jeffincltnc
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Posts posted by jeffincltnc
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Also, as ubiquitous as X32s are, all of the new prices are going through the roof given their supply shortages. The one advantage of that XR18 box is not just the combo inputs for my 1/4" jacks, it's that I actually own one that is new in the box and sitting there waiting for me to decide if I want to keep it.
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Chuck, how are you connecting your Nord line outs to the XLRs on the X32, though? I have a preference for combo inputs for all of my keyboards instead of XLR. I will get an 8 channel DI box if I get the Soundcraft, I guess. I have good 1/4" cables for all of my keyboards and I really don't want to re-engineer everything for XLR everything, which is what the X32 inputs are. Do you use adapters or are you doing something more scientific there?
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9 minutes ago, NewImprov said:
We installed a few XR-18’s in venues, and had a number of issues with them, the built-in wi-fi is unreliable, and just had issues with them breaking down, freezing, etc.
Yes, the built in wi fi on the Behringer is known to be useless and whatever I go with, I will have a dedicated external router for mixing.
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11 minutes ago, miden said:
Don't forget the Behringer Flow 8
It gives you four USB channels ( or two stereo channels) ... no multiple IEMs though.
Not relevant to what I am describing here. -
I'm having a hard time making a final selection for a digital mixer to mix on iPad.
My uses:
- Connect my home keyboards and add-ons. Ideally to get between 16-20 inputs at time (1/4" instruments in)
- Live gig mixer for small bands of 3-4 people that is portable and lets me go out front and do some mixing on the iPad.
- IEM mixes for 3-4 piece band
- Recording interface maybe. Not that important, but nice to have.
The candidates (in no particular order, they alphabetical here):
- Allen & Heath QuSB (18 ins, 10 AUX outs, expandable to 32 channels)
- Behringer XR18 (18 ins, 6 AUX outs)
- Presonus 24R (24 in, 12 AUX outs, 40 channel mixer expandable)
- Soundcraft UI24 (10 combo ins, 10 XLR ins, RCA in - really?, 8 Aux outputs)
Each option would also have a rackmount case, a dedicated wi-fi router and a Furman power conditioner in the rack).
The Soundcraft would also have an 8 channel DI box mounted just to deal with the shortage of 1/4" inputs, so that would be a 6U case instead of a 4U case with all of the spaghetting cables.
I own the XR18 now. It's new in the box and nobody can find them anywhere. But I haven't opened it yet. I could sell it in all of 10 minutes on Reverb for retail as long as I am not gouging people on the price. It's also a lot cheaper than the others, so I would have money to buy myself an Xtouch Compact surface with motorized faders and have small tactile control on this as an alternativie to the iPad. Normally I really don't care for Behringer, but the XAir stuff is good. I would have ordered a Midas MR18 instead but they are nowhere to be found.
Looks like there are pros and cons for all of these.
- Allen & Heath has great preamps, but is iPad only (no Android, no connected client)
- Behringer XR18 is cheap and allows the XTouch Compact control via MIDI and they have an affordable headphone mix distributor available for the IEMs.
- Presonus 24R checks all the boxes, a little pricier than the others but in the budget. Not sure about the UC software vs. the other options being easier/harder.
- Soundcraft might have the most bang for the buck here. I wish those 10 XLRs were combo jacks and the RCA ins were 1/4". It is browser based with no app and can connect directly to iPad, Android, PC, Mac, etc. and is probably more future proof than having an app.
My criteria:
- Easy to use
- Sounds good, good preamps
- Good effects - just some good reverb, compressor, delay stuff is probably all I need for small gigs.
- Build quality and reliability - I assume they are all pretty good here
There's a lot of others than I've eliminated or aren't available due to supply issues -- can't get an MR18 or a Mackie DL32S, because they don't exist, so it does me no good to be recommended something that isn't attainable. Everything on this list is attainable, in my budget checks various boxes.
Would love to hear from others who have made this same decision, which you gig with, recommend or don't recommend. All of these products are good at what they do, though.
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Perhaps a Roland RD-88 can be found in this price range and ticks a lot of the boxes. Action is ok, but good enough for a rehearsal room instrument. Easy to operate and find sounds by categories like "piano", "electric piano", "strings", etc.
