HSS

Many thanks for the hard work by the inmates. I've learned a lot from this forum through the years and am grateful to see it live on. I'm glad y'all stuck to the familiar forum layout with added benefits like automatic image re-sizing, etc. I have one additional recommendation; I would like to be able to click on an Avatar and make it bigger, most especially those of CEB's which highlight the attributes of the fairer sex .

I liked Peter Green's late 60's Fleetwood Mac more than the wildly successful 70's incarnation of the band with the sultry dancing fairy. However, I confess that I enjoyed watching the dancing fairy band far more than Peter Green's ugly hippie dude band . FWIW Peter Green was one of the best guitarists on the planet before he started dropping too much acid and went crazy.

There's a lot of butt shakin' accordion in Zydeco: Agree about Ricky Skaggs... He's very accomplished and soulful whether he picks guitar, mandolin, banjo, or plays fiddle. It's the player not the instrument.

Crap! Sad to hear the news. The Night Tripper was one of my all time favs. He had the New Orleans piano thing down cold. We lost him just a few days after Leon Redbone. Included below is a little Xmas tune performed by the Dr. and Leon. The Dr. lays down a tasty little solo at ~3:30. Props to the excellent clarinet player too.

I caught him live a couple of times and enjoyed the shows. https://www.npr.org/2019/05/30/728315252/leon-redbone-an-unusual-singer-from-a-bygone-era-has-died

Many thanks for taking the bull by the horns. I may follow you and ping Nord about mono samples as well. I understand that my personal issue with the NE5D's tight springy action for AP playing can hopefully be fixed by ordering lower tension springs from Syntaur. OT: FWIW I'm hoping that Nord can perhaps find way, via a software fix, to reduce the overdrive dirt in the NE5D's Leslie sim for a cleaner sound for blues / jazz. Even when using the clean B3 model and dialing the NE5D's Leslie sim drive down to zero, a lot of dirt is still present. I'm able to get a cleaner sound from my Hammond SK1's Leslie sim. I seem to recall that the NE3's and 4D's were able to get a cleaner sound with the Leslie sim drive dialed all the way down. I don't know about the new NE6.

I've midi'd my NE5D to my Kurz SP4-7 and the Nord AP's finger-ear connection for me improved. The SP4-7's SW action is far less springy than the NE5D's, so I suspect that the finger-ear connection problem with the Nord AP's may in part be due to the NE5D's relatively high-tension springs. My Hammond SK1, which I believe has the same Fatar TP80 action as the NE5D, has lower tension springs and is for me easier to play piano and organ on than the NE5D (although IMHO the SK1's piano sounds are pretty lame). FWIW... I gig in mono as well. I wish Nord would provide a couple of high-quality mono piano samples. IMO the "mono" button on my NE5D isn't as good as dedicated mono samples. But in fairness to Nord, in recent years most manufacturers have focused on developing the most detailed accurate stereo pianos the nuances of which are usually lost in a loud band mix anyway.

I've tried the Queen Upright and for me it's more playable on my NE5D with a better finger-ear connection than many of the other Nord AP's, especially the Grands. But unfortunately IMO the Queen Upright is more mellow, almost muffled sounding, and doesn't cut through a band mix as well as say the Studio Grand 2, Silver Grand, or Bright Grand. These AP's cut through loud band mixes good, but IMO their upper couple of octaves, especially the Bright Grand's, are thin sounding.

I apologize if this comes across as too negative... I have a Nord 5D 73 and am underwhelmed by its AP's for live band use, even when I Midi them to a weighted board, EQ them, and use higher-end amps. I've tried most of Nord's AP's and they sound detailed, rich, and organic by themselves but IMHO don't play as well and sit as nicely in a band mix as my Yamaha MX88's AP's or even my Kurz SP4-7's much-maligned old Triple Strike PC3 AP's do. The result is that I usually use my SP4-7 for AP's/EP's on the cramped low-end gigs I typically play and stack ether my Nord 5D or Hammond SK1 above for organs and clavs. When the space is available, I use either my MX88 or RD300GX for AP's. For the record, I play live in mono. I would also add that the Kurz SP4-7's SW action is for me more playable for AP's than my Nord 5D's tightly-sprung SW action even when I try the 5D's four different variations of touch response. I'm still considering the option of swapping the Nord's springs out for lower tension springs that can be purchased at Syntaur. My concern is that this "experiment" is potentially costly and time-consuming. Having done all of this nitpicking about Nord AP's, for quick and/or difficult load in-out gigs, where I have to cover AP, EP, B3,and clav, I use my Nord 5d as a one board solution because it's the only portable board that can do an adequate job.

