SamuelBLupowitz

SO happy to hear you found a spot. What a relief! Especially glad you can hang onto that Kawai. Hope the good luck sticks for awhile.

Yeah, I think I'd be using the audio-over-Ethernet connection if I went with that unit, honestly. It does say it can take line level signals, but of course I didn't realize right away that the inputs are all XLR, not the XLR/1/4" combo jacks I've come to take for granted. Not a dealbreaker, I'm usually micing amps for guitars and keyboards, and I have DIs for bass and guitar, but there's always at least one little thing...

Worth mentioning, Motu does make a box that seems to nicely cover my "digital mixer with wireless control and advanced studio recording capability" needs: the Stage-B16 Stage Box. Again, more engineered for live use at first glance, but it can record at up to 192k, and connects over USB or Ethernet (either of which require a dongle on my MacBook, but that's just the world we're in). I need to do a little more investigating about how exactly the networking functions, since I haven't done anything with AVB before, and ideally I have individual band members tweaking auxes over their mobile devices, but my early research makes it look very promising. Unlike most of the rackmount audio interfaces, control is entirely digital, no knobs or buttons for preamp gain or phantom power, which is a plus. Also, the XLR aux outputs will work with our in-ear setups more like the XR18 has been for our live shows. Really might be a contender.

If the Scarlett is compatible with iOS (I believe it is, but you may need to hook it up using a lightning to USB single and test it out) it should be as simple as running your keys and a vocal mic into the Scarlett while it"s connected to your phone and then shooting a video. You may need to play around to get the gain right (not clipping, not too quiet) but since iOS only allows one audio device at a time, the interface should just work in place of the built in mic and speakers when connected.

Yes, definitely the case. My research into the Focusrite has shown that it is capable of creating multiple input-monitoring mixes, which is also essential for using it as a standalone mixer. I've used the Apogee interface I have at the office this way as well. That said, I'm going to make triply sure it will actually function this way before I buy. I've looked at some of the Motu and Presonus options and they have also been contenders. I'm still in the "shopping" phase, for sure, so I will likely do another round before committing, since I've narrowed down my list of needs somewhat since I started looking in June.

I'm starting to get closer to purchase time for an interface for my new home studio, so I thought I'd revive this thread and keep it going, and see what thoughts folks had here. I talked a bit about my needs and concerns in the thread about digital mixers, but I'll repeat them, and try to streamline: -It's a one-room studio situation without a separate control room, so DAW control will often be happening from behind keyboards or drums rather than by a separate engineer. This and space considerations means I'm looking for something with a small footprint that can be controlled digitally/remotely as much as possible. I've decided against something with faders and knobs (and against integrating my unwieldy Mackie 8Bus console, which I've determined is just too big and bulky to be practical in the space). -This interface will need to serve multiple purposes: a recording interface, obviously, but also as a standalone mixer for rehearsals, and the ability to run people's wedges or IEMs out of it, in addition to the usual headphones and studio monitors. In both recording and rehearsal situations, we're talking about having full bands running through this. So I'm looking for at least 16 analog inputs, and as many analog outputs (with separate mixes!) as possible (ideally no fewer than five). -Because of the above needs, I looked into products like the Behringer XR18, which I love and is well suited for this purpose. But nothing I've found in the "digital live mixers that double as interfaces" product niche can record above 48k. That's not a problem for me most of the time, but I plan on doing overdubs for other people's sessions, and not being able to record at 96k will be an impediment to that. Plus, the XR18 while hooked up to a DAW has some workflow inconveniences -- it's clearly not designed to be primarily an interface. As far as computer and DAW, I'll be recording in Logic on a 2020 MacBook Pro with an i7 processor and 32 gigs of RAM. So USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 interfaces are on the table, though obviously I can use a previous generation and dongle it up as well. I'm not averse to spending some coin to get these things, but there are limits, and I'd love to keep under the $2k mark unless something will really make my life as a DIY recording musician easier/better. The Apollo and Apogee stuff is very nice, but I'm having a hard time justifying it above, say, the Focusrite Clarett line because of the MASSIVE difference in price. I don't want preamps that sound like shit, obviously, so I'm flexible, but I am a realist and I don't believe the biggest impediment to me making records I'm proud of in my home studio will be middling differences in built-in preamps in my interface. Feel free to agree or disagree vocally. I mentioned the Focusrite Clarett because for the features I mentioned, a Clarett 8pre interface connected via ADAT to the Clarett OctoPre expander seems to tick all of my boxes. It can run as a standalone low-latency mixer, with hardware DSP effects, and tablet control for multiple output mixes which can be routed to the eight 1/4" TS analog outputs (since they're not XLR outs, I may need to get creative for certain monitor or IEM setups... not sure about others' experience). I'd get 16 analog inputs with the higher-end Focusrite preamps (rather than the cheaper ones in the Scarlett line), and at 96k I could still record 12 simultaneous tracks. And both of these units together would be under $2000. So, all this said: are there other options I'm overlooking? Am I going about any of this ass-backwards? I want to get the most bang for my buck that I can; I'd prefer not to be feeling like my needs aren't met five years from now, but money is an object, so I want to be smart and creative about it.

