Mark_OA
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Posts posted by Mark_OA
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I have a Kawai MP11SE which, due to its weight, doesn't leave the house. It does have an auto wah effect, but it isn't as usefully as you might think. Goes a bit off on its own. I do like the Tines (Rhodes) samples, especially with the suitcase Amp effect.
Greetings from your fellow Mazda driver (a 20 year old 323 Fastback)
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IK Multimedia B3X is available for $119 crossfade right now. That's a nice deal.
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Very efficient setup and nice keys! How do you control the speakers? Is that a mixer to the right?
Thanks! All the room I have is what you see in the photo, so alas I have no room for a mixer. The red box on the right is a Focusrite audio interface that's acting as a mixer for the Legend and Rev2. The output goes to the input of the MP11SE. Monitors are connected to the TRS out of the MP11SE. The audio interface is fine for both the organ and synth, but the piano sounds aweful through it. That's why I chose this setup. It's what I have and need to work with. I would prefer a mixer, but have nowhere to put it.
Finally able to show my rig. After moving from a HUGE place to a small house, I needed to stack my keys in stead of next to each other.For the 1st time, I see a Viscount Legend Solo in a multikeyboard rig.
Looks great.
What are your impressions w/ the "Solo" ?
Sound, build quality, reliability and finger-to-ear connection ?
A.C.
One word: fabulous.
Before I bought it, I tried the Mojo 61 extensively over a period of a few weeks and wasn't thrilled about 3 things:
1. Keybed. I didn't like the Keynes on the Mojo at all. Maybe it was the board I had on loan, but the keys felt loose and rackety.
2. Shrill high end.
3. Wi-Fi connection is just too damn stupid on an instrument like this
When I returned the Mojo and sourced a Legend I could try, I was sceptic. It took a while to get used to the keybed, because it's a bit heavy, but it's rock solid. Build quality seemed ok at the time and the sound is fantastic. None of the shrillness the Mojo had in the upper registers. I finally bought it, but got a bit of a lemon. One of the connectors in the board was faulty which resulted in the left controls (CV, rotary etc) not working. I got the connector replaced and it worked for a while. Now and again, the issue pops up, especially after moving the board. I just reseat the connector and it works fine again. It sucks a little bit, but don't want to send it off to be repaired again, especially during this pandemic. Don't know when I'll get it back. It took 14 weeks last time
Only thing about the sound I don't like at all is the overdrive. It just sounds aweful, really. Keyclick isn't to my taste either, but that's just nitpicking. I liked the click on the Mojo better. Otherwise, it's a killer board. Nice high triggerpoin on the Keybed tot, plays like a charm.
One thing though: MIDI or controller functions are all explained in the manual, but isn't explained very clearly. Can't seem to remember them.
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Finally able to show my rig. After moving from a HUGE place to a small house, I needed to stack my keys in stead of next to each other. After about 50 rebuilds of this corner I finally am satisfied with the setup, for now. I play the top board standing. Not in the picture: drummachine and my horns.
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Haven't been there for a while and masks aren't enforced here (yet). I saw they provide sanitizers, enforce queues at the door on busy days and clean the instruments after each playthrough by the same person. I would go there if I wanted to, but try to go when it's quiet, on Tuesday mornings etc.
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Same here. I used to think that I could make music on anything...
Yep, me too. I have enough training and lung capacity for all wind instruments, even tuba, but then there was this cute little flute thing. Never thought that would be my nemesis. I can even play reeds better than a flute, hah!
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I hope to learn the regular flute
Now that you mention it... My wife played concert flute for years and I finally gave in an gave it a serious try. As a brass player I can tell you that concert flutes are wildly inefficient with your air! It took ages for me to blow efficient enough to finish a scale
All that air that goes to waste... It made me dizzy, literally. If I want a flute for a composition, I'll ask my wife or just use a virtual one -
I know nothing about bass and bass players, but this was sick. The man gets extra credits for playing upright. I don't like electric bass all that much as a jazzer. Great video, thanks!
