CHarrell
-
Posts
622 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Blogs
Events
Articles
Downloads
Gallery
Store
Posts posted by CHarrell
-
-
You're right, that is weird. They probably could've used an 8va if those voices were gonna cross like that, but I guess it's just one note.
I see that as the RH/top staff being a D, and the LH being B, D, and G#. The giveaway, in these kinds of situations, are the directions of the note stems. Also notice that that LH chord is a "detached" quarter note, compared to the RH note being in the middle of the phrase on the top staff.
-
2
-
-
22 minutes ago, zxcvbnm098 said:
I don't really see a Solina in the video, but I did look up what looks to be an inexpensive keyboard he's playing on top of his Clav......an old Kawai PH50? According to the inter webs, it's this one...which is more inline with the topic?
Yes, what I meant was that he was using this keyboard to emulate a Solina string machine that he would use famously in the 70s.
-
On 5/7/2024 at 11:49 AM, GovernorSilver said:
Yes, it is possible for someone with the skills and experience of a David Paich (circa late 1990s) to make productive use of a Yamaha PSR-730, whether using its built in audio, or exporting songs he wrote on it as MIDI to be played back by higher end MIDI devices like his MOTIF 8, which was mentioned as also being used on the album in a different interview. His skills and experience are at such a high level it doesn't matter what exact voices he used on the PSR.
It's not that uncommon for cheap keyboards to be used on major album releases either. Mike McDonald and Jeff Baxter revealed in interviews that the demo for "It Keeps You Runnin" was recorded in Jeff's garage/apartment on a "crappy keyboard, like what you would buy for your 5 year old". Producer Ted Templeman liked that cheap keyboard sound so much that he kept that demo track and built the rest of the song around it. Nobody seems to remember the exact brand of the cheap keyboard, though Mike thought it might be a DMI Sound City or competing low-end brand.
For the last chunks of his life, Bernie Worrell used a cheapo keyboard given to him by Bootsy Collins I think in the 90s, it was his Solina machine!
Right by his honest to goodness vintage clav, his Moog, or his B3 in other performances.
-
9 minutes ago, ProfD said:
The band members at the front of the stage kinda served as bouncers to the extent they wouldn't allow dudes in the audience to touch or violate the women.
Like island natives protecting aquatic species like sea turtles on the beach from outsiders. 😂
-
A few that immediately come to mind:
1. Playing a pet-walking event 10 years ago. We were more of a free-improv band based on some really solid tunes as our guide, so the fact we were asked to play there at all was hilarious to me. Then during the event, the emcee/event host decided he wanted music to accompany his speaking turns in between the pet events, so then took it upon himself to spontaneously conduct and verbally orchestrate fanfares from us for pizzazz. Then our performance was hijacked by petitioners looking for signatures. As Jean-Luc Picard once said: "Sometimes, you just have to bow to the absurd."
2. Had an outdoor gig with a big band...completely missed by a forecast, in a place where storms are extremely rare, the wind started picking up and a massive storm started blowing in during our set. Some (smart) members immediately started packing up to protect their instruments etc, but some of us decided to stay on the sinking ship as long as we could...sheets were flying all over the place, thunder began punctuating the notes, yet some of us defiantly played on until the last of the brave audience members decided to leave and we realized that maybe it'd be better to leave and fight another day.
3. In a weird turn of events, I asked a girl on a first date that ended up being a show. I didn't think it'd be a good idea since I'd be on stage most of the time, but she wanted to support. We met up at the venue shortly before setup, and I immediately could tell our vibes were very different. I'm pretty mild-mannered most of the time, but she was another level of reserved. We had some polite conversation and then I excused myself to get rigged up for the first set. As we were playing, I started to notice a strange commotion way at the back of the venue: my date was with some other girl, and I couldn't hear anything of course, but it looked like there was some kind of disturbance. This other girl was clearly getting into the music, dancing and cheering, and nudging my date. Judging from the silhouetted body language in the distance, she was not responding well.
