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Moonglow's rig got me off my butt....

Tonysounds

By Tonysounds
in The Keyboard Corner

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Tonysounds

Tonysounds

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After advising Moonglow how he could slim down and economize his rig, and then watching him get it done, I decided to do the same, in as much as I'm capable of it! :laugh: My idea of a slimmed down rig is one keyboard and a rack. For many of my gigs, this won't do as I'm sort of known as the 'rock organ guy', but for those gigs where organ is a small part of what I do, this was my solution.

 

One keyboard (S90es) with Effect unit:

http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad216/tonysounds/2010%20One%20Keyboard%20Rig/S90eswithDrawbarsandM9.jpg

 

Also with drawbars (both units are velcro'd to the S90es:

http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad216/tonysounds/2010%20One%20Keyboard%20Rig/CloseupM9andDrawbars.jpg

 

Pedalboard underneath controls everything; from right to left, expression for S90es and rack, sustain pedal for same, foot controller for Line6 M9 (wahs, etc.), and speed switching for Ventilator, which is mounted in rack:

http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad216/tonysounds/2010%20One%20Keyboard%20Rig/Pedalboardgood.jpg

 

Front of rack (Ventilator is hidden behind the spacer:

http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad216/tonysounds/2010%20One%20Keyboard%20Rig/10spacerack.jpg

 

And the inside of the rack; other than a minimum of zip ties/tiewraps to tidy up a few things, most all cables are fastened in with velcro for easy removal if necessary, or rig changes; the AC cabling is fastened to the rack floor in the same way, and each power cable is in its own trough so I don't have to disassemble the whole thing to change something out:

http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad216/tonysounds/2010%20One%20Keyboard%20Rig/BackofRackbetter.jpg

 

It might not be quite as elegant, but it was economical: the rack I bought used from a guitar store for $50, I spent $29 for the velcro and $3 for the tiewraps. The Ventilator is mounted up top on its own tray with Velcro and is very secure. The whole rig is actually lighter than my 8space rack which did not hold the XM2 or Ventilator, and of course has more breathing room. I'll post some pics later of the "big" rig.

 

This really gives me the best of both worlds: I have the brute power of this rig, capable of just about anything I can dream up, yet has the flexibility/spontaneity of a non-midi rig by just pushing VOICE, and using the S90es as standalone when inspiration strikes. The Line 6 M9 adds to that spontaneity by allowing me to real-time control everything from distortions and filter mods to delays and tremolo. And while it's taking me years to come around, in the long run, I believe Kanker is right: mono is the way to go, especially when you are at the mercy of house sound systems and engineers.

 

Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me.
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Sven Golly

Sven Golly

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Not sure about what everyone else is seeing, but it's tough to read/see all the pics in your post, T... any chance you can select smaller images through Photobucket, so the forum doesn't force us to scroll? I think 800px wide would work...

 

From what I'm able to see, though, looking good! Always love to see the M-120 in a place of honour in a nice rack like this... brings me back to the good old days. :thu:

 

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Tonysounds

Tonysounds

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Sven...I'm a computer idiot (and I don't mean savant), but I did use Photobucket to post those pics. I think these were originally at 800, so I tried bumping down to "medium".

 

Did this make a difference?

http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad216/tonysounds/2010%20One%20Keyboard%20Rig/S90eswithDrawbarsandM9-1.jpg

 

Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me.
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Tonysounds

Tonysounds

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Slimming down in terms of set-up time and presentation (no 2nd keyboard, with VEntilator on top, extra AC, patch cables...blahblah. The whole rig takes less than 15 minutes to uncrate, set up and power up.
Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me.
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Tonysounds

Tonysounds

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My favorite is the glow-in-the-dark tape around the XLR outputs of the M120 line mixer. And the Ventilator up top is color coded for when I bring the clonewheel keyboard into the rig; just unplug the big red taped plug, and plug the organ in there.
Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me.
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Sven Golly

Sven Golly

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Sven...I'm a computer idiot (and I don't mean savant), but I did use Photobucket to post those pics. Would I find the 'downsizing' feature?

