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nadroj

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Posts posted by nadroj

    How Many Are Going to Brave Covid to see the Bond Flick?

    in Craig Anderton's Sound, Studio, and Stage

    Posted

    Late to the party, but we bought it on Prime Video. Never got a chance to go to the cinema.

    I purposefully (and miraculously) avoided any spoilers or reviews, so apart from a few comments I saw on Twitter I went in with no expectation or anything that could sway my opinion.

    Freaking loved it. One of the best Bond films I've ever seen. My standards for films are very low (I mean, I left The Force Awakens thinking it was one of the most entertaining Star Wars films ever 😜), and if I watch it again I'll probably notice things I don't like, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

    I do agree with some of the criticisms I've read since watching it. It wasn't perfect, but the ending was.

    Anyways, I thought it was a brilliant way to end Craig's Bond run. He's definitely my favourite Bond - having read the books, he just fits Ian Fleming's character so well.

     

    • Like 1

    Live Performance in the Age of Covid

    in Craig Anderton's Sound, Studio, and Stage

    Posted

    One gig cancelled last month due to omicron. Gig was still planned to go ahead, but venue had to cut the capacity to half. Not fair to the other 150+ people who bought tickets, so we rescheduled to April. Apart from that, it seems UK is coming out of the worst of omicron and all restrictions are once again being lifted.

    So it looks like all of our planned gigs from February onwards will be going ahead as usual, full capacity. Who knows what will happen later in the year though, I've given up making assumptions with this virus. What'll happen will happen.

    I swear to GOD my RD800 is out of tune

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    When my kids are playing our home DP they sometimes accidentally press the combination of notes and buttons that detune the instrument. Drives me crazy if it's just a few cents out and I'm playing along with something. It's a really weird, convuluted process to do it too, so I've no idea how they manage it so often.

    As Tim said, there may be a chance you've accidentally done it yourself. Or it could be a power thing - my old RD700 used to detune slightly if there was faulty power at a venue, or if there was an issue with the power cable. If resetting doesn't work though, probably ain't that.

    Hammond SKX Pro

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    4 hours ago, Jim Alfredson said:

    Who is saying it's 23kg? It's 17kg or about 38lbs. I have one and it's brilliant. Some really nice additions and smartly laid out. I can't say much more right now. But it's a fantastic organ.

    Thanks Jim. Can we expect the reveal this month?

    Hammond SKX Pro

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Deja vu with those trailers. Wonder who's going to be first to find the leaked PDF spoiler this year?

     

    Ever since I heard the rumours about this two months ago I've been fantasizing about what this would be like. A dual manual board with the flexibility of the Sk-PRO is pretty up my street.

    GAS is done?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I don't know anyone who would or wouldn't buy a keyboard for the way its guts are built. I know plenty of people who would say "it sounds great and it's capabilities suit my needs". Who cares what kind of processor it has.

     

    That's probably related to the OP's point. 1 or 2 modern keyboards (and a laptop, if needed) is enough to suit most people's needs now. The last ten years saw a myriad of well specced boards come out, and the diminishing returns of spending money to buy an updated model grows with every new model released.

    Just discovered Lawrence

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    The 20-something Brother/Sister songwriting combo seems to be the key to success.

     

    I read the comments above before listening, so my musical pretension ears were already up at full mast when I eventually did. Initial thoughts were similar: talented, but repetative. I grew up in the bowels of rural Scotland so my experience of Broadway is precisely zilch, so I can't compare it.

     

    After another fifteen listens, my conclusion is that I love it. There's not much to dislike about it for me. It's fun. It's soulful. There's 4 keyboards, and no guitars. Okay, there's a bit of the cliche singery wankery, sure, but they all have the chops to pull it off. The chords may be your standard gospel affair (fun to play along with), filled with the same filler riffs you'd hear a million times on any soul/gospel playlist on spotify, and the performance is filled with that American optimism/OTT excitement that we like to slag off here in the UK (only because we're secretly jealous most of us can't pull it off)...but together it just works! Top notch musicianship.

     

    My wife and kids love it. My 7 year old was singing along by the second chorus (though she did then ask "how long is this song?!")

    Thanks for sharing Tim, down the Lawrence rabbit hole I go. This is gonna be on repeat in my house. Will probably be as bad as the time I introduced my wife to Moonchild...

     

    PS. These guys need to get themselves on Tiny Desk.

    new Vox Continental - Some thoughts

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I like the black a lot. The wooden side panels look a bit odd, but they're a very nice touch, especially since they're removable. Seems they've taken inspiration from the Mojo 61. It does seem to be an indication that Korg aren't ready to put a bullet in this keyboard yet. If there was another update (specifically with independent octave shifts per split) that would be killer.

     

    I said in a few pages back that I really liked it when I tried it in store, and that was years ago. AnotherScott's regular comments about the action, and how it's feel means it could serve as a bottom board to someone not fully picky about weighted keys (me) is perhaps the biggest reason I want to try one out again. While most boards on my GAS list are out of range financially, the price of this means I could probably get it without having to sell the MODX, which would be nice.

