nadroj

That was probably the best final of all time. Hell, my dad, who’s been watching since the 50s, said it was probably the best game he’s ever watched. It had everything, and the stakes simply couldn’t have been higher. The last 20 minutes + ET were some of the best moments of Football I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing - and I was a neutral! Not really a football (or soccer, whatever 😜) fan but that game had me hooked from start to finish. I’ve several friends telling me it will be one of those games still being talked about 50 years from now. Glad Argentina won it - fairy tell ending for Messi. Though France almost won the World Cup after not playing for 80 minutes. That is impressive in itself!

The latter. For a piano/organ split I have to sample the piano, then the organ, then assign them together in the Nord sample editor and load it in as a single sample. Bit of a PITA for something so basic, and as you can imagine the sampled organ usually sounds like ass. Ok in a mix though.

It should be a very good game, might even go to penalties… …but in the end I think Argentina will clinch it.

Reviving this behemoth thread to get some updated thoughts. I’ve no gigs until February, but after that we’re out almost every weekend until the end of the year, all over the country in new venues doing bigger shows, including a couple of fly ins/ferry trips to mainland Europe. We’re slowly adding new songs to the set to make the show better, and the Electro limitations are becoming more and more annoying with every added song (sampling individual sounds, then throwing them into the sample editor, assigning them across the keyboard and then not having velocity on them live, etc). The MODX isn’t coming with me on this gig, as I’d end up schlepping too much gear for the travelling (we’re an 8 piece) and it would simply be over kill for 90% of the setlist. Besides, as I’ve said several times: I don’t like playing it 🤓 I’ve had a couple of interested parties in the MODX, and the VR-730 is one of the few keyboards in my budget, assuming the Yamaha sells (or gets traded in). The Vox Continental is a contender too, and while it’s probably more “pristine” and maybe even more enjoyable to play, it’s very limited in its capabilities, especially when you throw Franks VR editor into the mix. I also think I prefer Roland’s organ/latest rotary sim to Korg’s CX-3, which is a sentence I can’t believe I just wrote. How times change. I’ve tried the VR-730 out in store and I was able get the organ to a sound I’d be happy-ish with live. There were a couple of frequencies I didn’t like, but I didn’t edit too deeply. The APs and EPs are more than ok for band work IMO (the “GrandV” Pianos played/felt much better than the original VR09 ones), and the TP-80 felt pretty much identical to the TP-80 in the Electro 4. However, the cherry on top is the CTRL Editor V-Synth capabilities, which, with the additional splits and layers, are what makes it stand out to me. I spent years programming it on the FA06 and know that system very well. I also love the Roland Synth sounds. With the added depth of Frank’s editor, I could easily programme an entire set on the VR alone, which would make it super flexible any time I wanted to take an extra corporate/wedding gig for the cash (times are tight here in the UK!). Anyone who still uses the VR09/VR730 - how does it hold up under heavy gigging? Is it still enjoyable to play? Any red flags to ward me away in 2022? I swear by the FC-7 - am I right in saying that 2 paired Y-connectors will solve the issues the VR has with it? I know NAMM is round the corner, but realistically I can’t see anything coming out that would be in my limited budget.

Great thread. This is something I struggle with too. My main gig is around 60-70% organ. I’m not an organist by any means. There are 7 other people in my band to compete against. A problem I’ve had a lot recently is my organ getting buried in the mix, and mate stubb’s points above are eerily relevant. For the genre my band plays my usual setting is 808808XX8. I try to match the gain of that with my piano, with my master at around 1 o-clock. It always seems piano cuts through so much better, especially in monitors. Whenever I have to switch to a “flutey” registration (008X0000X et all) I have to crank the volume, and usually run out of room despite this. It’s also a PITA having to remember to adjust the master when going back to piano. Historically I’ve soundchecked the organ at 888888888, with a similar mindset to when a sound guy asks the guitarist for his “loudest setting”. Maybe starting from 888 and taking it from there is a good thing. I often speak to FOH guys and explain the settings/swelling thing and ask them to let me know how it is at half time, and they always say “fine”. Though the organ always seems to get drowned out in wedges. If the venue has crappy wedges that are bass heavy (fairly common here) I might as well not be playing! Depending on the tech, some guys will just roll your eyes at you if you ask for more of a certain frequency in your wedge. Touring venue to venue without your own sound tech is always hit or miss, though. Some people say using the swell to compensate for volume increase when going all out on the drawbars, and that helps a bit when being too LOUD is the issue. My foot is always on or close to the swell pedal, and that seems to help. I like mate stubb’s idea of using the swell pedal for expression only, and riding the master more with the overall gain set back a bit. Will have to try that.

