Two-keyboard rig pairings

[Stephen Fortner]

Hi all,

 

In a feature planned for the June issue on live gigging, we'd like to profile various real-world gig rigs featuring one, two, and three keyboards.

 

I'm asking how many keyboards are in people's rigs in a separate thread. Here, I'm wondering about the very common middle configuration, which usually involves a "bottom keyboard" (something weighted and piano-y) and a "top keyboard" (something unweighted and synthy).

 

I'm very interested in the idea of "pairings," the idea that if you have X on the bottom, it's best complemented by Y on top. Depending on what one is, something that's a great keyboard on its own may or may not be the best pairing.

 

For example, in the early 2000s my standard rig was a Kurzweil K2000 above a Motif ES7. Some redundancy of course (both were all-around workstations), but their sonic signatures were different and what one didn't do well, the other did extremely well. When I upgraded the K2000 to a K2661, I got the benefits of KB3 mode and could leave the dedicated clonewheel (a Roland VK-7 at the time) at home.

 

Hopeful end product is a pictorial feature, including quote blurbs taken from here, that helps people decide which pairs of keyboards go best together for different kinds of gigs.

 

So, what are you playing now, what have you played in the past, how did different pairings help you or get in your way, and how did you arrive at what you have now?

 

Sorry for the long-winded question. Verbose is one of the nicer things I've been called ...

[J. Dan]

With all of the capabilities of the Kronos, I find that I only need a controller to go on the lower tier. Note, I chose Kronos 61 to be on the TOP tier so that I have full view of and access to the screen and all of the controls.

 

In an effort to keep the rig more compact, I went with an A70 on bottom. However, for somebody wanting weigted 88's for piano, there are lots of options that would be a perfect match.

 

I like being able to set everything up in one box, one setlist mode, one audio out and keep things fairly simple.

[DanL]

Long winded answer:

 

I typically use a 2 keyboard top/bottom rig for the projects I'm in. One is a dance/party band that does everything from 60's to current hits. Another is a "hippy" band- Dead, Allmans, Little Feat, etc that is mostly organ, piano, and electric pianos. I can cover this with one board but we usually do bigger stages and I like having the weighted and unweighted actions. I'm also in a Pink Floyd tribute that puts the rig to a good test and is where a Moog Phatty and Roland SP404SX sampler is used. My other project is a straight ahead blues band and is a 1 keyboard, organ-centric gig, with the occasional piano or Rhodes sound.

 

Currently I have a Yamaha S70XS on the bottom, and a Hammond SK1 73 on top and the aforementioned Moog Phatty that I place off to the right for the Floyd band.

 

I like this combo because the Yamaha has a great weighted action and nice piano sound along with the ability to do the somewhat complex splits and layers with pads, strings, brass, and synth sounds I need for the dance band and the Floyd band. The Hammond does the organ of course, and supplements the Yamaha with some EP's and clavs, the occasional other voices depending on the song. There is not a whole lot of overlap between the strengths of each board. If I had to say what, the Rhodes, Wurly and clav on the Hammond are almost interchangeable with the Yamaha.

 

By this time next week the Yamaha will be on the verge of replacement when a Roland FA08 arrives. Again, weighted action, multitimbral for the splits and layers. I also plan on using the sequencer and sampler pads to replace a netbook and the SP404SX I use in the Floyd project, and look forward to having 88 keys again vs the 76, which limits my ability to spread out some of the splits I need.

 

I recently bought the Hammond to replace an original Nord Stage compact (the "classic" version). I play a lot of organ between all of the bands, and wanted an updated organ sound that was a little more authentic than what the older Nord had, especially the C/V and percussion settings. I used a Vent with the Nord so the Leslie part was fine. I like the Hammond Leslies with the different models you can call up and their adjustability, and haven't had a need for the Vent with the Hammond yet. I used the synth section on the Nord quite a bit and having the Roland will ease that need some, as right now I'm cutting some corners with the Yamaha trying to take over some of those duties- again- the number if keys is the limitation, not the sounds.