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The Monette mouthpiece on the cheap Jean Baptiste sounded much improved. Of course the Monette horn was a pleasure to listen to. I winced every time he switched to the Bach was played, except on that last common jazz lick.
I watched the vid just now and immediately saw he played Arban's Variations on Carnaval de Venice. I've been playing that piece for practice for many years and know it well.
You could hear that he had a bit of difficulty when he switched from the Monette to the Beach, especially when he jumped the octave down on that piece. After further looking at the gear he used I now know why: the Monette mouthpiece has large cup, much larger than the Bach's. The Monette is closer to a standard Bach 1,5C, while the Bach mouthpiece he plays is a standard 7C. That would in fact explain the warmth and richness difference in the sound when switching mouthpiece. If he played a simple $50 Bach 1,5C mouthpiece, would he have had the same fullness on the Monette and Bach as with the Monette mouthpiece? Also, what bore is the Monette trumpet? If it's a L and the Bach seems to be ML (standard Bach Strad), than that would explain a bit too. I played large bore trumpets and they can have a very full and rich sound opposed to ML bores.
That said, this video feels a bit apples oranges to me. Great player though!
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I"ve been on Monette trumpet & flugel mouthpieces for maybe 8-9 years and their LTJ trumpet the past 6. I"m a little biased. ð It"s all about the musician not the tools.
Congrats! Beautiful horns, but way above my paygrade. I played way better horns than my current old beater, but I always went back, even the vintage Bachs and Hub van Laars. Beautiful horns, all of them and they sounded fantastic, but there was always something... I always get looked at by other players in trumpet sections, until I play. "Who has the biggest" is such a dumb thing...
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That confirms a lot of what I'm relearning as a brass player. I guess I tend to like the warmer sounds of taper (conical) bore over straight (cylindrical) bore. I never took lesson growing up, and had no inkling of the differences that mouthpieces and various models could make. I just knew that I really liked the sound of the euphonium and the French horn and the flugelhorn (all conical). And now decades later I finally know why.
Mouthpiece really does make a huge difference, not only in sound but also playability of the instrument to you as the player. Always, ALWAYS, try out a mouthpiece before you buy. Don't go on reviews, every mouth is different!
These are mine. Pic was taken backstage at a gig at a theater with one of the big bands a few years back. Note the bridge on the mouthpiece on the flugelhorn. It connects the mouthpiece and leadpipe and have been using it for years. It gives a rounder core tone and helps me slot in higher register a lot. Never thought it would work until my teacher lend me one a few years back.
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I've always like the sound of a flugelhorn... First thing that comes to my mind is Chuck Mangione's song Feels So Good.
Flugelhorn is to trumpet as French horn is to trombone. Not quite, but warm anyway. Keep on keeping on!
Chuck is one of the masters. I played his Children of Sanchez for so many ensembles that I'll probably always have the muscle memory to play it from the top of my head. Ask me in 20 years
I agree about the flugelhorns sound. It can be velvety smooth, like a good whiskey, and for me that's how it should sound. But many players are of the school that use the same shallow depth mouthpiece on their flugelhorn as they do on their trumpet, and that's when the flugelhorn loses it's velvet and turns into a shrill trumpet wannabe. A lot of (pro) trumpeters that double do that and that's just not my cup of tea. I use a very deep D-cup (no pun!) for my flugelhorn and can transition without a problem. I just need to get my head into relax mode so that my lips and lungs follow suit. If I don't, the flugelhorn fights back and I get a muffled sound. That tapered bore doesn't like the airpressure my straight medium bore does!
End of trumpet/flugelhorn rant
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I'm a brass player and play the trumpet for 32 years now. Still my #1 love. I play flügelhorn too and dabbled playing trombone and tuba when I was younger. I play in many ensembles, from symphonic orchestra's to big bands, latin, quartets, all brass, you name it. Still play the horn my parents got me 23 years ago. I played all big brands, but none click with me like that my old King Silver Flair does. Went on a lot of mouthpiece safaris too, but settled on a Reeves 42M some 25 years ago. Never looked back, great combo. Flugelhorn is a King Legend which I bought from a Scandinavian jazzer once. Great horn, nice rich sound. Played with a Curry mouthpiece.
