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DJkeys

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Posts posted by DJkeys

    Two-tier Spider Baby stand?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I had the Baby Spider with two sets of arms.  I would take the top set of arms off and load them into a carry tube along with my boom attachment and put it in the case (I did use an after market lighting equipment case, the original case was too flimsy).  Great system, but just got too heavy for me, now I use the K&M 18880 and 18881, weighs less than 8 pounds!  The Baby was close to 20 with the attachments-

     

    -dj

    • Like 1

    light single-tier stand, tall edition

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    26 minutes ago, Stokely said:



    This is kind of where I'm at with the Spider Pro.  It's really the tall column blocking me off that is bothering me.  It's why I really like the Omega Pro much better, though two keyboards stacked is always going to wall you off somewhat.   There are some stages we play--5 piece-- that are so tight that I couldn't easily do an "L" is the problem.  There are also songs where I switch hands per keyboard but generally I play the sk pro with the right hand so I could make that work.  Hmmm, food for thought!

    I see the Omega Pro as a Z but better (gigged both a lot).  I wish that 2nd tier was easier to remove/put back on, maybe there's some improvement that could be found there over the bolts, washer and nut they supply...  More expensive of course.   Both are heavy but with one tier they fold well and are easy to keep on a cart.

    Years ago, I ordered the Baby Spider Pro for this reason.  I am 5'8" and hated that tall column.  I purchased an extra set of arms and did a bunch of mods to it.  Worked great for years.  Last year I sold it and bought the K&M 18880 and 18881, best stand ever!

    One keyboard for most realistic sounds - which do you choose? (no plugins allowed)

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    You might want to take a look at the long Nord Stage 4 thread:

     

    https://forums.musicplayer.com/topic/184719-nord-stage-4-announced

     

    It is discussed in detail along with comparisons to all of the boards mentioned in this thread.  There is a 73 key piano action version that you may be interested in.  Of course, you won't be able to play one for many months-

     

    -dj

    • Like 1

    Nord Stage 4 Announced

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    15 hours ago, jeffinpghpa said:

    The way I see it, Nord is giving me the right tools for the show I am doing.  The other players are excellent musicians, the soundman is good and knows where keyboards belong in the mix, the lights look good, crowds are into the show.  That’s really what makes it worth it.

     

    I don’t really get any negative energy that my rotary effect must be a better Leslie sim (although I do use a Tall&Fat, Vent 2 and reverb pedal if I really feel motivated to do so), or that my Rhodes sample hasn’t been updated since 2016 or my pianos are not fully mapped and I’m only using an L size piano instead of an XL one.

     

    Doesn’t bother anyone and the show is doing well.

     

    I use a lot of the product - make my own patches quickly, use samples, arp, mod wheel, effects, and move through the show quickly.  Also load in and pack up quickly with reasonable size and weight to carry.

     

    I can sell my Nord Stage 3 after a few years for nearly what I paid for originally and the upgrade cost difference isn’t more than I would pay for a set of powered speakers, including that I am upgrading from a Compact to an HA package in the process.  I more than funded this difference selling a board that was sitting in my closet and not getting used.
     

    I don’t see what the anger is all about to be honest.

    I agree with this.  I have the same combination NS3 and NW2 and there isn't really any sound programming for Pop/Rock tunes that I haven't been able to do and do quickly.  Plus, these instruments hold value better than anything else on the market.  I have had 6 of them and sold 4 years later. 

     

    -dj

    • Like 1

    Nord Stage 4 Announced

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    2 hours ago, cphollis said:

    I think Nord has built an incrementally better Stage.  Lot of nice improvements compared to my NS3s.  I wouldn't expect a new Stage to start covering new sonic territory, just make what it already does incrementally better in every way.   And it does that.  That mod FX section looks great to me, as do the big volume sliders.  The song mode has disappeared, something I use each and every gig.  And I too was hoping for a USB audio interface.  Not in any hurry to ditch my NS3s, but I'm sure one of these will be in my future at some point.  If they fix the setlist thing that is :)

    I agree that this is a better stage, but actually think it is more than incremental.  The Stage 4 is a completely new interface based on the Wave 2.  This Layer approach I think opens the door to additional flexibility in the future.  It has the same Arp as the Wave 2 (polyphonic, gate, pattern mode, etc), effects per layer, layer switch feature, support for the P5 unison features and a 73 keybed that a lot of users wanted.   I am hoping this may lead someday to a six-layer instrument where each layer can access any engine, piano, organ, or synth. 

     

    -dj

    Talk me out of getting a Nord Stage 3 Compact...

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    You cannot go wrong with a Stage 3 Compact.  Plus, it only weighs 20 pounds.  Even if they announce the Stage 4 this April, it will be months before it is available to purchase. I have used the Stage 2 and Stage 3 compacts since 2012 and they were the best instrument purchases I have ever made.  Plus, resale value of Nords is higher than any other brand in my experience-

     

    -dj

    quest for an acoustic piano

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I worked in a Yamaha/Baldwin piano dealer for 7 years. I was lucky enough to find a 1988 Yamaha U3 that I bought in 1993 for $2000 (not in the store, of course)!  It is a monster of a piano, so any of the Yamaha uprights would be a good bet.  Also, keep in mind, that a 52 inch upright piano will probably sound better than a small grand piano and has a soundboard about the same size.  Many of the entry level "baby grand" pianos are often better furniture than instruments.  

     

    -dj

    • Like 2

    How to Ruin a Perfectly Good Song...

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I cannot work with musicians who refuse to learn a song properly. I recently quit a band because the guitar player didn't really learn any of the material, just would wing it every night on just his ability to hear the changes (many mistakes).  That band also would not work on backing vocals, so the guitarist and bass player would just sing whatever harmony they wanted at the time.  The leader of the band refused to do vocal rehearsals.

     

    -dj

    Play That Funky Music responsibilities

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I have played this for years.  Guitar player starts song, then when I come in with the vocal, I play the funky riff with a clav sound and the guitar player takes over the complex rhythm part.  I play the riff during his guitar solo, and at the end, I take a synth solo and he plays the riff behind me.  I use horns only on the chorus.

     

    -dj

    • Like 1

    Display Your Keyboard Logo On Stage?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    When I was touring, we covered all of the logos with black contact paper. The only thing we wanted audiences to see was the name of the band.  We also did not want to do free advertising.  It actually was a pretty cool look, and the black contact paper comes off easily and leaves no residue at all-

     

    -dj

    • Like 1

    OT - Getting into old TV shows you hadn't before

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    3 hours ago, bill5 said:

    Reynolds was actually a regular on there for awhile. Kelly I think was known largely for western parts before ST. 

     

    But honestly nobody beats Twilight Zone for a who's-who of famous actors that weren't famous yet...Nimoy, Shatner, Robert Redford, Jack Klugman, Ross Martin, the list goes on forever

    That list is huge:

     

    https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/62816/18-celebrities-who-appeared-twilight-zone

     

    -dj

    • Like 1

    OT - Getting into old TV shows you hadn't before

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I also have been watching the Perry Mason series.  I actually think it holds up pretty well, even though it is formulaic and fairly predictable.  The cars are one of the best parts, I didn't realize they made so many two door convertibles back then!

     

    Also watched most of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and all of Twilight Zone. The original Sherlock Holmes with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are also excellent.  

     

    -dj

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