CHarrell

I appreciate that they have a free version that can act as a perpetual demo, instead of the competition with timed trials, but I too have been confused by how they do things, to the point where I'd rather pay for another option. Of the VST hosts I've tried, so far Gig Performer is my favorite.

Not particularly, and I haven't seen cause to worry over the past few years, but as Nowarezman said, always best to consult with a pro. I was deemed low risk by Turbotax, but functionally, the area I claim--through careful measurements of my work area's dimensions--really just is used for work, so if an auditor wanted to investigate further, I feel like the truth will bear me out. As long as they don't find the bodies, I think I'll be okay.

I live in a studio as well and was able to get a home office deduction. I can't remember what I measured out specifically, probably my desk and keyboard area, which happens to form a convenient box (I have a Keylab under my desk, and a larger keyboard such as CP88 perpendicular to my desk). I've gotten this deduction for the last 3 or 4 years.

I've noticed this too, especially when using the Ivory piano expansion. Was playing in a band audition with it when I realized what was happening. 😅 I didn't think to turn off Internet or anything.

Sounds like it needs either a rubber contact strip cleaning or replacement, maybe one key replacement, and a new fader knob. The music desk socket is busted too but I don't usually use those anyways.

Bought a CP4 for about $750 incl tax and shipping! It's gonna need repairs, but I got a local quote and the repairs will most likely still keep just under $1000 total, with perhaps a stronger guarantee of a longer shelf life than if I bought a more expensive one in better shape and declined to have it worked on. The hardest part is gonna be the waiting.

Didn't know where to put this, but how feasible is it to put a keyboard into a gig bag that has smaller dimensions? Specifically, I have a CP88 soft case with the following dimensions (this might include some very easily removable insert pillows that are velcroed on the internal sides): And the CP4 dimensions: Just looking at the internal, it looks the width (using the CP4's definition) is about an inch short, and the height is about a half-inch too short. The case isn't super rigid so it could potentially stretch a little to accommodate.

Your post reminds me of Fred Wesley's autobiography he wrote in the early 00s, about how much he enjoyed being a sideman because of how much extra stuff he got to miss. He gets a little weird in some parts talking about how he thinks he could create something more creative and engaging than Bootsy and George (okay Fred well you got yourself a band 20 years later, and ain't any of that, so what you were talkin' about then?), but it's still a really cool read.

Since we're on the subject, I will say that I think Ludwig Goransson is by far the hippest dude working in mainstream Hollywood at the moment.

Sites like Reverb also give you the ability to look at sold listings (don't remember the trick to sort by date, though), that could tell you what people have actually been willing to pay for one.

Storytime update: I've been on a carousel of keyboard-related purchases for the last two years, and I wanna get off. I think the CP and YC88 are my favorite keyboards I've ever played, but I've had to be very real with myself to recognize that those just aren't in my budget for the foreseeable future. I've been flirting with lighter boards and software, but no matter how much I tell myself the better sound quality will give me expressive options, I just haven't found a combo that clicks, and if I want one, I'll probably have to dip high into the weight class...and at that point, doesn't that remove the point of convenience I was even looking for? So, add all this together and what do you get? Well, I'm back on the CP4 train. At my local GC, they had a "great" condition CP4, and I got to extensively try it out. I could immediately tell the unit wasn't as great as they list: superficially it seems that way, but I was getting consistent, random velocity spikes on several different keys. But when I was playing in a "safe" range (it seems that mostly the C3 to C4 octave was affected), I had forgotten just how easy it was to express myself over the keys. I could do super-fast arpeggios and not feel it at all...I went to the FP30x right next to it and could feel it after a minute--I'd like to think that's not physical weakness, especially since the NW-GH action is supposed to be heavier than the PHA4. Funnily enough, a pianist from New York was looking for the best substitute for their NY Steinway they could find here on the West side, and after checking out all the other keyboards, including the RD2000 and Fantom 8, she felt like the CP4 was by far the best option. (I did let her know about all the hybrid consoles available at stores not called Guitar Center). The Rhodes pianos I don't remember sounding so good over headphones, but they definitely worked through the monitors the GC employee got me hooked up to. The pianos have a charming artificiality to them: they sound sampled, but...there's a character to them, I felt like a Latin player at Montreux in the mid 00s when I was playing them. Unfortunately my ability to test the dynamics and expressiveness of the pianos over amplification--not through headphones, which I've discovered can greatly impact how I feel about a board's playability--was compromised by the somewhat-faulty keybed. My impression is the louder layers got triggered too easily, but that could just be a matter of touch sensitivity and tweaking the depth and offset parameters. Would I prefer the CP88 interface? Hell yeah I would, but after trying so many digital pianos these past few months with varying degrees of wonkiness and/or inaccessibility, I think I'll take the compromise. The CP4 interface isn't super-quick, but it is relatively intuitive for a menu-based approach. Quicker than me trying to jerryrig a separate MIDI controller to on/off and tweak software effects, for sure. So now it comes down to wanting to find a CP4 in good quality, and a good price. Pickings are on the slimmer side right now, and this unit I played got me a little wary, so I'm a little nervous, but there's really not much I can do but order from somewhere online and hope for the best. The one they had at my GC was $1,300+, which seemed too high, so I'm hoping to hit the $1,000 range.

