Adam Burgess
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Posts posted by Adam Burgess
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Been back and forth with hardware only and iPads/laptops more times than I care/dare to admit.
Pros and cons galore for each, but I had to get another Kronos 88 last year and sold on my Arturia Keylab 88 without any regret!-
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It's quite a deep synth, for sure. Millions of waveforms, 4x stereo partials per part x16 parts.
The Mod Matrix is huge and very capable. 2x LFOs per partial, etc etc… the sheer number of parameters is mind boggling.
I did start to write an Editor better than anything available at the mo! Will finish it one day 🙂-
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As I said in a different thread… I go for Amazon CCTV 12V / 5A supplies with IEC AC in, and they do me great for lots of stuff.
Radio mic RX/wireless access points etc etc when I build racks, and keyboards, of course. Being 5A, they can be split to power a few pieces of gear at once. Some PSUs come with a 4 way split in the box.
Guess you could 'standardize' on a power brick, buy a few of them, and have an interconnect (XLRs?) to use with different polarities/connector sizes. But then you would have to carry around and not lose/forget a mic bag full of different DC jacks if not tying them into a pedalboard etc…-
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I buy generic CCTV 12V 5A supplies from Amazon all the time. They come in so useful. Well made, with an IEC power in which is cool.
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Anything remotely technical, you have to have an idea of what you're looking for, and where you want to put it. Building a house one brick at a time without any vision is a bit stupid. At least draw it on the back of a beer mat.
Having a 'place' for a 'sound' and 'part' to sit in an 'arrangement'.
And, the way you play it (bouncing off any others in the ensemble, or yourself, recorded earlier) is soooo important. You have many tools. The trick is putting a million variables together at the right time using tools that will do it with the 'feel', 'emotions', 'groove'… etc etc
You can quantise timing to the sample level, or have equations to quantise to a 'human' approximation of timing/sloppiness/voicings from a pool of recordings alla AI. Is it good? Who knows?
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Watched this yesterday. Really enjoyed the nostalgia trip 🙂 Although I never used the Atari…
I did scores on a Mac Classic at both a seamen's mission/chapel/bar with Finale 2.5, and at an architect's place using MOTU Pro Composer.Seamen's Mission also taught me about playing pool, and draught Guinness. Architect guy had a IIfx or cx for his CAD stuff, which was just amazing at the time.
In the 80s, playing in a busy mining town in the NE of England, where there were many bars and churches with people spending money; there were gigs galore. I saved a bit money doing more gigs than a 10 year old should've probably legally done. Did some local theatre pit stuff, too; hitting brass parts and LH bass on a keyboard stack next to the school's piano or whatever.
In 1992 (as a 12yr old), I could finally go and buy an Apple Performa 400 (LC II) with a 3x1 Midi interface, and a colour monitor. Loved every minute just layering stuff and generally making loud things. Had a Roland E15, a U20, and a Technics KN800. Can't remember the sequencer's name - but, it was a very colourful events list! And, I could see more than 3 bars at a time on the huge 14" display with Finale.
The day I got a 80MB HD hike, a 256 colour VRAM module (from 16 colours), and RAM upgrade from 4MB to 8 was special.
Happy days.-
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Ah, thought you were on MainStage! Having said that, maybe just an instance of an IAC Bus in and out of an external MIDI instrument in Mainstage without having to touch much else would do it?
There's been some great freeware plugins and apps absorbed into many a commercial product. Shame Apple (or, whoever!) never bought these out and kept them alive. Looks like this guy wrote some useful little problem solvers.
As for learning after that much time, I agree. Use Sibelius a lot, and it has so many annoying quirks, and wish I could be bothered to learn Dorico, 'cause the output looks gorgeous to me. But, been too long now! -
The MIDI FX in Mainstage any good?
Maybe a combination of the Chord Trigger and a 'Strum' script?-
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16 minutes ago, Stokely said:
I think the ipad (or computer) as a sound source idea is not a bad one.
Garageband
I would have *killed* to have everything in the box back in the day (though hardware for live still to this day!)This is so true. Kids have grown up with iPhones and iPads. It's the total norm for them.
And they'll have one hanging round that'll sound so much better than my first Yamaha PSR-12 and a semi-tone flat beaten upright at home! Mind, that did me no wrong! Somehow became my job! -
I've got an old Roland M120 line mixer. Still sounds fine, and not too noisy. Needs a couple of new pots. Always lusted after the old Roland M480 (not the digital mixer by the same name!). Those were the days when the great Roland catalogues were an inspiration to go find some gigs to find many many synths to fill up the unaffordable M480!
