SamuelBLupowitz
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Posts posted by SamuelBLupowitz
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This is the one that causes acid to pour into my stomach. In just about any given week, I have a number of other things I could re-prioritize if I know someone won't be able to learn their parts, not to mention the additional time wasted at rehearsal floundering through songs. I get that life circumstances can intervene and take away from personal practice time, but I have low tolerance when this is not communicated to the rest of the band within a reasonable period before rehearsal. I mean, how long does it take to fire off a text to let everyone know? An alternate/contingency plan can then be developed. Otherwise, it smacks of "my time is more important than your time" and is just pain inconsiderate/disrespectful.4) Not prepared for practice/doing "your own version" of it when it's obvious that you just didn't take the time to learn itI once auditioned for, and spent a few months in, a local band that toured regionally -- small potatoes, small paycheck, but "famous" by local-scene-original-band standards. [wink] At the time, it was a huge jump up for me from the semi-obscurity (again, this is by "local band" standards) I'd been playing in. It was like the coolest girl in school asked me to prom, and I remember being kind of shocked that I was the one who got the gig.
Anyway, flash forward a few years, and I hadn't been in that band for some time. I was doing a recording session with that band's drummer, and I asked who else had auditioned. Turned out there was only one other guy, and as the drummer put it, "it was an easy decision because you learned the songs."
"Well, yeah," I said, "it was an audition. You told me what songs you wanted me to learn ahead of time. Isn't that what you do?"
Apparently the other guy came in and "put his own spin" on the keyboard parts, to which the drummer said "yeah, dude, you didn't put your own spin on anything, you just didn't learn 'em." It wasn't exactly a lesson for me, but a reinforcement that sometimes hard work is, in fact, noticed and appreciated!
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Honestly, for younger folks scrolling through this forum, this is probably the most important piece of advice you can get.
I doubt a younger folk made it three posts into this Statler and Waldorf thread.
How young is "younger?" Don't answer that.
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I'll tell you what, hearing the actual sound of the Hammond keys in the room -- not the tonewheel keyclick, but the actual sound of the physical action -- really takes me to a place.
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Yikes, glad your friend and bandmate is okay. Had a scare like that a few months back during the final blues jam at a closing venue that had hosted them for 30 years. The guitarist and singer who had led the jams for the majority of those years passed out and was taken away by paramedics during the intermission (he's doing okay now, thankfully). The drummer cornered me and said "Sam, Pete's not doing great... you gotta lead the band! I know you can do it!"
No pressure or anything. A few other folks who came to sit in came up and we took turns calling tunes. Quite an evening.
As much as we all love performing, I don't know if any of us actually want to go out onstage like Colonel Bruce Hampton.
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I'm very happy to be in a position where very few of my gigs are all men. And it's not just vocalists, I get to play with some great lady guitarists, drummers, and keyboard players. The more different backgrounds and experiences you have in the club, the more interesting the art becomes.
If I ever have kids, and they play music, I hope they have even more opportunity to learn from and bond with different people than I have.
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The pots that control fast speed, slow speed, and acceleration rate are inside the amp on the circuit board. Is it posssible that you accidentally adjusted the one for horn slow speed during the process?
Thats my only guess; if its a mechanical issue, there are much greater minds than me lurking on the forum.
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Wanted to share the second of three new 360 videos I'm putting out this month with Noon Fifteen. The bassist wrote this one (he's one of my favorite songwriters). I got to play a bunch of things, including my Seaboard near the end. Hope you enjoy!
[video:youtube]wtTalNbnrjk
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I haven't had any issues with the battery, though I haven't had to charge it all that many times; I can get a few gigs out of it before I have to plug it back in. The battery dying would be a bummer; I didn't expect the Bluetooth connection to be much more than a gimmick, but it turns out it works great, and would really be a bummer to lose.Samuel, how has the build quality been on your block? Ive read a few reviews stating that the corners were starting to peel up and if the battery can no longer be recharged that there is no way to replace it. I love the idea of adding 1 or 2 blocks to control the iPad Air 3.The corners seem like they would peel up if I tried, but they haven't done so of their own accord. I had a weird issue where the Seaboard was no longer sitting flat -- one of the corners was lifting upward, which made it rock back and forth while I was playing -- but a little pressure snapped it back into place. I think I had played a little too heavy while it was leaning off the edge of my Nord. Mostly I'm just trying to be really careful. I need to get a real case for it, since the original box is falling apart, but I'm stubbornly refusing to spend $60+ on their little snapcases...