All has to do with my mom and pops, who both played (mom on drums, pops on tuba). Just in recent years I started to play keys.
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Louis Armstrong.
His voice, both vocal and on the trumpet, has a way to simplify things and bring me back to what really matters. Although I do not like all of his music, he is probably the only musician I know who has expression in every syllable he sings, every note and rest he plays. He was a remarkable and humble man and his music reflects that. It helps me relevante this pandemic and the impact it has on me.
Be-bop has the opposite effect on me. It just pushes me more and more in the chaos. I get the genre, but can't digest it. Never could.
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Note that the drummer is male ;-)
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Me before 2012: "Being the best is most important"
Me after 2012, being hospitalized because of the above: "Having fun is most important.
Me in 2012 was wrong. I even fought a psychologist about that.
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Avasarala curses in every sentence in the books. I had to Google Nick Tarabay's character as I have no idea who he is. Turns out to be Cotyar, who has a pretty big role in the TV series (15 episodes) but a really minor one in the books. I remember him from maybe two chapters in one book, that's it. Funny how those adaptions for TV change the original stories around.
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Don't forget Stargate and Torchwood ;-)
Star Trek, Dr Who, X-Files, Babylon 5, Farscape, I love them all and have collected them all on DVD for unlimited viewing. Only wasn't able to get Farscape. Still love these all and they never bore me, even after the 30 times I've watched them over the years.
I haven't seen Picard yet and did watch Discovery. As a series it's good, but I didn't view it as part of the Star Trek universe I know and love.
I can only really vouch for the Expanse books which are great! Does Avasarala curse as much in the series too? Love her character!
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Hm. Maybe I just need to try it out than. Thanks.
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Yes and no. Maybe it's my English, but "use" or "connect" simultaneously are different in my opinion. I would like to know if I can connect both, and use one or the other, not both at the same time.
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Wow, thanks for the link. I don't know what source I was looking at, but when I was reviewing them they didn't seem adjustable. These actually do. I feel such a noob. Thanks man!
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Thank you for your quick answer. I apologise I didn't formulate my question all too well. I have read the manual, but was wondering if it is actually a good idea to connect both XLR and TRS and use both inputs on the monitors. I want to be able to use one input for my mixer and one for my audio interface, so I can easily switch from live playing (from the mixer) to monitoring recording (from the interface).
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Hello everyone,
I have some very basic questions of which I can't seem to find a straight answer. I was hoping someone around here has some real life experience to share with me.
I have 3 boards, two of which reside on a K&M 18810 stand with the second tier 18811 extensions added. I want to mount the other board on a third tier, but see that the K&M 18822 extensions can't be adjusted for height. Before I purchase those, does anyone know if a board on the third tier is still playable from a sitting position?
Furthermore, I have Yamaha HS7 monitors at home, which accept both XLR and TRS inputs. What I can't find though if I can actually use both inputs simultaneously. Does anyone know?
Thanks in advance! I learn a lot from you guys lurking this board.
Mark
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I'd like a mixer, but haven't at the moment.
Everything goes straight into my audio interface, which is a Focusrite 18i8 2nd Gen. I use the pre-amps from the interface for my Kawai MP11SE and Viscount Legend as both signals aren't that hot. My DSI Prophet Rev2 goes into the line inputs on the back of the interface. I usually don't record the latter, but if I do, I use an Arturia pre-amp VST to boost the signal of the Rev2 somewhat. It depends really on what patch. A unison patch can be more than loud enough while a pad can't be heard. Like I said, I'd really like a mixer.
All that air that goes to waste... It made me dizzy, literally. If I want a flute for a composition, I'll ask my wife or just use a virtual one 
Sequential Take 5
in The Keyboard Corner
Posted
The one thing the Matt Johnson demo taught me it how much I like a sine wave oscillator shape (none of my synths have it) and how I love having a mod matrix and aux envelope. The options are "endless" with those two.
Fantastic player Matt.