3 keyboard setup, does it work for you?

[Bachus]

Currently i have a 2 keyboard setup.. But GAS is building..

 

 

Whats your opinion on 3 keyboard setups?

 

Having a weighted 88 key and massively pedal addict, i prefer to sit behind the keys.. Would it be easy to reach all controll ellements on the top keyboard from a sitting position?

[UnderGroundGr]

Anyone has his needs.

I play with one or two keyboards,

The most times with one(Kurzweil K2661).

I use many setups(splits,layers) and i change patches with a foot controller(switch).

I use 4 pedals(sustain, volume, patch change, rotary).

I use the stocks sounds(except bass(sampled) and my Strymon Lex for rotary).

Using splits and layers i can use only one board so less kilos to lift per gig.

Kurzweil patch change between sounds is seamless(with some exceptions) since the KDFX era(the end of last century...).

I play rock,hard rock, metal.

 

If you can use less equipment do it...

I like to sit and play but for rock i am usually playing upright.

The top keyboard must be angled or very close to the bottom to reach easiest the controls.

 

[JWhllr]

For some bigger gigs that use a lot of patches and a mixture of software and hardware (and plenty of bump in time!) I sometimes use four keyboards, usually a 25 key and 61 key midi controllers and 73 and 88 key hardware boards. Two boards per stand, set up in an L shape with the hardware boards in front and midi boards on the left. Rack and laptop behind, everything running through audio and midi interfaces.

 

Certainly wouldn't do it for the standard weekend gigs.

 

Guess it depends on what the third board is, why you need/want it and how it will work with your other boards. Consider how it affects the sound guy at gigs, are you using your own small mixer to send a keys mix to the desk? What other aspects to your load in will it affect? As far as setup goes, think about which hand will mainly be using it and set it accordingly. I placed mine on the left because I was using them for mostly synth bass or chord stabs underneath melody lines. I haven't used a triple stack before, but as a sitter I don't think I'd like it...

[Losendoskeys]

To reproduce Genesis you need three keyboards to be able to do all the simultaneous use/switching of sounds.

 

Roland XP30/ProSoloist Rack - ARP Prosoloist/Mellotron

Hammond SK2/Fantom XR - Hammond/RMI/CP70/Mellotron

Kronos 73 - Piano/Mellotron/RMI/CP70

[Daniel71]

I use my Kronos 2 88, my A70 and my Motif ES6. They are all connected into my XR18...I still have a place above my ES6 :-)

 

Now waiting for the full specs of the Mojo 61 and the GSI Gemini.

 

Regards

[Outkaster]

I play three to four boards all the time. It's easy.

[tucktronix]

I've been gigging with 2-board setup for many years and just recently added my Ultranova for a few gigs. It's being used mainly for leads and pads.

[CowboyNQ]

Whats your opinion on 3 keyboard setups?

 

Having a weighted 88 key and massively pedal addict, i prefer to sit behind the keys.. Would it be easy to reach all controll ellements on the top keyboard from a sitting position?

In one of my bands I play a three keyboard rig by necessity and it works very well indeed.

 

I play standing, but my keys are in an "L" configuration, not stacked three high. So although I've never done it, I can confidently say that if I were to play sitting I'd have no difficulty reaching the controls of my "top" keyboard.

[hazerkeys]

I have a 3 key setup that I use very effectively - PC1x on bottom for basic piano, horns, strings, etc .. CX-3 in the middle for my Hammond needs, and Nord Lead 2 on the top for synth leads, pads when needed - I lowered the second tier for the CX-3 so it is a little closer, and the Nord is on top of the CX-3 - has been working great for years !!

[CEB]

It is 'The Riddle of Steel'.

[Threadslayer]

 

I play standing, but my keys are in an "L" configuration, not stacked three high.

I think that makes a huge difference. I played with an "L" configuration for years with no problem but I never could find a 3 tier stack orientation that allowed me to see and get at all the knobs, faders and LCD screens that I needed without spacing the boards so far apart that it was awkward to play.

[Song80s]

Currently i have a 2 keyboard setup.. But GAS is building..

 

 

Whats your opinion on 3 keyboard setups?

 

Having a weighted 88 key and massively pedal addict, i prefer to sit behind the keys.. Would it be easy to reach all controll ellements on the top keyboard from a sitting position?

 

I doubt it from the sitting position. an 'L' arrangement would be needed, IMO.

 

Other than a Genesis tribute band ( or similar unique requirements) , I do not subscribe to the 3 keyboard approach. Simple is better.

[Losendoskeys]

Currently i have a 2 keyboard setup.. But GAS is building..