I'll certainly keep the forum updated if it goes south. I've only had it since December, and maybe played a dozen shows with it since then, plus rehearsals every week. But I'm hoping it'll last. I actually pre-ordered one of their silly Lumi light-up Bluetooth controllers so that I could extend the Seaboard's range and also have some non-Seaboard keys for certain types of pads and lines. The showmanship (plus the polyphonic aftertouch) sold me.
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I had the same experience -- checked the forum several times yesterday, didn't see this thread until this morning.Dan, I don't know what happened but something weird is going on. I check the forum a few times a day and did not see this thread at all until just now. Don't take it personally, there might be a glitch somewhere. -
Ooh, I hadn't heard that -- I might have to check it out! I finally gave up on using iOS as my sound source for the Roli; it was just too much work and too many weird bugs and quid pro quos to make it easier than bringing a laptop. But I love the Seaboard Block; it's been a constant in my performing life since I got it in December, and exactly the one-hand-modulation-and-pitch-bend tool I hoped for (even if it takes a little work to get it to play nicely with anything other than Equator or other MPE-specific software). I feel like I keep discovering new tricks.A third party Dashboard IOS app has been released that makes the Roli more useable for live playing. -
Man, I'm over the moon anytime I just get to play ANY real piano. I need to take field trips to the local music school more often.
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Man, thats tough. Im so, so sorry. I lost someone close to me to cancer earlier this year, and it was the same thing: music is what connected me to him initially, but it was who he was and how he loved that made him so special, and made the loss so devastating and senseless.
My wife lost a lot of important people when she was young and told me something that really stuck with me: that when someone passes away, your memory of them, and the memories of them that you share with others, are how they live on.
As musicians, we have the gift of being able to memorialize people through music playing, composing, performing, sharing. But sometimes the most profound ways of keeping our loved ones alive is to follow their example in how to live, large ways and small. These days, when I take extra care to season the food just right, or put on the extra-colorful shirt, or go home a little early from work because it doesnt matter in the grand scheme of things, or let the jam section of a song go on a little longer on the gig... I feel my friends presence. Its no substitute for having him on earth, but it makes the loss feel less complete.
My best to you as you go through this difficult time. We all have to support each other. Community is all we got!
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Thats what I was afraid of! [laugh]Once you have a dual manual organ you will wonder how you managed before aquiring it.
Good to know about the action, in both respects. Is the original Mojo action the same thats in the GSI dual-manual controller?Like Al, I use a Ventilator II. Since you are not playing jazz organ the internal sim will suit you fine, it is very good. Don't sweat the action. I have an early model Mojo, and while it is certaily not equavilent to my A 100, it is very good and you will like it.Not too concerned about the Leslie sim since Ive been using the rotary channel of the Motion Sound outside of rehearsal anyway.