 

So in the last few months, my 2 board rig has gone from:

Yamaha S70XS bottom

Nord Stage Classic compact top

 

currently

Yamaha S70XS bottom

Hammond SK1 top

 

near future

Roland FA08 bottom

Hammond SK1 top

[Dr 5ives]

Left Side top to bottom

Roland Xp-30 (synth)

Privia Px-3 (piano)

Roland Vk-8 (organ)

 

Right side top to bottom

Roland Sh-201 (synth)

Korg Ps-60 (synth)

 

sounds and songs determine what combination for live set-up

 

 

[To B3]

My main rig is two very redundant 61 key instruments, but they complement each other very well for my needs. I play on a guitar-less funk/soul/rock band and on a folk rock band, with ocasional blues gigs here and there.

 

On the funk band I use a Roland VR-09 for organ and a Nord Electro 2 61 for wurlitzer, rhodes and clavinet. I can play the EPs pretty well on the semi weighted Nord keys, but no way that I could do the clavinet thing, that is very important to me on weigted keys, especially on a guitar free enviroment, hence my choice of "key weight". The total weight of the two is great for me.

 

On the folk band, the Roland goes by itself, and I get by pretty well with splits and layers, using hammond and acoustic/electric piano mainly. On the blues gigs, I go with the board that is nearer

[davinwv]

Mine is pretty odd:

 

Bottom = Hamichord M-C3 (controller only - no EXP edition)

Top = Studiologic Acuna 88

 

These two drive an all-software rig.

[hazerkeys]

bottom - Kurz PC1x (love me mine Kurz )

middle - Korg CX-3 (new version) thru speakeasy tube pre

top - Nord lead 2

 

all thru a Motion Sound KBR-3D

[Tusker]

Different rigs for different gigs (mostly jazz or jazz fusion):

 

- Mason Hamlin grand piano with Roland A300pro on top running software

 

- RD-64 with aforementioned A300Pro on left side of L configuration

 

- S90ES and A300Pro in L configuration

 

- A single S90ES running software with Slim Phatty sitting on top of it.

 

If there is enough space, I prefer L configurations as I am prone to carpal type symptoms when playing at different heights.

[richforman]

Thanks for asking! Although I used a more intricate setup decades ago, I have stuck with the two-board configuration for gigs for many years now, evolving through many combinations. My recent iterations

 

?? - '09 or so: Yamaha S80 / Korg Trinity Plus

'09 - 13 Yamaha S80 / Roland Fantom X7

current: Yamaha MOXF8 / Roland Fantom X7

 

My requirements are that the bottom board, besides being 88-weighted, having a keyboard action/feel I like, good usable acoustic and electric piano patches, good master controller functionality, it should also offer a wide selection of other high-quality usable non-piano sounds - for those songs that don't need piano, and also for more variety to my sound pallette - like, I think it's much better to sometimes play horns, or organ, or lead synth, from the top board and sometimes from the bottom, or to combine/layer them - to help all the songs played over a night sound different from each other, not too samey. The top board should have light keys action for synth/organ playing, a really big and hopefully expandable selection of quality, usable sounds of all types, and very intuitive easy workstation capapilities for combining these sounds in performance setups. (One thing I dislike about both my Yamaha's, is the limit of only two octaves' worth of transposition for a part, this is very limiting in terms of setting up performance combis; on my Roland you can note-shift up to 4 octaves.) Another feature that I never thought much about until I got my Fantom X, but now couldn't do without, is sampling, easy enough to use even for a dummy like me. I also am now used to having 76 keys on top so that going back to 61 would feel limiting (a problem maybe in the future because noone seems to be making the 73/76 middle-tier unweighteds anymore, seems to be 61 or 88 now.)

 

Compromise is the name of the game. None of my gear offers the absolute best analog-synth, B3, or piano sounds and functionality, but the quality and quantity of usable sounds in each of those categories and many more, is good enough to do the job in pretty much about any cover band situation, and in the meantime the setup is time- and space-efficient to load in and out and set up for gigs or rehearsals, and *simple* to set up quickly and self-sufficiently.

