Groove On

Yes, Casio's travel-friendly keyboards, are just asking for budget gig bags; that don't exceed the cost of the instrument. The CT-S1 bag Casio currently offers is nice, but it's hard to find in stock - and it won't protect the keyboard if you have to check it. FWIW - the 3 times I've flown with the custom bag, the airlines preferred I hand carried it vs. check it in. Though I'd feel comfortable checking that bag as long as it's marked "Fragile".

There are several thriving custom gig bag makers in the Philippines. Unfortunately, they don't ship overseas, they only deliver locally; so you'd have to organize something through friends to get it shipped to the U.S. I have several business interests there, so I was able to get one made for the Casio CT-S1 during my last visit. Prices were approx. US$60-100 per custom bag. The outfit I used also sold "beer-proof" keyboard/amp covers for around US$10. This is the company I used. https://www.facebook.com/BastiGigbags/ A few more custom gig bag makers (based in the Philippines). https://www.facebook.com/dmaxxgear/ https://www.facebook.com/MiGigBags/ https://www.facebook.com/gigbagph/ Here's the custom Casio CT-S1 bag (US$60). Last photo is the "beer-proof" keyboard cover (US$10).

Try Pianobook (.co.uk) - lots of interesting Piano Soundfonts created by enthusiasts. They also have ratings/reviews so you can more quickly find what's you're looking for. https://www.pianobook.co.uk/instrument/pianos/ Also Soundfonts 4U https://sites.google.com/site/soundfonts4u/

Yes, that should be a marketing bullet point for stage pianos - Lightweight - Easy to manhandle Copy the PA speakers, that have multiple, easy to use and convenient handles.

I really like what Casio has been doing with their keyboards. My guess is this announcement might be new Arrangers. I noticed it was added as a category on the Casio Music Gear website - https://www.casiomusicgear.com/products/arranger-keyboards Casio's currently available "Arrangers", are listed under the budget oriented Portable Keyboards, while this new category is empty and waiting to be populated. Maybe we'll see something to compete with the higher end Yamaha PSR series; perhaps a re-introduction of the old Casio MZ line, that would be exciting.

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For me the NI New York was 'timbre-iffic' and overall won the comparison, but Pure Piano impressed me, it"s wonderfully close and was only edged out by small nuances in the NI New York. It"s also interesting since you"re comparing iOS to MacOS and this comparison was very encouraging. I did hear a slight drop out between 1:10-1:15 after the sustained FF in the bass - I wonder if you redlined the iOS CPU there. It"s a bit more effort - but like they say if there are no videos/photos, it didn"t happen. So thanks for doing the video. How do you feel about the playability and responsiveness between the two pianos? Did you feel one respond better to your 'musical intention' than the other?

I don't know. The PAR light in the crotch kinda puts it over the top.

I am very confident Pianoteq iOS will run well on most older iPads/iPhones. I went through a phase running Pianoteq on budget computers, so I know the benchmarks pretty well. Anything with an 8th gen. (A8) CPU or higher should comfortably run Pianoteq. You'll find the A8 in the iPhone 6 and iPads released after the iPad 4 Mini. Data point: The Raspberry Pi 4 and Odroid N2 Plus computers run Pianoteq nicely with slightly lower than standard settings. In terms of CPU power, they are equivalent to the 7th gen. (A7) CPU. You'll find the A7 in the original iPad Air and the iPhone 5 series. Data point: My 2015 MacBook Air runs Pianoteq perfectly, with all standard settings. It is equivalent in CPU power to the 10th gen. (A10) CPU. You'll find the A10 in the iPhone 7 and 6th gen. iPads. Using Apple device with the newest A15/M1 CPUs will be like running Pianoteq on Star Trek level technology. .. and of course Pianoteq's RAM and disk space needs are ridiculously low: 256 MB RAM and 50+ MB of disk space. Pianoteq is heavily CPU dependent, so one big question is - can the heat sink in the iPads/iPhones handle it without severely throttling the CPU. My guess is probably yes, but we won't know until we know.