The first set finished, and I went to grab a drink with my date, to find this new girl and her talking. After I joined, I found myself and the new girl talking way more to each other: I tried reeling my date into the convo, but she'd just share some trivia about some of the VHS tapes lining the bar wall and get quiet. She excused herself to go to the bathroom, and that's when the new girl filled me in: she saw my date sitting alone at the bar, and wanted to strike up a friendship so she'd be less lonely. At some point, she discovered we were on a date, so then tried to hype things up by shouting things like "He's your boy!" during the set...my date kept replying "No he's not!" The girl also started dancing more to try and get my date to loosen up, but she retreated more and more into the corner.
As this girl was explaining to me, we both had the thought: wait, it's been a while, is my date still in the bathroom? I checked, and no she wasn't. I texted her asking if she was okay, and a little while later she responded, saying she went home because the weed smell in the place was making her dizzy (there was no weed smell). The girl and I ended up chatting the rest of the night (my bandmates observed all of this and packed up my gear for me after our last set), and had a brief date a few days later. I never heard from my date after that one message about the weed.
My date: poor girl was so socially introverted, this night must've been Armageddon and proof of every misgiving she ever had about social outings. Meanwhile, I felt like I was in the worst sitcom ever, sitting between these two polar opposite girls at a bar between sets and trying to make everything smooth as possible!
-
@D. Gauss Looks like they're actually releasing the next generation, the CDR+.
https://zoomcorp.com/en/us/multi-effects/multistomp-pedals/ms-70cdr-plus/#main
The new features are very interesting, including the ability to have USB MIDI for added control, which might go a long way to address some of my issues with the original.
-
I want to make sure I'm not missing something, is there a way to have two DSP effects on a sound simultaneously? For example, if I wanted say a phaser and a pitch shifter on a piano? I know each zone can have its own DSP, and I've experimented with that by having two zones with the same tone but different DSP, but I'm not satisfied with the result as opposed to the one sound being processed in the same signal chain.
-
1 hour ago, Iconoclast said:
Things are not really discounted at all. In fact many things were quite a bit more than the advertised prices I was easily able to find at GC or SweetH2O
Looking online yesterday after getting the e-mail about the big savings, I was really surprised to see just how small most of the discounts turned out to be.
-
I was actually getting pretty down about the PX5S, the keys were just feeling so chunky and clunky to me. But then, a couple days ago...I don't know what I did, I didn't touch the velocity settings, maybe I just cut the lows down and boosted the overall volume? Suddenly, I found the keys feeling really light, expressive, and nimble, and it's been hard for me to think about other things because I just enjoy the experience of playing it so much. After adjusting some software velocity curves, hammer response, latency buffer, and volume output, I was able to get the same experience with my VSTs too, so I'm really happy.
I do feel a little sloppy on the keys for certain things--in this regard, I think the newer generation(s) of Casio portable actions are superior, more firm and precise--but for the moment, I'm really excited to start doing shows with such a lightweight, comprehensive, and good-feeling instrument.
I need to try out the AltAttack setting again now that I've got this stuff sorted out, but I've been really enjoying the stock Grand Piano 0-0 setting after a quick counterclockwise turn on K1 to bring down the lows.
-
1
-
-
26 minutes ago, D. Gauss said:
That's a shame, 'cause it sure is dang simple in basic use.
It's simple and relatively straightforward, sure, but I don't find it easy/quick. I'm open to changing my mind based on insight, but when I owned one for synths several years ago, I found it very tedious and not conducive to a live show if I, for example, had a phaser effect, but then wanted to quickly add an overdrive. In that regard, I actually much preferred the Korg NTS-1 (which is nowhere near as capable and powerful as the Zoom, of course), where it was so fast and easy to toggle different types of effects on and off, switch between them, and change their parameters.
-
57 minutes ago, D. Gauss said:
Small, easy solution? Get one of these. Stereo in/out. A gazillion effects (up to 6 chained at a time). Don't let the Chorus/Delay/Reverb label fool you. It has so much more, and you can even load effects into it from the other zoom pedals (gtr amp sims & distortions) with a computer app. There's also a hack that lets you run separate fx chains on L/R chains independently. e.g. 2 mono keyboards can share the box with diff FX on each. Runs on batteries, ac adapter or usb power, can even respond to midi sysex commands if you use a wireless midi usb host do a bit of legwork. Built like a tank in a metal case.