At home, I've got an X32 Rack which is a bit overkill, for sure - but 22 analog ins and 14 outs, plus the 32x32 digital over USB is so good.
Used the Key Largo a couple of times, and being Radial, it's excellent. -
https://support.korguser.net/hc/en-us/articles/207476056-Can-I-connect-multiple-Bluetooth-devices-to-an-iPhone-iPad-by-Bluetooth-
There's no problem connecting many Bluetooth mices and keyboards and audio stuff to Macs, for sure. I'm sure an iPad can handle AirPods and the Pencil and a keyboard, and a musical keyboard…
You may have a problem if the devices show up as the same device, though.
(This is also a problem with USB - any Arturia Keylab - comes up as the same device, so with two (even a 61 and an 88) connected, the editing software can only see one, even though both work fine musically…!)-
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MIDI is dead simple and slow, so any (possibly older?) iPad would work. You do need the Apple Camera Kit dongle thing, or whatever they call it now. Lightning to USB A. Then USB A to B from there.
But, the Roland iPad editor is not very good, to be honest. The app will only edit the SuperNatural synth. No editing of the SuperNatural Piano/Organ/Acoustic stuff, PCM, drums, etc… The mixer and Tone Select is ok, but nothing you can't do with a decent controller.
I started writing a really nice app, but work actually playing got in the way! The things you can do over 5-pin MIDI are really clever. I found it better than USB.
The SysEx implementation very, very good if you need certain things. Can farm those little things you really need out to any controller that'll do SysEx…
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Yeah, I prefer patch panels on a rack than in and out of the gear every time. Had to replace a USB-B connector on an X32 interface card a while ago, and need to do a new one on an old iConnectivity Audio interface - luckily that's got two connectors! They're not fun - especially with my eyes now I hit 44 😛
Don't think I could do a USB-C connector, though! -
I've had around 5 more problems with USB than I ever did with MIDI - which I believe is around zero!
Hardware MIDI is just brilliant. Never had a MIDI port or cable EVER go bad since around 1988.
Doesn't look like MIDI 2.0 is gaining much traction. Guess that shows how well MIDI 1 works, and is such an integral part of life!
Always feel better at home plugging stuff into a MIDI interface and then 1x USB cable.
In the dark days of the last plague, I did a very arty wiring diagram of my home studio. Must try find it! -
As @Reezekeys says, music program is usually measured at 1/8 power. If you had massive sustained sub bass notes going on, and the amps are hitting the red for more than a split second, you'll be close to the limit or both the rig sonically and power wise.
I think the EVs would give in long before the power tripped.
I'm in the UAE, where the electrical system is based on the UK system (which is, of course, the best 🙂 ), so 13A/16A outlets are usual. Can run a decent sized bar rig and LEDs etc no problem on 13A. We can get over 3000W on a single socket. Admittedly, we run 230-240V so your current would be around double in 110V land. -
I inherited a few bits of gear yesterday. For the first time in around 3 years, I turned off my X32 Rack to make a bit room to install a couple of old ROMplers.
The X32 PSU died (again!) on powering up 😞 Soldering iron out tomorrow!
He giveth and taketh away!
Hope you sort the Leslie out! Good luck!
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I've literally just inherited a KP500. Will try it out on the neighbours when I get it home. Came with a bonus Pro-3X Rotary box, too!
I have had the displeasure of using Roland keyboard amps on occasion. How a company that used to be so forward thinking sleeps at night selling those dreary boxes for actual money, I will never know. -
My first sort of 'proper' keyboard was a Roland U20. That thing did hundreds of gigs. And I loved the sleek look.
But, only 6-part multi-timbral became a bit limiting after a time while sequencing and stuff. Saved up for an XP50 and that played until it literally fell apart.
Amazing for me at the time, that thing. I did miss the additional outputs from the U20 - handy for click tracks etc! But, the on board floppy drive saved me from bringing a Mac to gigs 😛 Always with Roland, there's pros and cons!
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I got the Arturia Piano v2 with a KeyLab mkII.
It plays pretty good. No - it sounds pretty good - the 88 KeyLab I hated to play!
No CPU hog and the standalone app is very customisable.
Friend of mine has Pianoteq, and that felt very natural even on his cheap 88 controller, more so than the Arturia. -
It's a huge topic! Wish I had the answer - other than - the control needs to be perfect for the setting. I would hate to use a breath controller to drive a car, pedals are better. Or, is that just because we're so used to them? I'm certain a breath controller is a possibly to control acceleration, someone should try it. Maybe it will be great! Could even get more revs by going VROOM in your throat so it sounds like a growly trombone?!