As a Scot I am bound by law to not care who wins, so long as England lose.

Based on how many updates the CP has had I’m assuming the YC is due at least another 2 major updates. It’s one of those boards I’m constantly keeping an eye on, because I think Yamaha ticked so many boxes with it - especially after 1.2.

I’ve had an Electro 4 since 2014. It’s more limited than even the first £400 digital piano I bought when I was 15. But if I’ve got a gig or a session, it’s always my first choice. I’ve taken it on gigs where my MODX would have been a better choice because I just love playing it. 8 years later it’s still the only keyboard I take out on all of my gigs. Part of that is because I’m dirt poor and can’t afford to upgrade in this economy, and if I were to upgrade I’d probably go for another brand… …But I love it. Frustrating in many regards, but my favourite keyboard I’ve ever owned.

I still don’t know why I bought the MODX7. I didn’t need it. Still don’t. Now I can’t get rid of it. At least doing that taught me that watching YouTube videos and reading specs is never a good alternative to getting hands on experience before putting down the cash. Lesson learnt!

True Nords never back down.

Can you “feel” the click? Ie. Can you feel something moving or clacking underneath your fingers? Or is it just audible? Obviously this is annoying and unacceptable, especially for home use; would it be noticeable during a loud gig?

Does it sound £4700 better than a Behringer Model D? Probably not. In a mix? Definitely not.

Lots to chew on and think about this week, thanks folks. Couple of big gigs this weekend, will certainly take some of these thoughts into the practice room and hopefully to the stage too!

I get anywhere from 1-4 solos per night, depending on what song we play and if the singer decides to call my name out of the blue, and with our gigs getting bigger and bigger, I’ve started to actively practice these tunes more at home in order to sound…well, better. I’ve been practicing licks, runs and nice lines at home, experimenting with different scales, tonal centres and creating tension. (These aren’t jazz tunes - most solos are over simple vamps or grooves). At home I can work them nicely into existing tunes and chord sequences and it sounds almost good. Get me on stage though, and 9/10 I get what I can only describe as musical “tunnel vision.” I start soloing and when I start to run out of initial ideas/get past my opening thoughts, I almost always default to what my fingers feel comfortable playing, which is often boring pentatonic/blues runs. I then think in my head “ok I need to get some of my practiced lines out into the keyboard”, and for some of them that requires changing the tonality with a LH voicing or just going out of key to create tension for a moment, but it rarely ever happens. It’s like there’s a mental block that stops me from stepping back and thinking for a second. Seems when the spotlight is on me I go into autopilot mode and my lovely musical vocabulary is bound, gagged and replaced by muscle memory blues/pentatonic wankery. I perform with enough flair to usually get a cheer from the crowd, but it’s not musical - not to me, anyways. I know I can do better, and am convinced of this whenever I get the rare opportunity to hear a live recording of one of my solos. Last night our guitarist went before me on a tune, and he had some lovely, simple melodic dorian lines. Come my turn, I decided to imitate the start of his solo note for note, which I did on the spot by ear (perhaps a discussion for another thread), and it sounded really, really nice. Then I defaulted back to muscle memory and ended by shoehorning some rushed licks in at the end of the solo when the singer was already calling for applause. So it’s not as if it’s impossible for me to step back and think while playing; I apparently can. Another example of this; depending on when the singer calls my solo in one particular tune, it can either come during a constant vamp on Am, or a skanky Am-G groove. I realised after I solo’d last night that I wasn’t sure which one I played over. Tunnel vision/muscle memory took over and I wasn’t even listening to the guys around me. Yet another example is that as soon as my solo is done and we move onto a jam/freestyle groove part of the tune, my licks and lines are much more musical and interesting because I’m actively listening to the band and end up playing around what they play. That simply doesn’t happen when the spotlight is on me. It’s not a case of not having the vocabulary or chops, cos I have a lot of phrases and ideas stored away ready to use; it’s a case of freeing my mind when my name is called out and allowing myself to be more musical. Anyone got any experience of this who can chime in?

