Mighty Ferguson

I thought the way I'm doing it (multiple instances of Keyscape for the main sounds I use, each used as an Alias channel strip) was considered the preferred way, but I'm certainly open to changing it if needed. Program changes within a single instance of Keyscape doesn't seem like it would work though, due to the long time required for Keyscape programs to load. How are other people doing this?

Hi, this is a question for those using MainStage and Keyscape together. I've got a few instances of Keyscape running and I'm experiencing something weird that I can't figure out. When I switch from one patch in MainStage to one of the Keyscape patches, the volume is at a high level for several seconds, then drops down to a lower level and stays there. This doesn't seem to happen with B3-X or the built in MainStage instruments, so I think I must have something wonky with my use of multiple Keyscape instances. This even happens when I move from one instance of Keyscape to another. I don't see what could be causing it, so I wanted to ask if anyone here might have any ideas on what to check.... thanks for any help.

I believe when I used my CX-3 as a controller for a short stint a few years ago, I set up a preset patch with the sound off. Then I used that patch whenever I used it to control an external sound source. I believe there was a patch volume parameter - maybe it was part of the amp settings?

Does the SK transmit sysex for the Perc/CV? I used to have a similar problem when I used a VR-700 and a Kronos/Vent combo. I was only using the VR-700 as a controller and the Kronos was providing all the audio, but I wanted the VR-700 drawbars to control the Kronos CX-3 engine drawbars. I used a MIDI Solutions Event Processor box between them to convert the VR-700 drawbar sysex to MIDI CC the Kronos could respond to. It worked perfectly.

Why not use this one? The thread title is perfect.

I used the Roc n Soc Nitro for awhile before finally settling on a bench to allow sliding. Took an X bench, killed the X, and added a removeable back rest. http://www.hotrodmotm.com/images/newrig/backrest2.jpg Could you post a picture of this from the back/bottom so we can see how you've attached the back rest? I prefer a bench to the stool shape, but I've been missing having a back to it. This also looks like it would help with how narrow the legs get when you use the higher adjustments of the legs.

I don"t know real Hammond cabinets very well⦠could it be turned into a clonewheel shell of some sort? There seems to be a market for that sort of thing. I purchased a used Valhalla Woodworking shell from Craigslist a few years ago (my DMC-122 sits in it on gigs) because a new one was pricey.

It probably depends on the style of music, etc. I used a Kronos with a Vent for a few years with a rock band, and I thought it was great. I had routed the signal out one of separate outputs and then back in one of the inputs, basically like an effects loop. Then I could blend it in with the other Kronos sounds I was using for the tune and control it all from the main volume. It worked really well.

I haven't had to play "Soul Man" for at least 10 years, and I'm still sick of it.

I can only talk about the sounds of these as I use them on Mac instead of Windows, so I can't comment on performance/stability: Of the current crop, I have GSI VB3-II, Acoustic Samples B5, and recently added IK Multimedia B3X. They all sound good, but definitely different from each other. I'd give the edge to B3X for a couple of reasons. I think it's got the best sound overall, and the best sounding Leslie sim in particular. I'm also liking the B3X UI the most as well. But when it comes down to it, it's just got something about the sound that I can't put my finger on that I don't hear in the others. I wish I could describe it better. There's just something in the sound that adds a layer of realism that's missing from VB3-II and B5.

I did the same thing that several other above said - took apart the stackers on a K&M 18880 and put some padding on the vertical poles to support the back of my Kronos. The front rested on the back of my VR700 below it. This was from a couple of years ago, I don't use this rig anymore.

Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 for my transition from hardware synths to MainStage live. Keeping an eye on Mac releases, as my older Mac laptop will likely not be able to keep up with multiple instances of Keyscape, etc.

That was killer.

I"m going to reply to my own post here as I found the answer and it might be helpful to someone else with the same problem later. It turns out that you CAN use the same Alias with controllers on separate MIDI channels, but the key is that the software instrument has to be able to respond to MIDI input on all channels/omni mode. When I posted above and couldn"t figure out the issue, I was using Keyscape. Keyscape does not have omni mode, so I had to use different channels for different instances. As soon as I tried it with built in Mainstage/Logic and Arturia instruments it worked fine. I contacted Spectrasonics support and they confirmed that there"s no omni mode for Keyscape, but the person said they"d raise the topic with their engineering group. In the mean time, I thought I might be able to work around the issue if I leave Keyscape on the default channel 1, and try to use a MIDI plugin on that channel strip to redirect the other controller to channel 1. It turns out that none of the built in plugins would do that, but the MIDI Scripter plugin will do anything that you can code. After some searches, I found the following script that a helpful person had posted on the Apple support website: let inChannel = 2 //Use the channel you want to affect. let outChannel = 1 //Use the channel you want to output. function HandleMIDI(e){ if (e.channel == inChannel) { e.channel = outChannel; } e.send(); } I tried that, and it"s working correctly. So if you"re struggling with the lack of omni mode in Keyscape (or any other software instrument), hopefully that will help.

