allan_evett

Common sense is rare, apparently... Many people do take of their pets, and surroundings; but a few miscreants spoil it for others. It's been my understanding that hotels, short/long term rentals need to see certification for service animals to allow pets - when no-pet policies are in place. I guess too many are taking advantage. We find lodging that allows pets for free, or for a small fee. My avatar critter could definitely pass as a service animal (she loves everybody), but her 'brother' would definitely not

Fun! Now what I want to see is: All 'Everybody Loves Raymond' intros transcribed.

I'd be all over this if it was available as an AU/VST for non-Montage owners. I'm a former Montage/MODX user; and while my CK88 is fine for stage work, it'd be great to have access to the extensive sounds and editing features from AWM history - and beyond. I've experimented with various versions of Halion Sonic over the past decade or so - trying it on a couple different Macs, but it's been somewhat messy: lots of issues with Steinberg's USB drivers and eLicensing. Lots of Motif/Montage history there, but it's never really worked smoothly here.

Thanks, dB! I just checked out their site. I'm looking to replace a slightly underpowered pair of small, budget monitors in my teaching studio. The LP-UNF pair look to be a perfect upgrade for the space.

The overhead 'drone' view made me think of an old, Twilight Zone episode.

For church masses on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning: Steinway Model M grand. For gigging: Depending on the gig/rig size, either Yamaha CK88 or Nord Stage 4; sometimes both. And then depending on the song and/or mix of players: Yamaha CFX or S700 Preset, or Nord Imperial or Italian grand. I’ve created about a half dozen of so patches based on those tones - lots of EQ and FX variations.

I bought this Yamaha CS-50 in mid-1979. Though I sold it in the late 1980s, it eventually found me again. This photo is from 2015, around the time it finally found a permanent home with a collector out in Colorado. I first saw a CS-50 in early 1979. A fellow keyboardist gave me a generous tour of his CS-50, and I was enamored with all the sounds - and the colorful front panel too! Other than playing a bandleader's Arp monosynth, my exposure to synths had been limited up to that point. Having access to 4-voice polyphony was a lot of fun, and I remember getting a lot of mileage from the ring modulator section; lots of 'special sauce' there.

Big Roy Bittan fan here as well. Though your knowledge of his live playing with the E Street Band is much deeper than mine; my similar passion being the live piano work on Lyle Lovett and His Large Band tours, from 2004 til now. While his work with Bruce and Co. inspires me every time I hear recordings (live and studio), Roy's piano playing on Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell 2 is riveting - especially, "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)".

I came into music with certain 'leanings' burned in. I remember that back in 4th grade - after a little over two years of lessons - I could improvise a bit in a flowing, romantic era style of playing. Nothing fancy, but it just seemed natural - like something I had done in a previous life, so to speak. Fast forward to college years: I created a somewhat convoluted path to finishing a degree that reflected a majority of hours in music (Thank you, Columbia College!). The idea of being a piano major (or even traditional music school major) scared the BeeGees out of me. Juries? Run like hell, and I did! I've ended up covering, and occasionally faking my way through a lot of styles over the past 45 years; and likely going into some blind alleys I had no business being in . Rock/Pop, Blues, R&B, folk/alternative acoustic are styles I've managed to assimilate, to a greater or lesser degree individually. And covering multi-keys parts has developed along with that. Reggae and world beat material I've somewhat manage to fake my way through, though I'd have to live within that world/groove to get a real clue... I do strongly connect with Moonglow's observation about being asked to cover all the recorded keys parts, live... I ran into that absurdity when playing with a couple of country bands: "Uh, could you cover the piano and B3 part?". Okay, that can work. "Then there is that solo violin on the bridge.". Okay, think I can grab that short part. "Oh, but there's that banjo riff that happens throughout, and also a cool steel guitar line between the 2nd verse and bridge, and that full string orchestra on the final chorus.". Let me work on growing third and fourth arms, and in the meantime you can buy a backing track. Jason, I relate well to you about being a straight ahead jazz player. I can reasonably play cocktail piano, and there have been years when I've covered bunches of 'wallpaper' gigs, but hardcore, angular jazz? Well... I've worked through some crazy charts and sort of survived, but there are a lot of jazz players for whom I'd quickly vacate the bench. During the pandemic I did several group and a couple private online lessons with Matt Rollings. His evaluations and guidance echoed much of what Peter Saltzman - a fellow Chicago-area piano/keys guy with whom I shared a dual-keys band gig - observed. I still need work on seeing 'blocks', vs. 'flowing' lines. Seeing advanced 'block' voicings (beyond basic shells) and moving them efficiently (especially chromatically) is my Achilles Heel in Jazz playing. And the last lesson material Matt left me with focused on bee-bop lines and chromatic approaches - another Achilles Heel. I just started checking out a YT video about advanced chord substitutions. Some fun sounding ideas there!

