cphollis

A beefy Rhodes sound can do power chords all night long. Just make sure it's phat, and doesn't sound like a doorbell.

My challenge is that you can get either a) an iOS application with a plasticky bedroom controller, or c) a decently performing keyboard with an iOS device attached. What I would like is a decently performing keyboard built around a performance-centric iOS hosting app, much like AUM.

I think a good keyboard that fully exploits iOS integration has yet to be built.

Well, I believed there was a formula for putting together a great cover band. I realized this after being in so many bad ones. Also, I shouldn't be complaining about bands so much unless I was willing to start one of my own. I put one together three years ago. It's an excellent local cover band and does not suck. Two strong vocalists, six strong musicians, great tech and production, well-rehearsed, etc. We now have a wonderful local following, plenty of gigs, etc. The write up of how I did it is in my sig. I would say that "magic extra" that sets the band apart from all the others is that we all enjoy each other as people, we love playing music together in front of our local audiences, and the happy vibe just shines through. This was us last spring:

Strange, I was hot and heavy on all sorts of gear for the longest time, and then -- I was sort of done. I realized that I had just about everything I could want (and then some). New gear just looks like more work at this point.

Most of the time, yes. They also can have one of my mixing surfaces if they talk pretty to me.

Alternative view? I can't always control or influence who's doing sound for us. A while back, I decided to "own" our stage mix, and give FOH much less to do. That means we use our own stage mixer, have our mix pre-dialed in, use IEMs, rehearse with it, etc. We show up and we're ready to sound good. Ideally, the FOH would have to adjust for band volume and EQ -- and very little else. I explain what we've done to our sound tech for the event, and they are always good with it. Less work for them. During the show, I'm auditing the FOH mix from time to time from my keys position. Also helps me fit into the mix as I would like to. Not everyone's cup of tea, but now I never complain about keyboard levels, sound techs, PA systems, etc.

We have (1) a very large vinyl banner for outdoor stages that you can see at a distance which hangs off the back light truss, (2) a smaller one for indoor venues, (3) logo drum head. We announce the band several times during the show. And we still get people asking "what's the name of your band?" when it's in foot-tall letters.

Not inherently difficult, but expensive -- and doing so will introduce significant latency and jitter delivered to your mixer in your music room. Wifi and bluetooth are fine for streaming music. If you're synchronizing with something (musician, tracks, etc.) you won't be happy with the result.

It's different when you're doing sound for your band. We rehearse with the same setup we perform with: IEMs, X32, presets, etc. I spend a lot of time leveling patches during rehearsals. I listen to the FOH mix, and adjust accordingly. Bottom line, my preset volumes are where I expect them to be 98% of the time, as is the rest of the band's volume. Unless I moved a knob and I forgot. Most of the time, I hire a sound tech that uses our gear. They don't have a lot to do, since most of the mixing work was done ahead of time. When it's someone else's system, it's an X32 most of the time, so my "stage mixer" can be controlled by their board. I also have a 16-channel splitter in case we end up in an incompatible situation.

On this topic, the same devices pictured here can also *limit* current draw. This is very handy if you don't want to blow your circuit breaker using your sub, or lights.

I would use this as an opportunity to get everyone on IEMs. In that small of a space, your vocal microphones will likely pick up everything in the room, including the monitor wash. Unless everyone is *very* disciplined (drummer, etc.) the mix can easily turn to mush. While floor monitors *can* work, I have found them very difficult to make work well. With quality IEMs now ~$50, it's hard to make a case for floor wedges anymore.

Same here! Although it sounds sorta bright here, I bet it would sit nicely in a band mix. Nice to see Nord investing in EP samples again.

I buy all of my speakers, mixers and lights through online DJ outlets. Better availability, better price, etc. The physical stores are often loaded up with cheap stuff (just like the music stores), but the online inventory is great.

800 "music" watts is not 800 electrical watts, so you're way off. I can run my 6 piece electric band on less than 15 amps @ 120 v (standard household circuit) going easy n the sub and with battery powered lights. I doubt that you'd draw more than 5 amps unless you started crankin@g your sub to max. That can draw a lot of power.

