Groove On

The A-88 MKII had a nice update, but yes, the other older Roland A-series MIDI controllers are looking really long in the tooth. Had similar problems with the A-49 (latency plus driver issues). Roland has updated their Synths, Stage and now the FP series, so I'm hoping they come back around and give some love to the older/shorter MIDI controllers. Maybe something will get announced in the next few months during one of the yearly shows/conventions. But I wonder if both Roland and Yamaha have decided - that part of the market isn't worth it anymore. At least Roland updated the A-88 MKII - Yamaha doesn't even offer any sort of dedicated keyboard MIDI controller, it's all bundled with their synths.

They dropped the price of the FP-60x to US$1099 so it's looking quite competitive against the RD-88 at US$1299 (with the FP-30x at US$749). Considering the new pricing, what do you like about the RD-88 vs. the FP-60x?

Looks like the FP-90x, 60x and 30x now support Audio/MIDI over USB and Bluetooth. The FP-10 didn't receive any updates. Other upgrades for the FP-30x - L/R 1/4" audio outs - 256 Polyphony (Piano: 12 tones, E.Piano: 20 tones, Other: 24 tones) - Setting for optimising the sound when placed on a desktop - Record Audio File (WAV: 44.1 kHz, 16-bit linear format, requires USB flash drive) For the FP-90x Looks like the FP-90X now includes the older SuperNatural pianos. The specs list 20 pianos, but only the first 8 pianos have the limitless polyphony of the PureAcoustic pianos; the last 12 pianos have the 256 polyphony of the SuperNatural pianos. [Max. Polyphony Piano: Limitless (Solo playing using No.1 to No.8 tones in piano category) Other: 256] Other notes: I noticed there was mention of using Roland's Behavior Modeling Core chip (BMC) vs. the previous model, the SSC (Sound System on a Chip). Looks like their products are moving to the BMC hardware and probably explains all the new standardized features. On Roland's synths, Zen-Core runs on the BMC hardware, on their pianos PureAcoustic and Supernatural modeling runs on the BMC hardware. There's some info on BMC in this article (further down the page). https://www.roland.com/global/promos/jupiter-x_story/

Dave Rat's video. Starts with an interesting but long explanation. Skip to 4:30 for the demonstration (two methods). [video:youtube]

I agree, most stage pianos look better with a decent set of legs, even my Roland FP-30 (attached).

Thanks all for the replies/advice! Here is the follow up: I'm setting mixer output levels for the audio interface (SSL2) and controlling monitor/PA volume directly on speakers. So far so good, it all sounds good ... even the singer!

The big transformation is how more and more power users are going to be satisfied with the performance of Apple"s entry-level consumer products. The conversation is changing from 'I need a Pro machine' to 'the performance of the consumer products is overkill for my needs'. Even the options for RAM and storage are equivalent to what power users needed 5 years ago. That"s a big shift in what the Apple user base considers 'essential'. I think across the product line, people will be downgrading from what they traditionally would have needed.

Yes, I was wondering the same thing. Maybe he got it confused with the 'Morphing' feature? I mean layering has been around for ages, it"s not some big leap forward for musician kind. The morphing feature where you merge the underlying models into a brand new model could possibly be moworthy of the title.'a big leap forward'. In fairness, 7notemode is a good player, I enjoy his playing on his other videos.

That's great. I fell back into electronics during the 2020 lockdowns, been building MIDI controllers on proto-boards. Your post is timely, since I'm almost to the point where I'm ready to start making PCBs. Good to know they're inexpensive. Since this is a DIY hobby for me, I'm using free software: Fritzing https://fritzing.org and kiCad https://kicad.org My goal is to build a road-worthy 61-key MIDI controller with a decent key action. Oddly enough the electronics turned out to be relatively easy. It's the mechanical key action that's proving to be the challenge.

Don"t know if this got posted yet, but it"s fun.

Any issues with using XLR and 1/4 outs at the same time on this mixer (Yamaha MG06X)? Is there some electrical issue that might turn this into a fubar? Notes: - All the instruments/vocals will be plugged into the Yamaha MG06X mixer. - I'd like to send the XLR outs (+4 dBu) to the PA speakers - And the 1/4" Stereo Outs to the audio interface (SSL 2) * technical PDF for Yamaha MG06X

I suspect that such a hardware module would cost more than just buying an iPad and B-3X, though. And now I'm waiting for someone to say "hold my beer".

Nowadays, some people use kickstarter/patreon for funds. This guy built a 1000 oscillator synth using donations from people who just wanted to see it built. All the people who donated have their names written on the knobs. [video:youtube]

How long ago did you abandon this project?

On the electronics side, I"m using an Arduino. Their MIDI library converts serial data to MIDI, so I just needed to build a MIDI Out port. And for MIDI over USB, I selected a micro-controller that is USB class compliant. Once those requirements are satisfied, implementing MIDI on the Arduino is trivial. Not to say there aren"t still serious challenges but that part is neatly resolved by the Arduino and running nicely on a breadboard prototype. I also have a Bluetooth Module to implement BLE-MIDI - but I haven"t got around to it yet. If I was just building the typical push button / potentiometer type of MIDI controller, I would be done already, but as you pointed out there are challenges with keyboard scanning. And there"s the even bigger challenge of thinking up an elegant design for the mechanical piano keyboard that is easy to build, maintain and fix. I decided to skip the traditional switch & matrix design found on most digital keyboards and instead will use DIY-friendly infrared optical sensors. It"s the same type of design as Cybergene"s Grand Piano project over on the Pianoworld forum. With an optical sensor + comparator to calculate velocity - also running nicely on the breadboard prototype (but not without its own issues). Floating in the back of my head is a crazy idea to power the keys with a push-pull solenoid for both resistance and sensing velocity. I keep saying it"s completely nuts, but another part of me keeps saying - 'but damn it, it would be so cool'. Back to the mechanical piano keyboard, which has stopped the project, I have figured out a nice assembly line method in my workshop for making wooden keys, which can also be used to cut hard PVC sheet, so I can pump those out pretty quickly. But I"m unsatisfied with the traditional key stabilizer pins into a wood bed. It requires felt / Teflon which means maintenance similar to an acoustic piano - argh. So I"m hoping to find a better low maintenance way to stabilize the keys that"s more friendly for a 61-key MIDI 'travel' controller.