I started reading this thread shortly after juggling a Time Machine back-up from my 2012 MacBook Pro to a Macally FireWire800/USB 2.0 portable HD. This 2012 MBP is still operating well (I use it in a private lesson space), though it's been 'hot-rodded' a bit: 1 TB Internal HD and maxed-out operating RAM. But apparently now the Time Machine back-up exceeds the Macally drives capacity. So, got to sort that out now. Late last month my computer guru nephew discovered a way to run Ventura on this mid-2012 MBP, so I could run Logic Pro X 10.8 on it. That way my M2 Mac Mini and apparently 'ancient' MBP could swap Projects, etc. I used a basic, PreSonus FW interface back around 2010; then switched over to USB-based interfaces after that. But I can understand the frustration that high-end FW interface users feel after this announcement by Apple. It's aggravating to have a stable, working studio space - with no small amount of investment - then have Core Audio connectivity discontinued.

Early DX7 owner here; sold mine in the early 90s. Though I played the often overused EP sound (so much cover material essentially required that), I bought some 3rd-party sounds that emulated Wurlitzer EP and even acoustic piano capably (for the time, anyway...). It sure beat hauling extremely heavy hardware to gigs. Except for rock gigs - especially with a long-term originals act, I left my CP70 in a friend's studio. My jobbing rig for several years was a DX7 with a Korg DW-8000 above. I preferred the DW for synth leads, strings, brassy stabs and so forth. And there were a handful of songs on which the DW's EP sound had more soul and warmth, at least to my ears. I was enamored by the 'doubled-up' sound capabilities of the DX7 II FD, but by that time had started using a 76-key Roland JX-10 on the bottom tier - MIDI'ing that to a Yamaha TX-1P piano module (which I still own). So I opted for a TX802, and ran it through Lexicon LXP1 and LXP5 effects modules. It was my much-simpler version of the TX816 rack system run through higher-end Lexicon gear, something that I'd seen popping up in Chicago A-list session player's rigs. Still sounded great though; and I kept that combination til at least 2006. Got some insanely big sounds layering the TX802 with the JX-10, and later with a Roland MKS-80 (Super Jupiter module) and Emu Proteus rack - among other goodies. It was truly the age of massive gear, between stacks of keyboards and racks that almost looked like telephone booths. But moving forward 20+ years, I recall when Tears for Fears went out on tour, a decade or so ago. Cj Vanston - a former 1980's Chicago session guy who was super helpful to me in learning synths - got the call to cover keys. Many of us were curious as to the contents of the gear rack(s) he might be taking out for that gig. IIRC, the rig turned out to be a Yamaha S90ES and Korg CX-3, both running into a pair of MacBook Pros that were set up to be virtual racks (via MainStage).

Just updated my MiniFreak and started exploring what's new. I call this one my little synth that sounds anything but little. It's quite the monster! I'd be sorely tempted by a full-sized keys 'Freak, though the medical bills - even with decent health health insurance - will likely curtail any GAS ventures for at least the first half of 2024 . Meanwhile it's fun to have the wavetable engine onboard - among lots of other goodies. Have been missing that since selling my MicroFreak.

This is from early 1980, at a band rehearsal. It's somewhere in Ohio; I was on the back half of an almost year long road gig with a top-40/variety band. Bottom-to-top: RMI, Rhodes Mk 1 73, Yamaha CS-50. I owned the CS-50, the company owned the rest - including a not-pictured Yamaha YC drawbar organ and Leslie 760. I also added a CP-70, shortly after that photo was taken. We hauled a lot of gear that year...

Back in the early-to-mid 1990s I schlepped a Fatar Studio 1100R (with Yamaha P50 module on it), O1-W Pro, and sometimes an OB-Xa 8-voice. Ofen an original DX7 made it into the rig as well; so double stack, L-shaped craziness. The OB was a beast in its Anvil case. The others were in hardshell ATA cases, so not super-light either. Though I started limiting my live rig to two keyboards around 2001 (sometimes with a module or two), a Kurzweil K2500XS was briefly a part of that; then it stayed home for good, until being sold around 2008. With some variations between then and now, I pretty much stick with one or two 'boards live. And the current rig is downright svelte: A CK88 and Stage 4 Compact. My Fantom 7 now seems massive, in comparison. And this past Saturday I went strictly wih the Stage 4 Compact. Though I can still lift reaonably well, I have felt slightly off balance, post-stroke, mostly due to the drug combination I'm on. So Stage 4 Compact it was, along with a small, powered Mackie cabinet. Wish I'd brought my powered EV wedge though; it's not much heavier. I was in reasonable shape for years, though not in the work-out level of shape I used to be in. Along with some highly recommended dietary changes, I've started fast walking again. Have been taking the dogs on long walks, then dropping them at home and doing a round of fast walking - but building back up carefully. Want to also work back into resistance training; the free YMCA membership I can get through Medicare Advantage will help with that. While I'm not planning extensive dual-gig weekends with country bar bands again, I'd still like to gig out again a few times a month, and be able to move a light-to-medium weight rig on my own.