Yellowstone would be good, but I tend to think in terms of something space-related that we don't see coming...alien invasion or a meteorite strike, but that doesn't mean we couldn't go for the gold and have a three-fer. Imagine Yellowstone, the ugly-assed aliens from Independence Day, and the meteor(ite) from Armageddon or Deep Impact, all at the same time. I for one welcome our new overlords. :wink:

Well, full disclosure, I'm a Mojo owner, and the action is one of the things that made me gravitate toward that particular clone (but also I found a deal; I wouldn't have said no to an SKX or a Legend if I found one, probably). But that said, as someone who started on piano, I am definitely constantly working to keep bad habits out of my organ playing. I've really had to work to deprogram unconsciously digging in harder when things get loud or intense -- leaning into that big fat sustained chord doesn't make it any louder, the pedal does! But lightening up my technique in general has been a journey over the past few years, and I know when I'm in a good place with it, and I feel it in my wrists and forearms after a gig or rehearsal when I've been lax. So, it may just be a matter of practice and adjustment. I don't know if the slightly lighter action of the Mojo will address your issue. Before I had the Mojo I played most of my Hammond work on a Nord Electro 4D. I'm not positive, but I don't imagine the Legend action is too different from that, and the differences are subtle, to be sure. But the thing about instruments at this level is that everyone's tiny, differing personal preferences -- even ones we aren't aware we have -- can make a huge difference. So I am neither encouraging you to exchange your Legend, nor discouraging you from trying to find exactly what will be the right tool for YOUR musical journey and experience (which is different from the rest of ours!). Just giving you some things to consider, since I know the sinking feeling in your gut that 'buyer's remorse' can bring about.

Are you being serious? The main topic of the post is that you don't approve of the political beliefs of your bandmates who "really sound ignorant" and you are projecting the same beliefs onto the people that attend the band's gigs because of what you assume to be a common religion and ancestry. As a result, you claim to feel uncomfortable and that certain members of your family feel unsafe. If this isn't deemed to be a political thread by the mods, my questions would be: 1. If posting support for Cuomo, Fauci, and BLM (and disparaging those that don't) is OK, is there a list of other approved political figures/entities/positions that can be supported (or disparaged) without the post/thread being considered, "political"? 2. If it's OK to stereotype and disparage Irish and Catholics, is there a list of other approved nationalities and religions that can be stereotyped and disparaged? I'm pretty sure the list is limited to Christians on the religion side and Italians and Irish on the nationality side, but wanted to be sure. Don't want to waste my time flagging approved disparagement. OK, I'll yield the remainder of my time so the virtue signaling and sanctimony can continue in the quest to claim moral and intellectual superiority. I see why you are reacting strongly, but I think you're reading a little more into Jason's comments than he intended. I didn't sense any disparaging of anyone's religion or culture, or making this about party politics. He gave us social context that while he has a shared history with these folks that he appreciates, he's never been fully a part of all of the cultural activities they partake in (particularly those around a cultural background that other band members share and he does not), which isn't a problem in and of itself. His concerns about their comments on political figures weren't due to "I don't like who they vote for," it was about them dismissing scientifically established public health procedures. As he mentioned, he works in public health, in a professional capacity, so that puts him in a position where he has to either keep quiet and be uncomfortable, or rock the boat by correcting their understanding of facts and procedures. He mentioned a sense of general discomfort and lack of belonging with the audience at their shows. Obviously, one could quibble about whether that's due to the attitude of the band's audience, or his family's preconceptions, but it's a jump to call that stereotyping, and that's also not hearing his experience, which is what this post is about -- his experience. Obviously disparaging comments about BLM correlate to danger for his immediate family, for reasons Jason explained, but he didn't specifically state anyone's position, just that he "knows their feelings about" the current racial tensions and protests. This post was not intended to debate those points, but about how to deal in a professional and personal way with people that he has a relationship with whose beliefs are a real potential threat to his loved ones. He's looking for support and perhaps also advice, not trying to draw sides about religion or party. I understand some of his concerns and how he expressed them may have rubbed you the wrong way, but I think even if we disagree with the very vague stance presented here (vague so as NOT to get into nitty-gritty political discussions) we can see the quandary at the center of the post, and constructively respond to that in support of our forum brother... or choose not to get involved.