 

Did this make a difference?

http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad216/tonysounds/2010%20One%20Keyboard%20Rig/10spacerack-1.jpg

 

That image is smaller, but doesn't convey quite the same impact that the larger ones do. ;)

 

Here's a link to the Photobucket help file on how to resize your photos.

 

Your current images are 1023 x 682; I think if you resize them to around 750 pixels wide (the height should auto-adjust), they'll fit into the forum without having to scroll your message.

 

Also, make sure you hit return a couple of times before and after your {IMG} tags, so that the text will start below the images, instead of beside them. :)

 

Hope this helps!

 

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Bobadohshe

Bobadohshe

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That looks really good.ind I love this kind of Pr0n Interesting that you're coming out of the Receptor's 'Right' output instead of 'left/mono'?

Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section

https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native

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Moonglow

Moonglow

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Fantastic, Tony! I wish I had your rack-wiring skills. Love the one-keyboard thing. I was considering a one-keyboard rig for a while but decided I would be more comfortable with two in case one of 'em went belly-up at a gig.....although this has not occurred in my 30 years of playing!

 

Question/suggestion: Can the drawbar controller and the Line 6 EFX unit swap places? This way, the drawbars won't be so close to the S90 master volume fader, and you could bring it in a little closer toward you (reducing amount of hangover), as any extended drawbars would only be covering the mod/pitch wheel casing (i.e., instead of keys).

 

I also like the way you can swap out modules when necessary; I can only do this with the bottom module in my rack (D-550).....where your Receptor would fit quite nicely! ;)

 

Now, I must come hear it in action! Enjoy!

 

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

- George Bernard Shaw

 

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Tonysounds

Tonysounds

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Tony - nice work! :thu:

 

Where do you have the iLok for the Receptor?

 

http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad216/tonysounds/2010%20One%20Keyboard%20Rig/BackofRackbetter-1.jpg

 

See the gold wire coming out of the Receptor? Thats an extension cable, and the iLok is at the other end, velcrod to the left rear wall of the rack.

Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me.
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Tonysounds

Tonysounds

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Looks great, and yeah the formatting is way messed up.

What are you using as the base for the pedal board?

 

Im using a 1/4 piece of plywood that I painted black. Stapled to the underside of that board is some uber-cheap indoor/outdoor carpeting with the rubber side down: it keeps the entire thing from sliding around on stage floors, whether carpeted or not. The top of the pedal board is covered in Velcro (sense a theme?), and the underside of the pedals and the Line6 power supply are covered in black gaff tape and the hook side of Velcro is then applied. That way when I change or sell that gear, I just take the tape off, and no gummy residue is left behind by the tape (or by the Velcro).

Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me.
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Tonysounds

Tonysounds

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That looks really good.ind I love this kind of Pr0n Interesting that you're coming out of the Receptor's 'Right' output instead of 'left/mono'?

 

What makes you think Left is Mono on the Receptor? At least on my model, there is no indication thats the case (you can see it in the larger earlier photo up top). It sounds fine using the right output.

Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me.
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Tonysounds

Tonysounds

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Fantastic, Tony! I wish I had your rack-wiring skills. Love the one-keyboard thing. I was considering a one-keyboard rig for a while but decided I would be more comfortable with two in case one of 'em went belly-up at a gig.....although this has not occurred in my 30 years of playing!

 

Question/suggestion: Can the drawbar controller and the Line 6 EFX unit swap places? This way, the drawbars won't be so close to the S90 master volume fader, and you could bring it in a little closer toward you (reducing amount of hangover), as any extended drawbars would only be covering the mod/pitch wheel casing (i.e., instead of keys).

 

I also like the way you can swap out modules when necessary; I can only do this with the bottom module in my rack (D-550).....where your Receptor would fit quite nicely! ;)

 

Now, I must come hear it in action! Enjoy!

