vonnor
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Posts posted by vonnor
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I just wanted to share some good vibes. My band had rehearsal yesterday to polish up some tunes for a show coming up Saturday, and I was very impressed. I don't know about you all, but most rehearsals devolve quickly into off-topic discussions, "polite" disagreements, people noodling while someone is trying to talk, and at times outright arguing.
Yesterday we all agreed to bring focused issues to go over and rough spots to iron out. Wonder of wonders, that's what happened. We just went around to each member and they called out this or that tune, section, vocal harmony part, counts-and-cues, etc. I swear we got like 6 hrs of work accomplished in 2.5 hrs. No bickering, no hurt feelings, just making music and making it better.
Even when the drummer said he wanted to run through "Still Of The Night" which we haven't played in almost a year, with just a couple review questions about the song sections and transitions, we nailed it in one take. It's almost like we were professionals or something. 😎
The off-mic acapella harmonies - where we all confirmed our parts and made small corrections where needed - were a real treat (we hadn't ever done that before).
If you guys have had super-fun rehearsal experiences, share them here. It might give folks some great ideas.
~ vonnor
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Still wall-wart powered. You can have it.
~ vonnor
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Last time I used those in the factory configuration was 1986 (attached). I have had the T-Connectors break from over tightening and just plain age - older ones have a brass nut cast right into the plastic and seem to crack more often. Like Dave McMahan I also have a bunch of newer parts (not enough to be called a "stash") but now days I only use them in a "box" config, so I don't tighten them too much. I try to keep any "tiered" keyboards with center of gravity over the bar so there's less "roll" torque on the connectors. I got black tubes and tier cross-supports out the @$$ in my closet but not many T-connectors any more.
~ vonnor
p.s. I never had that Memorymoog+ fall to the floor...
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On 8/9/2022 at 9:01 PM, NewImprov said:
That is awesome! My only issue might be that, being dependent on a custom cable could be problematic, where Cat5 is pretty universally available. But with a well-made cable, and a backup, it probably is not a problem.
I have 2 back-ups. 🤪 Soldering 28 tiny little pins and 28 tiny little sockets onto the ends of tiny little awg26 wires one by one is so relaxing. Not to mention soldering right-angle Switchcraft MIDI plugs - getting those tiny little wires into those tiny little holes... It's how I spend my weekends. 😄
~ vonnor
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I'm with Moe and MC on this. 95% of the time, if an instrument has a wall-wort that's a deal breaker for me. I have doctored 2 different boards to install an equivalent-spec in-line power supply inside the instrument and a standard AC jack on the back panel. All other devices that have worts are well secured inside my rack.
~ vonnor
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16 hours ago, The Real MC said:
New toys this weekend - Oberheim OB-X8 and QSC KW122.
OK why am I more intrigued by that keyboard stand than the OB...
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Hey JDB,
Without knowing how many sound sources (keyboards? etc.) are being utilized for the live show it's hard to recommend a mixer.
Since I use a combination of hardware synths/workstations and virtual instruments (VST) I am using a RME Fireface UC - USB Audio Interface. It has 8 line inputs and 6 line outputs and is controllable from a tablet/laptop. Because we're only playing small to medium size clubs our sound tech runs FOH in mono. The Fireface lets me send him isolated mono sigs for the Kronos, Forte, and I send the VST's on a third mono chan. It gives him a little more "slider-rider" control during each song. I can also mix stereo outs to the ear-bug transmitter for myself, and mix a monitor bus send into that as well.
It's a bit pricey but not really overkill for what I run.
If you're just running hardware synths I give a plus 1 to the KL-8 and/or LX-308B. The Ashley is my preference only due to it's internal power supply.
~ vonnor
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15 hours ago, NewImprov said:
Sure, it's a pretty simple concept. Each box basically takes in 4 balanced or unbalanced 1/4" signals and sends them out over a standard Cat5 cable, or vice-versa. It's a purely analog system, no digital conversion, it just takes advantage of the fact that Cat5 has 4 pairs of wires, and a braided shield. Steve originally built them as send/return units for guitar pedalboards, and, when I saw what he was doing, I saw how it could be used for my keys setup. I also had him build a set of boxes that have multed 1/4" and 1/8" inputs that I use to send CV signals between various modular gear. I could put you in touch with Steve if you want more info, Also, I believe Radial makes a similar product.
Ah ok. Very sweet! I do the same thing basically (and electrically) but I use multi-chan snake and multi-pin twist-lock connectors at the pedalboard and rack junction boxes. I run both midi and audio to the rack through the same snake.
~ vonnor
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On 7/6/2022 at 6:47 PM, NewImprov said:
In the exact opposite spirit of Zukskywalker's post above, here's my new, pretty maximalist, rig redesign...