 

 

Whats your opinion on 3 keyboard setups?

 

Having a weighted 88 key and massively pedal addict, i prefer to sit behind the keys.. Would it be easy to reach all controll ellements on the top keyboard from a sitting position?

 

I doubt it from the sitting position. an 'L' arrangement would be needed, IMO.

 

Other than a Genesis tribute band ( or similar unique requirements) , I do not subscribe to the 3 keyboard approach. Simple is better.

Indeed............

 

http://i342.photobucket.com/albums/o430/alanjpearson/Keyboard%20Rig/a8hWPXV2zVJeLcOG-5soAs7fPiDeg6ktbVIr-ucHuiAVrKYN4n8JYDZiv5uJh2UpMdIhScsLkW1XGPbklVzVHg_zps62e5f21f-1_zpsa9cbbde4.jpg

 

http://i342.photobucket.com/albums/o430/alanjpearson/Keyboard%20Rig/DSC00141.jpg

[DanL]

I have been using 4 boards with my Floyd tribute, set in an L, with FA08 and SK1 on 1 stand, and Ultranova and Moog Phatty on a 2nd stand to the right.

 

I just got a Nord Lead A1 and now use just the 3 boards. I had it set in an L, and decided to experiment with a home made 3rd tier I used to use on a double tier X stand. It works, so now I have the 3 boards stacked up setup. I had to remap a couple patches, like where I was holding down a pad in the upper part of the FA08 and playing a lead on the 'nova or Moog, that doesn't work now so I moved the pad part to the bottom of the keyboard so my hands are not crossed up doing the lead.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/dan88z/Mobile%20Uploads/20160126_110604_zpsdvfsx2vt.jpg

[Doerfler]

I just got a Nord Lead A1 and now use just the 3 boards.

 

Nice rig, Dan.

[Doc Tonewheel]

Yamaha MOXF8

Hammond XK-1C

Nord Wave

 

Piece of cake to play with built in redundancy in case of emergency.

[rockinredeye]

Seven years ago, I had 3 keyboards, stacked, and played seated, plus a small effects rack and amp. All the boards were close together, no problem reaching the controls on the top one. It is definitely nice to have different keyboards for different sounds, three instruments at your command. Transporting all of it was only a minor pain, but stopping to let other band members pass while setting up on stage was very frustrating.

 

In order to see if I actually needed all three keyboards, I counted every song on our band's list that used only one keyboard; then counted the songs using two; then the songs using three. There were only two songs out of 70 using all three keyboards! Surprise, I don't really need three. Most songs only needed one sound, usually piano only, electric piano only or organ only. For about 25% of the songs, I played two sounds like organ and horns or piano and strings.

 

I also realized that on those songs needing a second or third sound, it only took about a half octave to play them. So, for my purposes, I only need one keyboard. I have never run out of keyboard space on my 76 keys, even with four or five zones.

 

If you can not live without that third keyboard, go for it and please yourself. A workstation keyboard cured my GAS, though.

[Tonysounds]

2 - 3 keyboards. SK173 atop NordStage 2 EightyEight.

 

I incorporated a Moog 37 into the rig, and while I don't like using the L (and bringing an extra stand,etc.) it is way more conducive for playing than triple with cheese.

[synthizen2]

I alternate between a 2-board setup and a 3-board setup, depending on the gig and its requirements. (And for any solo jazz stuff, just one board will do... but I don't do those too often anymore...)

 

For the usual "piano and organ" gigs, of which there are many, I go with a 2-tier setup (QS8 and Z1). One 88 weighted board, one 61 synth-action board. Simple. No need for patch lists or MIDI program changes, as both boards pretty much stay on their respective sounds (piano and organ!). Maybe I will sub in a little Rhodes or Wurly here and there, but that's about it.

 

For my prog tribute gig, I add the third board (Ion), and use an old MX-8 MIDI patchbay to send all the program changes to the 3 boards, by footswitch. I started out with all 3 boards on one 3-tier stand, but then migrated to an "L" setup so that I could be seen better by the audience and not hidden behind this tall 3-board stack. So it's just a matter of adding an X-stand and the Ion (and the MX-8) to my 2-board rig. It's technically not a 90 degree "L" but more like an obtuse ~110 degree angle, so that the Ion is more easily reachable and playable vis-a-vis the position of the two main boards.

 

[DanL]

Seven years ago, I had 3 keyboards, stacked, and played seated, plus a small effects rack and amp. All the boards were close together, no problem reaching the controls on the top one. It is definitely nice to have different keyboards for different sounds, three instruments at your command. Transporting all of it was only a minor pain, but stopping to let other band members pass while setting up on stage was very frustrating.