I feel like spamming today... I had nothing going on last night so I spent a couple of hours putting together the following tune with me hollering vocals and playing / tracking. There's a piano solo at ~1'30".

Excellent stuff Tony... You had my foot tapping on a couple those tunes. Keep 'em coming.

This is probably a stupid question. Does restoring to default factory settings wipe out the several system updates I've done since purchasing my SK2? I already know restoring to default factory settings will wipe out my tweaked favorites, custom tonewheels, Leslie settings, etc. Disregard my question. Hammond support already returned my phone message after just a couple of hours. SK1 / SK2 system updates are preserved during a restore to default factory settings.

That was a long time ago, for the original MX, pre-dating the MX88. By the time the MX88 shipped, they wouldn't have been shipping the older firmware. OK... Thanks. Despite the original MX's update of a 6db volume boost, my MX88's output is still low relative to all of my other boards but it's workable for live gigs as long as I accommodate accordingly. FWIW... In addition to the MX88, I currently have Kurz SP4-7, Roland RD300GX, Hammond SK1/2, Nord 5d, and Casio PX330 boards and they all have noticeably hotter outputs. Based on a couple of earlier posts in this thread, it sounds like the MODX has addressed this issue by having an option to boost output volume by up to 12db which should be plenty for live use. I'll download the manual and verify because the MODX8 or 7(?) ticks all of my boxes for a bottom board below either my Hammond SK1 or Nord 5d.

Just got this reply from Stevie18 over at YamahaMusicians: Don't blame me if you blow your ears away: Utility -> Audio I/O -> Main L&R to +6db or even +12 db should give you enough for that... OT: I have an MX88 and, unless I'm missing it, I don't see this option of boosting the MX's low output volume in Utilities or anywhere else in the menus for that matter. My inefficient workaround is to uniformly boost the EQ's gain for a voice and save the edited voice to a performance. It's good to hear that the option of boosting output volume is available for the MODX boards, along with the ability to split / layer 4 (or 8?) zones and mix them in real time with sliders and knobs. The MX can only do two zones in real time without hooking it up to computer and using a software editor. A MODX may be in my future. I need to get to the local Shitar Center and try one out.

I forgot to mention the funnest and cheapest thing I've bought this year. It's a Cajon with a remote (backwards) kick pedal. I'm having a blast playing keyboards while sitting on it and tapping simple rhythms out on the kick pedal with an occasional slap or finger roll from my right hand. I'm also trying to work with tapping a high-hat with my left foot. At some point, I may even be brazen and give the keyboards / Cajon thing a shot as a one-man-band act because I sing as well. Even if it doesn't sound as good as playing with drum machines, sequences, loops, or tracks, at least, sink or swim, I'm trying to play all the music in real-time rather than just pressing a button and playing along with a machine. I also get to leverage some of my past experience as a drummer.

Since February of this year, I've gone bonkers. I've bought a Nord 5D 73, Yamaha MX88, Yamaha DBR10 powered speaker, and just a couple of hours ago, a Zoom Livetrak L-12 (combination 12 channel live mixer/ recorder /audio interface). To help pay for my shopping spree, I recently unloaded two keyboards (Numa Stage & Acuna 73) and am about to sell a Hammond SK2. I may also sell my Roland RD300GX because it's as long as an aircraft carrier and impractical to haul to gigs.

There has been a lot of "vigorous" discussion through the years at KC about the merits of mono vs. stereo AP's for live use. One of the better known KC forumites know as "Kanker" wrote this a few years in Keyboard Magazine: "While you lose a bit of realism using a mono piano sound, it offers definite benefits over stereo. First and foremost, you can comfortably expect that what you hear on the stage is exactly whats coming through the P.A. If there isnt a P.A. and youre just running into your stage monitor or keyboard combo amp, youve limited the variables that stereo can introduce by eliminating the stereo sweet spot and by providing a distinctly audible single point from which your sound originates. The net effect is that the audience is going to hear what you hear. In my opinion, these are good enough reasons to run my piano sounds in mono at all times." Source: https://www.keyboardmag.com/lessons/solving-stereo-stage-piano-problems Suffice it to say that I play in mono because I adhere to the KISS principle and I'm also lazy . Each to their own.

Spot on... My old Kurz SP76 I used to play in mono about 15 years ago sat really good in band mixes on stage, about as good as most boards I've played in recent years, but IMO it blew chunks solo. I could be wrong, but I seem to recall that the Kurz SP76 had the old Micropiano's AP samples.

