Jump to content


Please subscribe to MPN’s YouTube Channel!

stoken6

Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    5,042

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by stoken6

    Using MIDI to program scenes over 2 keyboards

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    18 hours ago, rockit31 said:

    Lead guitarist has nasty habit of starting in on the next song as i furiously bring up settings for next song.   Rat bastard!   Lol.   No respect for the piano player!   

    Do you know, I wish more guitarists would do this. Most of the ones I know will

    1. wait for cheers to die down#
    2. ask everyone in the band individually if they're ready
    3. count the song in
    4. start the song, which is often a guitar-only riff

    This kills the vibe on the dancefloor in club, wedding and function gigs. (It's more appropriate in tribute-type performances).

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    Rolls PM351 - unusual DI behavio(u)r when set to mono?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Hello all,

     

    I have configured the audio path in my rig to use stereo-on-TRS connections because that's what my Rolls PM351 expects (I actually use the headphone out from my board). A few weeks ago I had a pickup gig where the only input available on the FoH mixer (a Bose Tonematch of some description) was a line in (TS). I connected a TS cable to an output on my patchbay and of course that knocked one side of my personal IEM mix out. To fix that, I flipped the jumper on the Rolls to Mono.

     

    Fast forward to last Saturday, where I'm back to SOP of going DI from the Rolls. I noticed that the right DI out on the Rolls was silent (a tiny bit of crosstalk), but the left was working normally. I would have hoped/expected that in MONO mode both DIs would have worked in parallel.

     

    In summary: Does setting the Rolls PM351 to MONO disable the Right DI out?

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    Idle musings: combined ROMpler module and sample pads?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    18 hours ago, AnotherScott said:

    Here's another possibility... the new Yamaha Seqtrak can function as a MIDI sound module, providing up to 3 simultaneous sounds (2 AWM2 sampled sounds, 1 FM sound), each on their own MIDI channel (and individually recallable via MIDI, I believe), and it also has a one-shot sample function that can be used simultaneously, which I know little about, but is demonstrated in the video below. I think a given project can have 7 sampled sounds triggered from those front panel buttons, and I think you have 8 recallable projects, so that may or may not be enough for your sample purposes. (You said at least 8 pads, this is 7, but you have multiple banks of them.)

     

     

    Thanks Scott - great suggestion and again nowhere near my radar. 7 pads passes the Uptown Funk test (four notes in the bassline, clap, whistle, rise). And two simultaneous sampled sounds is all I can address from my Nord's EXTERN sections (although there are workarounds for more).

     

    Pros: audio in, USB-C power (not a proprietary PSU), battery-powered, cheaper than MC101

    Cons: proprietary MIDI connector, 3.5mm audio connectors

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    Idle musings: combined ROMpler module and sample pads?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    1 hour ago, AnotherScott said:

     

    Hmmm...  maybe you could use the iPhone to trigger the samples running on the iPad's sampler app, sending MIDI over bluetooth (so still not needing to run any more wires)? For example... 

     

    Good thinking, although I'm worried about the number of moving (software) parts that would need to reliably operate in the heat of battle, at the most stressful gigs. 

     

    And the iPad would need to simultaneously send USB MIDI (BandHelper),  receive USB Midi (Kodule, or other ROMpler app) and receive Bluetooth MIDI (Sampler app). Is that possible? 

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    Streamdeck as a MIDI controller / Remote

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    18 minutes ago, AUSSIEKEYS said:

    Oh bugger i read it as Steam Deck.

     

    Was imagining some steam punk controller with all the bells and whistles..literally. 

     

    Still looks good though. And would it work for my Kurzie 2500R module? Imagine a Steampunk controller on a 2500 rack. Sounds perfect.

    I'm still waiting for the first musician to build a Windows VST rig using a Steam Deck (or Asus Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, etc.)

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    Barbara Dennerlein... Wow!

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    On 4/23/2024 at 6:02 AM, El Lobo said:

    +1. I see that I already posted twice in this zombie thread, 5 years ago then again 3 years ago. I'd sell my soul to the devil in exchange for playing like she does. 