Well, this has been weird. Early morning, October 20, I fell out in the hallway next to my home studio. I'd been awake a short while, feeling somewhat 'off'. My wife suggested a hospital trip, but I thought it was an anxiety attack. And that's the last thing I remember...Until fully coming to during the the ambulance ride to the ER at South Bend Memorial Hospital - which has an outstanding neurological staff. I vaguely recall the Dr. at our local ER choosing to send me there, apparently due to the possibility of surgery. None was needed, as the brain bleed began to re-absorb and heal. I did spend four days in South Bend though: lots of testing, poking and prodding, etc., and a well-guided start to recovery. After effects have been amazingly minimal, though energy levels are still returning. I do wear corrective lenses - for long distance blended with close-up magnification, and I did notice some slight vision impact at first, but that has been correcting by itself - though an eye Dr. appointment is due, and planned. I went back to my church accompanying gig right away - one mass per week at first, but will be back to all three right after the US Thanksgiving week. Teaching has been entirely virtual for a few weeks, but I will be going back to the studio in-person - starting the last week in November. The state of Indiana issues an immediate 6-mo driving restriction in cases like mine, so my general physician and neuro team will be consulting to eventually approve driving. Meanwhile my wife's very flexible work schedule and awesome boss will allow for her to drive me to most of my work. So I had a hemorrhagic stroke, with an apparent accompanying seizure; the 'smoking gun' being high blood pressure. While I'd been diagnosed with that approx. 25 years previous, the meds given then caused extreme hypotension (all but passing out when rising from a seated position). My doctor at the time suggested naturally controlling BP - supplementing calcium/magnesium, eating potassium rich foods... I 'rode' with that idea for close to three decades; meanwhile BP climbed back up, which I chose to ignore... But as my wife stated at the hospital, " Your days of blood pressure denial are now over ". Meanwhile, lots of follow-up well into next year and new drugs! Last week's CT scan was good, but they want to do a follow-up MRI (which I'd had at the hospital) in two months - to assure that there aren't any co-causes lurking in my brain. The neurosurgeon explained that while there was no sign of a major disturbance, i.e. expanding mass, there was a very-unlikely possibility of a small cyst/tumor lurking - and if so they'd want to address it right away. I told them this triggered the hypochondria of my youth, but they assured me they were all but certain the cause was high blood pressure. I have a buddy who survived cancer in his brain, and he's been a big help in squelching my resulting nervousness. Lotsa helpful knowledge there! Takeaway from all this: Watch. Your. Blood. Pressure. I'm very fortunate to have survived with very little affectation. The stroke happened in the left side of my brain, which could've seriously impacted playing keys. The guitarist I worked with this past Saturday had a major stroke several years back; it severely damage his right side mobility and function. He had to re-learn a lot, and did months of inpatient and outpatient therapy. He called me, 'very lucky'. I agree!

Good advice! I spent too much energy and time looking for deeper, drawbar 'secrets'; a few notes on simple settings did help at first, though. Finally started using my ears when the singer/songwriter on an album date started 'digging in' with me on a few drawbar organ parts. I hadn't yet done a session on a drawbar organ, but there was a BC/Leslie 147 in the studio and the guy thought it would be fun to add a few organ parts around the piano tracks I'd done. The experiment stretched my ears in a very good way, and got me another date at that studio. Learned a lot about the Hammond BC variant from the owner/engineer as well. From what I understood, the metal push/pull bar makes use of a second set of de-tuned tonewheels that would match the drawbar, C/V and percussion choices, but create chorusing. From that session, 677612123 has become one of my starting points for clonewheel use. I normally tweak the top three, plus varying uses of percussion and C/V. Though pulling back the top five or six is a useful diversion from going with 888000000 or 888800000. Here's an mp3 of a brief solo on the BC from that session, using 677612123. Can't recall the other settings I used, as it was done in 1996. First 10 or so seconds, then the rest is a rough home-studio Demo-B3_Up North 21.mp3 original idea from the same era.

I am pleased, as well. Earlier this year, it initially appeared to be a Stage upgrade I would pass on, but after further study I began to see the benefits of having a Stage 4. I haven’t taken my Stage 4 Compact out yet, but it will be a strong complement to my CK88. A big thanks goes to RedKey and Moonglow for insight and guidance in this process!