I’d say in most bands a skilled keyboard player is what separates a good band from a great band. Good players bring an edge that sets the band apart from others. To use a sports analogy: we’re a support player. We don’t often score or get the attention ourselves, but we set up the rest of our team for the win. To use a DnD analogy: we’re the party member who provides buffs for the other party members. To use a music analogy: we hide the mistakes and reduce the exposure of bad guitarists 😁

I’ve thought this too. They were arguably industry leaders in the clonewheel game a decade ago, but the world has caught up and now they’re lagging. Saying that, as I said above there are touring pros who are still happy making do with their “outdated” organ, so who knows. I can’t see them making a CD3, with only organ. Unless they utterly knock it out of the park it will have to have other features to compete with the competition at the expected price tag. More akin to a dual manual Electro 7. But who the heck knows.

Rumours on the above link say that people who have contacted Nord asking about a stage with better action have been told to “wait until next year”. Could be utter nonsense, could be bait, or it could be something. Either way, IIRC their Electro 6 is still their best selling keyboard and I can’t see it changing any time soon. They could do nothing new for the next two years and still get by comfortably. Also, one thing that pisses me off about the norduserforum is how entitled a lot of the users are. There are a lot of people there who seem to have no idea how Nord works. “I’ve been using a stage 3 for 4 years now, why the hell aren’t they updating it?!” or ”should I spend £3000/$4500 dollars on this instrument whose sounds will be relevant for a decade to come, what if they release a new one next week?” or “I spent £1500/$3000 dollars and this keyboard can’t do multiple splits layers/can’t play organ sounds/can’t pitch bend. Wtf is this I thought Nords were good?” My Electro 4 is still going strong and can load a lot of the new sounds. There are touring pros who still rock an Electro 2/Stage 2.

Back 2 are off of my main one. Not a problem, but missing the ones at the front can be a pain. It was actually the front ones that fell off, but the keyboard kept sliding around too much so I took the back ones off and put them on the front. I try to always have two - one on either side (L/R) just feels too uneven when playing. Can live without the back ones - missing the front ones will probably make your keyboard slide around, which gets annoying fast. As for the legs/the bottom, I either have all 4 or none at all. Too imbalanced otherwise. Currently none on the bottom as…yeah, they fell off!

Can’t be legit guys, it has an F-F keyboard.

