Gigging keyboard

[AlanB]

Thanks to everyone for the comments! I did not expect to receive so much detailed advice and suggestions! I had not considered the Vox, Hammond, Fantom, VR730, PC4 or Main stage. Clearly, I need to review these options bearing in mind your comments!

 

 I have not considered using my RD2000 for live gigs because there a only a few songs in the current sets that require piano and the Kronos just about manages it ok although the samples are mostly quite short, at least in comparison to the Roland. I only use piano, EP or clavs on a few songs - I Wish, Superstition, Pencil Full of Lead, House of Fun, Come Together..

 

I use the organ on songs such as Town Called Malice, Ghost Town, Mercy, Smooth, Rhythm Stick, Here Come the Girls and Rudy. For some of these songs, I layer or split with piano for a more authentic sound such as in Smooth.

 

On songs such as Funky Music, You should be Dancing, Pull up to the Bumper, Disco 2000, 7 Nation Army, Somebody Told me, and Uptown Funk, I use synth, guitar and occasionally strings. 

 

I will continue using the Kronos as it seems to be capable of producing most of the sounds I need with the quality and flexibility of a professional keyboard. Does the lighter 76 note Yamaha MODX7+ present itself as a better keyboard for my live playing? Possibly, although the negative comments on organ have put me off a bit and I will need to check this out.

 

Finally, I am slightly surprised that nobody in this forum has suggested any of the Montage keyboards for live use. The Nautilus 73 was mentioned but there seems to be no personal recommendation for live use. So, thanks to all for sharing your experience and views of the current keyboard options.

[Stokely]

Addressing a couple points.  I have gigged with a Modx7 as my primary keyboard for a couple years now.  I have researched a few others as a possible replacement, including the Kronos 2    I actually don't mind the weight of "flagship" boards but I really appreciate the build, better keys and lack of wall wart among other things (the Montage for example has more sliders than the Modx).

I'd personally put aside the whole "it does too much" argument--that's always going to be the case I think.  It's the case with the Modx as well, which has sequencing, motion sequences, arps and a ton of features I never touch.  I have gigged with workstations for many years going back to my Motif and it's because they are the most flexible when it comes to number of sounds and ability to split and layer--other than the Nord Stage 3 mentioned above!  That's more money than I'm willing to spend these days.

I got used to the Modx7 keys pretty quickly.  I did set the velocity so that the piano was easier to play without sounding like I was pounding on it (loud notes take more effort, however I set it).  I ended up installing Purgatory Creek for better rhodes/clavs/wurli but the stock sounds weren't bad in those areas.   The weakest is organ, but the strongest feature of the Modx is a built-in audio interface, so I addressed this by using an ipad with B-3X.  Worked great, sounded amazing.  Vb3m came out after I bought B-3X and is a worthy cheaper alternative.   I also recently picked up Analog Xperience, a vintage synth library, but I'm not finding it's much better than sounds I'm able to program myself.  For classic rock like I do, the stock sounds are not great.  A few good performances here and there, and I tended to use them as building blocks.

The modx unfortunately (unlike say the Fantom-0) doesn't have an alternate set of outputs, so it would be iffy trying to use a Lester K or vent (I have a Lester K bought to use with my Kurzweil).  

I have been having a bit of a time with the Modx pianos in mono.  This is a pretty universal problem with keyboards.  I like the CFX grand if I'm playing in stereo, but in mono it has more issues than most of the pianos.     Just wanted to mention this.

[AnotherScott]

2 hours ago, nadroj said:

if you like the feel of the keys and the feel of the instrument in general, the MODX will do you well - assuming you’re able to tweak the organs to a point where you’re happy. A lot of those tunes are organ heavy. An iPad with software would fix this. I’ve setup a programme on my MODX where I can just plug my phone/iPad in with a single cable and it will automatically play VB3 while ignoring the internal sounds. The MODX is handy and flexible like that.

Even better, once you save your single-part external VB3m sound as its own entity (placing it into the Organ category), you can bring it into any other Performance, splitting/layering/scene-switching between it and whatever combination of internal (or even other external) sounds, as easily as if they were all internal sounds to begin with. So it operates as a single seamless integrated environment, rather than forcing you to play with a mindset of "now I'm playing internal sounds" vs. "now I need an external sound." AFAIK, MODX/Montage are the only boards that work this way, letting you re-use external sounds in combinations as easily as re-using internal sounds, with no operational distinction between them. (The only caveat is you obviously can't use two external sounds simultaneously if they're from the same monotimbral external source.)

 

2 hours ago, nadroj said:

And if you’re anything like me you might not want to bring an iPad onto a stage with 8 people playing non stop up-tempo tunes! 

iPad safety is something that needs to be addressed... but also, in the case of VB3m, you can run it from a smartphone, which gives you some other options, since a phone is generally easier to place without as much care.

 

[AnotherScott]

2 hours ago, AlanB said:

there a only a few songs in the current sets that require piano and the Kronos just about manages it ok although the samples are mostly quite short, at least in comparison to the Roland.

IIRC, the Kronos SGX pianos don't loop... but I don't remember the samples seeming short. Though the initial decay from strike to the sustain level might seem short, I find that issue in lots of sampled pianos, I'm not sure what it comes from. I've guessed maybe it comes from very close miking (putting the microphones much closer to the hammers than your ears ever are), which might exaggerate the percussive effect of the intensity of the attack relative to the subsequent drop-off. Roland uses modeling (in the V-Piano patches in particular) so that's another variable in the comparison of their piano approaches. Though in the end, it's academic... either something works well for your playing or it doesn't!