[Tonysounds]

Most of my rigs have been 2 keyboards: an 88 weighted, and an organ on top (or underneath, when I was using chopped Hammond consoles). Currently, its a Nord Stage 2 88 with an SK1 73 on top.

 

I like having a dedicated organ. I can just reach up and play. However, I like having an extended keyboard (before my SK1 73, I used an Electro 2 SeventyThree), so that I can use my left hand to play organ. Most clonewheels only let you move the left hand split up an octave, and since every band I play with uses a bassist, my left hand does lots of chording, and it gets tiring to be reaching over with your left hand all nite long, so I prefer a 73 to combat that fatigue issue.

 

Occasionally I have used 3 keyboard rigs, which would be the same as above, with an added synth on top, for more spontaneous combustion. The last 3 keys rig was my A90, with an analog BX3 underneath, and either a Roland JD800 or JV1000 on top of that. My rigs have always been built around a piano-heavy approach, even when piano is layered in strings or synth or whatever, so that 88 weighted is a must.

 

I have gone single keyboard rigs quite a bit (cheating as it is always paired with a rack), using my S90es and a Hammond XMc2 with drawbars, or Voce V5 controlling B4 in my Receptor; my current single key rig is my Nord Stage 2 and the rack. But I really hate trying to do organ solos on that board. (It never bothered me with my A90 or S90es for some reason.

 

[Six-string-man]

I don't currently gig, but if I did, it would be Casio PX-5S on the bottom, and Hammond SK1 61 key on the top.

 

My muscles are slowly atrophying, due to the medication I'm on, so light weights are a must.

 

In the sort of band I would be interested in, (rock) the boards above would be enough to do the job.

 

 

SSM

[Stokely]

I currently play in a classic rock band, heavy emphasis on piano and organ tunes.

My main board is a Kurzweil pc361, and I can get by just with it. For a while I brought my weighted controller to drive it.

 

I've gotten a number of compliments on the organ sound that I've gotten with it. If it wasn't able to do the job I'd probably have added a nord electro or similar...

 

I've now added my Virus Kb as a top board for synth stuff (mainly because it was sitting around!) and I'm desperately trying to use it more While the pc361 has a capable synth engine IMO it can't compare to the Virus.

 

In the past I've used a few different combinations...Jx-10 + Kawai k(something)....Jx-10 + Emu Proteus.....Motif + Virus etc. I can say that right now I can get every sound I need at great quality for the first time in my gigging life....could organ be better? I'm sure it could, but I'm really happy with the pc3, especially after doing some leslie tweaks.

[stoken6]

My original rig (teenage years)

- Roland Alpha Juna 2 and Ensoniq KS32

 

Then I went to sound-source + controller rigs:

- Ensoniq SQ1+ and Roland A49 (I think)

- Ensoniq SQ1+ and Oberheim MC1000

- Alesis QS6.2 and Oberheim MC1000

 

I then discovered that there's more to Hammond than can fairly be provided by a Rompler patch. I was also becoming more and more fussy about AP samples. Hence my current rig:

- Nord Stage 2 and Oberheim MC1000

 

With all of the capabilities of the Kronos, I find that I only need a controller to go on the lower tier. Note, I chose Kronos 61 to be on the TOP tier so that I have full view of and access to the screen and all of the controls.

 

This, but substituting Nord Stage. I have my top board actually resting on the lower controller (I've removed the wheels and a knob from my Oberheim to leave a flat surface just behind the keys). Also the Nord, like Dan's Kronos, makes a useful one-board rig without the controller.

 

Finally - notice internal power supplies on all boards, and aftertouch on all but one

 

My Ensoniqs have been disposed of, but I still have the QS2 ready and waiting for my son's first school band.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[mate stubb]

I always require a dedicated organ, and I prefer it on top. Sometimes 1 manual and sometimes 2, depending on the gig.

