Doug Robinson

Dn't get me wrong--some of my favorite gigs have been with an acoustic piano and a sensitive trio. But if you need to project to the back of the room, or if your drummer is a tad heavy-handed then like Reeze says you end up playing without the kind of nuance we all love from an AP in the first place.

I'm still waiting for tim's cinco de mayo sorority gig photos. As for recreating the "sound of an AP in a room? In many situations, that would simply mean you can't really hear it well in a band context. The minute you amplify a piano, the only remaining benefit of it being an AP is for the player, imo. The audience isn't hearing the piano so much as the sound system's interpretation of it.

My answer is slightly different--I prefer a more natural stage sound as a monitor--when I've used the SS3 in that manner, I can hear my keys in the context of hearing the band acoustically, and so can the other players. I hardly ever put my keys in their monitors because I don't have to in order to be heard onstage.

FWIW I just played a piano trio gig in a large new restaurant (Maybe 1500 square feet) with my PX5s and the SS. I forgot my stand--been a while since I gigged and I forgot a bunch of stuff!--but the SS was more than enough. Played softly at times and powerfully at times. Still would like a slightly brighter sound from the AP on the Casio but I'm working on it.

Fwiw that's how I set up 90% of the time, horizontally on an amp stand.

I think the banning of Aspen is a drag. I love this forum and I totally appreciate your efforts, Dave. But Aspen's presence and perspective have been important factors for me as well. I hope you can find it in your heart to make it a temporary ban, and that he will stick to forum rules in case you let him back.

Well, the demo I heard was playing Steely Dan's Babylon sisters through the small one, and then switching it over to the big one. It was fascinating, the same spacious sound only much bigger and more accurate I'd say. I was optimistic about the potential for acoustic piano sounds.

I heard it yesterday. It is the sound of the little one, but far fuller and fleshed out. It was fantastic. The weight will be a stopper for some, I'm sure. But if you've got guys to help you I can't imagine a better solution for projecting three dimensional keyboard sound.

Here's something really different form me: co-composed with Keli Marks who programmed the repeating chordal pattern which begins at 1:10 after my synth intro, and then it's mostly a vehicle for my piano solo played on Ivory's Italian Grand. Very little editing done to the solo (which I'm proud of), just cleaned up one or two double notes. I FORGOT MY LIFE https://soundcloud.com/jazzooo/16-i-forgot-my-life

Nice, Mitch. Here is an original ballad with my trio, recorded live in a concert two weeks ago:

+1 on Aspen's helpful attitude in troubleshooting and problem solving.

Man, it's hard to go backmy SS3 has developed a terrible distortion--could be a blown speaker, could be electronic. I'm talking with Aspen about it but at the moment I have to go back to using my little Fender Passport, which I always thought sounded good. Last night was like someone threw water in my face--I couldn't find the right place to put both speakers so that the band, the audience and I could all hear my SK1 perfectly. In the end, I had little doubt that it sounded good to the audience; I think the band could hear me ok, at least one speaker's worth. But I kept feeling like I had to crank it up louder to get the satisfying experience of really hearing what I was playing. I'm so spoiled by having the SS3 behind me, and everyone hearing me well.

Anyone have a schematic of the SS3 they can email to me asap? Thanks! Jazzooo @ aol dot com

Thanks, Pa--I called and got transferred to Ray in tech support but got voicemail, only to be told his box was full. Dialed 0 as instructed and got a recording for "parts ordering."

HELP! My SK1 73 has developed--overnight--distortion on all organ patches from about the G above middle C on down, getting louder and more unmusical as it descends. I swapped cables, no change. I unplugged my Yamaha expression pedal, no change. I turned off the 'drive' and though everything was softer, the same distortion was still there. Played my Casio through the same amp, no problem. Can't call Hammond as they don't publish a support # on their site. Can't send them a report as they need the serial number and the axe is at the gig, waiting for me.

Shadowman, far be it from me to discourage buying more gear, but if the SS3 is new for you then I suggest waiting, tweaking and getting used to the sound first. my first impression in a rehearsal was very different from my second impression and my third impression--it takes time to fiddle with the EQ and positioning to find your optimal setup. At that point, of course if you feel strongly about getting a sub or a bass amp, go for it. But I've been gigging nonstop with rocking' blues bands and while I used a bass amp at first I realized it really wasn't necessary.

It's the only way to have the experience, Synth. Do remember this: there is an adjustment period, where you tweak it (positioning mostly) to sound best to you and also rethink your relationship to 'volume.' Sounds impossible, but the amp projects--surrounds is more accurate--without actually being as loud as you're probably used to. I was constantly wondering if I was loud enough and sneaking my volume up only to get the feedback from the band that they were hearing me perfectly well before. Then I realized that I had been hearing myself well too, just worrying about the others.