This is exactly what I had in mind when I said I hate the interfaces of most popular multi-effects units. 😂
-
32 minutes ago, Stokely said:
I guess you could get into a chicken-or-egg discussion on the subject, but my local Sam Ash(es):
- never consistently had much in the way of selection
- never consistently had power connections hooked up
- never consistently had audio hooked up, and if they did it was to some small mono speaker.
The last one I will wave away because I would bring my good headphones in to audition keyboards anyway. As it was often on lunch break, another challenge was that guy over there sitting at a stage piano playing for literally my entire lunch hour at volume 11.Often it was hard to get anyone's attention, and IMO some of the people they had seemed "less than interested" in helping you (if say you requested the damn power to be hooked up).
I do hate to see the stores go away as it was exciting to go through the various depts, but end of the day when it comes to keyboards my local stores were not really giving much value (offerings, or prices).
I'm going to call them tomorrow about my order. I have a general concern that worrying about seeing my order through will be the last thing on the minds of everyone there--they are probably hurriedly doing a lot of job hunting about now. Just not a warm fuzzy feeling that this will end well. It's pretty ridiculous that my order is "processing" for this long without a shipping number being generated (same with GovernorSilver's order)It's interesting this news comes on the heels of a statement by GC CEO this week about a paradigm shift targeting pros more than beginners with their walk-in inventory.
-
13 minutes ago, Paul Woodward said:
I don’t believe there is any analogue input on the iPad and the headphone jack is just a line out. You need a USB audio interface connected to the iPad to get the audio in to the effects apps. You can then either line out through the headphone jack or back out the usb interface. Your mini should be fine but, if you decide to upgrade, the iPad 9 was the last to have a headphone socket.
Once you get it working, worth having a play with GarageBand effects pedals for free.
Of course, the interface plugged into the iPad, duh!
Thanks for the tip about GB effects, too, I'll check out the effects they offer and see how comprehensive it is. Is it a live-friendly interface?
-
I have a PX5S that I was thinking of using an external effects processor to get around some of its effect/DSP limitations. I hate the interfaces on most of the popular multi-effects options out there (though I'm open to affordable suggestions! Shame that the Boss ME series is mono in only), so I was thinking of downloading something like IK MixBox on my iPad Mini 4 and using that. But I'm having a mental block on how to actually do this, so I wanted some help. (And frankly, I'm not sure if the Mini can take the processing, but I think they have a free version to try out?)
PX5S > iPad through 1/4 to 1/8 adapter > amp
But if the headphone jack is being used for the Privia input, how will I get iPad audio out? I have a USB audio interface and a mixer as well, but I keep hitting that wall on how no matter what, what can I do to get audio into the iPad and out with just the headphone jack?
-
28 minutes ago, stoken6 said:
Casio PX5 doesn't have a touchscreen, also 6 knobs and 4 sliders that "reduces" the need for a nanokontrol, perhaps?
Cheers, Mike.
That's what I'm currently experimenting with, depending on your needs and software host, you might be able to get clever and take care of everything with those controls alone.
-
16 hours ago, MathOfInsects said:
A classic clip.
Having come up through one of the country's most avant-garde programs, and being a huge Zappa fan, I've always been bummed at how much the fool they were playing "Mr. Zahpa" for here. I mean, I know it's not like it's so mainstream to use a bicycle as a sound source. And he's spoofing them almost as much as they're spoofing him. But I've always sort of wished they just wouldn't have put him on, rather than make him a punchline.I think he always skirted those boundaries between creating an experimental musical environment, and a performance one as well. I don't know if it's appropriate to share, for example, but he had a residence at a venue somewhere in which he engaged Vietnam vets to showcase their trauma on stage, let's say. He always had an eye for the ridiculous and absurd (Chester's Gorilla, anyone?), and seemed to welcome it at every turn, so this segment actually feels like an embryo in that regard.