I have a few big outdoor and theater shows coming up this summer/fall, and, after dealing with some frustration on my last few gigs, I did a pretty total redesign of my setup. I built 2 pedalboards, completely rewired my rack, replacing the KMix with a Radial KL-8, and using some custom-made pedalboard-aids made by a friend and his new startup, Gnomind.
Basically, the setup is 2 keyboard stands, the first has my Rhodes and an Arturia Keylab 61, the second has a Crumar Mojo and a Sequential Take 5. There are pedalboards under each stand, pedalboard 1 has the Rhodes sustain pedal, some audio FX for the Rhodes, and controller pedals for the full setup. Pedalboard 2 has a Ventilator, for the Mojo, Exp. pedal for the Mojo. All audio from the pedalboards go into the Gnomind devices, which cover 4 channels of balanced TRS to 1 cat5 cable, there's 1 Gnomind box on each board. The Cat 5 is received by 2 Gnomind boxes in the back of my rack, which feeds the audio into channels 1-8 of the Radial KL-8. The KL-8 also acts as an interface for my laptop/Mainstage setup, controlled (mostly) by the Arturia. All Midi and USB-MIdi is handled by a iConnectivity Mio XM, also in the rack. The Mic is not totally necessary for the live rig, but simplifies re-integrating the live setup into my studio.
It's been out to one gig so far, and it worked fantastically. Setup time is not unreasonable for its' size and complexity, basically, the process is setup stands for keys and rack, set pedalboards below stands. Set rack, Rhodes, and other keys onto stands, connect power, connect Rhodes sustain and controller pedals, connect 2 cat5 cables for audio, and a few USB cables. Main out is on 2 XLR's to FoH, Monitor out is 1 mono XLR to my powered monitor.
Here's the full setup:
Here's a diagram of the full system:
Here's the rack, with the laptop, KL-8, Mio, and power conditioner:
Here's the back of the rack, showing the Gnomind boxes receiving audio from the pedalboards:
Here's the first (Rhodes) Pedalboard:
And here's the obligatory action shot, with a Behringer 2600 added, from the first gig I dragged this whole mess to:
Being a loather of spaghetti cables, I am intrigued by "Gnomind." Do you have any further information on that system? Not looking to steal intellectual property, or for any technical details, just mainly capabilities overview.
~ Bill C. (vonnor)
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For both Faithfully and DSB I use a very bright layering of AddictiveKeys Studio Grand and the Forte stock "Bright 9' Grand" The AddictiveKeys is eq'd with most of the low end rolled off. Mix is roughly 60/40 AK over Kurz.
Only difference for Don't Stop Believing is I add a bit of chorus to the AddictiveKeys patch, none to the Forte patch.
@EscapeRocks (David) may be a good reference for this.
~ vonnor
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Could you try it without the polarity adapter? See how it sounds? In my experience, FC-7 has worked either right out of the box, or with a tip/ring polarity switch. If it's wonky one way, it works good the other way. Granted I have never tried it on a Crumar product.
~ vonnor
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For me it how sturdy and motionless the stand is that's most important. I have always put that above collapsibility or portability. By far the most sturdy and motionless stand is the ones I built from Ultimate Support Tubes and T-connectors hoarded over the years. Those things can hold two (or three) keyboards plus my 235lbs and not bounce, move back-and-forth, or side-to-side more than a cm. Only drawback is you can't disassemble it, but it fits perfectly laying down in back of my SUV.
I have tried Invisible, but with the heavier keyboards and playing standing up, I find the bounce to be very annoying.
I'm currently using a somewhat modified Apex column stand that has steel rods running from under the lower tier bars down to the ends of the legs. Without those, the bounce would be a deal-breaker for me. Also has a pedalboard that's up on tall rubber feet and straddles the legs. It's much better for break-down and transport.
~ vonnor
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On 7/24/2022 at 3:42 PM, o0Ampy0o said:
There is an opportunity in there that could lead you to $$$$. Keep peeves for pets at your own risk. Cats are lovable and cute but everything is on their terms. Dogs just love you no matter what however I recommend you find smart ones. Nothing worse than a dumb dog no matter how much they love you regardless except maybe one of your pet keyboard stand peeves.
Like keyboard players in FB "Cover Band Central" memes, no love for the vociferous flying dogs...
Pepper is peeved.
~ vonnor
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For me it's more of "How many total keys do I need to cover all the different sounds for the song?"
Since I run with LOCAL=OFF on all of my keyboards, and send all MIDI events to the computer (Cantabile3 Live Host) before routing them back out to the appropriate combi/multi track on the appropriate keyboard, or internally to a VST instrument, I visualize the keys and sections of keys as generic controllers only.
Right now I have a 76 and a 61 and rarely have to do mapping or conditional routing magic to perform a tune. Conditional routing would be where say the bottom half of the kronos keyboard would route to combi-track-4 in the kronos when the Forte's foot controller is in the OFF position, but would route to DIVA (VST) when the foot controller is full-on.
