Sam Mullins

That makes sense. Thanks!

Not talking about the AI generated stuff. just the sounds. I can use the sounds in Logic like any other instrument plugin and would like to do same in Mainstage. But perhaps they are inextricably linked to underlying AI hooks and can’t be supported (at least yet) in MainStage. Not critical for me; got plenty of sounds but just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing something.

Did a google search and didn't find anything on this. I don't see the new Logic Session Piano and Session Bass instruments in Mainstage. I assume I should. Does anyone see them in Mainstage? Do I need to do some magic refresh somewhere in Mainstage?

I enjoyed it a lot although the focus starts more with the music and increasingly is on politics and business shenanigans as it goes on. Obviously those things are important historically and as part of the story of Stax. But no William Bell? No mention of the failure in promoting one of the most influential non-soul acts Big Star. Would have liked more coverage of the actual music. But still worthwhile

Yeah that’s what i was watching and would occasionally see it get into bad territory.

Whether memory is an issue really depends on your use case. I typically do 3 hour-long sets and that's about 40 songs. If I was just using a moderate number of standard sounds in a few configurations, then I could do this all in one Concert and have no memory issues. But on any given night, a good chunk of the 40 have lots of splits and soft synths, etc. When I tried to do that all in one Concert, it was always pushing the memory limits. Mac OS does some magic in the background so it's never very clear if you are actually going to have problems. But I don't risk it and always put each set in it's own Concert. It's possible I'm sweating this unnecessarily. I wish Mainstage did what Camelot Pro does on the iPad; give you the option of loading/unloading the soft synths on each song change (to reduce memory consumption at any one time.) It would be fine with me to have 15-20 second loading delay between songs. The mainstage model is more like what I expect is required for musical theatre work; lots of scene changes with new sounds and no flexibility on loading time. Still it would be nice the have the option to swap in/out or not.

I use a Mac Mini M1 with 16GB and 512GB. I wouldn't recommend less memory or hard disk. The M1 is plenty of CPU for running Mainstage with lots of plugins. If it's a money tradeoff between getting more memory vs. M2, opt for the memory. I know you may not want a Mini; I am using it because i already had it for Logic at home studio when I decided to start using Mainstage live. Obviously a little more hassle live than a macbook since you need external monitor and keyboard/house (which you might have already) I use a 15" cheap monitor driven by a single USB-C cable and a wireless keyboard/mousepad. So not too bad for setup and it has one clear advantage: I can use a keyboard stand tablet holder for the monitor and have it right in front of me (I have chords/lyric hints in Mainstage programs). Easier to deal with than mounting a laptop or putting it off to the side.

I have a cheap Arzopa 15" monitor that runs off single USB-C (with power) and a small logitech wirelesss keyboard with built-in mouse pad. More setup than a mac laptop but in some ways better; it lets me easily mount the screen above my keyboards using a tablet holder. I'm using Mainstage and display chord charts/lyrics so having it right in front of me is best.

62. Duo act and I also bring PA. Keyboard rig: - CK88 (road case) - Arturia Keylab 61 (soft case) - Mac-mini PA: - 2 QSC K10-2 PA speakers - soundcraft notepad mixer - A couple bags with cables/mics/stands Everything fits in cart except CK 88 so two trips from car. Setup is 45-60 minutes. We also occasionally do a reduced setup in small spaces: - CK88 - JBL EON Compact One in a bag with all needed cables (has built-in mixer and is only speaker for 2 vocals, guitar and CK88) - keyboard stand One trip without cart: big compromise in sounds and sound quality but gotta love the 5 minute setup! What I would really like is something like a stereo version of the Mackie Showbox with an optional satellite powered speaker for stereo. Would have some of the advantages of my small setup but be stereo. I guess the Yamaha stagepas is close with passive speakers.

Last year I went from: Stage 3(road case)/Kronos 61(road case): 117 lbs TO CK88 (road case)/Arturia Keylab 61 (soft case)/Mac-Mainstage: 67 lbs I had been using the Stage 2-3/Kronos rig for six years and it really fit all my needs and was super reliable. No complaints except weight. So I was nervous about the change. But no regrets.

Yard Act Waxahatchee Do I get the schizophrenic taste award for the day?

If your point is that there is plenty of crap in the world, then I can't argue. OTOH, if you are saying there isn't great stuff being made on synths these days, then rather than pointing out specific examples, I'll just say that there are 8 billion people in the world, with more access to musical production tools at a cheaper price than any time in history and it is highly improbable that we've encountered some sudden drought in human creativity and that great stuff isn't being produced every day. Finding it is another issue....

Favorites by category Host: camelot pro Piano: Ivory in Module Pro (prefer it over Ravenscroft) Epiano: Neo-Soul Keys Organ: B-3x Synth: arturia iSEM ROMpler replacement: Pure Synth (but I think this is the category where the iPad falls shortest and the main reason I switched to mac/mainstage for live)

Is it perfect, of course not. But really an amazing achievement for the price. Lots of “pro features” not available on similarly priced consumer models.

BTW, just noticed that Casio must have a manufacturer-sponsored sale on CT-S1000V (CT-S500 + vocal synthesis engine); the US online stores have it $100 off through the end of the month, making it $10 cheaper than the CT-S500. Of course, you have to put up with the ugly red areas (IMO) on the panel; too bad because I think the CT-S500 is pretty nice looking for a budget keyboard.

I would add that although the main keyboard sounds (piano, e-piano) are better on the CK, there are categories of sounds that are better on the Casio, e.g. electric bass.

Another vote for CT-S500. Great couch keyboard with enough pro options (1/4” outputs, volume pedal, multi effects, splits, etc) and very good sounds that you really could get through a lot of gigs with it. Also the best unweighted “compromise” key action for playing piano that i have used on any keyboard regardless of price. (Note that this is a different consideration than best pure unweighted keyboard for non-piano …which I would probably give to something like Kronos 61). The best $350 I’ve spent.

I will say that my use case is mostly set at sound check and only occasionally tweak between songs. So the adjust on the fly issue you cite isn’t as much an issue for me…but may be for others.

I’ve had good luck with mine. Decent sounding, small footprint and the right set of features for my duo use case (two vocal mics, guitar, two keyboards, stereo mains, one monitor).

Those are three great ones. I find Steve in particular to be endlessly inventive. You could take the guitar tracks off of Get Happy and still have a great record.

For sure, it’s a bit out of control…Caitlin Cam and all; like Tiger Woods coverage on golf used to be. That’s the media for you.

And another one from 2011: old thread on taping over brand name

Which is your prerogative as Cyclone fan I grew up about 40 miles from Ames and went to Cyclone football/basketball games on a semi-regular basis back then. Love watching the Cyclone Bball team play defense (a term we aren't familiar with for Hawkeye basketball )

They are a lot of fun. I go to a few a year. As a 30 year season ticket holder for the football team, I also find it a refreshingly different crowd...far less drunk bros, lots more screaming grandmothers and adoring grade school girls. My son, his wife and daughter have mid-court season tickets and couldn't make it to a recent game; with the jacked up secondary ticket prices they basically paid for the entire season a couple times over by selling one game. Quite the phenomenon, not just here but everywhere she plays.

Need 8 to break record. How bout 49 for the hell of it. And 13 assists. Something else.