GovernorSilver Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 I saw the Rippington's keyboardist, Bill Heller, at a local gig sometime in the last year and he was using Ivory in a Muse Receptor. He was running in mono IIRC. I don't want to comment on the sound because it would be pointless I'm a stereo guy and not interested in starting that debate again. Ah, it's a different guy now. It was some guy named Mark when I saw them play in the late 90s. Some Rippingtons tracks have the piano sounding very digital, and others have a better piano sound like this one - what do you expect of a guitarist-run band... [video:youtube] There was one other track on that album that also had a good piano sound - Mark quotes Lyle Mays in that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 What I've not been happy with is having to revert to the laptop to make any kinds of changes, rather than having a knob or slider right above my hands. This too has to do with my choice of controller and prior setup. IMO if you use a laptop you need a controller with knobs, buttons and sliders that you can assign to the necessary parameters in your host software. My laptop can be off stage. I understand that you were trying out the laptop with your prior setup which may have not given you that option. I've started touring and having to play the "keyboard du jour" at gigs so I got myself a Korg nanoKontrol it gives me the controls I need. I use reusable "sticky" putty you find at office supply or art supply stores to stick the nanoKontrol to the Apex stand I always get at these gigs. I didn't like the hassle of all the cabling and crap that goes with setup, and at the end of the day never quite felt the incremental increase in sound quality was worth the hassle - given how, quite frankly, what the audience appreciates is more based on what I play rather than the small improvement in sound quality. The SKB "Studio Flyer" is what I use and it goes a long way in alleviating this issue. My audio interface, laptop AC adapter and SSD sample disk are velcroed inside, and cables run through grommets in the top part of the case to the laptop. At home I can pre-load all my software and put the computer to sleep. At the gig I pop the cover off, plug in my keyboard's USB cable, pull out the audio cables & attach them to my powered speakers, plug in the AC cord, lift the lid of the laptop and I'm ready to go. However, the deal breaker for me is that every time I've tried to use soft piano, I've had a lockup, program crash, dropouts or some other intolerable technical problem that, while it can be rectified with a reboot, simply doesn't happen to me with hardware only. I don't know what to tell you here, because I usually get pretty annoyed when I post about a problem and someone replies "gee, you must be doing something wrong, I have the same setup and mine runs perfectly!" All I can say is that having an almost trouble-free laptop VI rig is possible! I would agree that even a well-running laptop system is something requiring a lot more attention than a dedicated keyboard you simply switch on, and I wouldn't blame or shame anyone for choosing the keyboard with built-in sounds over the laptop. As long as you feel good playing your axe, it's all good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 I saw the Rippington's keyboardist, Bill Heller, at a local gig sometime in the last year and he was using Ivory in a Muse Receptor. He was running in mono IIRC. I don't want to comment on the sound because it would be pointless I'm a stereo guy and not interested in starting that debate again. Ah, it's a different guy now. It was some guy named Mark when I saw them play in the late 90s. According to Wikipedia that would be Mark Portmann. Apparently, playing with the Rippingtons didn't rate being listed in the bio section of his website! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 I saw the Rippington's keyboardist, Bill Heller, at a local gig sometime in the last year and he was using Ivory in a Muse Receptor. He was running in mono IIRC. I don't want to comment on the sound because it would be pointless I'm a stereo guy and not interested in starting that debate again. Ah, it's a different guy now. It was some guy named Mark when I saw them play in the late 90s. According to Wikipedia that would be Mark Portmann. Apparently, playing with the Rippingtons didn't rate being listed in the bio section of his website! That sounds about right. They're mentioned in the discography section, but I guess his bio was meant to emphasize his songwriting and soundtrack work over the jazz stuff. I do believe it was Mark that was featured in the ad for Ivory - I guess he got into touring with the laptop and Ivory a couple of years after the last Rippingtons show I attended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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