GianfrixMG
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Posts posted by GianfrixMG
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13 minutes ago, Stokely said:
My main comment would be: this sounds like a whole-band issue that needs a whole-band solution. Or at least that's the way I've always looked at monitoring.
That said, our bass player plays in several bands so he has worked out his no-amp in-ears solution so that it doesn't matter which band, mixer or sound company he uses. As long as they can send him an unpowered monitor feed he is good. He's also using a Rolls to accomplish this, mixing his direct bass sound in with the FOH monitor mix.The "we shouldn't mess with the volumes in the middle of the rehearsal" problem has to be tackled, but even if I could hear myself well through the PA, I prefer listening to my vocals clearly while singing. I just want a simple solution I may be able to use on stage.
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Thank you for all the answers!
At the end I would like something very simple I can use both at rehearsals and live. At reharsals I could feed one of the aux outputs of the main mixer to mine and I think I could do that too on stage.
I saw that many cheap mixers have this kind of routing:
Hypotetically I could input the FOH monitor mix to the tape inputs and send them only to the headphone output. But practically could that blow the mixer out? I read that the tape input accepts line level inputs, so as far as I have the correct adapter I should be able to use it.
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Hi everyone!
I am a singer in a band and I am planning to occasionally play some keyboards and trigger samples with a MIDI pedal.
For vocal effects I'm currently using a custom made fx processor, based on a Raspberry Pi, which outputs on a 1/4 inch stereo jack at a line level. Samples would mainly be played from this box. As for keyboards, depending on the situation and on-stage space, I may either use that same fx processor or my MODX7. I also have a stereo wireless in-ear monitor I want to use to hear my voice and my keyboard parts with the rest of the band underneath. The transmitter connects via a single TRS stereo 1/4 inch jack.
EDIT: At least for now I'm planning to play keyboards only on instrumentals, while I could trigger samples in any song.
In order to connect everything I was planning to use a small mixer I could keep near me on stage (this position also eases the work on the wireless transmitter). On that mixer I would connect as inputs my Raspberry Pi, optionally my keyboard and a monitor mix coming from the FOH mixer. In order not to generate feedback due to this last input, I think I would need a mixer with an aux send in order to create a submix (vocals + keys + monitor) only for myself, while sending only vocals and keys through the main outs (balanced if possible). The aux send should thus be pre-level and not post-level.
Without spending too much (we're not a professional band right now :D) I was thinking about getting a Mackie Mix8. The only problem I see is that keyboards and vocals would be sent on the same stereo channel, thus limiting some mixing freedom to the FOH sound man. The only way I could solve this problem is by using two separate mono outputs, but that would be a problem for some keyboard sounds (e.g. organs /w Leslie) that could sound bad in mono.
Do you have any other solutions?
Thank you in advance!
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In the end I got an used MODX7 in great condition. I've had it for a few months and I ended up quite liking the keybed. It's noisier than the NC2 IMO, but on the "hard" velocity curve I'm able to play some piano with nice dynamics and the keys press quite nicely even near the pivot (at least better than the Korg Kross I tried)
It's a bit complex sometimes to edit sounds on (for example, I can't split sounds with a single key press), but it's very powerful!
Overall I'm quite happy with the purchase!
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I haven't been able to try it yet (there's lack of stock even here in Italy) but a guy in another forum I'm on bought it and said the keys felt much better. The keys are still on the heavier side though, but more "fluent" than the TP100.
I'm wondering if it is inevitable for such a lightweight action (in terms of total weight) to have heavy feeling keys. I mean if it comes from the design. Because the TP100 family of actions seems to be used in keyboards that are not explicitly targeted at hardcore acoustic piano aficionados but are mostly used in multi-purpose keyboards with pianos, Rhodes, organ and synths (Nord Electro for example) and most player would agree that a hammer-action with as light feeling keys as possible is desirable.
Keyboards with GHS such as the MODX8 or the MOXF8 weigh 14kg but their actions are lighter than the TP100 (at least it was on the model I tried). I think some of the weight is in the hammer themselves, but you also have to consider the build of the keybed itself. The TP100 and the new TP100 are fully plastic keybeds and weigh 6kg. The TP400 weighs 14kg.
Source:
(italian video, subtitles are available!) -
What´s "keyboard sensitivity" control ?
Quoting the manual https://www.studiologic-music.com/support/numa_x_piano/Numa_X_Piano_Manual_EN.pdf:
KBD SENSITIVITYStarting from the current curve, you can adjust the sensitivity in a range between -25% (heavier) and +25% (lighter).
