cassdad
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Posts posted by cassdad
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The Gap Band (“Early In The Morning”; You Dropped a Bomb on Me”, etc.)
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11 hours ago, midinut said:
Been wearing hearing aids for many years now. I'm a veteran and have VA Healthcare and they pay 100% of the cost. Therefore I cannot comment on the prices of hearing aids these days. I generally have an audiology appointment once a year to see if my hearing has changed. I also have tinnitus as well. I used to wear the "in-ear" hearing aids but found when I was active and sweaty, they would shut down, and sometimes even come out of my ears. Now I use the "over-the-ear" model which works better for me yet gets in the way of my glasses over my ear as well. The first difference I noticed was I could hear the crickets chirp and the cicadid's making their noises. It hadn't occured to me that I hadn't heard those noises since I was a kid. But yes, conversations are much easier - however, I sometimes talk too softly to compensate for hearing my own voice louder. As far as recording, mixing, or practicing goes, I hear things much better and wearing headphones doesn't bother me. No feedback or digital noise. Mine have an app on my phone that allows me to adjust the EQ if I want. I can set different curves for different situations and store them as presets. I realize how lucky I am to be a vet and not have having to purchase these or have insurance that covers them, but I agree wholeheartedly that one should get checked out by a certified audiologist before doing anything. I've listened to a great deal of advice form most of you on this forum about how you shouldn't go cheap on monitors, keyboards, cases, stands, and so on. I feel like you should apply the same logic to hearing aids. This is your hearing we're talking about here!
I also have a set of Air Pod Pros. I use them specifically for the noise cancelling feature when I fly (or my wife is snoring...). They work very well and music sounds great on them, but I would not trust them for most hearing problems. Maybe the mild to moderate loss users would benefit but I would still talk to an audiologist!
On a side note, back in the days of Ensoniq, I went to Ensoniq school with Roy Elkins and Jack Hotop and seem to remember that Ensoniq was working on a set of hearing aids that could be loaded with different curves (kind of like impulse responses). So if you wanted your ears to hear what Quincy Jones hears, you could. Herbie Hancock, Michael Jackson, Tom Scholtz, etc. as well as certain producers, engineers, and so on. What a concept! After Creative bought them up I guess that idea fell by the wayside along with a great line a keyboards and the wonderful people that made them.
Thank you for the info, Midinut - what brand and model do you use, please?
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Yes, Reezekeys, that is why I specifically wrote “(it’s not “lightning”)”. Having the USB C connector, the original post begged the question whether or not it affected other than “lightning” - thus the reason for my post.
15 hours ago, Reezekeys said:The issue is with the USB-C Lightning adapter.
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For reference, I updated to 16.5 today, and my “USB C camera adapter” and all programs (including forScore) work properly: I have an iPad Pro 5th generation, with one USB C output (it’s not “lightning”).
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10 hours ago, AnotherScott said:
possibly using the Stage Manager function of iOS, if your iPad model supports it...?
Yup, wow, thank you, AnotherScott!! That works, somewhat. It does indeed accomplish exactly what I requested. The downside is that the B-3X app does not seem to work as well in that “mode”…. ie. moving the drawbars is very glitchy, does not work very well. But it does accomplish what I’d requested - so THANK YOU! (I had never heard of “Stage Manager” before - every day is a learning experience!)
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Just purchased the B-3X, using it on an iPad Pro, and yes, it does sound GREAT!
My issue is an iPad Pro “display/view” one….. B-3X will ONLY display on my iPad Pro in landscape mode. I need to use forScore in portrait mode….. does anyone know any way to get B-3X to display in portrait mode? (I know it would be small or cut-off, but nevertheless I need to use portrait mode.)
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Wow, Thank you, CP Hollis. That Guide is EXCELLENT! I’m sharing it with a few “key” folks that I’m hoping will at least read some of it. But they probably won’t, and will likewise always be amateurs, and sound unprofessional. And spend their lives wondering why…..
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As the OP, I perhaps was not clear with my vision: Yes, I want one hardware “keyboard” with all the sounds I want built-in. I do not want the extra items (computer, cables, etc), but also do not want the associated risk of unreliability, nor the sheer time and hassle required to set it all up, and then the complicated hassle to control it all.
But more importantly, I dislike the fact that I have to choose Yamaha sounds, or Roland sounds, or Korg sounds, or Nord sounds, etc….. or Pianoteq sounds, or other AU sounds. In short, as far as my limited knowledge base goes, I can’t easily play Roland sounds only using my Yamaha keyboard, and vice-versa. And even if I get a MIDI controller, I can’t play Yamaha sounds without their hardware, or Roland, etc. Seems part of the business model is to use their respective sounds to sell their respective hardware.
The hardware is always dictating what sounds I am limited to. And every soundset has some limitations, and some crappy sounds that I don’t want or need. Perhaps I’m asking for standardization of sounds, separating the sound business from the hardware business.