Ultimately, that may mean my keyboard turning into an actual violin if I'm playing strings. Anything below getting a string section to play is a compromise. Getting me to try and play a violin is a bigger one. Not so hard is things that DO work on a keyboard like aftertouch.
Only every found the short-lived Roland Supernatural idea workable live to a point for things like this. Complex plugins just take too much processing, and for reasons of physics, can never look ahead. Even if I could do that, imagine timing the articulations live while still playing a phrase. I real player has infinite places in which to place slight pitch bend, or steal a breath, or … … …
On a more boring level this week, my MainStage up and down patch buttons are a StreamDeck taped to the top of my Kronos somewhere I can hit them every time (I still don't hit them every time ) actually taped on top of the faders… As I just find this better than using the furthermost keys, or a pedal, or, in fact any of the many buttons on the Kronos to get thru this MT gig.
I could be talking total rubbish, of course! -
So, after I paid a decent sum of money to IK Multimedia last year for Total Max 3.5… I have to pay them another fee to download stuff that (I thought) I'd bought to put on another Mac.
Not a subscription that has to be renewed - but it seems that's the way it is every six months. Only 10EUR but, really?!?!?!
It was a bad enough ball ache installing the original content and not being easily able to put even the installers on an external drive and having to babysit the whole process, one module at a time. Made even more annoying by an 'immediate download' after I'd paid them, becoming a week's wait until the software appeared in the (buggy) download manager. This stuff (as mentioned in a recent thread) is just ridiculous. Let me put content and samples where I want, and just let me select that drive/folder! Point to it from within the (yes, buggy) product manager app! I doubt I could be bothered now to try manually moving gigs and gigs of data and hoping the app will find them!
I don't have the inclination to waste space for all the installer files on a hard drive which I also paid for - that space is being used with the content!
They obviously still have them on their servers, waiting to go, but they want more money to unlock my own downloads, too? I have all the content, but these installers are soooo picky where stuff is. GRRRRRRRR!
Rant over! 🤯-
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Rather sit next to a crash cymbal than a china!
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So many similar notes in the chords that it doesn't matter?
For example (in D): D, E, A, "in the right hand" could easily imply a Dadd9, G6/9, Asus4, Em7sus4, F#m7sus4…
Don't know if it has a specific name, but it's got its uses, for sure! Without the bass, it's all implied. Even with a bass note added
"is it a Dadd9/A, or an Asus4?", so, as with lots of stuff, context is everything.-
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On 5/15/2023 at 3:19 AM, zukskywalker said:
I will never forget that day. It was my first b3 and I was 12.
I totally get ya! I was around 8 years old and my grandad took me to his local club and I started some lessons from his friend who was the resident organist.
After a beat up upright piano I was lucky enough to have at home given to us for free, this was the first electronic instrument I played which wasn't a toy Yamaha. Kicking a real Leslie in was just gorgeous. I will never forget that moment when it ramped up! Sounded massive and fell in love that day!
Servicing KB Gear--Going Under the Hood
in The Keyboard Corner
Posted
Since repair in the Middle East is about non-existent… I've took many things apart. It's just easier than sending stuff away for crazy prices and it coming back not much better than when it left. Yamaha stuff here (therefore, some Korg stuff (keys etc.)) is ok to come by and the guy in the spares dept. can get anything quickly with a Yamaha part number. Korg, I had to really try to get spares - Korg UK were excellent. Not done much Roland stuff, but, again they've been great in the UK since the 90s. I hope they still are.
Don't mind experimenting with, and breaking my own boards, but, gotta be much more diligent with other peoples gear!
My work on them is usually replacing keys, but also easy re-soldering crappy DC jacks, audio connections/replacing boards, pots, screens etc.
Replaced a USB jack on my X32 Rack's expansion card not so long ago which was a bit fiddly with my eyes getting worse after passing 40-something! Was actually working on the mixer's PSU and shoo-ed the cat away, she ended up behind the desk and landed on the USB cable that was still plugged in haha.
Was good practise. Replacing the USB jack on an iConnectivity Audio2+ was much easier because of that necessity.
I've ruined a few things, most notably the time I re-sprayed my Triton Extreme. Dropped the touch screen putting everything back in, and pulled off its flex cable. I was gutted, but learned it's SysEx capability quite quickly hehe! Definitely fixed more than I've rendered useless. I count that as a win.
Just read @The Real MC's post. I did take apart an AC30 once to replace a couple of bits, slipped with a screwdriver and all 130kg of me ended up in a different room of the house in a split-second. Those caps are BIG! Amp is still working as far as I know, and I'm here to tell the tale. Scary, though. Learned a lesson, and am far more patient these days.