[Kodamo MASK1: "bitmasking synthesis?"]

It sounds *very* digital, without quite being a DX7. Nothing there that draws me (or my wallet) in.

 

Cheers, Mike

[Recommendations for piano speakers.]

38 minutes ago, drawback said:

rear-ported and in a small room, likely close to a wall or corner.

This is likely the cause of the muddy. 

 

29 minutes ago, ART. said:

get speaker stands maybe would help

I would do this as a first step. Get them away from reflective surfaces and out into the open. If you drop $1k on more expensive speakers and put them on the same desk, you'll have the same complaints you have today.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Pre-Show Superstitions? The non-Stevie Wonder Variety]

1 hour ago, timwat said:

That's so weird.

 

I always warm up with Don't Stop Believing' before I play Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto (C minor, Opus 18).

Which brings us, once again, to this masterpiece: 

 

Cheers, Mike.

 

[NH0P and a pretty good piano player.]

I recall he started bass at - nineteen?

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Yamaha rant. They are always so close.....so close.....]

3 hours ago, Alkeys said:

Allan I didn't know the SK1 had good clavs. I had no idea. Good info. That means that the SK Pro and certainly the new XK-4 probably is a good allrounder too.

 

3 hours ago, BenWaB3 said:

The SK1 - yes. The SK Pro - no. I've ranted about this a few times on this forum. The SK Pro has the 4 different pickup settings but no "dig", especially on the low notes. The SK1 clav was much stronger all around and, IIRC, a lot of dig. Of course, the SK Pro is a better allrounder than the SK1.

And of course the XK4 isn't an all-rounder at all. It's a pure organ - no clav. ("No clavis at all, XK...")

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Recommendations for piano speakers.]

42 minutes ago, ART. said:

Any feedback on the vox keyboard amp or Behringer or anything? Or is studio monitor route the way to go?

If you're looking for home use, and the JBLs aren't doing it for you, then Vox or Behringer's "designed for the stage" products are not the droids you are looking for. Timwat has the questions you need to answer.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[I need a new bench]

42 minutes ago, Roger Hooper said:

I'm 225

Apologies I thought that was a hyperbolic reference to your age. Ignore me...

 

Cheers, Mike.

[I've changed my name from "jeffinpghpa" to "jeffincltnc"]

17 hours ago, Adan said:

Am I the only one having a hard time pronouncing the new name?  It's kind of making me blush.

Jeffing hell you're jeffing right you little jeffer. Now jeff off and don't jeffing mess with my jeffing mind like that again! 🙂

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Pre-Show Superstitions? The non-Stevie Wonder Variety]

So here's a weird one: if I dress/tidy my cables too neatly too early, I just know I'm going to need to address something later. So my superstition and my OCD are battling it out for supremacy.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[1099-K confusion for 2022 taxes, thanks to seemingly contradictory non-grandfathered decisions in DEC 2022 by IRS]

10 hours ago, JazzPiano88 said:

I've heard that the IRS is treating Bitcoin essentially equivalent to a stock.  So that every bitcoin transaction has to be accounted for with a cost basis of the coin used, and a market value of the coin on the date of the transaction.  Imagine every personal monetary transaction (like buying groceries) is treated as a loss or a gain. 

How does the IRS consider foreign currencies? I would have expected crypto to be treaated in the same way.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[1099-K confusion for 2022 taxes, thanks to seemingly contradictory non-grandfathered decisions in DEC 2022 by IRS]

Got to say, as a non-USAian, I saw that title, and I thought a spambot had got onto the forum again!

 

Good luck with your taxes, Mark.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Back to basics: what to do to improve my playing]

2 hours ago, Adam Burgess said:

I’m playing for an Adele tribute In June. There’s no keyboard heroics. Just there to accompany and support. 

Harder than it looks, and underrated. But a great way to build experience and "live on stage" nerves/temperament.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[For those who won't play brass on keyboards…]

1 minute ago, Adam Burgess said:

The real flute player, for example, will have an easy peasy time!

Musical pit reeds players are super talented - they're expected to "triple" on flute, clarinet and sax - plus possibly oboe. But I sometimes wish that composers would write for the lineup, rather than a Hollywood scoring stage orchestra, and then throwing keyboards at the problem...

 

I saw My Fair Lady last year here in London - there must have been 35+ (acoustic, no synths) musicians in the pit. Beautiful.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[For those who won't play brass on keyboards…]

Yeah that's trying too hard. I get why keys would play a string section in a pit orchestra. But all those woodwind and guitar cues? Spamalot instrumentation calls for full-time percussion (alongside drums), 2 reeds, guitar ...

