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stoken6

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Posts posted by stoken6

    gigging with a heavy keyboard- your thoughts?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    On 4/6/2024 at 3:31 AM, Reezekeys said:

    I left out the part in my CP70-carrying story where I went back to my car and spent 40 to 60 minutes searching for street parking for my car at – least ten blocks away, where it was legal. Ah, the joys of living in Manhattan, New York City!

    And I felt aggrieved that I had to park half a block away (must have been about 80 yards) from the pub for last night's gig. 

     

    Interestingly enough - and bringing us back to the topic of this thread - I left my 36lb board at home for this gig because I knew parking wasn't ideal, and brought my 12lb "inconvenient gig" board instead. And of course I was a little unsatisfied by my playing. 

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    gigging with a heavy keyboard- your thoughts?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    5 hours ago, Reezekeys said:

    real "elevator operator" – a human whose full-time gig was sitting in this freight elevator all day carrying passengers and stuff up and down. At 5PM he shut it down, locked it and went home

    I love the idea that there's no demand for the elevator after 5pm.

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    gigging with a heavy keyboard- your thoughts?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    If the choice was between 28lb and 38lb, and the heavier keyboard had something that really inspired you to dig deep and raise your performance, then I'd vote heavy. (My 36lb keyboard inspires me in this way).

     

    52lb is going to get old very quickly. I gigged an Ensoniq KS32 (49lb) and then a Viscount Oberheim MC1000 (44lb) in my youth, and I wouldn't go back there.

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    • Like 1

    Keyboard recommendations for someone who wants to play heavy metal.

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    15 hours ago, El Cid said:

    I’m an absolute beginner

    I can't support those who are recommending dropping a four-figure sum on a keyboard for a beginner. (EDIT: I see @Franz Schiller has made the same point).

     

    If you have a Mac, buy MainStage and a second-hand 61-key controller.  If not, look for something with pitch/mod controllers, virtual-analog(ue) and a mono/portamento mode - that will get you in the ballpark for some of those sounds you referenced in your videos. I'm not an expert in this sector, so I'll let others chime in with their recommendations. 

     

    14 hours ago, CEB said:

    Lessons

    Oh, and this. Tuition will make a much bigger difference than what equipment you play.

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    • Like 2

    Hammond XK-5 Top Board Only + Controller For Lower Manual Versus SK-Pro 2 Manual Versus IK MM APP & Controllers For Gigging

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    You mention "gigging" - there's a reasonable hassle factor in wiring up two controllers to a Mac (variable, depending on whether you use  a MIDI and/or audio interface), compared to just powering up a SK2 or similar. 

     

    You like multi-contacts - so you might be someone who appreciates the high trigger of "real clonewheel" action (vs MIDI controllers). 

     

    Would a two-manual Crumar Mojo (Classic or Suitcase) be of interest? Round about £1400 here, so estimating $1500? 40lb though. Crumar 61 + its lower manual is another consideration for more $$ but easier shlep.

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    • Like 1

    Chet Atkins makes my day.

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    8 hours ago, jazzpiano88 said:

    That's a damn good insult.  Equally biting is Walter Becker's  "He's not so much a guitar player as a guitar owner".  

    Then again, Walter did wander into some Jazz. 

    I saw Noel McCalla (Manfred Mann's Earth Band) in a local pub in my youth. His guitar player told me that the guy behind the kit "was more of a drum owner than a drummer". 

     

    Cheers, Mike

    What else uses Medeli from PC4?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

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

    Now I'm looking at the Forte 7 instead, hoping it's not TOO heavy in the action.

    The Forte 7 has Fatar's TP40L, which I found "more than light enough" without being so light that expressiveness is lost. Of course this is subjective, but having played quite a few hammer-action boards, this one is definitely one of the lighter ones (alongside Kawai's ES110).

     

    Cheers, Mike

    • Thanks 1

    There is no perfect ban...

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I think this forum hipped me to this band some years back. Very cool, check out "Bump". 