 

I could definitely swap those 2 locations, but I prefer them this way. For one thing, the height profile of the drawbar module is shorter, and is not at all obtrusive to the master volume slider, whereas the Line 6 box is taller and would be. (It also has no interference with keys or pitch/mod wheelsIm not sure what you are seeing in the photo, but all control surfaces are unobstructed regardless of placement of drawbars, wheels, sliders.) Secondly, Im tweaking the drawbars much more than I am the Line6, and its placement there is key: its comfortable to reach (youll see it when you come out and you play with it), regardless of where the organ is zoned in a particular Master. And even where I have only organ zoned up on a Master, I have it zoned a bit to the right, with a left hand split for chording, and the drawbars are optimally placed for right hand drawbar manipulation of a left hand organ part and vice versa. Im VERY happy with the ergonomics of this setup; there are no weird stretches necessary to do anything.

Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me.
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Tonysounds

Tonysounds

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Plus as you can see from the photo, the drawbars are already extended (some are fully out to 8888s), and they are in a perfect place for traditional console Hammond drawbar grabbing, as opposed to some clones where the drawbars are to the left of the keyboard (which is not traditional placement).
Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me.
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JimboK

JimboK

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Nice! Clean and quick.

 

Newbie question: You have your vent buried in the rack. Don't you ever need access to your bypass switch or do you have another switching option?

Korg Kronos 2 61, Kronos 1 61, Dave Smith Mopho x4, 1954 Hammond C2, Wurlitzer 200A, Yamaha Motif 6, Casio CDP-100, Alesis Vortex Wireless, too much PA gear!
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Bobadohshe

Bobadohshe

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That looks really good.ind I love this kind of Pr0n Interesting that you're coming out of the Receptor's 'Right' output instead of 'left/mono'?

 

What makes you think Left is Mono on the Receptor? At least on my model, there is no indication thats the case (you can see it in the larger earlier photo up top). It sounds fine using the right output.

 

I don't know, thought it was industry standard. On a computer though you're right, it wouldn't 'sum to mono'.

Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section

https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native

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Meisenhower

Meisenhower

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That looks really good.ind I love this kind of Pr0n Interesting that you're coming out of the Receptor's 'Right' output instead of 'left/mono'?

 

What makes you think Left is Mono on the Receptor? At least on my model, there is no indication thats the case (you can see it in the larger earlier photo up top). It sounds fine using the right output.

 

I don't know, thought it was industry standard. On a computer though you're right, it wouldn't 'sum to mono'.

 

You would think that left would be industry standard (and it should be), but the back of my Nord Electro 2 has mono on the right channel. So much for standardization, eh!!

Yamaha C7 Grand, My Hammonds: '57 B3, '54 C2, '42 BC, '40 D, '05 XK3 Pro System, Kawai MP9000, Fender Rhodes Mk I 73, Yamaha CP33, Motif ES6, Nord Electro 2, Minimoog Voyager & Model D, Korg MS10
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Tonysounds

Tonysounds

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Nice! Clean and quick.

 

Newbie question: You have your vent buried in the rack. Don't you ever need access to your bypass switch or do you have another switching option?

 

The pedal board contains a custom switch for the Ventilator (see photo at top of thread). The right button, as labeled, handles fast/slow. The STOP button is located on left and to the top of the pedal so I dont inadvertently stop/bypass it. The only thing going through the Ventilator is the XM2.

Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me.
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JimboK

JimboK

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Ahh, the xm-2 direct routed. That makes sense. I have a vent also and built a custom extension pedal myself, but I just found out that the stop button isn't a bypass and it is creating issues for me when I do a single board so I was assuming you had the same issue. I think I need to go buy some rack gear.... :)

 

Thanks for the clarification.

Korg Kronos 2 61, Kronos 1 61, Dave Smith Mopho x4, 1954 Hammond C2, Wurlitzer 200A, Yamaha Motif 6, Casio CDP-100, Alesis Vortex Wireless, too much PA gear!
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