 

I require a hammer action for pianos on the bottom. Currently I have my choice of:

 

PX-5S bottom, XK-1C top (super lightweight rig)

PX-5S bottom, Mojo top (best quality piano/organ rig)

Mojo (jazz organ gig)

 

If I were to need more synthesis capabilities than the PX-5S has, I would probably add a module like the Waldorf Blofeld and run it from the organ.

 

In my studio, available for dragging out as necessary, are my custom B-3 controller and a Nord Stage Classic. I keep the Nord around for recording, specifically the upright pianos.

[CEB]

Mine depends on the gig. I use pretty pedestrian gear.

 

Country Rock rig

- Bottom S90XS

- Hammond XK3c ----- controlling some rack synths from the Hammond (mostly XV5050 and TX81Z for one particular bass synth patch)

 

Latin Rock/Horn Band

Same thing less the rack

 

Blues Rig

- Bottom XK33c ( both manuals back breaker when you include the case)

- top Kawai MP5

or

bottom Kawai MP-5

top XK3c ( depends on how organ heavy it gig is)

 

Pop project

- bottom S90XS

- top FA06

- to the side on top my rack and table stand - SH-101

 

[Bob L]

I also like the dedicated organ on top, weighted keyboard on bottom.

 

Current rig is vintage Korg CX-3 (nice analog warmth and dirt, and unweighted keys for organ) with PX-5S (first gig with it was a month ago, replacing a PX3).

 

Loving the sounds and tweakability of the PX-5S. Just scratching the surface. EPs an improvement over the PX3. The APs also better but in the mix with a rock/funk quartet doubt you can tell the difference. I've had to reduce the sensitivity on some patches on the PX-5s to have more synth action (don't need velocity sensitivity for many sounds).

 

If I were to replace the Korg CX-3, the Hammond SK1 or Roland VR09 would be contenders. The band likes the "umpf" of the Korg, so I will stick with it for now. Can't justify spending on a new board right now.

[Craig MacDonald]

I generally play with my Crumar Mojo on the bottom and my Korg Kronos K61 on the top.. I've used dozens of different combinations over the years, but as a "sit down" style B3 player it's always been organ on the bottom and another keyboard on top.. When using a real B3 this was always a tad cumbersome having to raise my arms to play my top keyboard, however these days, with midi, I generally play my Kronos from the lower manual of my Mojo. From my perspective this is a superb gig rig! The only way I think I could improve on this would be by adding pitchbend and modwheels on the Mojo, and having the Kronos in a module!

 

That said, I have a Yamaha KX8 controller which I have used as a bottom board for the Kronos, when I'm playing a gig that's more piano and less organ.. The new Kronos update has a vastly improved CX3 engine and this is a great combination too.. 88 note weighted action on the bottom and a Kronos on top for organ and other sounds.

 

[agitato]

bottom: kawai es4 piano/ top:korg microstation

[SpaceNorman]

My rig (intended primarily for use Top 40(over the ages)/pop/variety type bands) - consists of a CP300 on the bottom (which is often used to control a Motif ES Rack unit in my keys rack) - and a Kronos 88 on the top.

 

No question about it being heavy - but, I'm most comfortable and at my best when playing weighted keys - so it's a pair of weighted actions for me.

[timwat]

My typical multi-board rig:

 

Top: Nord Wave

Bottom: Korg Kronos 73

 

For those gigs that are far more AP / EP centric,

 

Top: Kronos 73

Bottom: Yamaha CP4

 

 

PS: Add Roland AX-Synth as personal taste dictates.

[WesG]

You guys that play organ on top, do you stand? Do your shoulders get tired?

 

I play organ on the bottom and stand to play piano. If I reach for the piano from the bench, my shoulders get tired real fast. If I'm playing mostly-piano, I can do the Hammond Hunch and play a lick on the organ, but I don't like to balance on my left foot for too long.