Well, I'm coming up on my first full year of using the Space Station and I have to say that 40 lbs isn't a lot or weight for the sound coverage, but it also isn't a tiny amount! I've schlepped this thing in and out of my car, onto and off of stages and into my house and then back out 2-4 times a week for the most part and I've taken to paying a kid to help me load and unload my car for the past few weeks. Much better

Hang on there: "Has anyone run any keyboard bass/drums thru it in a MIDI mix? I currently use a Fender Passport 250 Deluxe (1st Gen/Bose) for very small, quiet gigs, in stereo, and it handles bass/drums fine at that low volume. But I'd like to replace it with an SS3." For very small, quiet gigs'? It will be as good if not better than the Passport, which I used to use myself. If you were kicking bass in an organ trio that played with some fire, then it would be a different story--you'd add a bass amp or a subwoofer. But for what you described I think it would work perfectly, actually.

Sorry to hear you're going through this. I hope my story will not bug you, and hopefully it will budge your perspective a tad now and then as you go through the worst of it. I was married 25 years, a truly excellent relationship. I basically lost my mind at 55 and felt an uncontrollable urge to flee. We talked, we went to therapy, but in the end decided it was better to part as friends. I did a dumb thing and got right into a new relationship. It was crazy passionate and exciting, but she was all wrong for me. Lots of breakups and get-back-togethers. My ex and I toyed with the idea of reuniting during one of the breakups but didn't do it. 2.5 years later, I finally gave up on the new relationship. My ex had found a great guy. We stayed as close as we could and then tragically she caught cancer and passed away. Before that happened, however, a friend introduced me to the right new partner. She and I have been together for almost 2 years now and in fact just returned from Vegas last night, where we got legally married! Big ceremony will happen in Feb but this love--completely unexpected and out of the blue--feels just right. It can happen, and it probably will but not when you're looking for it. In the meantime, I wish you peace and good music--my playing really took off when I was suffering the worst!

I just wrapped up the most grueling gig schedule I've had since I was a kid. For some of you, it would be normal and maybe even light, but since I was also the organizer/leader/arranger of all but one of these, in addition to having to play and be brilliant it was heavy duty for me. I used my SpaceStation in a variety of settings--first was the big theater here with 400 seats, my concert with pianist Don Grusin (I played my Casio PX5s and on one song an electric upright bass through the SS3, which sent a line out to the house). There were three of us onstage and none of us needed the Casio in the stage monitors as everyone could hear it perfectly from my SS3. Granted, it was fairly delicate stuff--acoustic piano, keyboard and vocal. Next a restaurant gig with a blues band, with my Hammond SK1. Perfect. Next a club, with the same blues band--perfect again. Different kind of crowd and we all played louder than the night before. I never got the kind of applause after my organ solos before I had the SS3--that sounds like hype but it's true. I think the audience feels the sound differently, because it's the same axe and the same chops but really gratifying crowd response. Next it was a new organ trio in a new restaurant, just Hammond and SS3. Perfect balance. Then NYE, a crappy pickup band and a restaurant crowd that resembled an oil painting for the first 2 sets. I plugged two mics into a small mixer and amplified a vocalist and an acoustic piano as well as ran my Hammond through the SS3. Rough night, my inspiration was down to about 3%. Finally got people up and dancing at the end. Then Friday night, a private rooftop goodbye for 12 guests at a local b and b. This was the most fun, all decent cats. I heard my keys bouncing off the neighboring buildings and everything sounded fine and fat and funky. I have never enjoyed a keyboard rig more than this one: the SS3, the SK1 and the PX5s. I usually use only one of the keyboards but have brought both occasionally and dug that too. I'm in and out quicker than everyone but the drummer. And so far I haven't encountered a type of music where I felt the SS3 was lacking. Every time there is a keyboard player in the audience, I get mad props for my sound and I know I've sold at least 2 units in the last month.

That was Ray anderson? Wow, I just thought it was someone influenced by him! He's a trip. Loved his pocket brass band with the late lew solof.

I really shouldn't be posting this video, because the sound distorts--bad cameraman. Trying to sort out the wav files now, but probably hopeless. THAT HAVING BEEN SAIDit's really pretty cool. Don Grusin on piano; Iraida Noriega on voice, Rick Shlosser on shaker and me on snare. Little Drummer Boy, from my concert Thursday night! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KowMYiGeE_4&feature=youtu.be

Thanks, Dave--listening to your 'Kings" right now--way to take it out there! I'm glad to talk to someone who recognizes the loss of Dave Carpenter. I've played with great bassists before but he was something special, really on it, empathetic, an amazing listener. Made me feel like I was the best pianist and arranger he'd ever worked with which of course I wasn't!

Here is my arrangement of We Three Kings, from an album I did with drummer Peter Erskine, bassist Dave Carpenter (RIP) and saxophonist Bob Sheppard: https://soundcloud.com/dougrobinson/we-three-kings