I understand this will likely never come to pass, as many have pointed out. And I know there would be trade-offs. And I acknowledged that it was just a wish.
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I’d simply love a keyboard (with my preferred number of keys and weighting) that has some type of built-in / integrated computer that, like a separate laptop, I could load-up with various sound-producers’ sounds (like Pianoteq, Mainstage, etc). I do not want to have to carry a separate laptop and the associated wiring. It would all be integrated and controlled from the one keyboard. Oh, and it has to be super-lightweight and gig road worthy! And have a ton of RAM so I could load up lots of large samples, etc., and play them instantly.
I guess it would just be a different business model: Where creating / selling sounds is a separate business from manufacturing keyboards. I’d have my choice keyboard, and could buy sounds from Yamaha, Roland, Pianoteq, Mainstage, etc, and play them from one integrated instrument. Or maybe a “controller” with a built-in laptop computer. The only external cables would be for power in, stereo audio out, and pedals.
Just wishing….
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Have you simply tried extensively playing with different EQ settings?
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Bring extra business cards (make it easy for people who like your music to contact / hire you).
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Here’s what I use. Any 1-step stool will work fine. You do indeed want them off the floor by several inches - they sound MUCH better:
Gorilla Ladders
1-Step Plastic Step Stool with 300 lbs. Load CapacityModel # GLP-1S
(1521)
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19 hours ago, dazzjazz said:
Okay, I've just found a few minutes to play my CP4 through the DZR10 in glorious mono.
The speaker is a total winner. Just like my impressions with the MAG organ, the CFX piano sounds full and lush. I especially like the clarity and how much 'thud' when the key hits the keybed, which for me is an important part of the piano sound. I tried a bunch of other patches too. My own edits of the CF and Rhodes are similarly impressive, and some leftover synth patches from a long ago gig are punchy. I'm not playing the mono samples either - I'm playing the stereo ones collapsed to mono - sounds really good to me, and I've had the CP4 for years so I'm very familiar with its sound.
I can imagine that a stereo pair of these would be a totally killer rig, but most of my gigs are small bars/jazz clubs/restaurants and the stereo effect would just be for me.
Not sure what else to say about it. It's really fabulous and worth carrying the extra 3-4kg. I should have bought it years ago.
Darren
What does your statement, “ I'm playing the stereo ones collapsed to mono” mean? Exactly how do you do that?
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51 minutes ago, Stokely said:
Does the 18880 (which everyone seems to like) have a mic boom attachment? I'm really hoping to avoid the need for a mic stand. They not only can get in the way on tight stages, but I tend to forget anything that doesn't fit in my gear case!
Edit: I found this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/550329-REG/K_M_18885_500_55_18885_Telescopic_Boom_Arm.html
But "no longer available"...not the same attachment system as the Omega Pro unfortunately. Not found on Thomann either, bummer.It’s the K&M Omega Pro 18810 or 18820 (folds) for me, as I need the stability when I perform. Just a note regarding a microphone attachment: I bought and tried it, however does not work for me: I found that the vibrations from playing the keys transmits right through the steel stand, up the mic boom, and into the mic = horrible and unacceptable (to me). YMMV.
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4 hours ago, Al Quinn said:
I love my P515. I play it a lot during the winter when I'm in Florida and don't have an acoustic piano to practice on. When I get back to NY, and my Yamaha C3 acoustic grand, the transition is seamless. I've heard people say that the P515 action is heavy but that's not my experience. The action feels great to me. I can play expressively on it, the finger to ear connection is fantastic, I can balance the layers I'm playing and control the dynamics of the inner voices (which has been a struggle for me with other digital pianos). I have no issue playing fast (other than my own limitations).
Here's a tune I recorded which has some inner voice movement. I love how I was able to just run a USB cable from the P515 to my iPhone (with the help of a USB to Lightning adapter) and just hit the record button. So simple!
I also have a CP4 and like it a lot but, to me, the P515 sounds and plays better.
Wow - that’s SO nice! Love it!
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40 minutes ago, AnthonyM said:
Hello Everyone,
I thought you might enjoy this. It has a lot of close up's of Elton John and the Auxiliary Keyboard Player. The sound is great! He's using a Kuezwel K2600, Motif XF6 and a couple of other boards. it looks like it was filmed from the first few rows.
Enjoy!
Anthony
Didn’t tape over any of the keyboard manufacturer names! 🙂
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On 2/27/2023 at 11:08 PM, UnderGroundGr said:
https://www.strymon.net/product/lex/
I have the previous model, excellent pedal, i preferred it from Vent. This one has midi capabilities.
Maybe…. but all their website seems to advertise is using it for a guitar…. I’d like to hear an organ through it….
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57 minutes ago, Montunoman 2 said:
Are you inspired by child prodigy’s, or kind of secretly wish they quit piano and sign up karate lessons or something?
