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mauriziodececco

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Posts posted by mauriziodececco

    Cubase SX3 anyone ?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    No, i do not have a Cubase license anymore (just a Cubase Element license, but that do not give you right to runnning sx3).

     

    Anyway, i am on a Mac, and SX3 would not run after Snow Leopard (or the following one), after Apple remove Rosetta (SX3 was compiled for the PPC).

    In the past i could do some conversion by running the Windows version of Cubase SX3 on a Windows 8 virtual machine, but for some reason at a given moment it started to crash when importing .all.

    But anyway, even if i could get it to work, i cannot not do that anymore, for the above reason (license).

     

    This is why i am looking for some external help :-<

     

    Maurizio

    Cubase SX3 anyone ?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Is there anybody able to run Cubase SX3 here in KC ? I need to convert a single .all file in .cpr, and i do not have access to SX3 anymore.

     

    Of course, i did a big conversion campaign at the time. And of course, i forgot one :-< ...

     

    OK, i now it is not even vintage, it is archeology, but you never know :->

     

    Maurizio

    Kurzweil KM88 MIDI Controller

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    The "chord triggers" feature is doing a great job of triggering my "get off my lawn" reflex, but if it succeeds in being a quality weighted action at 17 pounds, I'm interested.

     

    I wasn't until i translated 17 pounds in Kilograms (7,7). For some specific use case (mine, going to gigs and rehearsals by metro or busses, with the keyboard on my back) if the action correspond, it could be a blessing for a laptop based rig.

     

    Not that i want to sell my shiny new NE5HP :)

     

    Maurizio

    OT - Good email source.

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I have a domain through Network Solutions, and a server plan that gives me a web site, FTP server, and 1000 distinct e-mail accounts (available by web, outlook, or in my case Thunderbird). They do some spam scanning, but as far as I can tell they never, ever sell any info about me. Their e-mail service is separately available for (as of this writing) about $20 per year (not including the domain name, but you can get that from them or from others).

     

    This one. It give you also the advantage to own the domain name, so you keep your email address if the service provider go under or make other plans.

     

    Maurizio

    Bloke covers Emerson on Geetar using Jam Origin app

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Meanwhile, yes the technology looks really interesting. How about with a melodica?

     

    Very interesting question. Apparently, there is free trial. Who go first :-> ?

     

    Maurizio

    Fair enough. Let me think about it a bit. The reason I play melodica is to get away from synthetic sounds. But I"m wondering what organic VST sounds might work. Portative organ? I"ll get back to you.

     

    On another topic, if you ever open up your melodeon tell us how the mic is positioned and what it is. And does it accurately capture the tone of the reeds, and evenly across all the keys.

     

    I downloaded the trial yesterday and i spent a small amount of time with it; kind of work, it seems that it needs clear attacks to tracks the note; the real point is that, being oriented to guitar, it doesn't track breath (change of intensity after the attack), that would be an interesting reason to use a melodica to control something else. I loaded a mono synth with glide preset and it is a lot of fun. But useful i do not know :->.

     

    About opening the melodion, it may happens; i am in contact with an accordeon technicians that wanted to work on the melodion; his idea was to build some kind of box allowing him to tune a melodica without mounting/unmouting it for each trial. If he is interested in the 44H (he was looking for the HP) ...

     

    Maurizio

    OT: Studio Monitor as home speakers ?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Wow, thanks for the tons of informations and for the different opinions :->.

     

    It seems a very complex subject, with only a reasonable answer coming out, go and listen to the different solutions, answer quite difficult to implements in these Covid time.

     

    In my specific case, the situation is set by a number of compromises; small, strange room for listening music (4.5 x 2 m, with one side partially open and windows on the other side),

    limited space for the speakers, and limited budget, so the point is more how to get a reasonable listening than the best possible one.

    The small Genelec (8020) that they market in Finland also as Hifi as G Two, with different connections, are good candidate for the space constraint.

    But i'll take a look to the second hand market, it would be a pity to throw way my nice little NAD amplifier.

     

    In general, in my eyes the HiFi industry lost a lot of credibility with the digital transition; digital give you a fixed quality, a good one, but there are limits on what you can get out of it; trying to applying the same marketing

    themes you used in the good old analog world do not work, and become to be ridiculous.