loved it, Jason. Perfect summer song. Yeah, sweet sounding track, Jason! Loved the animation, too. Is the artist a Rochester person as well?

I've been saying for years that Justice would be my favorite Metallica record, no contest, if it weren't so grating to listen to. As it stands, it's hard for it to edge out Lightning and Puppets. I guess that record is a good example of both sides of the argument: even though it sounds like weak, tinny garbage and there's nothing below, like, 150 Hz, it still shines as some of their strongest, heaviest, most engaging material. But also, it's constantly kept off the top of their discography because of its completely avoidable (actually, seems more like deliberate) sonic deficiencies. Even though the songs are just as strong or even stronger than the two preceding records, those albums had so much more impact and gravitas... because, you know, low end. Poor Jason Newsted. Couldn't have been easy replacing Cliff Burton under the best of circumstances, but he really got the short end of the stick there. EDIT: I missed a really obvious opportunity for a "Shortest Straw" joke there. Ah well, we can't win 'em all. Or Kill 'Em All? Ugh, forget it.

Hey man, lots of advice here, and I don't know that I really have anything to add at this time. Mostly just wanted to let you know I hear you, and I understand how frustrating it is to find yourself left out to dry, put in danger, or otherwise disenchanted by the words and/or actions of friends, family, or acquaintances. Regardless of how easy or challenging it is to deal with it, walk away, or whatever course you take, it can be painful, disappointing, and deeply sad. I'm sorry you've been dealing with it. You're certainly not alone in it right now.

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I really really love OB-Xd, but I haven't quite been able to get the iOS version to play nice with my workflow. I have yet to see it successfully accept a MIDI program change...

I got into an argument once with a guy at college -- a recording sciences major -- about the Jesus Christ Superstar concept album. His opinion was "yeah the original is great, but I'd prefer if they could redo it with some more contemporary recording equipment." I argued that the funky early 70s grit is part of what makes it superior to later recordings of the piece. He said "oh, so to you, the sound of the recording is part of the music!" I was like... um, yeah?

Yeah, I think this is a workflow thing more than anything. I don't know that I'd argue that I prefer the "feel" of any encoder of a nice smooth pot, but I don't know that that's important enough to me to overcome various practical concerns if encoders improve my workflow. When I switched over to a software-based synth setup, I got the Behringer X-Touch Mini as a knob/slider controller over the various Korg and Alesis options because I knew I'd be blazing through a lot of presets, but I would want to be able to tweak various paramaters from patch to patch, so I wanted something with knobs that would "move" with the patch changes and show me where each paramater was set with the LED ring. There are enough little things for me to keep track of, I like to not have to wonder "how much headroom do I actually have here? Where is the resonance going to jump when I move this?" Much the way I like to see the drawbar setting that's about to come out of the organ, I like to see the knob positions of my synth parameters. But yeah, if we're dealing with all (or mostly) real-time control rather than a situation where I'm scrolling through preset patches every song (or within songs), I want the nicest, smoothest knobs I can get. I don't think we've had a fight about patch memory in the last few days, have we? :wink:

It might be one of the most amazing feats of musicianship I've ever witnessed. What a masterclass on active listening and how to pay attention to form and structure -- but also, I don't think even the most careful breakdown or transcription would put me in a place where I would nail those intro rhythms so accurately and consistently the first time I actually play them.