 

In order to see if I actually needed all three keyboards, I counted every song on our band's list that used only one keyboard; then counted the songs using two; then the songs using three. There were only two songs out of 70 using all three keyboards! Surprise, I don't really need three. Most songs only needed one sound, usually piano only, electric piano only or organ only. For about 25% of the songs, I played two sounds like organ and horns or piano and strings.

 

I also realized that on those songs needing a second or third sound, it only took about a half octave to play them. So, for my purposes, I only need one keyboard. I have never run out of keyboard space on my 76 keys, even with four or five zones.

 

If you can not live without that third keyboard, go for it and please yourself. A workstation keyboard cured my GAS, though.

 

For my party band, I did the same thing- I was hauling the Moog with me, because I liked playing it. Then I realized I only used it on maybe 6 songs all night, and that I could easily make a split on the FA08 to cover what it was doing. So now I use 2 boards with that band, the SK1 and FA08.

 

The Floyd band is different, 3 boards is about the minimum I can use. I have a lot of pretty intense layers and splits going on with the FA08, the Hammond pulls double duty using some string sounds on some songs, and the Nord is covering all the leads and a lot of the synth bass. For the most part there isn't enough room on the FA08 to program a lead sound along with the other parts I need.

[Bill W]

Personally, I do not want to transport and set up tons of stuff when 1 or 2 boards is more than enough for any job. I also cannot afford to have something break down, so I carry spares...it would suck to have to duplicate all of the equipment in a 3-board rig!

[MathOfInsects]

For anything more than two boards, I go L.

 

Though 9 out of 10 gigs, I'm only using two or one.

[AnotherScott]

Whats your opinion on 3 keyboard setups?

...

Would it be easy to reach all controll ellements on the top keyboard from a sitting position?

 

Sitting can make it tough. Personally, I think a stack of 3 when sitting would only work for me if the bottom two keyboards didn't have more than a total of about 6 inches of panel space behind their keys, otherwise the 3rd keys would be uncomfortably far. So if the bottom were a Casio PX5S and the middle tier was a Numa organ, for example, I think you could put a third board above that without it getting too far.

[Al Coda]

For anything more than two boards, I go L.

 

Same here.

 

Four... L and stacked.

 

More than 4 ... U (and stacked)

 

I´m flexible, using a base custom stand made from USS parts and tubbing, allowing to attach wings.

 

When playing only 1 keyboard, I use a Koenig & Meyer.

Forgot model number, but it has 4 adjustable legs and adjustable width.

My DP´s rubber feet fit into the holes of that stand, so it´s save.

 

1 keyboard,- sitting position

 

All the other configurations,- standing position.

 

A.C.

[Mogut]

I go thru great pains to make sure I only need one keyboard for gigging.

[wineandkeyz]

My typical rig is 2 keyboards: a Roland Fantom X7 over a Yamaha S70XS. When stage space permits, I bring my Hammond XK-3C and set it up in an L shape to my left.

 

For years, I played a three-tier rig using a Quik-Lok QL-746 stand with QLX-2 and QLX-3 tiers. (At the time, I had the X7 on top, a Roland VR-760 in the middle, and a Yamaha S90ES on the bottom.) The setup worked great and I could reach everything comfortably (I stand when I play), but I noticed that on any type of raised stage, I looked like that "Kilroy was here" character. You could see my legs and the top of my head. So I reworked my patches to eliminate the middle keyboard and now go with two keyboards minimum.

 

I still use the 3-tier from time to time if I know I'm going to be set up at the same level as the audience.

[mate stubb]

It is 'The Riddle of Steel'.

 

http://starecat.com/content/wp-content/uploads/day-28-they-still-dont-know-im-a-dog-death-metal-band.jpg

[CEB]

LOL!

[Bachus]

I have been using 4 boards with my Floyd tribute, set in an L, with FA08 and SK1 on 1 stand, and Ultranova and Moog Phatty on a 2nd stand to the right.

 

I just got a Nord Lead A1 and now use just the 3 boards. I had it set in an L, and decided to experiment with a home made 3rd tier I used to use on a double tier X stand. It works, so now I have the 3 boards stacked up setup. I had to remap a couple patches, like where I was holding down a pad in the upper part of the FA08 and playing a lead on the 'nova or Moog, that doesn't work now so I moved the pad part to the bottom of the keyboard so my hands are not crossed up doing the lead.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/dan88z/Mobile%20Uploads/20160126_110604_zpsdvfsx2vt.jpg

 

Nice setup, but can you see the screen of the FA08?

[TomKittel]

 

Three boards stacked works well for me sitting.