Gig report from Glasgow Bit of a long report this, sorry folks. My wife and I snagged some last minute tickets for their show last night. When she first suggested it I wasn't sure - I had been a big fan back in 2014, but had sort of fell out of love with the Pups in recent years. I don't think I've seen them live in around 8 years. However, when my MIL said she'd be happy to babysit I thought screw it and snapped up the tickets. Meant having to drive an hour to her house, drop the kids off, drive an hour to the gig, drive back to my MIL's, wake up the kids then drive an hour back to get them settled for school in the morning, but I told myself it would be worth it. Got home at around 2am and my kids were almost late for school today. Was it worth it? Read on to find out... We decided to sit on the balcony, and my wife commented that it's the first time in our lives we've decided to sit upstairs at a gig. Must be an age thing, lol. Was glad we did. Mike League had mentioned 2 keyboard players on his reddit AMA a couple of days ago, so I went in thinking it would just be Bobby and Justin on keys. When we arrived I saw what looked like three sets of boards (pics way below): A Hammond of some sort, with a Moog of some kind above it, and a clavinet with a whammy bar next to it in an L shape - obviously Bobby's setup. A Rhodes with some sort of Prophet on it - Prophet 6 I think - with a Moog above it - Justin's setup. Then in between them, in an L shape to Justin's set up, a Nord Stage 3 88 with a Moog above it, and a mellotron model of some kind in between them. It obviously looked like they'd have a 3rd keyboard player for the night, and when Bill Lawrence walked on stage I was pleasantly surprised! Bill's rig was the Nord and Moog, though him and Justin swapped around a lot. They both played the mellotron. They started with a new tune, and within 3 minutes, when Bill started ripping on his Moog, I turned to my wife and said "I'm so glad we're here". Shaun Martin is probably one of my favourite players alive just now, but Bill's first solo (on the moog) was as soulful and melodic as anything Shaun has ever played. I'm sure I even recognised a few of his lines from Shaun's vocabulary (which they probably share a lot of). All of the Moog models (little phattys and a sub 37 I think) were turned up super loud in the mix and it reverberated off the walls all around us. That first solo from Bill alone was a masterclass in lead soloing; melogic, soulful, technical with no unnecessary note wanking, and it actually made me think of that other active thread here. By the end of the song I knew we were in for a good night. The first hour of the set was all tunes from the new album, "Empire Central" which just released a couple of days ago, so I expected that. Mike League even acknowleged "some of you are probably here for our old stuff, but we'll get to that at the end. Playing this new stuff is fun for us, and when we're having fun, you're having fun." I'm sure we've all been at gigs where veteran bands have decided to play 90% new material, even while the crowd grows restless and wants to hear the classics - this didn't feel like that. I'd listened to the new album at and on the way home from work that day, so I had a bit of an idea of what it sounded like, but for the most part I was going in blind (or deaf?). I have to say, it was a wonderful experience. I was sat there listening to these musicians play tunes I didn't recognise. There were no lyrics to sing along to, no choruses for me to look forward to - all I could do was sit and just enjoy the unfamiliar music being played to me by some of the best cats in the business. Snarky Puppy are definitely a live band, as I enjoyed the live performance 100 x more than any of the videos I've heard in recent years. Any thoughts I had about them being stale were well and truly put to bed. The musicianship, the textures, the ambience, the fun, the solos; all of it together just made for a great live experience. My wife, who until only a few years ago didn't like anything resembling improvisatory music, had the time of her life, as did everyone around us. As for the keyboards - I wasn't sure what to make of Bobby Sparks before seeing him last night, but I have to say; every time he touched the keyboard I saw stars. I had a massive, stupid grin on my face all the way through his first whammy clav solo. He made it sing, scream, screech and wail. I've seen videos online, but when you're experiencing it live...I couldn't stop smiling. Every time he touched his instruments the room went wild. Whether it was his clav solos, his organ comping or his moog basslines - he turned every moment into gold. He played what looked to me like a real B3 (or C3, I don't know - pics below). I couldn't see a vent in his pedal board (pictured below, maybe you can) but I also couldn't see a leslie anywhere on stage. Maybe it was off stage. Regardless of what he was using, everytime he touched that organ magic happened. To my shame, this was probably the first indoor gig I've been to where the organ player was playing the real deal (with or without a leslie), and every time his wrist moved towards that half-moon switch a tangible sweetness filled the air. Whether he was comping, swelling notes in, or just holding a high