     

    But, there is still a part of analog in the system, notably amplifiers and speakers; a while ago, my old low end Hifi amplifier broke, and i bought a small Nad, a C315BEE, used with the same 2002 Triangle speakers; the difference was incredible and very difficult to explain; it is not like having more highs or lows, or more dynamic or something you can easily define; i heard Kind of Blue, that i hear at least twice a month since i discovered Miles in the 80s, and the impression was simply the Coltrane changed the sax, it bought a better one :->.

     

    A last point: i am reading a super interesting book, Perfecting Sound Forever by Greg Milner, that touch the interesting subject of how much the sound and listening experience is a lot more a cultural fact than a technical one.

    One of the point if that the whole HiFi concept is misleading, in the sense of getting a perfect reproduction of an ideal original listening experience that actually never existed, and how a lot of modern music was born when amplification came in (and allowed for exemple double bass solos). Very interesting reading (only pity is that i bought it in French instead of the original version).

     

    Maurizio

    OT: Studio Monitor as home speakers ?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    As a consequence of a number of changes we are doing in our flat, i need to sell my good old Triangle column HiFi speaker and find something smaller, to put under a huge tv screen :).

     

    So i took a look to the current HiFi market and i am perplex; from one side, the market shrinked, essentially shifted to bluetooth players.

    Second, i cannot stand the HiFi market bullshit; you know, things like using a 32bit 1Mhz Dac to process material mastered at 16bit/44Khz, or nice phrases like

    "our AB class amplifier put together the best aspect of class A and class B amplifiers", that while technically true is simple ridicule for audio (you essentially cannot

    use a class B amplifier for audio). Without talking about the prices.

     

    So, as my kid is now 14 years old, and home equipement do not risk anymore to be destroyed without warning, i am considering the idea to use professional material

    to listen to music at home; studio monitor with a small mixer or something. With the cost of Hifi speakers, i can by middle level Genelecs.

     

    I now the response is different; studio monitor try to be as flat as possible, while hifi try to make the listener happier, depending on the kind of music.

     

    Any experience on the subject ? By the way, i would listen essentially Jazz and other acoustic music (Bossa, new tango, flamenco, etc).

     

    Maurizio

    Your Latest Purchase (music related)

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Just got my shiny new Hammond 44 H melodica. Mark already wrote a lot about it and her 44HP sister.

    What i can say, after a couple of hours of playing, is that is a huge update from the suzuki M37c i had.

    Great sound, no more miking problems, better dynamic. It require a lot less breath wrt the M37c, i think circular breathing is within reach, if i practice enough :)

     

    Maurizio

    Partially OT: small portable amplifier

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I started looking around for portable effects, and i finally realise that i have all the needed hardware: an IK iRig Duo audio interface with a nice Lightening cable and an iPhone 8.

    On the software side, Garage band offer already a number of effects, and if that is not enough, Eventide make a number of plugins (including Black Hole, Ultratap and Micropitch) for

    iOs at a very reasonable price. OK, no button, no switch on/off pedal, no expression pedal, but good al least to make some serious test.

    Great way to make a wearable rig: either a tool belt or a small cross body bag :-> (i do not want to live my iphone around in a busy Parisian Bistro :).

     

    Maurizio

    Old Gear / EMU Morpheus

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I remember seeing a demo of the Morpheus used with a developement environment in Ircam, back in the 90s. I have no idea if it was a standard unit with special software or if the hardware was special for development.

    You could program your filter pole by pole, zero by zero. The problem was that it was very easy to get an instable filter and blow up tweeters, woofers and yours ears all together.

    This is why the development feature was not available to the large public.

    I remember the result was really impressive anyway.

     

    Maurizio

    Partially OT: small portable amplifier

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Thanks Maurizio, that clarifies. Your earlier post talked about picking up a lot of handling/key noise "klunk" - I'm not surprised with a piezo pickup in contact with the instrument. Have you considered a clip-on microphone like the Sennheiser e608? I think that's a better route to removing key noise than effects processing. EDIT: I see PianoMan51 posted something similar above.

     

    Doesn't the Hammond melodica have a built-in microphone rather than a contact pickup? That should sound good also.