    Paging @El Lobo. Your zombie thread has reopened in 2024, and you are invited to post again. That's @El Lobo to the Barbara Dennerlein thread please. 🙂 

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    Idle musings: combined ROMpler module and sample pads?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    5 hours ago, AnotherScott said:

     

    I see no reason you wouldn't be able to run a rompler app (Korg Module or whatever), a sample playback app, and bandhelper at the same time. The complication I see is that while the rompler could run in the background (i.e. you don't necessarily need to have it visible during use), you do need to see the sampler app (in order to tap its on-screen pads) and bandhelper (in order to navigate your set lists, charts, etc.). If you have an iPad that can run Stage Manager, that could work, i.e. with each of those apps taking a portion of the screen but both always visible) 

    Thanks Scott. My iPad won't do Stage Manager, but it will do Split View - so I could run two (visible) apps simultaneously. However, on dep (US: "sub") gigs, I need the full screen of the iPad to display charts. 

     

    I guess I could run Kodule+Bandhelper on my iPad, and SampleBot/Koala/whatever on my phone. The challenge there is that I would then need a mixer to combine my keyboard, Rompler and sampler audio - I'm trying to avoid the extra setup complexity. I'm also hoping that a single USB MIDI connection linking Nord to iPad can be shared between apps (IN from Bandhelper, OUT to Kodule).

     

    Kodule+Sampler on my phone/Bandhelper on my iPad solves the screen problem, and saves one audio channel, but brings its own complications. My Nord Stage taking MIDI in on 5-pin DIN from a controller, and MIDI in on USB from BandHelper. I would need MIDI out from the Nord to Kodule - Korg PlugKey I guess, until my lightning-equipped phone is replaced with a USBC alternative...

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    High Fidelity Earplugs

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    On 3/18/2024 at 8:14 AM, jazzpiano88 said:

    Any earplugs need a parametric EQ to compensate.  Otherwise you’re adding a pillow on top of your already pillowed ear’s frequency response.    Bob Heil taught us all about this  in the 70s after studying the work of Bell Labs frequency compensation.   It’s so fascinating that prior to this professional audio had no concept of equalization — only volume. 

    Just reviewing this thread because I want a better pair of earplugs after last night's rehearsal. I quoted @jazzpiano88 because the above is a killer app for noise-cancelling headphones, which (with the appropriate signal processing/EQ) could cancel the low frequencies more than the high to preserve a consistent frequency response. I'd love to see a "concert mode" on Apple Airpods Pro, or similar from Bose, Sony etc.

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    Idle musings: combined ROMpler module and sample pads?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    19 hours ago, Sean M. H. said:

    Totally missed the part about it not being a keyboard format...

     

    ...kinda out of left field, as you'd have to explore the used market--and one could also argue it'd be overkill...but, would something like the Korg M3M be pretty close?  Obviously it's a rompler...has at least some sort of sampling capabilities...has 8 pads (I'm assuming they can trigger samples?)...

     

    spacer.png

     

     

     

    Korg also makes the electribe, which is a lot closer to the Roland.  But I think it's onboard sounds are mostly drums, loops and analog synth stuff... doesn't really get you to rompler territory (unless I'm mistaken)

     

     

     

    Thanks Sean, the M3M is the kind of thing I would never have thought of. Pricey though, even s/h.

     

    I did look at the electribes, but their ROMpler capabilities seem limited, as you say.

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    A.I. - I Just Bust A Nut In My Pants

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    2 hours ago, J.F.N. said:

    If I could be bothered writing pop/rock songs, I would definitely use it as a creative inspirational sketch pad, ditch the lyrics, maybe keep the concept ideas of the lyrics but have a human write new lyrics. Then I would simply recreate the song in its entirity in the DAW, as a starting point, and take it from there, and bring in a great real human vocalist for singing.

