Iconoclast

As a longtime MS user I don't find it any more complicated than my hardware setup. You certainly have the flexibility to make it way more complicated but that's self inflicted.

I need to insert my standard plea for an ambient microphone mix for anyone who uses in-ears. Personally, I think the constant plea to "make sure you get good IEMs" is really because the mix is SOOOO DRY with IEM's that nothing can make it sound really good, especially if you run the guitars direct from a modeller. So consider that if your IEMs sound dry and ear-spiky, blend an ambient mix into your IEM's.

Some of the standards already mentioned: Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, Chick in RTF and the Electric Band, John Lord. But also hugely influenced by Steve Walsh and Kerry Livgren's playing/writing in the first 6-7 Kansas albums And of course, Mrs Portaluppi, a nice old woman who made me learn all the scales and how to tolerate a metronome.

It was 3 years of insanity getting divorced! But that was 20 years ago and it was one of the best things I ever did. I still occasionally have to interact with my ex and every time I see her I'm sooooo happy I'm not married to her.

I saw Kansas tonight and David Manion was playing 4 different Kurz boards and one of them was an Artis. Sounded great from where I was.

Just purchased an OB-6. Should be here on monday. Can't wait!

I'm afraid we will never be friends. One of my faves of all time. There's a lot of room for interpretation/opinion but I find it one of the best produced records of all time. Rarely will you find such huge sounding instruments mixed in a way that somehow left space and breathed. It's one of my favorite records to sound check on the PA at setup. It inspired an ENTIRE GENERATION of drummers. It was almost impossible to get away from them when I first started playing.

I'll echo the early Dream Theater albums. They didn't help me discover Prog but they sure helped me re-discover it. The first 4 DT records are fantastic. I'll admit that I've got nothing for some of their latest efforts though, way to formulaic and very little emotion.

Kansas: Two for the Show. In my mind, the best live album of all time I love yessongs, Tarkus, Brain Salad, but that first listen to Two for the Show really hooked me and I still gravitate back to it.

Thanks, I found it. Roland A-88.

Alright, I'll venture into the fray. I play keys and guitar in a Kansas tribute band that is cleverly named KansAZ (from Phoenix no less!). A semi-live recording of one of our more difficult and proggy songs: we have some more if you're interested. The link to our YT channel is: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNGXFCMnSaAy5Iz0v2f5uGQ View, like, subscribe! And if anyone can tell me how to get youtube's to play within a post please PM me!

FWIW, been divorced for about 18 years. Looking back it's the best thing that ever happened to me. Seemed pretty devastating at the time but not anymore. I was lucky though. I didn't really have any money so she couldn't take anything from me. I ended up with my kids most of the time so we actually ended up closer than before the divorce. After a couple years I met the girl I should have married the first time around. 15 years later we're still happy little kids. My only advice is DON'T JUMP RIGHT BACK INTO A SERIOUS RELATIONSHIP. Date a little and move around (they got this thing called the internet now!) but don't get serious for at least 2 years. AT LEAST. Don't settle, the right person comes around eventually.

Porcupine Tree and Big Wreck

We play that song and I use mainstage. I don't think you need to get too exact for a song like that. A sync lead and a synth strings does the trick for me. I also use an electric piano for parts but that's not in the original recording.

Don't be hatin' on cross fit. As the name implies, it's specifically NOT focused on repeating the same motions. Crossfit has a very loose affiliation so each gym can be very different. Some aren't as good at handling beginners. I travel a lot so I've been to 6 different ones over the last year, some not as good and one that I thought was terrible. However, the one I go to regularly is phenomenal because of the trainers and the clientele and culture. I'm sure to outsiders it might seem cultish, but that's because it's a fantastic gym. There are starting to become many sub groups of crossfit more focused to endurance or football or a more specific avenue. I've been suprised how many olympic athletes lately in the news have been using cross fit. I wish I had a dollar for every out of shape person who tried to shrimp-fork crossfit too me.

Don't let it scare you. That's part of what I love about it is doing all this stuff I would have otherwise been afraid to do. No one expects you to be doing insane ring stuff on day 1. I'm still pretty much limited to dips on the rings. Go try it out. I'm not sayin' it ain't gonna hurt. But it won't kill you, I promise.

Crossfit. Google/map it, go to one of the free or introductory classes. Crossfit gyms are everywhere. Everything in a group and led/supervised by a trainer. Started this in Sept and fitness-wise it's been transformational. I've always worked out and played sports and been in OK shape but I'm 48 yrs old and this has brought me to a level I haven't been at since my 20's. Used to be a distance runner but the payoff vs the pain was getting to be too much. Ironically, since I cut my running way back and started doing crossfit, my times for anything less than 5k have gotten faster. Go figure. Diet: robbwolf.com I also play ice hockey but usually only once a week. The strength I've gained from crossfit has really helped with the schlep!

About 10 years ago I was on a trip to Fairbanks AK in the summer. I decided to go on a run through a forested area. Not really out in the boonies but definitely away from roads. Wanted to do an approx 8mi loop back to my hotel. About 6.5 mi into the run I come upon a Mother Moose with her Calf a couple hundred yards ahead of me. This is a dangerous situation and many people have been trampled to death by Mother Moose in this situation. So I just sat back a long ways and waited for them to move off the dirt road I was on. After about 30-40 minutes I realized they weren't going anywhere and I wasn't going to risk trying to pass them. I didn't know how to get back to the hotel except by reversing my route. Turning my 8 mi run into a 13 mi or so run/walk.

That's a pretty fast 5k. I've always considered a 5k to be 3.2mi but I just looked it up and 3.1 is closer to correct. Looks like I've been running an extra tenth for years! Regardless I couldn't beat 21.02. More like 24-25 for me. My workout this morning incorporated 10m shuttles and 100m shuttles between other anerobic elements. I've been working out like mad but haven't really had the weather to do any good distances. Hoping to get a 3-4 miler in sometime this week if the springlike conditions hold.

I'm a crossfitter and only do distance running a couple times a month now. Maybe 3-4 times a month I'll do 3-4 miles. Last week I thought I'd try something I hadn't tried in years: Run a one mile flat out for time. 6:55 which is probably the best I've run since my late 20's. I took a three minute rest and ran a second mile at 7:30. I bring this up becuase my 3-4 mi times have been going down by doing shorter more intense workouts. I have way less running injuries this way. For some of you older guys nursing injuries, I'd recommend this approach. Hit it harder, just not for as long. A really intense workout only needs to be 8-15 minutes long to have effect.

I used to be much more of a pure runner than I am now. Used to log 3x3-6mi runs a week. In Sept I joined a crossfit gym and started running way less. Crossfit workouts frequently work in many shorter runs (400-800M) interspersed in a workout. For example todays workout had 4 seperate 400M runs. One of the points of the crossfit program is to get away from repetetive workouts and injury and to increase your core stregth. As a result my run times at everything less than 5mi have gone down! I'm actually faster by running less. My 4mi last week was 34minutes. My 3mi is 23:50. My 800M is 3:05. I'm 47 and these are speeds I used to run 20 years ago. My point is, there's much more to running than just running. I highly recommend the crossfit or crossfit endurance training program to anyone for any level of fitness. Google and youtube as required, there's plenty of information on crossfit out there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZdp59yyG0M&feature=relmfu