When striking any or only black keys "far back" is an issue also w/ the more expensive TP400W action,- it possibly makes no sense to spend the money when the TP110 actions are significantly better than former TP100.
The key length on the TP110 should be the same as it is on the TP100, so hitting the keys in the "far back" should have a similar feel in both these models. In the new model they mostly redesigned the hammers (rotating them in order to have a better inertia for improved key feel), changed the aftertouch strip placement and the felts in order to reduce bouncing.
I haven't been able to try it yet (there's lack of stock even here in Italy) but a guy in another forum I'm on bought it and said the keys felt much better. The keys are still on the heavier side though, but more "fluent" than the TP100.
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There's a series of videos about the Numa X Piano and they go in detail on many points. They are in Italian but there are subtitles you can translate. There's this one especially that talks about the keybeds and how they are designed:
TLDW, in the TP110 they redesigned the hammers, rotating the weights in order to have a more realistic feel. My guess is that it will still be a bit on the heavier side but maybe less fatiguing.
Also check out the other videos on that channel!
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That"s what I was getting at with my question. The pianos sound like same old same old overwhelming attack followed by underwhelming tone that every other DP provides (except Dexibell to my ears). I really hope to be wrong.
To be fair the new modeled pianos to me sound really good. It's just some other sounds that are not on that level of quality.
There are many advancements here that weren't in the Compact, such as no global reverb, no mastering effect (it works on some sounds and just not on others), attack and release controls for every sound (in the Compacts you only have cutoff and release) and supposedly better DSPs. A hope of mine is also a port of some of these improvements to the NC2 as a firmware upgrade...
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A couple of my biggest concerns regarding the X-Piano are the new TP/110 action and how the sounds will interact with this. Studiologic are saying the TP/110 is a 'massive improvement of the TP/100 design'. Whilst this sounds promising, I wonder how it will compare to the action of my old Roland RD300GX? I am just so used to playing this board and am hoping the TP/110 won"t be any heavier! I will hopefully be able to report back here in a few weeks when the X-Piano 88 arrives and share my thoughts.
The other boards I"m considering are the Roland RD88 and Yamaha CP88. Which of these two has the lighter action?
There's an italian article that talks about this new product: https://www.supportimusicali.it/forum/view/8/20/92955/1/tastiere_pianoforti_studiologic_numa_x_piano_gt_88_73
It says that there's a "new neoprene strip where the hammers rest in order to reduce bouncing", thus I hope it will also be less noisy overtime like the TP100 is.
Also, as "the Aftertouch is triggered by the hammers for a more accurate control" (from Studiologic's website) I think the basic structure will be the same (hammers hitting a strip outside of the keys, not inside the keys themselves)
They also say "the new hammers ensure an extremely fluent and authentic feel", so I really hope it will be less fatiguing.
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Several of those Numa X Piano AP's in dickiefunk's linked demo video (e.g. Japanese Grand, German Grand, Vintage) are designated exactly same and sound to my ears more or less the same as those on the Compact 2X which I have. There are also couple of new AP's in the Numa X Piano video that aren't on or downloadable yet for the NC2X (e.g. Italian Grand and American Piano)
The Rhodes Mark 1 and 2 sound better to me on the Numa X Piano demos than the equivalent ones on the NC2X.
Of course, it's hard to make such determinations with confidence based on demo videos. Also, as we all know, the same sounds can sound different when played on semi-weighted vs. weighted action, or when played by different individuals.
Glad I'm not the only one who got that. The upright piano also sounds as bad as it does on the NC2x (especially on the low notes) and the honky tonk just sounds strange on the attack.
My hypotesis is that the guts are mostly derived from the Numa Compact with physical modeling added for some sounds and better DSP.
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Has there been any mention on what the casing is made from?
I think the casing will be identical to the SL88/SL73, which are metal and built like tanks. The size is also mostly the same, and the sides of the non GT versions also look identical to those mounted on the SL controllers.
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It's further out than we thought. Got this from Sweetwater...
"Good morning David, those are a long ways out. First of year or later.
Did you want to talk other options or are you good with waiting? Of course I don"t charge you until it ships, so no worries there."
They're not available in Europe even yet. They're going to be available in October here, hoping they will be available in physical stores soon after. I'm mainly targeting the 73 key version...
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Very interesting! There's also a 73 key version: https://orkestergraven.dk/shop/da/elklaver/9368-studiologic-numa-x-piano-73-8034141640667.html
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I mean: take your Kronos SSD and copy it to a linux machine with the same screen and audio interface, and off you go!