Stuff like that.
~ vonnor (i heart midi)
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I created this patch on a Nord Stage 2. I applied a hard-sync sweep along with a touch of filter sweep with a decent amount of filter resonance (Q). Assigned it to the mod wheel (but had Cantabile - my live VST host - map a foot controller to "mod wheel" for hands-free operation in the latter parts of the song). I had to experiment with the sync tone from sweep-start to sweep-end, as well as the filter rez and begin-end cutoff freq through the extent of the sweep. But you should be able to approximate it that way. Experiment with that as a starting point.
~ vonnor
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I'm still standing (at the age of 63), and will likely continue as long as I can. I think it's more engaging to the audience, since I can dance and bop around more than if I were sitting. Can also reach different sections of each board more easily. That being said, and as others have mentioned, it does take a toll on you physically. Some tunes I have to support my whole weight (240lbs) on my left leg while working the sustain pedal the whole time. Roll With The Changes is one of them... brutal left-hip fatigue. I even have both damper pedals (from the Kronos and Forte) routed to Addictive Keys and the Forte (easy to do in Cantabile3) so I can change support legs if I need to during the song.
I hope to live long enough to be forced to sit&play, but for now I keep on dancing.
~ vonnor
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I'm being nostalgic with this thread, mainly because of limited living space and the fact that I typically only keep and program boards to be used for live shows. All but what's in my sig I have sold or traded over the years and now regret some. (If only I had more space) /sigh
~ vonnor
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1 hour ago, Morrissey said:
So good but so heavy.
Action is dreamy...
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If by some miracle you were offered each and every keyboard or module you've ever owned, would you keep it or pass?
- Univox EP ... pass
- Wurli 200-a ... keep
- Minimoog-D ... keep
- Crumar T1 Organ ... pass
- Memorymoog ... pass
- Memorymoog Plus+ ... do you have to ask?
- DX7 ... pass
- Matrix6 ... keep
- TX-802 ... keep
- Octave Cat ... keep
- KX-76 ... keep
- Roland RD-250s ... keep
- ESQ-1 ... keep
- SQ2 ... keep
- EPS-M ... pass
- CP-70b ... keep
- ZR-76 ... keep
- KS-32 ... keep
- Alesis QS7 ... keep
- Novation Nova II ... keep
- Virus kb ... keep
- SK1-73 ... pass (not much of an organist)
- Fantom X6 ... keep
- Fantom XR ... keep
- Motif Rack ES ... keep
- NS2-76 HA ... keep
- Kurz PC-361 ... keep
- Kurz PC1-se ... keep
Apologies to any instruments I have forgotten about.
~ vonnor
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I loved the levers on my Matrix-6.
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On 6/30/2022 at 8:02 AM, Rod S said:
It would be cool if people posted photos of themselves with the gear as well. At least for me, I think it's cool to match faces to the names.
OK.
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In my part of the US, this past weekend was brutally hot and humid. My band had to play an outdoor show Saturday during the hottest part of the day. As the forecast called for "80% chance of thunderstorms and small hail," the venue promised we'd be under a roof and protected by a tarp. Turned out we were to set up in the corner of a covered patio area (about 30x35 meters). Oh they had done an excellent job of securing a tarp directly behind the back-line... a transparent tarp... with the sun right behind it.
Now as load-in and setup progressed, so did the temperature - it went from 33-37C (92 to 98F) with what felt like 105% humidity and no breeze (thank you mister tarp)!
Needless to say I was dripping wet by the time soundcheck came around.
Between the 1st and 2nd set, I noticed the sun had moved so that my laptop was directly illuminated. I went to move it and almost burned my hand. The display was all locked up and all controls were unresponsive. In a panic I was able to manually power it down and luckily the sound man had a freezer pack that I wrapped in a towel and sat under the computer for 20 min. It did come back up and was able to finish the show, but I had to set it on the floor in the shadow of my rack and keep moving it during the rest of the show to keep it in shadow. (I did have a spare laptop with me btw).
The other thing was in all my years of playing live (since '81) and doing many outdoor shows in direct sunlight, I have never had the issue I'm about to describe...
Even after chugging water and Gatorade all day, on the second to last tune my ankle started severely cramping, followed by my right hand! In the middle of the bridge on Rebel Yell (that synth lead line before the final chorus) my hand just stopped working!! It scared me to death! Luckily the last song was Highway To Hell - just power chords on a guitar sample - I covered it left hand only.
Have any of you guys ever experienced anything like that? My hand is still a little sore even today - 3 days later. That was the most brutal gig I've ever played in my life!
~ vonnor
p.s. not one drop of rain fell and it was hot and sunny the whole time. 🙄
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4 hours ago, KRK said:
studio...
(waiting for the OBX8...)
Some serious Gear Pron right there...
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Do not play acoustic piano contemptuously
in The Keyboard Corner
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You're in a band?
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