Oh, trust me, if I get this thing, thats happening. Visions of Ivan Neville and Kofi Burbridge!Put your clavinet over your Mojo on a 2 tier stand of your choice and be very, very, happy. -
This is HUGELY helpful to know; thank you!Note that not all dual manual Mojos have the action people rave about so you might want to know which vintage your dealing with. A while back I asked Crumar when they started incorporating the improved action and they said Starting from serial number 2015370 -
Yeah, as far as I know, the additional sounds on the original Mojo never went beyond the Rhodes, the Wurli, and the transistor organs (and the Wurli can only be called up with one of the transistor organs on the upper manual, so it would mostly be Rhodes for me even though I'm a Wurli guy)."No Clav on the Mojo"? Is that true? The Mojo61 has a kickass Clav, but I know less about the original Mojo. . . . If it helps, the Mojo61 has Clav, Rhodes, Wurli, and (crappy) piano, which makes it serviceable as a solo board for rehearsal, but then the Electro also does those quite well. I love my Mojo61, but I feel like the original Dual Manual Mojo is a bit of a conundrum, they really need to ditch it and build a dual manual model based on the 61.The Mojo 61 seems killer, but my Electro makes me happy enough as a single-manual organ-plus-electromechanical-stuff. I'd only want to upgrade to get two organ manuals with dedicated drawbar sets; being able to call up an electric piano on the bottom (or MIDI out one of the manuals to mainstage) would be a bonus for making rehearsals and small gigs easier. The fact that everyone raves about the Mojo's authentic sound and action is the other reason I'm considering it.
If the right deal came along, sure; I don't know as much about the SKX as I do the Mojo. I'd have to like the organ sound and action at least as much as I like the Nord.Samuel - would a Hammond SKX be of interest as an alternative? Two manuals, two sets of drawbars, decent clav, meh AP.So I guess I'm really asking two questions:
One, is the original Mojo still the mind-blower that it was a few years ago given technological advancements? (This is a subjective question, but arguable given evidence and examples.)
Two, do I want a dual-manual organ badly enough for gigs and recording to spend a lot of money I don't have, and complicate my already-complicated stage setup? (No one can really answer that for me, but I either have to tell the seller no, or justify this to my wife!)
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Okay, KCers, I need help and advice, so I'm just going to go for it and resurrect the oldest relevant thread I can find! This thread is from 2012, last post was in December of 2014... it's now July 2019.
I've got a shot at a really good deal on a used Mojo (original, not XT or 61) with a hard case plus Mojo Pedals (and a hard case for those) for $1600, no shipping. Assuming the wear and tear is just cosmetic, it's a major discount, but not coming at the ideal time financially. Still, my 30th birthday is coming up and I can probably justify it if it seems like the right move... given the advances made in the last few years, and Crumar's switch from Windows to DSP in the 61, is it still a smart investment?
Background on my organ playing:
I don't play jazz organ, or anything that would require left hand bass on a regular basis. I play a lot of rock, funk, and R&B. I tend to set up big multi-keyboard rigs, so the second manual isn't always necessary, but on more organ-centric tunes I'm more and more wishing I had a second manual and set of drawbars for left hand comping, or tone switching/blending. My current organ is a Nord Electro 4D running through a Motion Sound KBR-3D. I'm happy with the sound I get out of it, and it conveniently stacks right on top of my Wurlitzer without an extra stand (it's also a really handy as a single one-size-fits-most board for smaller gigs). I don't want to mess around with MIDI'ing up another manual because I like my drawbars WYSIWYG, and because I don't need more pieces in my rig -- part of the appeal of the Mojo is that it's in one portable package with no extra cables to connect. On smaller gigs, I could play electric piano on the lower manual and organ on the upper, and still only need the one board. No clav on the Mojo, unfortunately, but having the tine/B3 combo still means I could use it at rehearsals and some small gigs, not just with a bunch of other boards around.
So that's that. Should I go for it? I figured this forum might have an opinion or two. [wink]
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The Goodhertz folks, who make Vulf Compressor, offer one of these plugins as well. I haven't had a chance to try any yet, but I've learned I just can't trust my tiny box of a mixing room with speakers where low-end is concerned.
I'd also learned that headphone mixing is blasphemy, but I heard an interview recently with Alan Evans (of Soulive and Iron Wax Studios) that he started mixing on headphones for convenience, and waited for his mastering engineer and other collaborators to notice a difference in his mixes and call him out. It never happened, so he kept using the headphones.
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Yes, it's definitely a lower-quality image than most of the video cameras I have lying around, but the cool factor wins (especially since I know it'll be watched on phones and tablets more often than big screens). I imagine it won't be too far in the future when the consumer-level devices like this can capture the detail of which pedals the guitarist is stepping on.The 3D camera was interesting. What it added in cool, it lost in detail--but not a fatal trade-off.