note while someone else soloed and the tension built, him bringing in that organ (which was super high in the mix) changed the dynamic of the sound every time. My only real disappointment of the night is that he didn't get an organ solo. After seeing him tease us with growls, snarls and purrs with comping and texures, I was so looking forward to seeing Bobby let loose on it, but it never happened. The clav solos were something else, but I was desperate to see some organ action. It's the only thing about the gig that left me feeling disappointed. Anyways, Bobby Sparks has a new fan. What a guy. Justin and Bill were great together. They both took turns on each other's rigs, and every keyboard cut through the mix. The only thing that was drowned out was Mike League's bass. I've been a fan of Bill Lawrence for years, in SP and in his solo stuff, and always saw him as the more "sophisticated" player of the band - if you know what I mean. Reserved, melodic, musical, thoughtful. Well last night he played with a groove, funkiness and grittiness that I've never seen in him. Maybe I just haven't been paying attention. There was one point where he and Justin were trading solos - Justin was on his sub 37, Bill was playing an Electric Grand sound on the Nord. They were trading licks, then suddenly the band cut out and Bill started pounding on the Nord like Richard Tee, keeping the rhythm and groove going while Justin sang on the Moog over him. After a minute or so the band came back in, but to me it was a super special keyboard focused moment. Again, there was no wankery about it - Justin's playing was melodic and singable, and Bill's playing was groovy and heavy. Both Justin and Bill played some killer rhodes parts - in fact, there were times the rhodes felt a bit too loud when it barked! Having spent so long complaining about keyboards being too quiet, I'm not going to complain much about that though 😁 Suffice to say, I know we all have our favourite keyboard players in this band, but whichever combination you get - I don't think you're gonna be disappointed. For the most parts I'd say the solos in general were very musical - they fit the song, and apart from a couple of occasions where it felt like the guys were simply going through their riff vocabulary (as hinted at by an above poster, which is understandable when you've got a 1.5 hour set with several solos per song), they were all outstanding. My wife, who's a cellist, was particularly taken in by Zack Brock, the violinist. He was excellent, and I thought the way he and Bobby in particular built their solos and then ended them by making their instruments screech and scream - it made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up! The whole gig felt like a masterclass in musicians knowing what to do, and what not to do. Not one person felt out of place. I mean, there were times when the whole band were going for it, and Bobby just sat with his hands clasped on the wooden lip of the organ, not touching a thing, waiting for the right moment - and when he did eventually come in and play, the whole sound lifted. He didn't play when he didn't have to. With him, Justin and Bill on keys, there were so many textures and ambient noises sweeping through the set - whether they were mucking around with filters, changing settings, doing little glissandos, messing around with the glide, or just playing a note here and there - there were times I wasn't sure who was doing what, or where certain sounds were coming from, and with the three of them in front of the keys doing their thing it often sounded like there were way more than 10 musicians on stage. I'd say there's a lot more room for cool textures and experimenting on the new album, and it translates very well in a live enviroment. The visuals were also very cool, and added a lot to the whole experience - whenever someone would solo, a little overlay of their instrument came up on the screen behind them and a zoomed in livestream of their hands playing would appear within it. I tried to get a picture below. All in all it was an amazing night. I'd originally said no to my wife when she asked if I wanted to go because I thought I was bored with the Pups, but that thought was well and truly put to bed within minutes of downbeat. An awesome gig, and an awesome performance. I think I genuinely had a huge smile on my face for the whole thing. Shout out to the support artist, Michelle Willis too. She's a singer/keyboard player. She played a Nord Stage 3, and stuck to a distorted wurly sound all night. While she didn't play any solos, the tightness of her rhythm playing while singing some complex melodies at the same time was definitely impressive. Her voice is great. As someone who sings regularly while playing, I thought she did a great job. It might sound like I'm gushing at bit, and I am! I'm definitely not a fanboi, but we had such a great night, and I'll definitely try to make it less than 8 years before I see them again. Was worth almost making my kids late for school for 😁 Photo dump below - my camera sucks, and I didn't take any videos worth sharing, as I like to be in the moment at gigs 🤓 Screen overlay that came up during solos The keys rig, featuring Bobby's clav pedalboard Cats at work Bobby's rig Bobby's pedalboard Justin's Rig