    So... Who Has a "Persona" On Stage While Gigging?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    In my ska/funk tribute band everyone apart from the singer wears a combination of dark clothes, hats and shades. The singer has his own outfit. The bass player and I joke that as soon as the shades come on we're "in character". As a joke, just before we go on stage after I've put my hat/shades on I stand in front of the dressing room mirror and loudly declare "I am no longer a crappy musician. I am now a mildly mediocre musician."

     

    We joke about it, but funnily enough having the shades on feels...liberating. Almost like I have something to hide behind. As an example, we did a gig recently where due to the layout of the stage, part of the crowd was directly to my right, within spitting distance. While it was super uncomfortable and distracting having them right there next to me, I interacted with them waaaaay more than I ever would have in any other band.

     

    I "perform" a lot more with this band, and my mentality certainly changes compared to gigs where I'm dressed normally. I've more swagger, more confidence even, and it actually affects my playing in what I think is a good way. There's something about the quasi-annoniminity that allows you to spread your wings and be a bit different. Especially during solos, it feels like I have permission to be more adventurous. The way I've learned to think about it: since 90% of the gigs this band plays are ticketed, it means the people in the crowd have paid good money to specifically come and see us. As far as they're concerned, I could be the ska version of Cory Henry, so I try to live up to that. It's one of the things that makes this gig more fun than any other gig I have.

     

    Proof:

     

    db1F5WO.jpg

    What's up with the Mojo Classic?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    From what I've read it is missing parts / supply chain. Maybe some dealers have the Suitcase version in stock?

     

    Uggh. That's what I was afraid of. I have seen the suitcase version, but had my heart set on the classic. Might take a closer look at the SKX though.

     

    Dunno what you think of hammond, but there are rumours circulating of an SK-PRO Dual Manual coming out next year. These were further substantiated by a webpage on Hammond Germany saying something like "sold out - new model coming 2022".

    Scott's Clonewheel Shootout 2021, part 1

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Interesting about organ #1, Nadroj... In the first test you found it rich and fat sounding, but in the rotary test you didn't like its overall tone. The settings were identical, so there seems to be something about the high chord (with no bass below) that is making it less appealing, I did have the treble increased to get the tone I wanted... but maybe the increased treble that gave it more presence overall in test 1 made it too shrill when an upper chord was played by itself in test 3...? Or it could be something else. But it's interesting that what, according to its settings, is the "same" sound can seem better or worse depending on just what is being played.

     

    Welp, you've made me relisten and while I still think 1 has the superior tone for the first two tests, I think 5 edges it out in terms of the rotary. 1 sounds okay before you toggle the rotary onto fast, then the tone loses some of it's character - to my ears, anyways. Will update my post.

    Yamaha CP88 and 73 - Deserve their own thread

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    YC-73 is a possible trade in option for me. I'm yet to try it out, will hopefully get the chance soon.

     

    I don't care about heavy graded keys, I'm not primarily a pianist - I grew up playing a mini-piano, which I'd describe as feeling like a solid, high quality semi-weighted keybed. Nor am I an organist, though I do 99% of gigs on Nord's version of the TP-8O. I practice at home on weighted keys, but haven't played weighted keys live in over 6 years.

     

    On a previous page in this thread I read that someone compared the CP-73 action (which I gather is the same as the YC-73) to that of a wurly, which I love the feeling of. Blake Angelos also compared it to a decent rhodes, though I've given up listening to marketing talk. How is it? Is it spongy or light? Light enough to play organ/synth parts with minimum force (despite lack of high trigger point) or a bit heavier than that? Heavy enough to play more accurately than a waterfall action?

    Scott's Clonewheel Shootout 2021, part 1

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    YIND INTRO:

     

    1. Rich and fat sounding. I like the distortion - A

    2. A bit more muffled, less authentic distortion. Still fairly good - B

    3. Sounds a bit more vintage, less prounounced distortion. Because of the harmonics, I can hear an extra note - unless that's one you played intentionally - B

    4. High pitched, bit warbly. Doesn't sound bad per se, just has a lot less warmth than the others - C

    5. The opposite of 4. Hollow sounding. Like a wet tea towel is over the amp - C

     

    Big chord:

     

    1. Fat - A

    2. Fat and more muddy - B

    3. Again, more harmonics coming thorugh, but less authentic - C

    4. Better than 3 - more warmth. Not quite on par with 1 - B

    5. Same tea towel effect - C

     

    Rotary:

     

    1. Pretty good. Don't like the overall tone once the rotary kicks in, though - interesting - B

    2. Terrible. Like a ROMpler rotary - D

    3. Okay, but definitely not top drawer. Decent horn rotary feel though - C+

    4. Tone here is great. Stereo effect isn't, and doesn't sound as full - C+

    5. Actually sounds okay - not quite as good as 1, but rich and almost creamy. On second listen, I think it just edges 1 - B

     

    Conclusion

    On first listen, I like 1 best. Saying that, if I go to bed and come back tomorrow with fresh ears I'll probably change my mind.

    A New Chapter for Rhodes

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I thought the price would at least be set to compete with vintage vibe, etc, but it seems it's simply an alternative instead.

     

    I'd also heard talk of MIDI being a possibility, but not surprised that's not here. How far-fetched would it have been to expect that on a real electro-mechanical instrument? I'm assuming the people who'd fork out enough money for a decent 2nd hand car are purists not concerned with controller functionality.

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