Also, I gotta say...it looks like Steve was starting to get into it during the performance!
-
1 hour ago, Mike Martin said:
The PX-5S has some powerful envelopes - while there are some limitations to what you can do in a tone vs a HexLayer I think I can remember what I did.
The envelope has an Initial Attack level which I lowered about 10-20%.Attack Time was slowed to get to the Attack Level at 127, then increased the multiple decay envelopes as much as possible without getting a swell in the level - this was the most challenging part. The result is something with a more subtle attack and a more melodic sustain sound.
Thanks! That must've been fun. 😂I still haven't downloaded the "All" patch update you put out years ago, but I might check this one out as well.
-
23 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:
Credit where credit is due... this tweaked version you posted in the Casio forum fixed everything that bugged me about the stock PX-5S piano sound. 🙂
https://www.casiomusicforums.com/index.php?/files/file/5-pianoaltatk/
Thanks for the link, Scott! Is there an audio demo of this one anywhere? What issues did this solve for you?
-
8 minutes ago, BluMunk said:
Yes, I'm using the stock sound - the ConcertGrand stage setting is my go-to.
I have in the past been disappointed with the length of the sample/sound, but I only ever feel that way in the 'studio'... every time I take it out on a gig I forget I ever took issue with it.
Thanks. I've been trying to cultivate that mindset this yar, "live vs studio". In fact, I bought the PX5S originally because it's in my opinion the best lightweight hammer action MIDI controller out there, and use it to play my software live, but the more I've thought about, the more enticing it is to just be able to take the board out and use the onboard sounds! I know the fidelity and detail won't quite be on par with my Ravenscrofts and VTines' etc., but if there's enough detail and life in the sounds, particularly the acoustic piano and Rhodes, where I can feel expressive in a variety of contexts--lately it's been either piano/bass duets or more aggressive bands--then maybe that's all I need on the go after all.
Just to confirm, there's no CP80/electric grand sound on the PX outside of GM, yeah?
-
1
-
-
3 minutes ago, Mike Martin said:
The piano sound in our newer instruments is definitely better in that they use longer samples, more dynamic layers and the modeling aspects are much improved. That being said the PX-5S sample is great. There is something that Casio has done in their recording / mixing process that just makes these samples "work". They sound great live and don't fall apart in mono IMO.
I assume you're referring to instruments such as the PXS line? Out of curiosity, how many layers do they use? The PX5S generation used 4 and AiR, yeah?
-
26 minutes ago, BluMunk said:
but the piano sound is great
Do you use the stock sound? I've seen mixed opinions on that era of Casio sampling, do you have any issues with decay or anything?
-
Wow, I actually think the layout is waaaay simpler and easier to use than Nord, even discounting the synth section. I'm not sure how they'd make it much simpler.
-
2
-
-
9 minutes ago, Paul Woodward said:
Reminded me that I owned a PX-5S while I was still honing my 3D modelling chops. Much Star Wars livery followed.
Most impressive!
Thanks for the report, David! I hope to do my first gig with the PX5S soon!
-
1
-
-
2 hours ago, Dave Ferris said:
CP4 without a doubt. CP88 sound is very good, once your ear gets accustomed to the more digital sounding change over the CP4, but just not the same vibe or player connection in the action.
I can see that actually, owning both. I'm actually really excited to see what Yamaha's next iteration will be (maybe not too far away if it's consistent with the time between the CP4 and 88?)
Sharing Charts / Arrangements With Your Replacement
in The Keyboard Corner
Posted
Lots of great answers here touching on the sometimes complex nuances of band dynamics. When I left my last band, I had the spirit of really wanting to see it progress and thrive past my own individual involvement, so I felt like my tunes and arrangements--which frankly were a bedrock of the band's musical personality--were all open for them to use. From there, it'd be incumbent upon them to establish a musical identity of their own that moves past the mark I left.
The only thing I asked is that the bandleader continually sends me their setlists and performances, so I can log those with ASCAP and get royalties for the original tunes that I wrote (with the spillover effect of the original writers of cover tunes getting royalties too, since I report the entire setlist).