I thought it might be there's additional processing hardware in, but if there isn't, I don't think it is much of an additional feat to use a PC arch for the signal processing of a powerful workstation, even with a dedicated OS and system, the actual processing power isn't that great compared with dedicated DSP for a lot of things, so I don't feel the K is a great sound deal that makes me interested in the studio high grade components in it's sound.
T.
If only it was that easy... I mean, it is possible to transplant the Kronos' guts into another motherboard, but I don't think you could connect a generic audio interface, a MIDI keyboard and call it a day. I mean, if I had a Kronos I could try...
My guess is that their software is strictly built for their hardware. Also there's quite of file system encryption implemented. So, I think it would be theoretically possible, but unlikely to happen.
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I know some folks have speculated that it's very similar to the one in my Hammer 88 Pro or Hammer 88, at least design wise. But my boards didn't have the supposed "bounce" to the keys that the SP6/PC4 apparently have.
I think it is a very similar if not exactly the same action: Medeli K6 (without aftertouch) or a Medeli K6S (graded with aftertouch). I don't know if Kurzweil made any modifications to it.
There are only 99 Mixface programs vs 250 SL73/88 programs, so I'm not sure how that worksI would guess they are totally separate programs, so you would have to program those devices separately. Maybe you could send a program change from one of them to the other in order to set the configuration for the current patch?
And I'm not sure how I feel about the pitch/mod sticks.It's a love it or hate it thing
As I said, they're just a bit small and don't have much travel to finely adjusting pitch and modulation. Ah, if someone made a dedicated MIDI controller for pitch and mod!
And more importantly, that TP40/Wood action is apparently bad for repetition of notes and it's heavy. So it's probably not great for someone like me who needs to play multiple instrument parts as well as fast-paced piano music. Hmm.It's a triple action keybed, so repetition should be managed well especially for when the key is not totally lifted. The TP40W is also reportedly a bit lighter to press than the TP100 and less fatiguing. Both Yamaha GHS and Medeli K6 are obiviously lighter.
I found this review pretty helpful to compare those keybeds:
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The SL88 Grand + SL Mixface was a possibility, but it occurred to me that the way that setup works is that the Mixface acts as a USB host for the SL88 Grand and then sends their combined data to a computer. There's only the USB connector on the Mixface, so I don't think there's any way to use it without a computer. If there was a way for it to work in reverse, for the Mixface data to be sent from the SL88's midi output, then it might very well work, even if I am a bit queasy about the pitch stick/mod stick setup. But that doesn't seem to be possible sadly.
Are you sure? Looking at the manual I read:
"The Controller mode allows you to use Mixface in combination with the Studiologic SL MIDI Controllers. In this way it is possible to Program all Mixface controls to manage the instrument parameters (hardware or software) assigned to each of the four Zones."So I think that you can still use the Mixface like an "extension" of the SL rather than a host for it; on the manual I see that the zones can control a device connected via the USB Host port, via the USB Device port or via Bluetooth.
About the sticks: yeah, they have a short travel compared to the wheels but they are built well and are very configurable.
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I feel your pain because I have similar requirements but I'm simply planning to expand a keyboard via software while trying not to spend thousands on a flagship workstation. Unfortunately most plausible MIDI Hammer Action keyboards equip a Fatar TP100
If you'd liked pitch/mod sticks I would have recommended a SL88 Grand + SL Mixface. They are tightly integrated and the keybed is a TP40W, reportedly much better than the TP100 albeit still a bit on the heavier side. It's also just less then a pound heavier than your limit.
An alternative could be an MX88 + an iPad for MIDI management and touch control surfaces. Otherwise a pure touch interface enables you to have as many buttons and features as you wish. If you got a touchscreen Windows tablet you could also connect something like a Korg NanoKontrol and get faders.
I'm thinking of going on the PC route and building some custom software for my needs, but I also read about limits in using both USB and "traditional" MIDI. Still haven't found any evidence on that behaviour, so it's all theoretical.
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Pick and choose. If you want the computationally beefy synth just run one channel. If you need 16 layers of multitimbral orchestration pick the sample based stuff.
This. Also the RPi 4 seems more powerful than the previous gen but runs quite hot. Zynthian is passively cooled using the case itself but I would still build something that let me use the fan, even if I would have to connect the audio card using some kind of ribbon connector. Check this video out too about its thermals:
Nothing is unique. It"s all off the shelf stuff apart from the case but it is also open source. You can build one with stuff you already own, usb audio interfaces, source your own knobs. The kit is for convenience.