It just humbles me!
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I bought my RD-1000 brand new from Japan, shipped to where I was at the time (Saudi Arabia) in 1988. Sold it for almost nothing in the early 2000’s. Loved it, but as some said, it’s sound had gone “out of favor”, and it was just such a heavy beast that I couldn’t even move it from room to room, never mind take it out on a gig. But I did love it, though, and occasionally miss it - because I had written some songs on it that just don’t sound the same played on my more modern keys. Go figure.
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So, basic questions:
1). Can one get a good facsimile of the “chop” / percussive slap sound on, say, a Hammond SKX Pro or a Hammond XK-5?
2). Is the key (no pun intended) to “chop-ability” of the instrument having a clone that has “click” and triggers different draw bars through key travel depression? (Which none of my Roland nor Yamaha keyboards to date have done.)
I have never been able to get a valid “chop” sound out of any of my Yamaha keyboards’ organ sounds… and I’m a very percussive player…. and would love to be able to get that sound.
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For me, standing just does not work. The way I play utilizes a LOT of sustain pedal work, and the volume pedal when doing other instruments / sounds. To stand means I basically have to put most of my weight on my left leg, and standing on one leg for long periods of time does not work for me. I’m told I’m a very “theatrical” performer; I move with the music a lot (can’t sit still). I, personally, do not feel my energy / enthusiasm level projected out to the audience is any different whether I stand or sit. And more complex playing, for me, requires a sitting position. YMMV, I understand.
I also agree that the style of music one plays greatly affects the “performance” requirements. I don’t think “visual performance” was critical to the OP’s situation. Not withstanding that, I think it is always inappropriate to sit there like a lump on a log. One should at least convey enjoyment and involvement. For me, “music is supposed to be fun”. If you’re not visibly having fun playing it, how can you expect anyone else to do so?
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6 hours ago, drand48a said:
Free return shipping? Not sure how they could profit that way.
Not free…. but, to me, the return shipping money on the not-wanted units was worth it to ensure that I was making the best purchase for me. I see it this way: at $850 each X 2 = $1,700….. if it cost me a hundred in return shipping, that $100 ensured me that I was spending the $1,700 on the best of the lot.
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1 hour ago, drand48a said:
Sadly, it seems I'll only be able to audition the QSC and JBL speakers. GC and Sam Ash don't carry the others, not even the Altos. Sigh.
Thanks for pointing out the DXR rather than DBR -- the DXR looks like a better contender (but since I can't audition them ...)
I suppose I could order the others and send back whichever ones lose the shootout. That means an extra 5-hour round-trip drive to return them, but ... ah well.
Well, i understand, but….. when trying out, I ordered them on-line, so when they arrived I then had all the original packing, and saved it to use to mail back the “losers” in my personal speaker shoot-out. But acknowledged, your situation might make that impractical.
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Sure, a guitar, as a limited range instrument, will sound great through the EV Everse. I sincerely doubt they would do the same for a full range piano. One of my bands is using them, and being kind, I’ll just say that they lack “punch”.
Re the topic at hand: FWIW, I side-by-side bought and tested for days both the QSC K10 and the Yamaha DXR-10s (not DBR). In my end analysis, for piano, the Yamaha DXR10s were much better for piano (and everything else, of course, full-range piano being the most difficult). I use the DXR10s under a myriad of different situations and environments, and have been told (including pianists) that they sound great in the audience. (I do not work or have any vested interest in Yamaha). FYI, they are rated at 131dB ( not sure I believe it, but whatever, they are powerful and clear, and I use them in a rock band scenario, including outside, and they keep up just fine). Also, I do NOT use a mixer, plugging my Yamaha MOXF8 outputs directly into the DXR10s with no problem…. set the volume on the DXR10s at about -8 dB (well below unity gain), and they kick plenty loud). I just run them “flat”, and they sound pretty darn good.
Furthermore, Yamaha now has come out with the DXR10 Mark II, which has a larger, more powerful, HF compression driver with neodymium (my old original DXR10x have ferrtie [iron] magnets). Thus, the new Mark IIs should be even lighter and slightly more powerful. But I’ve been so satisfied with my old DXR10s, that I have no desire to upgrade nor spend the extra money.
I’ve wanted to upgrade to the DZR10’s but they are 10 pounds more (wood cabinet), and I just can’t stomach the extra weight.
P.S. Putting the DXR10s on small step stools (8 inches high) makes a world of difference in “throw” and clarity (removing any “mud”).
Mixers designed for keyboards?
in The Keyboard Corner
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Rather than the Allen & Heath, I would recommend the Behringer XR-18 / Midas MR-18 as it costs 1/3rd less with outstanding sonic specs and features. And, yes, it does have a limiter as one of its many effects (they call it a “Precision Limiter”).