jazzpiano88

This is a really excellent overview of "Hitch a Ride" by Boston. Best song on the album IMO. Rick has the separate tracks and it's really neat to hear Scholz's organ solo isolated (at 10:45 in the video). [video:youtube]

I bought the MKS20 shortly after release. I can't remember the EPs that much as I bought it for the AP. I abandoned my MKS in Des Moines somewhere where we rehearsed after getting the call to move out west. Slipped thru the cracks as I was using the Rhodes MK80, Sound Canvas and TX7 at the time live. The MKS-20 used an engine called "SA" or Structured Adaptive, which at the time I interpreted as a spectral component method. So who knows what "Modeling" the proprietary MKS synthesis means? Anyway, it would definitely be interesting to hear the Cr7 MKS EP1 again for old time sake!

I salivate. I've come really really close to replicating the long lost Yamaha GS1 FM EP swirl on the Montage. As for the Crumar, the Rhodes demo sounds pretty incredible to my ears. More tasty than the Chick MkV samples on the Montage and the CP4.

Has anyone had any issues with the cables falling out of the back of the SS when mounted on an angled Amp Stand sideways? Mine fall out regularly - both the stereo ins and the sub out. Not fully, but halfway. They lose the connection and need to be re-plugged. It's about 3 ft from the bass drum so I'm sure this is a factor.

Turned on by Mike Verta's most excellent Jazz Master Class. The Suspense....!!! The Textures.....!!! The Marimbas....!!! Go to 17:42 - 17:47 to grab a ringtone for your wife's/husband's text message, haha [video:youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWE8TYxgG9s

Frank Zappa, Dog Breath Variations. Sample: [video:youtube]

And then there's the third option, of putting the spacestation above the full range cab, which someone else thought sounded best! I guess the idea being that you still get enough of the full range cab's sound to improve the overall tonal balance, but lifting the SS higher improved the the stereo effect (perhaps largely at the player's location). I might/probably would have have been more inclined to try that configuration with the v3 than the v5. dB It seems like a lot of people are essentially using the SS as amplified source for the L-R and R-L side throws (obviously to generate the stereo effect). I'm guessing it has been discussed before but it sounds like there could be a market for a lower cost L-R / R-L transducer that supplements a single pick-your-favorite powered full range speaker. Would beat spending $800 for the essentially just the side throw capability.

Bargain! $90 < two $50 piano lessons!

Where does this step occur with the SS3? If I understand correctly, R-L is what comes out the "back" of the SS3's open side speaker, which is to say it's simply the 180-degrees-out-of-phase inverse of the L-R signal emitted from the front of that speaker. MathOfInsects posted (can't get 4 level quoting to work ): Thanks. I wondered if that's what it referred to. I don't think it's technically correct as written then. Isolating "everything unique to R" would require different information from that which is coming from the front of that side-firing speaker, no? I agree with the transitive math, I think the explanation might just be slightly off. JazzPiano88 Replies: "Everything unique to R" is just a wordy phrase for "All of the content in R that is not identical to anything in L" L-R is generated electronically but can mentally be pictured (at least to me) as: (Everything unique to L) - (Everything unique to R) I skipped some steps above, so combining the mental and math: L-R = (All of L) - (All of R) = (L unique + L Identical to R) - (R Unique + R Identical to L) = (L unique) - (R unique) + (L Identical to R) - (R Identical to L) the last two terms cancel giving: (L-R) = (L unique) - (R unique) = (L unique) + -1.0*(R unique)