Just took this mini-rig to the local park for a sunset session. What a blast! Played some xmas tunes and latin favorites to get people dancing. The CT-S1 and iPhone (with headphone jack) ran off battery; but I"m still figuring out the batteries for the little 50 watt Vox amp (VX50KB), so I had to find a place to plug it in. The CT-S1 makes you choose between the onboard speakers or the headphone out; but with the iPhone I can run the audio direct to the amp, and then run the audio back to the CT-S1 so I can also use the onboard speakers. Korg Module Pro for the sounds. Soft Drummer and Afro-Latin Drum Machine for backing tracks.

Before the lockdowns. I traveled for 3 years through Asia and Europe with a Roland Go Piano 61 in a very snug fitting soft padded case. The airlines always had me hand-carry it on the airplane. If they showed any doubt, mentioning that it was a musical instrument usually settled it. I was actually fine checking it in, I even inserted hard plastic sheets for better protection, but the only times I had to check it was boarding a cruise ship or riverboat. The Casio CT-S1 type keyboards are about 2 inches longer but basically the same size. I"d love to be able to fold it in half and pack it in a suitcase, but I"ll take whatever i can get at this point. Though if i was going to go for something that i could pack in luggage, i might go with an iRig Keys I/O, with the built-in audio interfaces or maybe a couple of the iRig Keys Pro 2 37-key full-sized editions.

1. Cool, I was just wondering if that was possible, how big are your EXS files compared to the originals? 2. I see your iPad uses a single USB-C cable: -- what is it plugged into? -- does it provide power? -- are you using the audio interface on the YC88 or something else?

Same here on AUM. I had to go back and watch tutorials and then re-explain it to myself in audio/MIDI terms I understood, only then did I start to get my head wrapped around it. Kudos to all these app makers coming up with "new" interfaces, but many times the "new" stuff isn't obvious. I don't need intuitive, I just need it to be obvious. Perhaps AUM sits more comfortably in the world of a studio producer vs. the mindset of a live performer. It's probably the reason I understood KeyStage much more quickly and now after Black Friday, I'm feeling pretty comfortable in Camelot Pro. One thing I do like about AUM, it's a pretty raw interface, the internal wiring is all hanging out ready to use, great for tinkering, but I'm feeling Camelot Pro a lot more for on-stage/live work. iPad vs. iPhone Looks like I'll be digging into both apps anyway (Camelot Pro and AUM) since I have apps on both my iPad and iPhone. Camelot Pro and B-3X are iPad only, so that's where they live. On the iPhone, I use AUM and VB3m.

Re: Ravenscroft 275 for iOS It has better samples than the Ivory pianos in Korg Module, but that's really damning it with faint praise - it shares all the same faults as the other current iOS sampled pianos. It's usable, but like the iOS Ivory pianos, it's "just ok" nothing to write home about. For Ravenscroft iOS, I prefer to turn off the in-app Equalizer and Reverb and just add it externally. In contrast, iOS electric pianos are much more competitive, and the organs (VB3m and B-3X) are quite good; but for pianos, but I still prefer onboard/hardware pianos for live performances. The Rabbit Hole - Salamander Piano and Sound Fonts Compared to the tame and manicured paid/commercial iOS pianos, sound fonts can be quite raw and feel pretty wild, but it might be worth a listen. There are several acoustic and electric pianos available, and the multi-instrumental packs can be surprising. You'll need a sample player of some sort; they recommend bs-16i (US$7.99 + in-app purchases), but the sound fonts are free to download; a poor man's Korg Module or Sample Tank. Soundfonts 4U Demos and Downloads https://sites.google.com/site/soundfonts4u/home?authuser=0 BS-16i Soundfont/sample player for iOS, supports IAA and AU, compatible with AUM https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bismark-bs-16i/id388149926 Notes: If you use Musescore, it's worth it to download at least one of the sound font pianos for playback.