Maybe a Yamaha MX88 if you want a wider range of sounds for different styles of music. Not the most simple thing and not the best action, but perfectly suitable for a rehearsal room. Durability might be meh because it's plastic, but still checks a lot of boxes at this price range.
Or consider a digital piano like a Casio PX-360 or Roland FP-30 type of instrument which is really more of a piano and someone who wants to come in and the pros who want more sounds out of it can bring a laptop or iPad, which is also pretty common in commercial rehearsal spaces anyway.
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I'm going to be getting my own wireless transmitter/receiver system for the first time (I've used band systems a lot, but never bought my own system).
I'm kind of liking the new Sennheiser XSW IEM system for the money ($599) which is a very simplified and easy to get started package, competes against the Shure PSM300 which has more features but more money, stereo and I like Sennheiser for reliability above the cheaper stuff like XVive and Galaxy Audio... so it checks the boxes.
I don't know how to select a frequency. I haven't found much guidance from Sennheiser as to how to pick a frequency for the system of your choice, and you have to specify from the following models - all at the same price/package:
Frequency range
A 476-500 MHz
B 572-596 MHz
C 662-686 MHz
E 823,2-831,8 MHz
K 925,2-937,3 MHz
What should I be considering at getting the right frequency package? I guess I know that I want to avoid WiFi interference with an iPad based mixing app for my XR18, but other than that, I don't know what those frequencies are to avoid anyway.
The one thing I know about this forum is that someone will have an easy to understand answer for me. (and at least one person will have a PhD in radio frequency physics and give a scientific explanation of what is happening and how interference is created. 🙂. )
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Behringer XAirs are not really available unless you want to pay $1000++ for an XR18 right now. Behringer production on these is ground to very small volume with the current supply chain issues and limited distribution now with Sweetwater. If you ask Sweetwater, they will tell you that you might get one in later this fall or not.
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I only tried the Ravenscroft and the Soundfonts libraries. Just to let you know that bs-16i is an inexpensive app and the soundfonts are free. There are some nice character pianos there. The Ravenscroft also has some nice variations for jazz rather than just a bright piano.
I used to carry an iPad for rehearsals with a Roland FA-07 for portability and the iPad had Ravenscroft, Neo Soul Keys and B3X. I loved the Neo Soul Keys and B3X as upgrades to the internal Roland sounds, but the acoustic piano apps still seemed to be limited in latency and polyphony. My iPad is probably 5 years old now, so I think your new iPad Pro will do much better!
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Soniccouture Clav has a lot of the effects chain presets you are looking for.
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No. I used to get mic'd to record a Rhodes or Hammond/Leslie when I have played on some other people's albums. Now I would just go the all-software route because I think it's a better use of everybody's time, money and satisfaction with the end result.
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They are very different, but I have always been impressed with the versatility of the Summit and it is a very capable synth for all of the reasons Stoklely described above. It is also what I think of as being a very modern sounding synth, and perhaps what he calls "avante garde" is kind of the same thing I am saying too.
So in addition to agreeing with everything Stokely said, I personally do not like the sound of the Curtis filters in the Rev2 so much. I find them to be a little harsh and while it is an excellent synth in its own right, the only thing I can say bad about it is that I really don't care much for the sound of a Prophet. 🙂. But that's not a knock on the instrument, that's what I feel about the character of its sound.
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A lot of references here to QSC but knowing Guitar Center they are pushing CP series and not K series in that price range?
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I never see Crumar boards on the bandstand when I see live music out. I see Nord Electros all the time every weekend.
I also see budget products every weekend like VR-09, MODX, etc. with plastic builds and less expensive components and keybeds.
This forum is where I see most of the Crumar owners/users and less so elsewhere other than their Facebook groups. And that makes sense because the participants here know their ins and outs of the Hammond organ and Rhodes sounds are that they are trying to get.
Crumar could offer a product that a lot more people would buy by building the equivalents of Nord Electros with their soundset, such as a 73 key semi weighted piano/EP/organ all in one that would, as I believe, have a much more convincing sounset than the Nord (and Roland VR-09/730) competitors and they could sell it well below the $3,000 price tag for an Electro 6D 73 with the internals of the Mojo 61. I think a lot more people would explore Crumar and buy this, if Crumar really wanted to grow into a size where they are more substantial than a 2-person company.