"The band does not sound that way" -- neither a good nor objective basis for comparison. Instead: "how should the band sound?" That's always a good discussion to have, and everyone should contribute. Personal experience mixing: drummer says "it sucks, needs more drums", bass player says "it sucks, more bass", ... you get the idea. It took me several iterations of mixing and mastering to get to the point where everyone had a thumbs up. Follow the link in my sig and there's a chapter on this in the guide I wrote. Hint: it took a while.

Having lived in different places, I think it all boils down to the locals' propensity to go out and see live music. In locales where younger people gather (university towns, for example) there's usually a great music scene aimed at them. I currently live in a beach resort town swimming with early retirees who love to go out for drinks and live music. As long as they're done by 9pm that is. Having spend some time in that part of MA, yeah, it's sort of thin out there. Lots of country, for example. As you move closer to Boston it gets better, and the Cape region is pretty good. No easy answer other than to keep looking!

^^^this^^^ or, in other words, there's no getting around latency except by shortening the distance between participants. Sure, if all of the participants lived in the same metro area, they *could* use the same ISP point of presence, and keep latency within manageable bounds, maybe 10-15ms? Viewed this way, it doesn't eliminate distance, but you might get by without the need for a rehearsal studio and local travel.

I don't do annuities for the same reason I skip on most insurance: I don't want to pay someone to hold my risk -- I'd rather do it myself. With insurance, you're paying someone to hold the bag if something bad happens. With annuities, you're paying someone to hold the financial risk so you can get a predictable income stream. If you value things that run on autopilot most of the time, it might be attractive in the same way Social Security is attractive. Just keep in mind - Rampant inflation can erode the purchasing power of your annuity. Money ain't worth what it used to be, and that will likely continue. - The company providing the annuity can change the rules of the game, and periodically will do so depending on business conditions. - Once you money is tied up in an annuity, you can't easily use if for other purposes. Also, I started taking SSI at an early age, my thinking being that there is no real guarantee about the future of the program, so get the money now when I can use it. One of the advantages of a residential rental income stream is that rents can be adjusted periodically, preserving your purchasing power. It's also a bit of work. The asset is also liquid, we can sell a property if there's something splashy we want to do. You mileage may vary.

I use a CPS SSv3 for pickup gigs where everyone brings an amp. The first time I lay into a stereo leslie swirl, heads turn, and that's sort of fun. If I was looking for something basic, I'd probably do a lightweight bass guitar amp. I've played through a few, and they're fine for that purpose. Surprisingly light and powerful.

Fair enough, you shouldn't be changing many notes when you're performing Beethoven or Chopin -- but you still can interpret it! Tempo, dynamics, etc. Learning the material is tough, granted. But the real artistry comes out when you put your own mark on it, which takes an ungodly amount of effort.

As a performer and a live music enthusiast, the *last* thing I want to hear is "just like the record". Technique can be learned, taste less so ...

I was dubious about the utility of this, but then I realized it would really help with the recording workflow, especially if I can mount it on my keyboard as @CyberGeneis doing.

Sorry, this looks like a swing and a miss to me. And if I wanted to do this, why wouldn't I do it on an iPad for $2.99? That being said, we are not that far away from "AI-enhanced" keyboard assistants, as it's happening in the visual arts right now. The learning model is trained on hundreds of examples from targeted artists, it extracts the salient features, and then applies what it has learned to an "original" piece. One use case might be that the player plays simple chords, and the AI fills in a Chick Corea-like fill/voicing. To "play" a musical assistant AI, you'd still have to learn how it behaved and use it tastefully, sort of like KAOSS, but with much more range and nuance. It's still a live performance, but with a lot of "help". Direct control via brain impulses (no keyboard controller) is probably five years out? It too will be yet another application of machine learning, e.g. "when I see this brain wave pattern, this is what the user means musically". It'd be great to get all the music in my head out much more simply!

Don't read music, hear it in your head -- then play it!