Rick Beato - "Reacting To The Beatles "Get Back" Documentary" [video:youtube]

I like this type of iPad holder mainly because I can mount it on a standard light stand with a tripod base which is very convenient to setup on stage. While there"s always the danger of tipping it over, a good pro light stand at the height of a keyboard is very stable. The 1st one has metal ball head for angling the iPad and both have additional center mount for better balance. iPad Tripod Mount #1 https://www.amazon.com/Tripod-Adapter-Holder-Compatible-Surface/dp/B08Z7Z7QZ3/ iPad Tripod Mount #2 (ball mount adapter is a separate purchase) https://www.amazon.com/Aluminum-Universal-Adapter-Bracket-Surface/dp/B08PJVN8LX/

Lumbeat Bundle: Funk Drummer and Afro-Latin Drummer US$26.99 or pay balance to complete bundle if you already own one. https://apps.apple.com/app-bundle/id1596742400?fbclid=IwAR23EKGU2pPwogsS67hXGBV8bMmiPxg7Q9iCLCIxAEogSDwYvxRY3qoliyI Please note - ONE-DAY ONLY, CYBER MONDAY SALE

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Per Korg's website, the "special" discounted price for the Performance Expansion pack is USD$19.99 (approx. AUD$30). https://www.korg.com/us/news/2021/111802/

That moment when you you know the key signature printed on the page like the back of your hand ... and you still can"t figure out what key the piece is in.

You can set your controllers to run on different MIDI channels and select which channel to use in Korg Module under Settings > MIDI Channel > [Omni, 1-16]. That"s about as fancy as it gets. You can also set different MIDI channels for the 2 instruments in the Layer and Split menu. Layer and Split are both limited to 2 instruments, but I guess you could have one instrument responding to the A800 and the other to the Microkey. Of course I haven"t tried it, but it sounds doable. Notes: - If you don"t have those MIDI options or Splits/Layers, there"s a specific Expansion Pack that enables all those features.

One of my most used apps is a basic audio recorder and file manager called AudioShare (same company that makes AUM). The opposite of fancy, it turns the iPhone into a basic recorder. One less piece of gear to carry around and almost always immediately handy. It's a perfect little scratch/notepad. - 2-channel recorder using iPhone mic, audio interface or TRRS 3.5mm to lightning adapter - basic tools to trim/fade/normalize and convert audio file formats - built-in file manager can save locally, to the cloud or share files through email/wifi etc. AudioShare https://apps.apple.com/us/app/audioshare/id543859300

It"s not just Australia. There"s something odd going on with the price of the CT-S1 around the world. I picked mine up in California for US$200, but my friends in Malaysia and Singapore report that their local price is around US$300++. In the Philippines (where I am traveling right now) - I stopped in at a Casio store and they quoted me the equivalent of US$350 and immediately knocked off US$50 saying it was 'discounted. When I asked why the difference from the US prices the clerks didn"t have any answers. To deepen the mystery, other older Casiotones and Casio keyboards in the store we"re priced in line or very near US prices. I suppose you could buy it direct from Casio online, but after shipping and taxes, it might end up the same price. Here"s the link: https://www.casiomusicgear.com/products/casiotone-series/ct-s1

33% Off - Camelot Pro (iOS version is iPad only) https://audiomodeling.com/camelot/overview/

I tested out a 12.9" for awhile. It was decent for reading sheet music but the two-up display is still a little small for my taste, so I only used it in single-page mode. At the same time, it was physically too big to be really portable; and awkward to hand hold for long periods. More often than not, I found myself leaving it behind or just not using it. Switched to the 10.2" and I'm much happier with the size; it's good enough for single-page mode on a gig. For the house, I re-purposed a 1st gen. iPad Air (9.7") and an old gaming monitor (27") as a "sheet music docking station". This is my preferred way to work with sheet music, the two-up display is much better than the 12.9". HDMI dongle was around US$40; old iPad Air is running ForScore; old beater iPhone is running sound modules and backing tracks.