Doc Tonewheel

Rosalyn Turek Bach's WTC. I'm working on the Prelude and Fugue in C Minor BWV 847, so she's what I am aspiring to.

I agree, the action on the Fazioli is wonderful. I definitely prefer the sound of a Bosendorfer or a "magic" Steinway . In my experience, Steinways can vary a great deal with respect to action (from super heavy to super light) as well as vary widely with respect to tone, but if you find that special one, they are wonderful to play. I am in the market for a baby grand now, and know that my quest can take over a year to find the right piano. Unfortunately, Fazioli's and Bosendorfer's are a little out of my price range. :-)

I use Goo Gone to remove sticker residue and Cory KeyBright products. For Tolex I use 303 Aerospace Protectant.

Since I am still taking piano lessons, this fall my teacher said a lot of the parents wanted a recital. I had just broken my wrist (a long and different story), but I said I was in. I hadn"t met or heard any of her other students except the 2 boys who have a lesson before me, but I am happy to report that her students ranged from 6 to 80 years old (I was actually in the middle!) and the 2 best players were 13 and 26 years old who did really nice renditions of Beethoven"s Tempest and Claire de Lune. It was truly heart warming to see so many people of different ages brought together by the love of playing. Thankfully, there are still a good number of young ones to pick up the torch and not just in classical piano. Go check out a School of Rock near you. There are some scary talented kids out there. Thank God!!!

When you can, spend some money on getting your console a good overhaul. The tonewheel consoles were over engineered, and after a good going over, it will last long after we're gone. You will really regret getting rid of your Hammond. Would you get rid of a high quality grand piano like a Steinway in lieu of a digital piano?

Pet peeve for poly synths is 49 keys! That's why I appreciate desktops.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4057281/windows-7-support-ended-on-january-14-2020

Just finally made the switch from Sonar and Windows 7 to Cubase Pro 10.5 and Windows 10. Now, I need to start thinking about upgrading my Mackie Onyx 400F Firewire interface since Mackie's driver for this doesn't support Windows 10. Looking at the new Steinberg UR816C or maybe saving up for a RME Fireface UCX USB / FireWire. Added a USB 3.0 and a Thunderbolt port when I upgraded to Windows 10, so I maybe take advantage of that.

Mine's arriving tomorrow!!! :-)

I used to love my Nord Wave! The best thing was how fast and easy it was to add your own samples as opposed to something like the Yamaha Motif series. I also liked the sound of the filters. It wasn't what I felt was the best ROMpler sound wise, but it was great for mangling samples and getting cool sounds.

I think I should clarify here. I think seeing an artist bond with their instrument and use it to express themselves (whether they are playing Chopin Etudes as a solo pianist or are such an integral part of an ensemble/band that if they dropped out, you'd notice it and miss them) is what matters to me. This also applies to sequencers if the player is actually playing them, rather than just playing along with them. Although it may not be your cup of tea, I think Thomas Dolby's solo tour is an excellent example of this. He used technology (sequencers, laptop) as tools to express himself. He wasn't just playing along to the radio if you get me. It was live, shit could happen, and if it all went south, he could still probably do the gig with a microphone and harmonica if needed and it would still be him playing his music making a connection with his audience. Again, it's not about the tools, it's about the player and they should be playing the instrument to create the music no matter what it is, not vice versa (which is what I think was part of what Jason was trying to convey regarding musicianship - apologies if I misunderstood you Jason).

In the vein of being a purist, I thought the purpose of going to hear live music was to hear live music (warts and all)? That's the exciting part of it and makes the connection with the artist real for me.

Thanks Jim and Bill! Was looking at the Steinberg UR816C since I added a USB 3.0 port.

I started out with Opcode (which went belly up) on a Mac and then moved to Cakewalk on PC. Long time user here from the first Cakewalk all the way to SONAR Platinum. Upgraded to WIndows 10 and finally bit the bullet and said good bye to SONAR. I spent a lot of time looking at all the other DAWs and finally settled on Cubase Pro 10.5. I was able to get it all set up and start recording and using VSTs within a short time and I'm even using an old audio Firewire interface (Onyx 400F). Works great with the Arturia KeyLab mkII connected via USB. Cubase had all the functions I needed. No crashes so far and I like the work flow. I am now starting to look for a new audio interface though, as Mackie no longer supports the Onyx with driver updates.