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Making your leads sing.]

3 hours ago, timwat said:

Play what has broken your heart.

I'm not a songwriter - the only times I've been sufficiently inspired to write songs is when I broke up with a girl. The sheer heartbreak needed somewhere to go, and it ended up in songs.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Personal Improvement...]

1 hour ago, EricBarker said:

I could pipe my vocals through my personal monitor too, but that would be an ordeal. I'd need to get a vocal DI with a Thru... hey, maybe that isn't a terrible idea.

This is why powered speakers (and mixers, and headphone amps ...) that can send just one channel to a THRU output are such a useful idea. 

 

Alternatively a 1-channel mic splitter isn't a big deal, cost-wise or hassle-wise.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Dumbest Thing Ever - Gig/Music Related]

2 hours ago, EscapeRocks said:

We find the elevator....oh wait, it needs a key card to operate.  Okay, we find some stairs, walk up a couple flights.   Yep, doors require access cards.   The one door we found that went outside was an alarmed door.

We didn't feel like setting it off.

 

So there we were, just like in Spinal Tap, running all over passageways trying to get out.

 

The Borderline in London's Soho was like that. We sent the bass player in the lift (elevator) with the gear while we took the stairs. It took about half an hour for the bass player and equipment to emerge.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Back to basics: what to do to improve my playing]

5 hours ago, RABid said:

If you don't have something to play in a song, DON'T just double the bass line. You would be invading his turf and muddying the sound. Settle in on a nice organ or ep patch and play something closer to what you would play if on guitar. Not exactly what the rhythm guitarist is doing. More of a counter rhythm.

This is great. I often see "bedroom pianists" play in bands - and they play as if it's a solo rendition. There's nothing wrong with sitting out the first verse of a guitar rocker like Sweet Child O' Mine, and bringing in Hammond in the first chorus, for example.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Nord Stage 4 Announced]

On 3/25/2023 at 10:56 AM, stoken6 said:

I'm trying to tell myself that my Nord Stage 2 does all I ask, and I don't need the third synth engine and the more sophisticated capabilities in the 4. Keep reminding me I'm right, please...

 

Cheers, Mike.

So I'm subbing for a friend in a few weeks, and already there are several areas where the Stage 4 would be helpful, compared to my Stage 2:

- The ability to play two piano sections from an external controller (which can only transmit on a single MIDI channel)

- The ability to pitch-bend +2/-12

- Three synth sections (strings, horns and monosynth)

First world problems?

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Hammond Tease XK-4]

Seems to be an amazing board, but entry-level this is not.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Back to basics: what to do to improve my playing]

The first idea that comes to mind - make sure you practice playing every major/minor triad in all inversions. To the point where you don't have to think about it.

 

Then put together random sequences of major and minor chords: G-Bbm-E-Ab-C#-Fm etc. Practice transitioning to each chord with minimal movement, by choosing the nearest inversion (voice leading). 

 

Apologies if you have mastered this already.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Personal Improvement...]

Gotta love this board - keyboard player says he's too loud, and a guitar player gives him advice about lowering the volume!

 

I never had the thing of being too loud - I'm super-sensitive to excess noise, so I have an instinctive reaction of "too much on-stage volume, I'll turn down to try and alleviate". 

 

Anyone here trying to improve their time/groove?

 

Cheers, Mike.

[I need a new—ugh—computer]

I'm enjoying working at a x86 desktop computer - 2 big monitors, ergonomic keyboard, vertical mouse and I've upgraded the RAM and added a second SSD myself.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Dumbest Thing Ever - Gig/Music Related]

Reminds me of a festival gig years ago. I pack up my Nord Stage into its red Nord bag, and pack up some other bits and transport them to the car. Nord bag is by the stage, so I pick it up - it turns out it's an Electro belonging to someone from another band!

 

No harm done after a quick swap, but lesson learned.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Dumbest Thing Ever - Gig/Music Related]

23 hours ago, Jazz+ said:

I forgot my keyboard's power cable. I pretended to play as a recording played the whole wedding gig. Nobody noticed and I collected $700.

 

2 hours ago, TommyRude said:

Dumb thing forgetting the power cable, smartest thing pulling it off!

 

But a little cloudy on what was happening... was a recording playing the music?  Or did you fake playing, resulting in no keyboard sounds coming out the entire time?  Was there a full band playing live?

Presumably @Jazz+ had a solo gig?

 

Cheers, Mike.