    +1. In 2024 generative AI is a brilliant source of inspiration, not so much the finished product.

     

    Cheers, Mike

    • Like 2

    Idle musings: combined ROMpler module and sample pads?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    1 hour ago, J.F.N. said:

    Could an AKAI MPC One/Live, or even Key 37/61 handle this? It's not a rompler per se, but it for sure has loads of space for sample libraries to fill that function in a very tailored way, and for sure it meets the rest of the requirements.

    I've not researched those - thanks for the suggestion. I never thought of AKAI as a ROMpler company. The MPC One does more than I need (CV/gate, for example), and costs more than the MC101, however.

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    Idle musings: combined ROMpler module and sample pads?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Thanks everyone.

     

    2 hours ago, B4i said:

    It doesn't fully meet your brief but I use a Fantom O6 to solve the issues you face.

    I am aware of the Fantom's ability as a ROMpler (and more), with sample playback pads. It doesn't meet my brief in that it's a keyboard. I have a waterfall Nord as an upper tier, which I like for the ease of access to front-panel controls. I have a weighted action controller underneath it, so the way to go would be to replace it with a Fantom 08. But I don't want an 88 (too big, especially with wheels to the side). If there was a Fantom 00 module, with sample pads, it would be perfect.

     

    1 hour ago, AnotherScott said:

    Would you consider an iPad? 

    I'm already running BandHelper on my iPad. So if there's a way to run a ROMpler app (responding to MIDI) and a sample-playback app (responding to prods of the screen), and BandHelper (sending MIDI) and all three play nicely together, I would consider it.

     

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    Idle musings: combined ROMpler module and sample pads?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    For most of my "run-of-the-mill" gigs my Nord Stage 2 does the job. Some of the more prestigious pick-up gigs I do require two things:

    - "More ROMpler" than the Nord's two synth slots

    - One-hit sample playback (think orch hits, rises, FX...)

    I was wondering if there's a product that can do both of those? So far the Roland MC101 looks plausible - any others I should look at?

     

    MUST:

    - Sample playback ("playback to end of sample" and "playback while pad held" is sufficient, no looping required)

    - Ability to load user samples

    - At least 8 sample pads

    - Simultaneous ROMpler playback via MIDI (I'll use Nord Extern sections)

    - 5-pin MIDI (not USB, and preferably not mini-TRS)

     

    SHOULD:

    - Audio in, to avoid needing a mixer. 

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    Arturia Astrolab

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    5 minutes ago, Paul Woodward said:

    I think it's still a lot for what is in essence a preset player with a fairly standard keybed and minimal controls. My eyes are getting old so I would struggle with the screen and even then, you need to be invested in their engines for this to be a solid investment. It's not for me, but I hope those who buy are happy with it.

    I don't lust for one in the slightest. But I think the draw of VST-quality sounds in a portable package, no laptop needed, will attract some. Let's wait and see...

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    • Like 1

    Keyboard amplification

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    On 4/22/2024 at 2:53 AM, jazzpiano88 said:

    I might hold off for the Roland KC-135 decimated Strato-Tanker.  4 Speakers @ 16,000 W. each stereo chorus.    Built in 720 degree ring modulator that surpasses any 360 degree unit by a factor of two.  

     

    They modulate the base band using Vestigial Sideband Modulation, thereby achieving a lower radiation take-off angle to the girls in the front row with no extra DSP required!!  

    Now available in the cloud, for an "easy" monthly subscription...

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    Roland A70 - removing parts to create a "keybed" only controller?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I suspect that most of what you want to take out of the board isn't going to be that heavy. 

     

    Looking at a pic of the A70, most of the front-panel "furniture" is fairly shallow - apart from the pitch/mod wheels and joystick, which you should be able to remove. If you want space for an ipad or similar, how about a carefully designed "shim" that sits over the remaining panel space, with cutouts for the existing buttons, so that you can rest something on there. 3D printed, perhaps? Or skilled woodwork/marquetry?

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    • Like 1
×
×
  • Create New...