I don't think that's their direction and I think of these products as small batch productions that is aimed at a pretty narrow audience of buyers.
The only Crumar product that has ever given me much interest is a GSI product - Gemini modules. Great product there, although no longer for me as I increase my productivity with Mainstage and software.
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3 initial impressions:
1. I think it's ugly
2. I think the piano sounds like it's from the 2000s decade.
3. I don't trust the reliability of Crumar piano products like Seven for frequent gigging.
Other than that, it's great.
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Any new flagships, keyboards, workstations, pianos or synths from Big 3 + Nord.
New mixers, particularly digital mixers for gigging bands (next generation of Behringer XR18 type of products)
Controllers, Live Sound, IEMs
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I know we have had a pandemic and there are supply chain issues impacting parts, labor and distribution.
That being said, I’m rather disappointed in the lack of innovation and new products at NAMM, especially as it has been a while since this annual event has taken place.
Of course, I am talking about keyboards from the manufacturers we all use. But I am also referring to the breadth of products we use to perform.
Seems like NAMM is a big whiff this year after awaiting its return.
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22 minutes ago, Stokely said:
I'm debating the pros and cons of usb-c vs lightning on any new ipad I get as well. Right now the ipad connects directly to the MODX, though I have experimented with using a hub so both my keyboards and talk midi back and forth with the ipad (and with each other if the app can route it). My two top contenders would be a usb-c mini or a lightning standard ipad. Both would be way more powerful than my current 4th gen ipad, which doesn't struggle it must be said.
Yes, I agree. I would use the new iPad as a sound engine for more cores and processing power, and keep my 5 year old iPad, but dedicate its purpose more for chart reading and mixing apps (for a future digital box such as an XR18, etc.). I know the Korg Plug Key is a bit obsolete now that most all devices are no longer using Lightning connector, but it is a nice product for iPads that can still use it.
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17 minutes ago, yannis D said:
I bought the newer ipad 9th gen with lightning out and it worked fine with my Korg Plugkey in a recent rehearsal
Thanks, Yannis! That's great. I'm going to upgrade my 5 year old iPad basic this year. The new models probably come out in September so I'll either get the latest and greatest after the summer, or if they end-of-life the lightning connector on the new iPads I'll just get a 9th gen on clearance. This is perfect.
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Reviving this zombie thread.... I have a 5-year old iPad (basic 5th generation) that I want to swap out for a newer 9th generation. It still uses the Lightning interface and not the USB-C. Is there any reason my Korg Plug Key won't work with a newer "base model" iPad that still uses Lightning connector? I don't have access to one to test here even though it's not listed as a supported device.
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There is a very quick 6 note arpeggio on the keys at the opening of "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" before the guitar part of the intro. Maybe about half a second in duration.
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I just picked up a pair of Yamaha DXR8 MK2 speakers here as well for practice and stage monitors. For all of the same reasons, the EV and K8.2 are hard to find and not in stock at very many places.
The only other options I saw for 8” that were available were QSC CP8 or Alto TS308. They are both good, too. I think the Alto are darn good for the price. But the Yamaha sound excellent to me. I also have a pair of QSC K10.2 that I used as my mains.
For practice, I like that I can toggle between my DXR8s as floor wedges for monitoring or use a pair of Adam Audio 7” monitors at ear level for near field listening.
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I don’t ever see myself gigging with the Fantom 8 due to size and weight. Too much to carry. But the other options are doable too. I’m pretty handy at getting synth sounds down the way I want them in software, sampling them and importing into a Nord Wave 2. It takes work and is not as seamless as the Kronos preset library as a starting point, in my opinion.
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Good points. Just to be clear, I’m definitely keeping my Nord Stage 3 compact, the one I would trade out for the Kronos 2 61 is my Nord Wave 2. I guess these are good decisions to be making. The Wave 2 is very a nice 2nd tier gig synth for sure.
It gives you four USB channels ( or two stereo channels) ... no multiple IEMs though.
Can Motion Sound KP series "compete" with loud drums and guitar amps?
in The Keyboard Corner
Posted
Definitely yes if the gig is playing a lot of Rhodes along with a compact guitar amp like a JC40, it sounds great.
If it's two guitarists dueling it out with their Marshall stacks and a drummer kicking Alex Van Halen double bass drums all night.... well.... you know what my answer is already.