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SteveO42

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Posts posted by SteveO42

    Basic MIDI Question

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Thanks uhoh7 and the others.. Yea, you are so right about no such thing as a simple MIDI question. So despite my question, I'm not new to MIDI at all and had similar gear as you do uhoh7. When I was actively gigging my SKB cases were loaded with modules from Korg, Roland, Alesis and others and I drove most of it from an Ensoniq KS-32 and later from a Kurzweil. I even had an Alesis Data Disk in the chain so I could load sound banks on the fly or restore any of my synths should something get corrupted. That never happened. In fact other than the occasional stuck note, everything worked rather well for live performances.

    I just hated having to transport it all :)

     

    So I've been ITB in the studio for many years happily using VSTi but am now looking for ideas to integrate hardware with software, my PC and DAW.

     

    The reason I want to go with DIN is because it's simple and it works. I am OCD with my PC (Intel 9900k, 64g ram, NVME/SSD drives etc) as far as USB ports are concerned and I prefer to keep it as simple as possible since my MOTU AVB interface also runs off USB.

     

    I've been at this for years and many Windows PC systems so I know that for low RTL and little to no DPC spiking (clicks, pops etc), especially with a USB based interface, simple is best. The quality of the driver does have the most effect on RTL, especially under load however, the less USB devices the better. And for the mostly unavoidable like keyboard/mouse, iLok, Steinberg key etc keeping that stuff on a separate system board USB controller chip helps to eliminate problems with the audio interface.

    Macs are much better in this regard than Windows systems.

     

    So again, thanks for all the great advice! I'll be testing this out next week and will report back on how well the integration goes.

     

     

     

    Basic MIDI Question

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Thanks Sam and Mike. My other alternative is to dust off my M-Audio MIDISport 2x2 interface and put the RD-2000 on one port and the Integra-7 on the other port and not use the MIDI ports of the MOTU or maybe dust off my Korg 05/w and plug that into the MOTU.

     

    I think that might be better option.

     

    Thoughts?

    Basic MIDI Question

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    So after years of using VSTi I'm back where I started in the 70's with hardware synths. So this is a basic MIDI question.

     

    What is the best way to hook up via DIN plugs my RD-2000, Integra-7 and MOTU AVB interface so I can control all from my DAW (Cubase 10.5 Pro or Studio One 4.5 Pro)?

     

    My plan is the following:

     

    RD-2000 --> MIDI OUT ---> Integra -7 MIDI In---->Integra-7 --->MIDI THRU---->MOTU AVB Interface MIDI IN-----> MOTU AVB Interface MIDI OUT----> RD-2000 MIDI IN.

     

    Will this work?

    Or is there a better way?

     

    Thanks for any and all advice.

     

     

    Korg Triton Collection!

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    When I see this on the website: KORG Collection - Special Bundle v2 Upgrade for $149, is this for Korg Collection Legacy owners and just adds the Triton content? Asking for a friend (who already has Legacy Collection + Odyssey).

     

    I was a previous owner of the Legacy Collection and when I purchased the Special Bundle V2 for $149 it came with the Triton plus upgrades for all of the synths in my original legacy collection (Wavestation, PolySix, MonoPoly etc). I haven't read the upgrade notes but just playing around a little I don't see any major differences so it's probably bug fixes etc.

     

    HTH.

    5 Reasons Musicians Should Stop Doing Gigs For $100

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    As Tom Posted, there are more entertainment options than ever. There are Sports Bars, smaller clubs will offer 'free Juke Box Night", and, they can control the volume. There are several generations of younger people that grew up going to clubs being entertained by DJ"s playing canned music.

     

    snip----

     

    Back in the 70"s I worked with a guitar player in a duo that played at the Resorts in the Pocono Mountains during ski season. A Duo that wasn"t too loud, could sing and play 'Country Rock' to city people went over big time. They wanted to let it rip on weekends with 'foot stomping' music and have some fun. There was less work during the warm weather months, but we were still getting gigs on weekends in the Poconos, and played some local clubs in my home town once we got established.

     

    The key factors were we could sing and play together well, we weren"t too loud, and we worked the crowd and tried to entertain them. Songs we didn"t know that got a lot of requests we learned. As a duo we couldn"t play everything, but our little duo worked.

     

    The area where I have been living the last 30 years is completely different than what were the Pocono Mountains. I live close to a College Town, which means city people that listen to DJ"s, and the crap they spin. A completely different generation of people that did not grow up with live music. What live music that is available are solo guitarists that play happy hour and get paid from the cover charge at the door. Take it or leave it.

     

    Mike T.

     

    I did pretty much the same thing in the 90's. Worked with a jazz/pop/standards singer and she had the uncanny ability to sound very much like the artist who was known for the song. We did a lot of Anita Baker, Linda Ronstadt standards, Broadway etc. Our appeal was for the same reasons you had success. We weren't overly loud, played the high end restaurants and appealed to all ages. I'm not sure this same formula would work these days as things seem much different in the lounge circuit.

    How to get over a bad gig?

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I think my worst experience was playing my first wedding gig. It was around 1980. The bandleader was desperate for a keyboard player and misrepresented the gig to me. I told him I would not have his repertoire memorized on such short notice but if I could read the music I"d be fine. He said sure I could read the music. It was just me, a drummer, and the bandleader who sang and played sax. The gig starts and it"s an endless medley of songs, often just one chorus of each, with no set list. Both of my hands were busy so it was not possible to get the music out for each song. I ended up playing mostly by ear but that only worked for the songs I was familiar with and even then it was hit or miss. I wanted to run! Then a keyboard player, who finished up his wedding gig in another room, stopped by. He saw that I was distraught and not up to the task, so he asked if I wanted him to play a few tunes. Well he was a great player and played the rest of the gig. I offered to give him my pay but he wouldn"t take it. We"ve been friends ever since and talked about this brutal experience just a few months ago for the first time in decades. Truth is the only way to play the gig was to have the repertoire memorized. As it turned out I memorized the repertoire and played with this bandleader for a couple of years.

     

    Back the 70's, 80's.90's we used to call that "A Screamer"... That's where the agent misrepresents a band for whatever reason. So at the showcase the bride contracts one band but at the event the members are not all the same for whatever reason, illness, lack of people etc... I used to do screamers as a hired gun all the time.. As for the OP, I agree with the others, get back on the horse and play another gig... Worst for me was when I was playing in a Melissa Etheridge, Meatloaf, etc cover band and I had the piano intro to "I Would Do Anything for Love" sequenced into my keyboard so I could also do FX pads at the same time... yea, I'm lazy... So I somehow hit the transpose button and started the tune 1/2 step too high... It really sucked when the guitar players came in... Everybody looking at each other like WTF? Of course it had to be the guitars who tuned up or had capo wrong etc... Was 1/2 way through the tune before I figured out what was wrong... And it was our opening tune!! Needless to say we never got asked back! Hahha...

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