Ohhhhh, that makes sense, thanks for the clarification.

That's a hell of a deal! Acousticsamples has really good Black Friday/holiday discounts as well, but I don't think they go that low. Personally I'd pay the extra for the quality, as well as the interface--the VHorns have great customization to create more realistic mannerisms and space placement. I bought the SWAM Saxes for a project in 2017...I was so happy to use them, until I realized, after about a month of denial, that I actually even preferred my Korg M1 VST sax patches sound. : (

For those like myself who are not enamored with the sound of SWAM saxes--even in professional use they sound gross to me--I recommend as an alternative the sampling/modelling hybrid instruments from Acousticsamples VHorns: https://www.acousticsamples.net/Bundles/vhornssaxophones While there's a little bit of thin-ness one usually expects from modelling, I find them to be really fun to play and create dynamic performances out of, and with a timbre that's much more agreeable. Another nice thing is that you can purchase them either in bundles or individual instruments. They've been expanding their range into traditional orchestral instruments, but are still updating these to be higher quality as well, another huge plus.

Musicians such as Lang Lang get blasted for extroverted showmanship, now Bugs Bunny gets blasted because he looks really concentrated on the music? No one can win, smh....

Heh. Best actor instrument miming I've ever seen is Spike Lee' Mo' Better Blues. The actors must've spent so much time sitting in with musicians and watching them, down to all the little tics musicians do between phrases etc.

Skill issue. 😉 That influence is going to happen regardless of whether any individual is able to perceive or forsee it.

I don't think it has to be that way, though. As a great example, look at P-Funk. They influenced tons of then-young people coming out the gates in the 80s and 90s: Public Enemy, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Digital Underground, De La Soul, the list goes on. After that, what happened? Those younger people started to influence the OGs! So you hear Bootsy Collins, George Clinton, and to a lesser extent Bernie Worrell, and their material in the 21st century on either had direct input from younger generations, or deeply incorporated elements of what was modern. It's a beautiful cross-stream of generational influence and sharing. You also see this pattern with musicians such as Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter, amongst others, where they consistently sought fresh talent from younger generations to create music that was of the contemporary spirit.

You could always download the demo for the software version. It's a 20 minute session restriction but no expiration. Dammit!

The weirdest 4th quarter switch-up of a product I've seen (I know professional courtesy will prevent you from commenting much on this). I'll be in a GC and I hear people constantly believing the "a" model is an upgrade, and I have to butt in to let them know that it's actually a downgrade, and the GC associates are surprised too. The 225 has USB Audio, so it's not like it was a permanent gear shift in feature set, either.

@pjd wrote up a really good review that my fingers agreed with last year when I tried it myself. The keybed was surprisingly "springy", at my local GC the 125 and 225 were right on top of each other so I got to immediately A/B them and found myself preferring the 125.

Have fun with the keybed.

I've never actually tried GHS as a VST controller, how's its velocity output? I go really back and forth on PHA4, but its range of MIDI output is impeccable.

I'm not a big fan of GHS, but it's a really fun board.

I know exactly what you mean, and that's how I feel about NW-GH. I don't know if it's cushioning or what that gives it that comfortability. I'd love to try the Fatar wood actions but those are never in my area and the weight is a nonstarter.