Actually I think the case is open source too: https://github.com/zynthian/zynthian-case
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About $500 AUD so a bit onb the pricey side, but it does have it's own screen for viewing whats loaded, and along with the "live-gig" features and connectivity...might be worth it...still umming and ahhing as I am going to try my Intel NUC8i7 with an Eyoyo Touch screen (gear I already have) and see how that works.
This one might be good for carting the small keyboard to rehearsals etc, or other activities (holidays EG) anyhooo, it looks really interesting
I'd recommend you to try on a Raspberry Pi 4 and an USB audio interface first. The software is fully open source, so it's downloadable, usable and modifiable
If it works out for you, then you can buy the kit minus the Pi.
I've had some problems with both an USB audio interface and an USB master keyboard connected (i.e. MIDI messages would get lost due to the way USB is implemented on the RPi), but that may have changed on the Pi 4 which supports USB 3. I also guess latency would be much better with their audio interface which connects directly to the GPIO pins. Since the 4.2 kit it also has balanced outputs!
Not sure I understand so check me on this.It's basically a VST in a box for people who do not want to haul a laptop around? Each box only contains one VST or a small batch of VSTs?
I think it makes sense, as one of the most expensive pieces of gear that I haul to every single gig is my MacBook Pro, which I use for almost nothing else except music.
Yes, it allows you to run plugins but mostly in LV2 format. VSTs are technically loadable on the platform but I don't know if they are supported by their software. All the plugins must also be compiled to run on ARM and sometimes they have to do a bit of tweaks to make them run. Check out the Discourse thread on their site about Surge for example.
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Not sure about Fatar...
Well their keybeds are very nice. The TP100 is just fatiguing but the level of control over velocities in the SL series is just unmatched.
By the way, both the Arturia KeyLab 88 and the Complete Kontrol 88 equip the TP100 as their keybed.
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A MODX8 is overkill as a pure controller, and arguably a MX88 is as well. Plenty of controller-only options out there.
The problem is that a good quality weighted keybed is only found on more expensive controllers whose price gets really close to the MX88, which has the advantage of having internal sounds and an audio interface, untethering the player from the PC (so being "a board to have fun with") while still making it easy to play VSTs if needed. If the Fatar TP100 keybed is not a problem then the SL88 Studio would be a controller to consider because of the price difference.
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Thank you for the thorough answer!
3) How would you compare the keys to the Yamaha GHS (if you tried one; the Motif XF you mention has a different action AFAIK)
I'm quite familiar with that action (I've played the P45, P115, P125, MOXF8, MODX8, and MX88 a fair bit each). That action has a faster return time IMO than the Hammer 88 Pro's action, which is nice for fast playing. It feels a little more plasticky than the Hammer 88 Pro's action, but the GHS is a little faster overall I think. Right now I'm not sure which I prefer...the speed is an advantage on the GHS.
Edit: For a general-purpose action, the GHS is better in my opinion. The Hammer 88 Pro action is not bad, but it's less of a compromise action than GHS. It's not as light or fast.
Yeah, I was just looking for a general purpose action for a single keyboard setup and maybe the GHS is better for that. I would also hate those sharp edges
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Whoa, a 40 minute video! Thank you for your review!
I have a few more questions though:
1) Is there a soft case with a side pocket for this keyboard?
2) I know it's heavier than most controllers, but is it an easy lift still? I'm wondering how the weight is distributed, because I think it's mostly affected by the case itself.
3) How would you compare the keys to the Yamaha GHS (if you tried one; the Motif XF you mention has a different action AFAIK)
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So, what is the keybed? TP100L ?? Just like the M-Audio hammer 88 ? The reviewer doesn't say.
The Hammer 88 has a Medeli K6 keybed AFAIK. I think the Pro has a different keybed because it's graded and has aftertouch.
Definitely not the TP100LR as reviewers say it's not an heavy action.
As I said, they're just a bit small and don't have much travel to finely adjusting pitch and modulation. 
Connecting and monitoring through in-ears vocals and keyboards without breaking the bank
in The Keyboard Corner
Posted
I would like not to depend on the MODX, as I'm not always using it and setting everything up takes a lot of time. For this reason I was researching on how to perform the few parts I do on my custom processor. Problem is that I would have to balance the sound myself, considering that I would also have to balance it with the other keyboard player in the band. That could easily get messy. The only other solution would be going mono.
The PM351 sounds very nice actually! I don't know though if I would be able to successfully connect a line signal to the mic input as it seems like the inputs don't have input gain settings.