Thank you for your kind words!Loved The Tick. Great song, solid performances, well-crafted tones, nice mix. -
I shared this on "Shameless Plugs" as well, but the music is free to enjoy, so hopefully that's cool.
Putting out three new tracks from my band Noon Fifteen this month, to coincide with three shows. We filmed the sessions with a 360 camera and this is the first of three results!
[video:youtube]
Different browsers and apps seem to handle the video differently, but embedded in the forum, or on YouTube or their app, you should be able to control the angle you're viewing throughout the video. It's super cool! Another new one coming this Friday, then Thursday the 25th. All three tracks are recorded and co-mixed by me, and I got to use a bunch of different keyboard toys from vintage to modern. I wrote this one, as well.
We're also releasing the tunes through our podcast, which is sort of a mashup of digital liner notes and goofy band banter. Hope y'all enjoy!
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You say that the first step is to remove both front speakers. Can you be more specific? I assume you get to them through the front of the unit? There are no screws there? How do you gain access to them, is it behind the grill cloth?
Motion Sound has instructions for this in the original manual, available here.
Be forewarned, this is not at all fun.I'll second that. I love this amp, but dread maintenance. After my gig this past New Year's Eve, the bass player accidentally ripped out my AC jack, and took it home to fix himself. I received several texts the next day about how tedious and frustrating it was just to get inside the damn thing... and this bassist is an engineer by trade!
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Ooh what about Queen? Assuming you have a vocalist who can hack it (no small feat), you could work some magic, given how many of their songs have orchestrated guitar parts plus keys!
Iron Maiden doesn't have keys, but you could MAKE some keys parts, dang it.
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I'm in a different age bracket (I turn 30 this year), but I've been seeing that shift for a few years now. I'm mostly playing original music, and when I was in (and just out of) college, I was playing bar gigs that didn't start on 10pm (if the sound guy showed up on time) and there would still be a crowd of college kids when we finished at 1am.
Now, my sigh of relief when we play a set from 6pm to 8pm is palpable -- not just because we can actually get our friends out (even the musicians have 9-5 jobs), but because when I roll back up to the house at 2am after a gig, my whole next day is shot.
To put it another way: when we play early, I have a *chance* to get people I know out to hear my band. When I play after 9pm, there had better be a walk-in crowd, or people coming on the strength of the band's reputation, because my friends are at home with their kids.
I realize a bunch of the more typical late-night music acts that are well-attended in my scene are frequented by people who work in the service industry, and since this is a college town, there are a lot of people who work in restaurants and bars that are not on the same schedule as I am. That explains how in a town of this size, weeknight Reggae Nights or synth jams can fill a sizable room with people I haven't met. Me, I'm already sleeping (or driving home from a rehearsal).
And you know, I've been working as a musician-with-a-separate-daytime-commitment since I was a teenager. I have very little concept of what a life without that is like. Makes it hard to know how to sell what I do to people who don't do it... I feel your pain, man!
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I am posting this because of a conversation I had with a musician friend. I made some big statement about how you can't have a saxophone in a song anymore without it having a bunch of baggage attached to it, and how people (myself included) were moving to big brass as a result.
He said, "Tell me more, Mr. 'She like a saxophone.'"
That's a line from this song of mine. Mucho sax here-in. I sang higher then. This album did decently. My next one was better, but this one got me there.
Anyhoo. I wrote and sang and did the arrangements. This was kind of a sexy song in its own way. Enjoy.
[video:youtube]
This very pleasantly reminds me of the self-titled Warren Zevon album. Thanks for sharing (I realize Im a couple of months behind on this thread).
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Not going to get into the vs thing, but I love Elton's live performance on this tune. I wish he had written more like it:
[video:youtube]NfKsH_g39Rc
Best,
Geoff
Had not heard that. Im impressed. Has he other tunes like that?
[video:youtube]MJHp5dO7UaA
Dig My Rig--Let's see your setup!
in The Keyboard Corner
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