Groove On

Take a listen to the quality of the Bose Soundlink III in this video - pretty impressive for a speaker that fits in a backpack (skip to 2:30 min). I think the equivalent of that Bose speaker today is called the SoundTouch 10/20/30 (which still has a 3.5mm aux input). (On a side note - his setup broke all my biases about keyboard equipment (bluetooth, consumer audio, mini-keys) - so I now have G.A.S. for this portable system. Urghhh !!!!) [video:youtube]

Good name for a band or album ...

Could you explain that a bit more? I"d like to know what the action is like.

Cutting-edge performance always moves down into consumer PCs, so to me, Apple is skating to where the puck is going to be - and that place is where off-the-shelf consumer hardware performance is so powerful it rules the market. I'd even argue that it's mostly true today, where US$1,000-2000 PCs are already overkill for most "pro" and "power" audio users. Those few who -truly- need cutting-edge performance of a Mac Pro or similar PC Workstation will become 1% or less of the market.

Apple has stated that properly developed iOS apps will be supported in macOS Big Sur. (see here). -- -- -- 1. Which iOS apps do you want to see in macOS? 2. Which macOS apps do you want to see in iOS?

The FP-30 has been my main work-horse for around 4-5 years now. The action doesn't really break-in. It's not that the keys are heavy, but I'd call it a "slower" action; some will describe it as sluggish. In real life, I've never had any problems playing fast syncopations in Latin/Salsa/Jazz or fast trills in Baroque pieces - even when I'm wired up on caffeine and spazzing the tempo - I would readily buy the PHA-4 Standard action again. But - I do believe that you should adjust your technique to play it comfortably over long periods of time. Personally, I play the PHA-4 Standard action with A. more body weight (not just arm weight) and B. more into the keys vs. the tops of the keys. If you don't make those adjustments - you may find the standard PHA-4 action fatiguing to play. Vice versa, when I switch to a "faster" action like on a Kawai, Yamaha or acoustic - I use less body / more arm weight - and I play closer to the tops of the keys.

I've been applying a similar technique to my piano playing during the lockdown, but it came from Rickson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. They call it something like "animalistic perpetual motion". It's the focus of my daily pool exercises. Afterwards, I continue applying the technique during piano practice. It does a very good job of getting me "into the zone". -- -- -- One thing I haven't learned is to remember my mask before walking down two flights of steps to the garage.

I'm hoping this move to ARM will give Apple devices a common architecture so that apps can run on all devices: iPads, iPhones and Macs. This would seem to be in-line with Apple's desire to lower development and support costs. The last few MacOS and iOS updates all seem to have elements that go in this direction. Hardware peripherals should follow suit and certify that they are compatible with all Apple hardware. For example, in my geek dreams, Modarrt ports the ARM version of Pianoteq to the new Mac, which means it also runs on the iPad and iPhone. Hopefully it also forces software developers to think elegantly how the same app will look & feel on different screens.

Sammy Hagar, 72, says he'd 'rather get sick and die' than cancel concerts due to coronavirus https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8455641/Sammy-Hagar-Id-personally-sick-die-cancel-concerts-coronavirus.html * I think Sammy Hagar is nuts and a bit irresponsible, but I also gotta respect where he's coming from ... rock on dude, stay hardcore ...

June 24-July 15, 2020 https://www.korg.com/ph/news/2020/0624/

Are you able to use the Alexis Control Hub with a simple USB-C to USB-mini adapter? Might be faster and more reliable.

My favorite knock-around headphones are the Samson SR850s; one of my surprisingly best audio purchases ever. They"ve taken a serious beating over 4-5 years and are still going like champs. I own 3 pairs of better and more expensive headphones, but the SR850s are like a comfortable pair of old jeans, and I always reach for them first. At US$30, they"re good for all kinds of non-polite music activities. At 32 ohms, almost anything can drive them. And most importantly they fit comfortably on my big fat head

Here's on odd data point, that's been turning windmills in my head: In February 2020, I visited friends on Boracay Island in the Philippines. It's a party/leisure island, sometimes called the Ibiza of Asia. The island hosts thousands of tourists from all over the world. It is a narrow, sun-drenched island so you're always breathing in a clean ocean breeze. Almost all activities are outdoors, and almost all restaurants are setup to enjoy the outdoors. - It was corona free until yesterday (June 17) when a doctor who came from Manila was diagnosed. The larger province (Aklan) has reported only 3 cases (including the doctor). All cases were travelers who brought the virus from outside. Other than that basically corona free this while time. Here's the kicker - all through Oct, Nov, Dec 2019 ... up until February 2020, it was receiving daily plane loads of Chinese tourists direct from Wuhan. To be exact, it had 6 daily flights direct from Wuhan - during the height of the China outbreak?!? Make you wonder doesn't it?