Yes, that's exactly what the Fender versions of Aspen's design do. You input a mono guitar, add stereo effects, and the effects sounds are broadcast into the room. Let's start at the beginning. (You're asking why should I listen to this guy? In a previous life I was a telecoms engineer and I re-created the SS3 but with higher quality components two years ago. This is no diss on Aspen. It's a brilliant invention and I wish him all the best) 1). Damn it, Google "M/S recording technology" and really learn it. If you open your mind and do some simple arithmetic you can do this in one hour. 2). Don't go on to the next step before you did step 1. Really. 3). Aspen's genius is to invert the M/S recording process and use it for reproduction. Since an M/S recording is done from a single room position this means that the inverse reproduction system can be done from a single room position. This eliminates so many problems that exist in trying to present a stereo image to an audience. 4). The center channel in an M/S recording is done with an omni mic. This means it captures everything. This is the same as taking a stereo recording and summing the left and right channels into L+R. This is everything. The phrase "common to both L and R signals " is deliberately confusing. It's L+R. And this is what is presented via the front-facing speaker. Technically, L and R signals that are identical and in-phase are boosted 6dB. 5). In M/S recording the second mic is a Figure-8 configuration positioned at 90degrees as close to the Omni mic as possible. To invert this for reproduction, we're going to use a Figure-8 speaker: which is exactly what every standard speaker is when it's not placed in a box. When a Fig-8 mic records, it recognizes sound from both ends of the diaphragm, but they are 180 degrees out of phase. Go back to step 1. If you haven't internalized it stop here. Back to our discussion, the Fig-8 mic has processed left and right directed signals, but in opposite phases. The way to state this exactly is that the Fig-8 mic has recorded L-R. 6). So, to invert and reproduce the original signal we are going to take the two stereo input signals (L and R) and subtract one from the other: L-R. 7). We then amplify L-R and drive the second speaker, positioned at 90 degrees w.r.t. the front speaker. Just like the Fig-8 mic that was used in recording. From one side it sends L-R and from the other side it sends that same signal but 180 degrees out of phase which is -(L-R) which is R-L. 8). That's it. This is not an analogy. This is the way it works. L+R to the front, L-R to the left, and R-L to the right. With two speakers and two amps. 9). My personal experience with this is that acoustic piano benefits slightly from this technology. It's like salt. Use to taste. 10). Keyboard sounds with lots of L-R components do really well with this technology. The result is not the same as a Leslie or as Fender Rhodes Stage, but gives a very sensual feeling of the sound filling the room. Pop quiz on Friday. Very nice explanation! I always like to think of the channels in terms of Venn Diagrams. L+R = (Everything in L) + (Everything in R) = (Everything unique to L) + (Everything unique to R) + (2 * Everything common to L and R) The 2 * third term is the 6dB boost referred to in PianoMan's point #4. L-R = (Everything unique to L) + (-1 * Everything Unique to R) -(L-R) = R-L = (Everything unique to R) + (-1 * Everything Unique to L) PianoMan's item #7 It's pretty interesting to try to listen to the SS3's two channels separately (although difficult since spread doesn't go from 0-100) under varying spread with different inputs: - Mono (theoretically nothing comes out of L-R speaker) - Normal Stereo patches (w/ chorus, reverb) - Hard panned effect like Suitcase Rhodes tremolo (Left Tremolo half cycle results in L out of (L+R) and L out of (L-R) forward side and -L (R-L) out of the backward side. My favorite sound from the unit is a medium panned suitcase Rhodes tremolo.

The Late Great Joe Sample on Rainbow Vision. This is one of the more harmonically complex tunes of the Crusaders and is probably my favorite for the tasty chords over the bridge. Also I could swear that part of Bob James's melody from Theme from Taxi is identical to the first few bars of Joe's solo (3:20) Probably random chance. [video:youtube]

MOTU Micro Lite. My stupid Yamaha CP300 (my controller) disables its MIDI 5 pin out when its USB port is active and connected to a computer. I use the CP300's USB to run to Mainstage's soft synths / plug ins. In this config, the CP300 no longer transmits MIDI 5 pin out to my external synths (which were set up hunky dory as performances). Solved with the MOTU. I guess I'm now in the 20th century MIDI-wise.

Another tune that brings tears to your eyes with masterful reinterpretation of the classic Blackbird. You can hear Zawinul's influence the section beginning at 1:50 and culminating with a classic Z-Chord at 1:59-2:03. Genius! [video:youtube]

IMO the best pianist to grace the planet yet. If this doesn't lift you up nothing will... [video:youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOAPG-kEcbQ

"You Exploded!" (funny thing... it was said by the drummer)

I've been gigging with mine for quite a while. I rely heavily on AP sounds, but am no jazz player. From Seasons 4-7, a replay of community findings re AP sounds? Thanks for the summary and suggestions! Here at home I did quite a bit of experimentation with positioning, angling, etc. As I said, I eventually got the AP to sound ok (non horrendous) with EQ but I'll try your suggestions as well. I'm looking forward to hearing how it sounds with the band.

I just received SS3.0 today and here are a few first impressions. 1. Hooked it up in home studio. Not impressed but my existing bar is way too high with everything in stereo already with good amp and speakers. I'm used to it sounding as sweet as possible. I know this is an unrealistic comparison, but just to say the SS will in no way compete with a decent stereo monitoring system if that is what you want it to replace for your own personal sound on stage (e.g. mixer + dedicated stereo brick amp + 2 full range 15" speaker cabs). 2. Expectations tempered..... re-assess... - Stereo field on Sk1 Organ is pretty good. I think I could gig with that. - AP's sound horrendous (Yamaha CP300). So boxy/honky at the same Sk1 settings to be almost unusable. Adjusted EQ's on AP and SS side to eventually sound ok at low volumes (cutting mids). Not sure how I would deal with it at a live performance). Now I understand why people are trying to figure out how to combine with with higher quality speakers to overcome the fidelity shortcomings required for AP. Not sure if I'll keep it. My next live gig will determine. I Apologize if this is late to the party with all of the prior commentary. I kind of completely agree with one of the early reviewers a few hundred pages ago in 2014 who sent his unit back during one of the early production shortages. To much tweaking required to make it work beyond a Leslie replacement.