I've been hacking away at a 61-key midi controller with weighted or hammer-action keys. Turns out the MIDI controller electronics + case are relatively simple, but coming up with a good key action is the challenge and also affects how I implement the electronics. That's why this project is stalled. I could just copy some standard digital key actions, but my gut tells me to keep searching for an elegant "travel keyboard" solution. Something that's simple, DIY, and easy to troubleshoot / fix. In the meantime, I ordered an inexpensive 50 watt laser engraver so I could play around with different case designs. But that key action design is always floating around in my subconscious - really just want to build my own keyboard that I can maintain myself.

Yes, I hope we see Pianoteq on iOS, it will be a killer app. I'm also hoping that the innovation in iOS music apps spills over onto the Mac and creates a more competitive market on the Mac. It will be interesting if competition from upstart iOS developers force the larger Mac app makers to adapt; especially those companies that try to create artificial monopolies inside their product lines.

This is great, he turns his upright into a player piano - and he's only 15! Fun project if you're into woodworking and electronics. [video:youtube]

Another keyboard for couch playing consideration, the Alesis RECITAL 61 US$200. I was able to try one out the other day and was pleasantly surprised by the semi-weighted key action. Probably the best action in this price range and the only budget 61-keys I've seen with a semi-weighted action . It's definitely better than the typical plastic synth action (e.g. Roland Go Piano). Other features: USB B Port (the squarish one) RCA Stereo Out (meh, but fine) 1/4 Headphone jack Edge-to-edge keys (no cheeks/wings to significantly increase length) The main con for me is the Alesis brand. I'm not really confident in their build quality. Alesis RECITAL 61 https://www.alesis.com/products/view2/recital-61 ** don't confuse it with the Alesis HARMONY 61 which looks the same but has the plastic synth action

That is true. The action was fast and tracked velocity well. Compromise feel for piano/organ but edges too sharp for palming. On the techie side, I appreciate the constant force springs and electro-magnetic sensors in the VAX77 key action. Interesting design decisions, but I have a feeling they also contributed significantly to the final price. I've been hacking away at a DIY keyboard MIDI controller in my basement, so these thing have been on my brain. Making a foldable keyboard is an interesting challenge, but not one that I find very elegant (could be wrong, but that's my gut feeling). The VAX77 is certainly well-built though.

My inner mechanic just doesn"t trust the folding keyboard design. Even the well-built VAX 77 makes me cringe when I think about what 'could' go wrong in transit or during a gig. I still prefer a one piece slab design - preferably with a roadworthy case and built-in key cover.

I cancelled all my subscriptions at the beginning of the pandemic, except Apple iCloud, my only essential subscription. I have an offline backup, but it"s worth it to be able to login to any Apple device and immediately start using my important information.. For live-streaming on the Mac I highly recommend Ecamm Live (US$20-40/month). Here"s why: 1. It uses the GPU for video encoding on any 2010 Mac or newer. This frees up the CPU for the 'fun' real-time extras. Even my 2013 MacBook Air can run a sophisticated livestream smooth as butter. 2. You can use it with Zoom and it neatly solves Zoom"s audio sync Issue. 3. Multi-cam with iPhones is ridiculously easy. 4. Super user-friendly and fun to use. Install, login and start streaming. (compared to OBS) My GF and I run a small dance studio, so we went all-in with online lessons, competitions, workshops and conferences. Initially we used OBS which is actually really great ... . But Ecamm easily resolved many of the technical problems listed above, so the subscription is worth it. And I really like being able to put up real-time graphics and sounds to summarize, drive home a point or make jokes to keep things lively online.

That is my one regret from going all Mac, Vegas rocks I really connected with their interface and way of doing things .... nonetheless, I had to give up long ago hoping they'd ever port it over.

Could an iMac Pro with Apple Silicon replace your current desktop? Or would you still be looking for the expansion ports? I'm not saying you would upgrade, I'm just wondering if an Apple Silicon iMac Pro could handle your needs. Specs for the current Intel iMac Pro. CPU: 10 / 12 / 14-Core Intel Xeon W RAM: 32GB / 64GB / 128GB / 256GB STORAGE: 1TB SSD / 2TB SSD / 4TB SSD PORTS: - 10Gb Ethernet - Four USB-A ports - Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports with support for: - DisplayPort 1.2, Thunderbolt (up to 40Gb/s), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s) * Note: I'm talking about the iMac Pro not the Mac Pro

I'm curious how people feel about targeted restrictions. So only essential and high-risk places are restricted, while everything else is open. For example, these places would require strict medical security pre-cautions: - supermarkets - hardware stores - gas stations - retirement homes - hospitals But everything else is open and up to you if you want to take the risk or not and private businesses could decide for themselves if they wish to require medical security precautions.