     

    Isn't their schtick that they are all (rumo(u)red to be) first-call A-list session guys/girls, but of course you can't tell under the costumes?

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    Introductions?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    20 hours ago, vonnor said:

    Bill C. (vonnor)

     

    3 hours ago, Michael Wright said:

    Michael Wright

    <Reality TV show voiceover> One's a zombie. The other's a pseudonym. Both are legends. This year, Bill and Michael join forces to kick off ... "Introductions Thread 2024"!

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    Random Thoughts and One-Offs

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Dep (i.e sub) gig at a social club yesterday. "You'll enjoy it Mike, they've got a really good PA".

     

    That PA turned out to be an enormous 24-channel Mackie analog(ue) desk, with two JBL subs each side, and iirc four pairs of speakers from all sorts of manufacturers (all 15in+tweeter I think) - one pair angled inwards towards the dance floor, one facing 90degrees straight out from the stage, one pair angled "out" (away from the middle of the stage), and a fourth pair on top - plus various smallers speakers dotted around the venue as "nearfills". 

     

    Biggest surprise: guess what was provided for a keyboard monitor (and remember this is the UK)...

     

    ...

     

     

    ...

     

     

    ...

     

     

    ...

     

     

    ...

     

     

    CLONK

     

     

    I ended up using it (although I also had my IEMs). Singer wanted me to turn up as she couldn't hear me on the dance floor. So I cranked the things, and relied on the seals on my earbuds to preserve my hearing. Go figure...

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    Lightweight all in one board for fun, jamming, etc

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    On 3/23/2024 at 7:24 PM, Dave Keys said:

    Do none of the other pro manufacturers like Roland or Korg produce a similar board with speakers - of a similar quality?

     

    19 hours ago, Paul Woodward said:

    Not with speakers.

    Unless you count arrangers. Korg in particular has strong (if expensive) offerings in this area.

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    • Like 1

    Lead sheets, where?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    On 3/23/2024 at 3:22 PM, J.F.N. said:

    Bohemian like you - Dandy Warhols

    OT: In an old band I was in, 2nd guitarist had a spare guitar tuned in Open G for a couple of Stones numbers. When we did Bohemian Like You, he used that guitar to play the riff using the 6/4 Keef shape. Sounded pretty cool.

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    Random Thoughts and One-Offs

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    19 hours ago, RABid said:

    Since a computer cannot actually produce a truly random number, will an AI ever be able to have a random thought?

    It's true that computers can't produce truly random numbers by following an algorithm. Where a high level of randomness is required, environmental sensors are used (such as temperature). 

     

    However, today's AI is hamstrung not so much by the shortage of "truly" random numbers, but by the "machine learning" approach that trains it on previously (human)-generated content. GPT models are basically trying to predict "what would a human say next, based on everything I've learned about what humans say?"

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    Lead sheets, where?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    The most reliable service I've come across is a post to this forum along the lines of "I'm working up song XYZ by band ABC (link to YouTube/Spotify...) and am struggling with the three chords coming out of the solo before the final chorus."

     

    Often you'll get an offer for the entire chart to be sent to you.

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    • Cool 1

    Roland RD-08

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    2 hours ago, The Piano Man said:

    Roland RD1 - featuring Roland pianos past and present. 88 keys. Pitch and mod above. Internal power supply. Individual outs. XLR outs. Narrowest ever design. 18kg 

    While I don't see they point of "narrow" (in the front-to-back dimension), it does seem popular (cf most of the new Casios, and the Yamaha P223/5)

    2 hours ago, The Piano Man said:

    Roland RD73 - compact 73 key model. 15kg

    This - every time. Needs 5-pin MIDI port.

     

    Cheers, Mike.

    lightweight keyboard amplification

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    On 3/17/2024 at 8:27 PM, mjsjazz said:

    At this point I am not happy with the Nord

     

    On 3/17/2024 at 8:27 PM, mjsjazz said:

    Currently playing a Nord Electro V

    What is it about your Electro you don't like? Is it the sounds, or the action (or something else)?

     

    Cheers, Mike.

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