     

    Summary: Hammond 44H + Samson Expedition, or your existing melodica + a clip-on mic + Samson Expedition = deep amplified melodica joy.

     

    Cheers, Mike.

     

    I am considering either a serious microphone as you said or the Hammond; i haven't found any specification on the kind of mike the 44H have, other than it is dynamic. But i saw on youtube people using it directly connected to guitar effect pedal, so it should be close to the guitar levels.

     

    What i am wondering is that things like the e608 have a XLR out, using external effects require a pre amplifier or an effect with XLR input; this means dedicated effects for acostique instruments or a portable amplifier with XLR microphone input and an effect loop or with good effects; in all cases, price go up, and a Hammond 44H gig become partially more competitive (assuming an interest for the instrument itself), for exemple with a relatively cheap pedal like the TC Hall of fame or similar ...

     

    Maurizio

    Partially OT: small portable amplifier

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    A piezo pickup only works properly when attached to a soundboard. Free reeds don"t have soundboards, they mechanically couple directly to air. You absolutely need a mic. Even the cheapest is going to greatly improve your sound. I have nothing against a Hammond, but can roll your own for far less money and perhaps have better sound.

     

    When you have a satisfactory gigging rig, come back and give us a report.

     

    You are right; i bought my melodica a year ago just "to try something different", so i went low low budget on the micro. Then i discovered i love it.

    For the Hammond, do not know yet, the micro would not be the main motivation, may be it is only gear lust melodica version :->

     

    And yes, i'll report :->

     

    Maurizio

    Partially OT: small portable amplifier

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Whow, thanks for all the answers .. a lot of material to process ...

     

    Some more details: the melodica is currently a Suzuki M37C with a piezo micro; no feednack problems, sound reasonable with some eq, but it pick up key noise as hell, so it is very klunk-klunk-klunky; everything is fine

    in slow and soft passages, but once you play with more energy is fucked up; especially considering that i often use some delay, and the klunk go on on forever :-<. I managed to reduce a bit the problem (but not yet tried live or in rehearsal, musical activity is not restarted) using compressor, EQ, amp simulator with MainStage. I am considering switching to an Hammond 44H (birthday approaching :), and in the case it would be the builtin dynamic micro.

     

    The kind of sound: it will be a acoustic/jazzy repertoire, so mostly clean sound with some delay/reverb; by the way PianoMan51, thanks for the pitch shifter tip; i'll explore it :->.

     

    Then, the main point: what portable means ? In my case is Paris/France portable, that means no car, the whole gig material must be moved using local public transportation; and six floor of stairs, without an elevator (that the Parisian standard :). For a melodica only gig, 4-6 Kg could be ok, less would be better. 10Kg, wheels would be a bit too much. It depends if the builtin effects (if any) are enough, or i need to bring other stuff or my MacBook with mainstage.

     

    Battery is a plus: i do not plan to play in the parisian metro (but why not, Astor Piazzola rehearsed a concert there), but there are occasions to play in open air, including rehersals in parks; in this period, better that in closed studio.

     

    Budget is not fixed yet, but in the ballpark of the products described here.

     

     

    Several people talked about low power amplifiers (<10W); do they really work well ?

     

    Maurizio

    Partially OT: small portable amplifier

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I am looking around for a small, portable amplifier to use with my melodica on small venues, battery powered.

     

    I saw that some model can be used as personal monitor in bigger venus, having an XLR output; this would be great for my NE5

    in the typical parisian bistro with a catastrophic PA.

     

    Any experience with any of the available models (things like the Mackie Freeplay Live, the smaller Elite Acoustique, the Orange Crush Acoustic or the various small Roland) ?

     

    Maurizio

    Apple moves from Intel to ARM and from macOS X to macOS 11

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    We don't know what's going to wind up in the next generation of Macs, but it's only a matter of months until we will. People are going to post comparisons of Final Cut and Logic running across Intel and Apple Silicon, and I think it's foolhardy to assume that Apple would launch something new that doesn't compare favorably to what they're preparing to replace.

     

    Yes; and if we consider that the silicon design cycle isn't short, for sure they have a pretty good idea of where they will exactly be in 1, 2 or 3 years.

     

    Maurizio

     

    PS: Lady Gaia, we are in the same profession, and i share 100% your points of view :->

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