Wife and I just snagged tickets for their Glasgow show tonight. Babysitter sorted 😎 According to their AMA, their lineup for tonight will have Bobby Sparks and Justin Stanton on keys. Never seen Shaun Martin live yet which is a shame, but looking forward to hearing how those two cats carry the keys parts. Gonna enjoy me some whammy clav 🤘 Will bring a gig report tomorrow!

This cropped up on my social media feeds earlier today, seems it’s gone viral (again). Seeing of comments about the solo, but I didn’t get what the fuss was about. Was fairly musical and fit the song 🤷‍♂️

Google “UK voting map brexit” and “uk voting map 2019 general election” (2015 too) and look at the images. That will give you a bit of an idea. Basically a lot of people in Scotland feel they’re being led by a conservative government they didn’t vote for, and that they were dragged along on Brexit against their will. But as I said above, independence isn’t a black and white issue, as most polls still sit around 50/50, which is risky for the Scottish Government (currently led by the Scottish National Party, who as the name suggests, are very, very pro-Scottish Independence). The last independence referendum in 2014 saw the independence movement lose 52-48, but then a surge of support for the SNP in the General Election the year after. The Scottish Government want to hold another referendum for independence in the next 2 years (Brexit sped things up), but the UK government has said it would block/deny any request for one, which obviously hasn’t gone down well. If that happens, the decision on whether or not we’re allowed to hold one goes to court and gets messy for everyone involved. There are many, many conflicting opinions about the above on both sides of the border. On top of all of this, the UK is also in a shambles (economy is very rapidly going to pot, with some more bad news today) and has had 4 Prime Ministers in the last 6 years - each either forced to resign or having stepped back for one reason or another. Add in a lot of problems still stemming from Brexit, and it’s safe to say things are pretty chaotic.

Anything but a bagpipes synth patch! 😂

[quote]What I guess I am asking is for one of our English brethren to help me understand British culture a little.[/quote] Hey Tim, you’ll need more voices than just English ones to help you understand British culture - just a heads up and FYI! Britain is a very diverse country, with many different cultures (and ethnicities) represented in it. The UK itself has several countries within it. There are parts of British culture that haven’t taken as well to the fuss made about the Queen’s passing as others. Chiming in as a working class Scot, many of my peers (or more accurately, most people I know) have been frankly bemused by the whole thing. A large number of Scots in my generation (under 40) simply don’t see a need for the Monarchy and would probably be happy with abolishing it and having a Republic instead. Common complaints up here (not necessarily made by me) are that the Royal family is an “outdated concept”, and a “waste of taxpayer’s money”. There’s also been a lot of frustration over the “forced period of mourning”, especially considering many people here simply didn’t care. Saying that, many of the older people I know have had sentiments very similar to those shared by above posters - so it seems to me there is certainly a generational divide in regards to our attitude towards the Monarchy. But in terms how we reacted - the worldwide consensus on the day of the Queen’s funeral was that everything in the UK was closed, but if you went outside of my house into the main street of my little Scottish town, it was business as usual - buzz, busyness, shops open, workmen making a noise, etc. No one batted an eye-lid. Even some national-chain Supermarkets who announced they’d be closed nationwide stayed open up here. Personally I deeply admired Elizabeth for certain aspects of her character in the face of her public leadership, though I wasn’t particularly upset by her passing, and I wouldn’t lose any sleep if it was announced that the Monarchy was being disbanded tomorrow. Obviously this viewpoint doesn’t go down particularly well South of the Border, and there have been a lot of heated discussions over it as a result! I am able to fully appreciate and respect those who do not share the same thoughts, though. My wife is very anti-monarchy, though she had the chance to go see the Queen when she lay in state here in Edinburgh at St Giles’ Cathedral. She didn’t have to wait long and decided she wanted to have the experience while the opportunity was there, and when she saw the casket she was actually fairly struck by it and ended up very glad she went. People are complex, with emotions and motivations that don’t often fall into nice little lines or categories, so I’m fairly certain cases like the above won’t be uncommon. You can not care for the Monarchy and still be saddened by the loss of the only Queen anyone under 70 has ever known. Without getting into politics (which I refuse to do), there is also the fact that the Scottish vote very differently to our cousins South of the Border, and that is certainly worth reflecting on when it comes to our reactions to “British” traditions. It is also worth noting that our politicians decided that even if Scotland became an independent country back in 2014, the Queen would still have remained as our head of state - which shows that the Monarchy issue isn’t simply one of politics. Understandably though, this topic is not one I’m going to go into on this forum! There’s also an aspect among younger people of different ethnicities, and from different parts of the Commonwealth, who have been frustrated at the mourning almost being “pushed” on them and their cultures - to use their own words. Again, this looks like it’s a generational thing. In short, the mourning, and coverage of what to many outsiders may seem to be the national mindset conveyed by the media certainly isn’t widespread over every part of British culture, and as we’ve even seen in this thread, there is no one single national unified reaction or response to the Monarchy and the Royal Family.