Hmmm.... That's interesting because I'm able to play AP licks better on both the Kurz SP4-7's and Sk1's action than on the more tightly-sprung NE5D's action. If the Numa Compact 2X's B3 sound is better than the Kurz SP4-7's, I may consider unloading my Nord 5D 73, as well as my Kurz SP4-7, and buying it as an all-in-one superlight-weight portable board. I would have a bunch of left-over cash to buy some other gear as well. Of course this scenario assumes that the Compact 2X's AP's, EP's, and clavs are gig worthy (hopefully as good as the SP4-7's) and sound good in mono. If I need a top notch B3 sound, I still have my 15 lb. Hammond Sk1 61. I have three fully-weighted 88's I can use for piano when required.

Except for the supposedly improved organ in the Numa Compact 2x, are the other sounds (AP's, EP's clavs, strings, etc.) the same as those in the older Numa Compact 2? Also, for those who've had hands-on experience with the Numa Compact series, are the SW keys as tightly sprung as the NE4/5d's or are they lower tension and looser / softer like a Kurz SP4-7 or Sk1/2?

I finally sold my old QS6 a few years ago. I played a lot of gigs on it during the late 90's. For its time, it was pretty good sounding with a fair number of gig-worthy AP's, EP's, and organs. It also had decent semi-weighted action and was built like tank. I still have a Nanosynth, with QS 6 sounds, somewhere in my closet. Maybe I'll dust it off and give it a run for old time's sake.

The SKx's current mark-up of only $100 vs. the SK2 suggests that the increased price is mainly for the additional drawbars, memory, and better slit/layer capabilities rather any significant improvement in the extra voices (e.g. AP's and EP's). For the same reason, I don't expect the SKx's organ engine to be significantly improved vs. the SK2's. Of course my lowered expectations about the SKx's extra voices could be totally wrong. That's why I eagerly await reports from gigging players, not jazzed-up sales demos, on the Skx's extra voices.

The SP1 seems to an interesting option if one doesn't require the KB3 organ and all of the bells and whistles that are on the SP6. The dedicated EQ knobs, which the SP6 lacks, are a big plus for me for live gigging. The 1/4" audio inputs, which I think the SP6 also lacks, are also a nice option to have for gigging with a second board. Hopefully, the price should be at least a couple of hundred bucks lower than the SP6's $1295. I'd love to see both the SP1 and the SP6 offered in small-footprint 73 / 76 key formats, similar to the Artis 7 and SP4-7.

Wow... That was impressive!

I could live with a decent semi-weighted compromise action if a 42" long 73/ 76 key version of the SP6 came in at ~20lbs like the Nord 5D 73. FWIW... The 73 key hammer action weighted Nord 5HP is ~42" long and 25 lbs. WRG to semi-weighted actions... I actually find that the Medeli action of the Kurz SP4-7, which I have, is a decent compromise for piano. The Hammond SK1 / SK2, which I also have, and Nord Electro actions I've played are a bit too "springy" for me to comfortably play piano. My favorite semi-weighted action was on my old Kurz SP76 which I played a lot on 10 - 15 years ago. Even though I believe it was Fatar TP8 (?), I seem to recall that it didn't seem as springy/ resistant as some of the other boards with TP8 I've played. I also recall that I somewhat liked the semi-weighted action on the Alesis QS6 which I played a lot on in the mid- late 90's BTW.. I'm an old week-end warrior with a bad knee and back, and I tend to gig on small stages in dives hence my obsession with small footprints and weight. I usually gig with an SP4-7 for AP / EP on the bottom tier and a Hammond SK1 on the top tier. The resultant footprint is tiny and the total weight of both boards is ~39 lbs. But I miss having real-time control knobs & sliders on the SP4-7 that are on the Artis 7 which I'm very interested in. Of course both the Artis 7 and SP6 also have a much larger number of better sounds than the SP4-7. I would add that I'm also eyeing the Nord 5D 73, assuming its semi-weighted action is improved for piano vs. older Electros. But the NE5d 73 is much more expensive than either the Kurz Artis 7 or SP6 and its limitations on splits, layers, Midi, and lack of pitch bend/ mod concern me. The Nord 5HP is running ~$3000 and not on my radar. If a 20 lb / 42" long 7x key version of the SP6 were to come along with decent semi-weighted action, similar to the Kurz SP4-7 or the old SP76, I would probably jump on it, especially if it was a few hundred bucks less expensive than the Artis 7 (~$1700) which the SP6 88 already is (~$1300).