If money and weight are truly no consideration (and you don't want aftertouch), look at the Yamaha AvantGrand hybrid pianos. They have the same action as a Yamaha grand piano and have MIDI. https://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical_instruments/pianos/avantgrand/index.html

I'm super spoiled when it comes to a weighted action. My AvantGrand N2 has MIDI. Of course, I'm totally home based now.

Please let us know how you like it. I'm looking at one of those for college use. It just arrived this morning from Sweetwater. Totally agree with EscapeRocks! So, I will start of by saying the build quality is excellent. Nice and solid. Good sliders, wheels, knobs, and nice feeling/triggering pads. The synth action feel of the keys is great, similar to my old Novation X-Satation 61 and Access Virus KC. You do need to apply a bit of pressure to trigger the aftertouch, but I will see if I can adjust that when I dig in some more. I love when something works right out of the box without umpteen hours spent on adjusting computer settings. It is literally plug and play. The included software (Analog Lab and Piano V) is nice and Analog Lab has tons of useful bread and butter sounds. I like that it has 9 faders for controlling Hammond-type patches (if you use them). Includes templates for the most popular DAWs (which actually work) and tons of connectivity (MIDI, USB, and CV/gate). I had been in the market for a good controller for awhile, and my old controller was out of date for integration with a DAW (plus the menu diving was getting to be a pain, although I do miss the extra keys, but the Arturia does come in an 88-key version if you prefer). Overall, I am really glad I bought it and would definitely recommend it. https://imgur.com/a/hVuoUcS

Just upgraded my system to Windows 10, added SSDs, and USB 3.0 ports. Fortunately, my old Mackie Onyx 400F audio Firewire interface is still working, but finally bit the bullet and said goodbye to Sonar. Bought a Arturia KeyLab mkII 61 in black as a new controller and switched to Cubase.

Hammond organs used to use felt as a dust cover for the resistance wiring in the manuals. Starting mid 60's straight into the 1970's, they switched to a strip of foam (like you find on Anvil cases). This foam can break down into a sticky goo over time and corrode and eat through the very fine manual wires. Keep in mind that each resistance wire is hair thin and each key has 9 wires. Multiply 9x61 keys and you have 549 chances for the foam chew thru a resistance wire and eliminate a tone in your Hammond. See this link to determine if your organ has the foam. https://organforum.com/forums/forum/electronic-organs-midi/hammond-organs/50318-dreaded-foam-what-years

Definitely do it! I had Retrolinear remove it from my 1975 A105 manuals and they gave me the foam they removed. Fortunately, when the put it in at the factory it was a little off position, so it didn't really get on the wires, but the foam they removed was already turning into a gooey, sticky mess and the organ had spent its whole life in a living room in NJ before I bought it.

I just visited Cunningham Pianos showroom in King of Prussia today. I called beforehand to make sure they had the models I was interested in auditioning. I told them my budget and the wonderful sales person who both gave me space to play and also answer all my questions, said, "You can't leave without playing the 9 foot Bosendorfer (which was, of course, way beyond my price point). Last time I was in, Rich said you have to try the Yamaha CFX, even though I was looking at the AvantGrands. That's my kind of store!

Nice! I am currently working on Prelude No. 2 in C minor.

Make sure you see a board certified rheumatologist and discuss options for treating/preventing structural damage.

Per an interview in Keyboard magazine, it was a P5 sync patch through a Boss T-Wah pedal.

This! I am at the point in my life where I refuse to waste time playing music that doesn't make me happy or a better player. Like Outkaster, I went back to taking classical piano lessons with an excellent teacher, and have never been happier. Some people prefer to play out in bands, but at this point, solo classical piano and home studio work gives me that overwhelming enjoyment I felt when I initially started playing decades ago, but as always, to each his own.