of the best things I've ever done was take a year of drum lessons. Not to play drums, so much as getting a better understanding of hand/foot independence, how drummers think, and most importantly: reading and playing rhythm without it being connected to melody. That last one made a huge impact about groove and the rhythm section for me. Have forgotten more than I remember of orchestration classes, but the idea was you had to have a basic idea of how instruments work if you're going to write or arrange for them. Same idea as functional piano for non-pianists. I think being exposed to other instruments is great, though playing keys is hard enough. So yes, it's about how many hours in a day you have. But having a working understanding of other things is always helpful and fun. Besides broadening musicianship, I've mainly approached other instruments more as a survivalist full timer. What 's on my business card (besides Piano & Organ) is some subset of the keyboard family and harp. Accordion, Melodica, Harmonium. Anything to help make yourself more marketable. All those subsets are instruments of their own, take some effort to really translate. Or play for pay. I was always primarily a pianist, and selling myself as a "legit" organ player and being able to do nothing but on a gig, continues to be an ongoing learning experience. "Legit" being the key word. Done a ton of Accordion recording sessions, but far from a legit player. The times been asked to do a short restaurant or ceremony gig, had to really consider if my 8 song repertoire was enough before I'd refer a friend. For some hilarious perspective, read Harpo Marx's biography- he used to do country club gigs on piano, and knew only 2 songs! Been playing harp forever, and have always loved it too. Definitely no John Papa, but have gotten gigs based on being able to do harp or fiddle parts on harp along with keys. That led to investing in better harps and harp rig. It's a fun diversion and flavor, same as accordion or melodica on the gig. Never done an entire gig just on harp, and wouldn't want to. I also love harp because you can practice in the car. Played a bunch of other instruments, but hedged my bets long ago thinking there were plenty of guitar players and not enough keyboardists. Bass in HS Jazz Band because no one else was available. Improved my bass clef reading. Continued on & off during college. Did tons of coffee house gigs on acoustic guitar. Those periods in the biz where keyboards weren't cool, so I'd pick up those gigs. Fast forward to now, I play bass (and harp) with a bluegrass band once or twice a month. Got that gig because again, no one else was available. Money is not great, but love the light load-in and just doing something different. It puts my brain in that different headspace and it's fun happy easy music I'm learning more about. Because of that gig I've been offered other bass gigs. Could probably shed a setlist and pull those off. But even on a bar gig, I'd feel ill-equipped and amateur if they went off the set list So fun, but not legit. Or in the words of Brother Where Art Thou: not "Bonafide". I

Akai LpK25. Super compact. Great for Finale, tweaking Mainstage, but not really fun to play on. Easily fits in laptop bag. Cheap. Alternative: Korg MicroKey 37. Has Mod wheel/sustain input. Nicely playable- but not as compact. Keep mine in a Uke case, and have stuffed it inside checked bags as well as carry on. Whether gig or pleasure travel, almost always bring a Yamaha 25 key Melodica in soft case. Fun just to have. Dressing room/bus run-throughs, and sitting in when out and about. Safe travels!

On some of my church gigs where I'm 2nd keys ( Hammond Xk2 or Mojo Organ) where I need to also do some orch or pad stuff, I use a Behringer X-touch mini. It can send multiple program, and control changes It's not as easy to program as the more common Korg Nano-control, because you need a PC to edit. But works great and can send just about anything. In church world a lot of folks also use the Akai things with the drum pads configured to send program changes. I did that for a while, but the Akai stuff is really not road worthy. BTW- Korg can't do program changes without using some mapping software. The times I've used Ipad, I did USB to Midi convertor and a IK IO midi interface. It's a topic for another thread- but I wouldn't personally use an Ipad again for anything more than secondary pads & string type stuff. Others here have had better success than me. I found it dicey if for anything mission critical, and having an Macbook air isn't that much bigger than an ipad and less dongles.

As an interim, since you like everything else about the Mojo (and it's action..) have you considered using it with Mainstage dedicated to just piano? With your studio stuff, you're probably already familiar with Pianoteq, or some of the better Kontakt libraries: Noir, Gentlemen etc. Some like Pianoteq or Ivory can run stand-alone, and you can bypass the whole Mainstage eco-system. Many folks here love the Ravenscroft. My intent in buying a Compact was I could always hook up a weighted controller underneath. That of course defeats the single keyboard option. I've done organ-centric gigs wtih Mojo Classic and using the Compact to cover Wurli. Also the Mainstage thing mentioned above. That worked out fine and sounded good, but have a really hard time playing AP on any unweighted action for anything more than a couple of songs. I was about to grab a Studio logic controller or Yamaha P121, then went for the NumaX- which I'm very happy with. Nords are far from perfect: I still hate the split thing, and wish they had an editor app. INMHO they are bullet proof and can cover anything. They'll hold value. That's if you can live with the action. If you end up hating it, won't have a hard time selling it. I'm with Stokely, bring what you need to be happy.

That's a USB ground loop problem. I have the same issue trying to use any Behringer's synths via USB on my studio rig. Need to make sure the Numa is on same circuit as the computer. As mentioned by others try a different cable too. I hook my Numa up all the time to my Macbook to do patch saving, and haven't had any of those issues. So it's possible you have a faulty one. They do make isolators and things like Hum eliminators that may help too. RE Modulation. I'm not being a Fanboy- but the Numa isn't really a synth per-se. More of an all-rounder piano that does synth sounds. The basics are there, but anything deeper, I'd go with a real Synth, or Nord Stage 3 that has the Nord lead engine.

Apologies to Ol 7 for hijacking this thread. I'm glad others are doing some loops & Tracks. I see Tony Monaco doing drum loops when he's solo a ton and he makes it work. The soft drummer app is understated and has enough randomness that it doesn't scream "drum machine". In the old days I used to use the Kurzweil or Yamaha Upright bass sound with layered ride cymbal- so not that far off. With so many acoustic guitar guys doing the looper thing- Math's comment about it being a competitive advantage and more prevalent is strong food for thought. Max : that's impressive. I'm ok kicking/ playing bass, grabbing my drink, and occasionally trying to have a conversation with clients/guests/servers while playing- but I'd be scared trying to do that!