After intending to do this for a long time (and not having a sense of urgency due to the pandemic), I've just started setting up a MainStage rig with an older MacBook Pro that was middle of the road spec-wise when it was new. After setting up just a few patches, it's looking like Aliases are going to be critical to getting this all working smoothly. One question I have though, is whether it's possible to direct an Aliased channel strip to a different MIDI channel, or if it always has to be tied to the same one. For example, I'm using my DMC-122 as the controller, with each manual set to a different MIDI channel. Let's say I have a few songs where I want to play a Rhodes sound. So I set up a channel strip that's controlled from the lower manual on channel 1, and I can use an Alias to that channel strip for the other songs. Great. But what if there's a song where most of the time I'm playing Clav, but play a little bit of Rhodes in the bridge. For that song, I would want to put the Clav on the bottom and the Rhodes on the upper manual, which is on channel 2. Is there a way to use the same Alias for the Rhodes so I'm not loading it twice, but play it from the upper manual? Or would that require a second instance of the Rhodes software running with a channel strip that's assigned to the upper manual?

I used the Akai MPX8 for a few months triggering sound effect type samples. I found the pads difficult to use, and eventually ended up tying it to my keyboard via MIDI and triggering the samples from keys. Performance-wise that was better for me, but once I had them MIDI'd up together, I found the Akai created a ton of ground noise through the MIDI cable. I ended up getting rid of it as we were only using sound effects on two songs the entire night... it wasn't worth the noise, an extra audio channel, etc. That led me to cursing not using a keyboard where I could load my own samples, which is a topic by itself.

Ive had it happening for as long as i can remember in last year or more perhaps. At least a year Well that"s bizarre then, because I"ve been viewing the forum on my phone more often than computer for ages, and it only just started for me. Up until a few days ago I had a perfectly scaled version of the forum on my phone, and by that I mean it fit the screen width when the phone was held vertically and the text was large enough to read easily. Now within the last few days, either the screen is far too wide, or I squeeze it down to fit the width of the screen and the text becomes tiny. Edit: Now here"s something weird... the reply above was composed in the quick reply at the bottom of the thread. I just went into the edit post screen to fix a typo, and this edit page is scaled perfectly on my phone.

I think this just started recently (within the past few days?)... I'm seeing it as well on an iPhone 10 XS.

I haven't posted in quite a while, but here's a quick Christmas song my band did while separately quarantined. It's not at the level of the things being posted here, but it was still fun to shake off the cobwebs and do something musical. The piano and chimes are Keyscape, and the organ is the previous version of B5. I was already mixing this when the new one came out. [video:youtube]

I was using the 18880 for a few years and actually took the stackers apart and just used the bottom portion as supports at the back of my top keyboard (Kronos 61), and rested the front of the Kronos on the back of the bottom keyboard (VR-700). If you have a bottom keyboard that has a flat space, that arrangement will work and they're literally touching, albeit a bit set back behind the controls of the bottom board.

It begins... I wonder how long it's going to take for a majority of plug-ins to be ported to Apple Silicon. I think for a non-music related Mac, unless you're doing something equally specialized, most use cases will be able to switch right away without noticing anything.

Actually, I"m pretty sure Apple Pay gives every vendor a different random card number (that"s tied to you in the background) instead of your real card number. They also make some claims about not selling any of your purchase info. It"s at the credit company (Visa/MasterCard) level where Apple loses control of it. If you"re trying to avoid being tracked, and you still want to use a card instead of cash (as you mentioned), you"re better off with Apple Pay than a regular credit card.

I have the same stand for a similar purpose, although mine seems to be an earlier version that has slightly different wheels and no straps. It's been totally fine for scooting a lightweight 61 key controller around my room.

I think you just summed up the DMC/Gemini combo really well. Both parts are great, yet the combination is somehow less than the sum of its parts. I'm paying attention to that live iPad thread as well, as I'm not sure yet if it makes sense to buy a Mac when there's so many signs making me think the full MainStage will be landing on iPad with the convergence of the entire product line on Apple Silicon.

The sounds are great, and I find DMC very playable actually. I've been using it as a sole board with a funk/soul band (with real horns), and the bread and butter stuff in the Gemini is top notch as previously mentioned. The organ, Rhodes, Wurly, and Clav are killer. The new pianos aren't bad either. The virtual analog is definitely good enough for what I do live. So I think the only thing I'm really missing is the ability to load in some of my own samples for some sound effects here and there... e.g. the "Doh"s from Uptown Funk. I think the action is a good balance for organ and non-organ sounds, although I'm not someone who swears by weighted keys for piano so take that with a grain of salt. It definitely is a very configurable controller, which is why I'm thinking it might work better as a controller for something like MainStage where you can set up zones beyond what the DMC could do on its own, trigger samples, etc. At this point, I'm not really taking any course of action as there are no gigs anyway, but once things get restarted I'll need to decide if I'm going to keep using the DMC as a controller, or pick up a couple of smaller/lighter 61 note controllers. The downside with that option is there's no more built in Gemini as a backup sound source. And I'll need to pick up a Mac laptop, so I'm keeping an eye on the whole ARM thing too.