dsteinschneider

I use a pair of m-audio Axiom 61's 1st gens with a modified On-Stage table stand - I cut down the 2nd tier so the upper keyboard is about as far above the bottom as on a B3.

The ART Mix4 arrives tomorrow. In the meantime we are encountering an odd problem I hope is solved once we split the signal with it. We have TRS balanced cables going out from the Left/Right Main Out of the "right" Roland KC-300 (amp to the right of the keyboard) to our mixer inputs. Everything is ok until we connect the "left" KC-300 (via Stereo Link) at which time a fairly obtrusive hum comes from both amps. The main L/R outs record fine (no hum) but the amps in the room produce it. We swapped out all cables, made sure to plug both amps into the same outlet. Apparently the amps are 20 years old but have mostly been used in rehearsal. If we swap the left and right amps the behavior remains the same - no buzzing until the second amp is connected. The same thing happened when we tried not using the stereo link and simply ran left and right out of the Korg PA700 keyboard to the amps directly. In this case the amp beguns to produce hum when we connect the TRS cable from the Soundcraft input to the Main Out (mono in this case)

Thanks for the link to the video about the Flow 8. I hadn't heard about it. I use UMC204's in my studio for an edrum setup and a keyboard rig.

@drawback - thanks for the heads up on this product!

We decided on the ART SplitMix4 for $75 at Sweetwater even thought it is more of a point solution than a full mixer. We thought it will be handy to have for live or studio keyboard use. In a separate search the ART USBMix4 showed up - it has a headphone and stereo monitor output that share a volume control. That was the final contestant on the mixer side. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Thanks for all the answers - this helps a lot! I have a Xenyx 502 - at first we thought it might work but decided against it. Thanks for the heads up on Stereo Link - we are in fact using that feature now. Neatens up the cabling around the keyboard and simplifies amp volume and eq settings. Unfortunately doesn't help with independent volume issue between amps and sound reinforcement/recording levels.

I'm looking for recommendations on a small mixer that can sit on a keyboard (PX-5S - sit over speaker) with a pair stereo outs - one to a pair of Roland KC-300's behind the keyboard and another to the mixing desk. Each pair of outputs needs to have it's own volume control. I've been researching for a while on Sweetwater and Amazon - found a Depushing DJ oriented unit that fits that has effects and aux sends that I think can be repurposed to send to the mixing desk but hoping for a small two channel input mixer with a pair of independent stereo outputs. Most small mixers are the opposite. Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

Just loaded up Waterfall, it doesn't have all the options IK B-3X or Acousticsamples B5 have but it sounds very good and presets load quicker than the other two (I think B-3X and B5 involve sample loading whereas Waterfall is pure modeling). Haven't tried it in a band setting yet but I suspect it's going to do well in that context.

Didn't know about this band - thanks for posting!

Gotcha, it is a lot of work being the whole band but fun. Maybe just go a song at time, working on each instrument until you've got the part down.

I think the OP's question is missing some context. If you're learning new instruments for personal challenge and self fulfillment then why not add guitar and drums. It's a different story If you're on a mission to get good enough at that instrument to play in a rock cover band. Years ago, I was playing bass in a band with a drummer who tended to rush and get loud. It wasn't the first time I encountered that problem and I decided to take some drum lessons to find out why that problem was common in weekend warrior bands. My instructor was fantastic, and I stayed with the lessons for several years. I learned that keeping the tempo and dynamics in check wasn't difficult which has been helpful when playing with such drummers. I can learn songs and get through a rehearsal filling in for a drummer, but I don't think I have the skills and stamina to play a four-hour gig on drums. That would take a lot more work.

Not a direct answer for your post but I thinking you're asking how to control all your virtual instruments from one place. I'm not a long time Kontakt user but over time have added many sampled instruments to it. Enough that I recently decided to better organize them following some YouTube videos. if you're on PC check out Cantabile software. It's a good home base for both direct VST plugins and Kontakt. The forum members are very helpful getting through the learning curve. If on Mac check out this video by David Das.

That voice sounds great - I might buy it also. You could make your own Dune 2021 sound track

I understand your perspective, installing and activating IK products used to be an ordeal. A couple of years ago they rolled out the IK "Product Manager". It has made downloading, installing and activating a breeze if you're ok with your music computer being online. Not sure how they do things "offline".

I used this website to get isolated tracks of the cash registers, spoken word etc. http://kitrae.net/music/Music_mp3_DSOTM.html

Thanks, I now recall reading that myself - I'm mostly on PC and Android so don't pay as much attention to IOS announcements.

I know someone I convinced to hang on to their 32GB 6SE iPhone who will give it to me. I've tried to build something like this on the Android platform. I was successful with GSI VB3m but for piano the best I could do was the IK iGrand and iLectric which are enough to get by but not great. The worst issue is I couldn't use external power with the Pixel 4a I was using while it's USB port is connected to USB for the keyboard. The A800 looks perfect for the job. I'm using an Axiom 61 1st Gen and a NanoKontrol for the drawbars. Which external battery are you using with the SE? One more question - do you think the IOS IK B-3X would run on OK on the SE?

+1 on use the bookshelf setup. They should sound fine but will get buried by the drums

I've been trying to decide if I should cut down the legs on a cheap X stand I have so the spread isn't as wide - I need that for an E-MU XBoard49 I'm using by itself. Looking forward to your post about how the KB7700 works for you.

RIP Lonnie, about a year ago I put a few of his tunes from Jungle Soul on a Hammond player playlist and when I got to "Witch Doctor" I would loop that song - there's something about the groove that makes me listen over and over.

I bought an inexpensive X-Stand from Amazon that had those 8" straps with the long thumbscrews. I'm usually pretty good at figuring out how something like that is supposed to work but these have me stumped

I bought some JBL Eon 610's hoping I would like them for dual use - monitors for the keyboard and "amp" when playing in small venues/jam sessions. They sounded just ok when placed just behind the keyboard and (this might be particular to the 610's) they had an annoying white noise when not playing. Still I didn't hate them for this purpose but a friend gave me a pair of AudioEngine 5+ which I much prefer. The 610's have a surprisingly good sound, more low end than I anticipated, for playing live. When using the 610 for practicing keyboard I prefer to use just one positioned about 6 ft away from the keyboard.

The New Mastersounds play at the FTC (our local venue) at least once a year. Stay on The Groove [video:youtube] Yokacoka [video:youtube]

That looks great - what kind of wood did you use? If you happen to have more photos I would be very interested.

It was how I put together a keyboard rig that runs on batteries for VB3m but I get your point. If you're a moderator please remove my two last posts.