One of the major vectors for virus transmission is exposure indoors. We know the majority of cases came from homes, nursing care facilities and hospitals. My corona weather forecast: I predict as we head into summer we see an increase of cases in hot weather states as more people stay inside to stay cool. States with cooler and temperate weather will probably see a decrease in the summer as more people enjoy the outdoor weather. For those places with 4 seasons, like NYC, I wonder if the spring and autumn weather will help to decrease cases, while increases might be seen in the more brutal summer and winter months.

From what I"ve read, the sun has entered an excessively quiet state right now and it"s expected to be like that for quite awhile. What I"m actually worried about is the Earth"s drifting magnetic field, if it flips or worse goes chaotic - like it has in the distant past, we"re going to be in for a wild ride. With all the craziness in our human world, it would be poetic if all of a sudden we had 3 magnetic norths and couple of magnetic souths, and a lot of electronics unable to function. Just saying, it"s prudent to keep those acoustic imstruments in good shape and nicely tuned.

That"s the real story that isn"t being reported or meaningfully analyzed - the media has failed miserably and continues to do so. It"s a a huge problem for our societies/culture. There"s something deadly disfunctional about the media + government combined driving the current stories of the day. Look how fast the virus fell off the radar and was replaced by protests and rioting - and I"m sure it will all be replaced again soon enough! The news is not reporting on what people are actually doing, 'we the people" are not driving the story; instead the story is about how we are reacting to the current news cycle, soon to be replaced by another news event and stories about our reaction to the 'new' situation - ad nauseum. That kind of constant narrative whiplash and cultural A.D.D. Is not healthy for our societies and it"s subject to incredible abuse.

This was making the rounds again, thought I'd share

- I'm not holding my breath, but it would be amazing to have Pianoteq on iOS. Unfortunately, they don't seem interested ... but I'm still waiting for it.

I use an iPhone 8 Plus with a Sirui 18mm wide-angle lens. For better sound, I use an iRig Pro I/O with an AT2021 condenser mic. I also have an iRig Pro Duo for two track recording. This small, compact setup made me realize that I will probably never own a video camera again. I love that it records direct to the phone so I can immediately edit and upload. Future upgrades: iPhone 11 Pro - the built-in wide angle is amazing and gets rid of the need for an external wide angle lens. Rode Wireless Go Stabilizer /Gimbal

Combinations of: - Stage piano (stereo) - Backing tracks + VSTs (stereo) - 2 mics for vocals/instrumentalists (mono) I guess the question is, does it matter if I run mono sources through a stereo setup? And if I have to mix mono+stereo sources, should I setup the speakers as mono or stereo?

What is the difference between these two speaker setups? Is one preferable for stereo vs mono vs stereo+mono? Setup #1 - connect each XLR out to individual speakers Setup #2 - connect both XLR outs to one speaker - run XLR out from speaker to the 2nd speaker Notes: QSC K8.2 speakers + Yamaha MG06X 6-channel stereo mixer - (2) XLR inputs, can be 2x mono or 1x stereo pair - (4) 1/4 inputs are (2) stereo pairs, each pair on it's own channel - all outputs are stereo ** tech sheet for mixer https://usa.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/9/330989/mg06x_en_ts_c0.pdf

We live in a Category 5 Hurricane of Information. I think more people are speaking out more loudly and more often than at any time in history; but we have so many communication channels, nobody can make sense of it anymore. The "digital reverb" is dialed up to 11; every bit of emotional/dramatic news echoes a million times past it's actual relevance - immediately falling into an infinite vanishing point of irrelevance. E.g. look what happened to COVID coverage after George Floyd and the riots. Can you even remember what the heck was important in Dec 2019 before this all broke out? In comparison, it was easy to rebel in the 60s. The culture of the 50s was clearly defined. You could pick any counter-culture idea and stand out in stark relief to the rest of the world. Plus you only had 3 TV channels, and 10-20 radio stations to broadcast it. Try that today and you're just one voice in a sea of thousands of online channels all shouting and echoing variations of the exact same ideas.

Virtue signaling is the scourge of our times. This one is ingenious, it catches your attention because it sounds like it might be a Black Friday sale, but no it"s somebody"s half-assed social agenda. Thanks, but no thanks. The irony is that the music companies are so tone deaf. Didn"t they notice we"ve been on pause for the last two months?

Them"s fightin" words!!! ... and yes, vodka and a little vermouth makes a Quarantini

My setup is what Mighty Motif Max suggested, a two-tier Z-stand. I use solid piece of hardwood for the 2nd tier shelf. Hercules 2-Tier Z-Stand, runs around US$200. http://herculesstands.com/international/products/keyboard/z-stands/ks410b/ Notes: I recommend using hardwood for the shelf vs. the typical MDF/OSB/particle board. A good piece of hardwood is sturdier and can effortlessly handle the weight overtime. I originally used the MDF/OSB/Particle Board/plywood but it all started to sag over time.