 

 

[davyyd]

Bottom - Korg SV-1

Top - Hammond XK3c

Very Top (sitting on the XK3c) - iPad running Magellan

 

There's really nothing more I could want.

[midinut]

I'm thinking some good combinations would/might be:

 

2 Board Rigs

* Kronos 61 on top of a Yamaha MOX8F or

* Yamaha MOX6 on top of a Kronos 88 or

* Kronos 61 or MOX6 on top of a Kurzweil PC3X or

* Kurzweil PC361 on top of a Kronos 88 or MOX8F or

* Kronos 61 on top of a Nord Stage 2 88 or

* Yamaha MOX6F on top of a Nord Stage 2

* Any of the above 61 keys over a Casio PX5S

 

3 Board Rigs

* Virus TI2 over a Nord Electro 2 over a Casio PX5S

* King Korg over a NE2 over a PX5S

* Prophet 8 over a Kronos 61 over a PX5S

 

Or you could mix and match most of these in different combinations and arrangements.

[Fusker]

Been using a Nord Electro 3(73) over a Yamaha XS8 for the last three years. They compliment each other very well.

 

If my stuff was stolen today, I'd probably go with an 88 Nord Stage 2 under a small Kronos.

[David Loving]

Great set up, WesG. I'm into best sound possible at light weight. Casio and software. I use a PX-150 on bottom. I had a PX-330, but the auto-play-band-ins-box got annoying. The 150 is for piano and electric piano. Organ, horns, synth is an XW-P1 on top - run through a ventilator and a speakeasy AMA122. I'll vary the top and bottom with Native Instruments Kontakt software, a 61 and an 88 key controller and Korg Nano, with a Macbook Pro, and Presonus USB audio interface. Mix and match - never more than two boards, sometimes just one board. The XW-P1 can handle most gigs alone.

[resigned]

An observation:

 

I especially like the idea of having a powerful 61-note synth or workstation on top and a weighted or graded action 88-note MIDI controller or basic piano on bottom, using the top keyboard as the primary sound source. This makes it possible to program "both" keyboards from the top keyboard, which makes it easier to recall multi-keyboard patches in live situations.

 

Having said that, I have been using my Hammond SK2, a dual-manual organ, as a mini-multi-keyboard rig because you can assign different sounds to each of it's keyboards. Much of my current band work requires typical organ/piano sounds but the available stage space is limited and song selections can change quickly, so i like using a single instrument with two playing levels that I can call up sounds on both manuals with one patch.

[EscapeRocks]

In my tribute band I use:

 

Casio PX350 on bottom

Yamaha MOX 6 on top.

 

The Casio is strictly used for a basic piano layer, controlling the MOX6.

 

Soon I will be moving to Kronos X61 up top. Coming this summer

 

I've always gigged with this type of configuration. Weight 88 on bottom, synth action 61 up top.

[RABid]

In the 80's it was a keyboard for each sound. The more, the better. I maxed out with a Hammond, a Rhodes, 4 synths and a drum machine.

 

Now that ROMplers have evolved to MEK's (multi-engine keyboards) I use two of those in a stack. A Kronos on top of a Jupiter 80. If either goes out I can still finish a show. It would take a really special event to get me to include the digital piano and clone wheel in the setup.

[Michael Wright]

bottom Nord C2

top Kurz SP4-7

I use this rig for a guitar centric gig, not playing much piano at all.

For more piano playing I would have to get something different and put it on the bottom.

 

 

[Aidan]

Like most respondents, it depends on the gig. For blues and jazz, it's:

 

Bottom: Yamaha CP40

Top: Hammond SK1-61

 

Function/wedding band gigs demand a wider palette and quicker access to set-ups, in which case the Kurzweil PC361 supplants the Hammond as the top board. KB3 is good enough for Hammond cover in that setting.

 

I also have the option of using any of these as a single board, of course, and have particularly been favouring the Hammond lately as a great-sounding, light one-board solutions for rehearsals or gigs which are either tight on space (pubs) or require lightweight mobility (festivals).