Man, I miss Ray Manzarek. What an engaging storyteller and unique musical voice. I don't really buy into all of his Jim Morrision mythologizing, but he did sort of make that his life's work, I suppose. Anyway, always glad to enjoy one of his little workshops.

Enjoy! My favorite non-acoustic piano playing experience I've had, for sure.

See, and here I assumed you'd know better about that down under than here in the States...

Just needed to vent, everyone. I've spent the better part of the last two weeks fighting a nasty stomach bug -- fever, headache, diarrhea every few hours, not a lot of sleep. I am finally on the upswing and feeling much, much better, but I have never been this sick for this long, and that was terrifying in the midst of a pandemic. I got tested for Covid after the symptoms first appeared, and the test came back negative before things got really bad last weekend, and then I was tested for covid AGAIN when I went to the ER on Friday because my fever spiked up to 103.9. Also negative. I'm good on covid tests for awhile, I think; gonna try to not need one anytime soon. My stay in the ER at least confirmed my doctor's suspicion that it's just a nasty virus, and not anything more sinister or scary, because I was really starting to panic. A friend and colleague of mine went to the ER a couple of years ago because he had pain in his side that wouldn't go away. He was diagnosed with stage IV cancer and didn't live a year. I didn't really think that was going to happen to me, but it was starting to cross my mind. So that said, if I may gripe about totally non-life-threatening things, the worst thing about the experience isn't even that all I've been able to eat is dry toast, bananas, rice, and applesauce and all I've been able to drink has been water, Gatorade, and Pedialite all week (you may have gathered from my signature that I enjoy a good meal above most things). No, the worst thing is that I had to bail on gigs, something I don't like to do under normal circumstances, but was truly heartbreaking given that they were the second and third gigs I've had lined up in the last five months total. One was a cover band gig that wasn't too tough to bear, but the other was a last-minute opportunity for a pro-filmed, pro-recorded show on a bill with a friend's band from out of town in the beautiful local theater with my main original band, Noon Fifteen, which would have gotten together to play for the first time since March. I was really excited about it, but we would have been filming tomorrow, and I knew by yesterday that even though I'm feeling more like myself, rehearsing, then packing up my gear, loading in, and playing a set just isn't in the cards for me yet. It's a small thing, I know. There will be more chances to play in the future, and my health is more important, long term. But it really grinds my gears that in this ocean of no live performance, after a fun, exciting opportunity dropped right in my lap and I did all the logistic work to make it happen, I had to bail because I spent the whole week pooping. But I'm grateful that I'm getting better. I guess I'll take my licks and get back on the horse. Feel free to respond with additional platitudes. :wink:

Nothing to contribute to the synth discussion, but Eric, it's good to see you haunting the forum again! Hadn't seen you for awhile and was worried the Covid got ya.

...ev'ry day. :wink:

Yeah, Steve's loved that one-speed fast/stop Leslie thing since back in the days of playing on Jimi Hendrix records. It's not for me so much, but it works for him. That said, I see what you mean about the very sort of sterile "direct" tone on the video, it sort of emphasizes the aspects of the organ sound that lay there when the digital Leslie isn't moving. I've seen videos of him performing at his B3 in that same room in his house, but this must have been easier for this particular project, or that organ has been relocated. The thing that surprised me more about the video was to see a bass player. Live performances of his from the last twenty years or so that I've seen, including the one time I was lucky enough to catch a few songs of his live at a festival, he (and the other keyboard player, who doubled on reeds) covered the bass parts on the Hammond as well, which meant that at times Steve was pulling triple-duty, covering basslines, comping chords and licks, and singing his ass off. His voice is truly an unbelievable instrument; he's one of the finest singers I've ever heard, and age has diminished his range and vocal quality very, very little. Also, telling that in his mind an auxiliary percussionist is a more essential member of the band to have than a regular bassist... Spotted on the wall behind Mr. Winwood: just a few of the notable albums that he has been a part of... and also Hotel California is there too? Anyway, here's a live performance of his I was watching just last week: [video:youtube]https://youtu.be/aN-Q8QAivZ8

Thought I'd check in bright and early, but still couldn't catch Holloway. :wink:

And yeah, maybe next time around we'll try a more specific time window again... the first few times that worked for a lot of folks, but made it hard for Australia and Europe.