This is likely where I'm headed with Korg. I like their approach to software products, vs the Roland subscription model. I've been paring down Yamaha and Roland hardware, one each now; Korg will become software once my Nautilus 61 sells.

I've been teaching private lessons since the late 1980s; almost full-time to minimal part-time. In the mid-1990s I came off the road from a barely surviving county act, and started teaching again. I quickly acquired several students, and began to implement some alternative approaches to teaching. One adult student mentioned that he was intrigued with resuming lessons because of a line in my ad, "Lessons tailored to the individual". Though he wanted to re-develop technique he also wanted practical theory: chords/voicings, and basic improv - so that he could play in a band, accompanying himself singing, maybe even learn some jazz standards. The above has repeated itself many times since, though with even greater musical diversity. A recent student - who just left to attend an out-of-state university - was assigned to me in early 2022. He wanted to learn basic note reading plus a better understanding of chords. He was trying to figure out what exactly he was playing when recording in FL Studio, and also wanted some insights into his beat making. He was a little skeptical of the student-teacher fit, as my experience with beats is minimal. But by listening and using overall production knowledge, I was able to help him somewhat; also learned a lot. Still, I want to delve much deeper into beat-based writing and production. My original ideas seem so plain, and redundant now; outside influences-styles are badly needed. Would be awesome to find a collaborator in the style of DJ Pain 1. Most of my students have highly diverse playlists, and I teach a lot in the age range of 6 to 25; beats to Bach, to Zeppelin... I was wrapping up my space the other night and checked in with the last teacher in the building. His guitar student - who looked to be perhaps 12 - was learning "Go Insane", by Lindsey Buckingham. So much for stereotypes...

It varies, between the two brands. I have a NS3, 76 and a Fantom 7. While the NS3's single-layer sample setup is limiting, I've been able to get a suprising amount of depth by layering/splitting the A/B choices of the piano/EM keys, synth and organ sections. And if the gig requires more I can add another instrument. I like the VA sounds of each instrument, though the NS3 can sound more 'oily' and 'Moogish' to my ears. The Nord A1 ladder filter model is quite good. OTOH, the Fantom has some gorgeous and rich tones; the vintage Roland 4-pole filter model was very well done. And it's a plus that the Fantom 7 has real analog filter as an FX chain option; the Fantom 0 series does not. None of the Fantom 0's have aftertouch, but the aftertouch in the full-blown Fantom is frankly awful. Since you have a Nord Lead A1 and want to expand sound options, I feel you'd be thrilled with a Nord Wave 2. After borrowing RedKey's Wave 2 for a few days, I was sorely tempted by it; still am. Sometimes I want to condense my bigger Roland and Korg gear into a Wave 2; or 'super-condense' more gear into a Stage 4. As you do with the Lead A1, the even smaller footprint is very appealing to me.

Too fun! Must watch the rest of these...

Agreed, and I've covered much of the analog 'vibe' with some ROMpler tones, though mostly models now. There is something 'extra' to having analog filters though. My favorite 'missed opportunity' was passing on a good deal for a Prophet 12, back in 2014. Having an Arturia MiniFreak does help to scratch that itch, though I'm not thrilled by the mini keys. Digging the aftertouch though, which ironically is a vast improvement over that of the Fantom 7. I had considered the Take 5 and others, but am now dreaming of a full-size keys PolyFreak. Between the coverage I already have, and how badly Korg has bungled the Nautilus AT issue, I'm strongly considering offloading my Nautilus 61 and banking the $$ toward an eventual PolyFreak.

The Jimmy Buffett tribute act I've been a part of since 2017 just started picking up fall and winter dates; in the past it's been normally a late-spring through summer gig. I'd been on a hiatus of sorts this past year, as several of the dates involved a lot of distant midwest travel; and my accompanying gig had ramped up a lot this past spring. I've missed the tribute band though; JB's music is so much fun to play. Meanwhile the keyboardist who's covered most of the gigs lately is getting busy with other productions, so we'll be splitting up the recently arrived gigs for now. And the band is looking forward to keeping the party going that Jimmy Buffett started many years ago.

Harold and Maude, 1971. A dark comedy that ultimately makes a point... Now a cult classic. Waiting for the Light, 1979. Quirky little comedy set in the early 1960s. Did make me think a bit, due to a tie-in with the Cuban Missile Crisis. So a moving twist, in that I was one of many kids then who were clueless about how close we came to extreme disaster.

Derek Caruso and the Blues Fuse. Keys guy is TJ Jenkins, out of Gary, IN. Heavy church music background…