Trimmed Down My Rig

[DanL]

I mentioned in another post a few days ago that I figured out a way to eliminate my Nord Lead 2 from my live setup. I spent a few hours going thru my set list, seeing what the NL2 was used on, and created splits to handle those parts. I had to create some sounds from scratch which was fun (thanks to the computer editor!). The only problem I ran into was one song where I need 5 sounds- a synth bass, an analog stabby kind of part, strings, an echoey lead, and a pitch shifting sweep that I did on the NL2 that covered 3 octaves. Then I remembered that I could only do 4 parts in a performance. So I created a patch that had the 3 octave sweep thing with 3 elements of a voice, and used the voice delay start parameter to sound each element, each of which were pitched an octave apart. So you hit one note, and it would sound like I played the bottom note, a couple seconds later the 2nd note, and a couple seconds later the 3rd note. I assigned that to one note of the patch. The other element I programmed the soft echo synth part and gave it the rest of the keyboard. Then I added that voice to the performance, and there I was, everything covered!

 

I had a gig last night and used the new setup for the first time, and it went well. I had a couple performances that I had to tweak, a volume level here or there was not quite right, and one I had sustain turned off on a part I needed it on and didn't realize it.

 

It saves me a few minutes of setup time, elminates a couple cords and a floor fx pedal and a sustain pedal from my setup, and really cleans up the floor underneath me.

[Moonglow]

Very cool, Dan. So what does your rig now consist of?

[DanL]

S90ES and Nord Electro. Pretty much covers all the bases. I use the Electro wurlie, clav and organ, and a Rhodes here and there, and the S90ES for everything else.

[yannis D]

Dan

I too tried to eliminate my NL2 from my gigs. I programmed the synths sounds in my Nord Stage and it seems to work. It's easy with all those splits and layers. But still, sometimes i miss the Fun Factor of the Nord Lead played live, all those things you can do with it, the crazy sounds, even the random things that come up while i turn the knobs. So how do you handle the classic "knob-turning" thing on your S90ES?

[Tusker]

Really nice example of efficient gig preparation.

 

I too have stopped carrying a VA if a rompler can do it. It may take some extra programming, but for a structured live gig it works. Unstructured, the VA's make a difference. I used to carry my Nord Modular everywhere ... now I only take it if I know we are going do a "space jam" type thing. However a decent rompler can do spacey stuff on a rhodes sound by controlling effects parameters (ring mod, delay, wah/overdrive) ... so you can do a little bit ...

 

Recently I found that one of the (lousy) leslie sims on my S90ES is essentially a variable rate LFO modulating amplitude (it's in a class of effects called leslie speed 2). But the rate goes near audio rate territory with nice sidebands. Decent for some VA-style grunts and snarls. If you also used a ring mod, and cross faded in some noise ...

 

Jerry

[ProfD]

Just goes to show ROMplers do cover a lot of ground. Digging into them is the key. No pun intended.

 

Dan, there is a triple bonus if you get down to ONE KB and IEMs.

[DanL]

Yannis- I'll assign things like filter cutoff and res to sliders or the mod wheel. I pretty much preprogram aftertouch to do modulation/vibrato effects on all my lead sounds. Not as versatile as grabbing knobs on the Lead, but I'm not that much of a tweaker live. Even on the lead, I would have the wheel programmed for similar things- filter changes, etc.

 

ProfD- I'll have to give up that bonus, I play too many organ based songs to ever use the S90ES for organ and trim down to one board. I also do too many songs that need organ and another sound at the same time. If I played 1-2 organ songs a night I could live with it, but half of our song list needs a good organ sound. IEMs- that is doable. I looked into a set when I was redoing my rack and decided I wanted some floor wedges instead. I was worried about the isolation feeling using the IEMs.