 

2 hours ago, AlanB said:

Does the lighter 76 note Yamaha MODX7+ present itself as a better keyboard for my live playing? Possibly, although the negative comments on organ have put me off a bit and I will need to check this out.

While MODX may lag other options in organ, as mentioned in my previous post, it's particularly adept at integrating external sounds. If you grab your organ sounds from VB3m on your smartphone, the MODX will probably give you an organ as good or better than most of the other stuff mentioned. (Though still not the real-time 9-drawbar control.) So I might not let the decision be influenced too much by organ limitations.

 

2 hours ago, AlanB said:

Finally, I am slightly surprised that nobody in this forum has suggested any of the Montage keyboards for live use.

It's too heavy for you. Not just that, but despite the extra cost and weight, for your particular purposes, it probably doesn't really provide any significant advantage over the MODX.

 

2 hours ago, AlanB said:

The Nautilus 73 was mentioned but there seems to be no personal recommendation for live use. 

It's as suitable for live use as the Kronos is, apart from having fewer live controls (e.g. again, no real-time 9-drawbar control, because it doesn't have the 9 sliders... on-screen operation is not the same). Again, the reason no one recommended it (including me, the person who mentioned it) is probably that you want something lighter. It's a good lighter alternative to a Kronos 73, but not a lighter alternative to the Kronos 61, which is what you seem to be looking for.

[Reezekeys]

33 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

3 hours ago, nadroj said:

And if you’re anything like me you might not want to bring an iPad onto a stage with 8 people playing non stop up-tempo tunes! 

iPad safety is something that needs to be addressed... but also, in the case of VB3m, you can run it from a smartphone, which gives you some other options, since a phone is generally easier to place without as much care.

 

Clip mounts that put the device close to you should not be an issue, imo. Anyone close enough to risk damage to my devices the way I mount them are too close in general, device or not!

 

 

[drawback]

36 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

[Kronos 73] as suitable for live use as the Kronos is, apart from having fewer live controls (e.g. again, no real-time 9-drawbar control, because it doesn't have the 9 sliders... on-screen operation is not the same). Again, the reason no one recommended it (including me, the person who mentioned it) is probably that you want something lighter. It's a good lighter alternative to a Kronos 73, but not a lighter alternative to the Kronos 61, which is what you seem to be looking for.

I wish I’d been able to afford/justify keeping my Kronos 61 while paying top dollar for my Kronos 73. Think carefully about parting with it, no matter what you think you’ll replace it with. There’s a caveat to everything!

[AlanB]

Thanks to AnotherScott for his comprehensive feedback and Drawback for his advice on my Kronos2 61.

 

I agree with the conclusion that the Nautilus73 is NOT a lighter alternative to the Kronos2 61 and that the Montage does not provide any significant advantage over the MODX.

 

The VOX and the Roland look and sound ok but although lighter, are they really better sounding than the Kronos?

 

This leaves me really with the Nord Stage 3 or the Yamaha YC73 for consideration as a gigging keyboard. The MODX with IPad is still worth considering though and I will research this further.

 

Again, thanks to all for your valuable insight and considered advice.

[AnotherScott]

13 minutes ago, AlanB said:

The VOX and the Roland look and sound ok but although lighter, are they really better sounding than the Kronos?

Mostly, the Vox uses the Kronos sound engines (though with far fewer sounds and much less customization). IIRC, its transistor organ engine is unique to the Vox, the rest is from Kronos engines. Some other things might sound better than Kronos because it has a tube, which I think adds a nice extra character, especially to EP sounds. But as a whole, I wouldn't consider it a better sounding board. Mostly a much lighter one, with a particularly nice semi-weighted action. A very nice board, if its limited functionality happens to fill your needs. One caveat I'll mention is that, even though it has the same CX3 organ engine as the Kronos, the limited number of organ presets and minimal amount of editing available means that you may not be able to get anything like your favorite Kronos organ sounds out of it. 

 

Roland VR730 (again with far fewer sounds and much less customization than Kronos) of course has entirely different sounds. With your interest being piano, organ, synth, I'll say that I think most people would say Kronos has the better piano, and the more versatile synth (synth sounds themselves being particularly subjective), and organ is probably a tougher call. Kronos certainly has a lot much more variation and tweakability.

 

I have a clonewheel chart you might find interesting at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Fr9cObRaep37A9Y1PZtRkVWxKKDsXUGPk9ubfhYgoSk/edit?usp=sharing 

[Stokely]

Just a quick note to say that an ipad (my gen 5 standard ipad at least!) fits great on the right side of a Modx7.   The angle works well for this too.   I have a pad of gaffer's tape with velcro on it for the ipad, with a smaller bit of velcro to hold down the camera connection kit.  Short cable to the usb port of the Modx7, a longer one down to a power strip so that I can keep the ipad charging (I have the CCK with extra lightning port).   It looks and acts like a second screen of the Modx7.

[ProfD]

IMO, the Kronos 61 is perfect for that type of gig. Especially if stage footprint ever becomes a consideration and/or issue. 😎

[Sean M. H.]

52 minutes ago, ProfD said:

IMO, the Kronos 61 is perfect for that type of gig. Especially if stage footprint ever becomes a consideration and/or issue. 😎

 

That's a good point too...and if the main thing you're looking for are better sounds than the Kronos, you may actually be underwhelmed with the suggestions we've made.  The Kronos is still probably the most advanced of the workstation-type keyboards, and it's sounds still hold up well.  The other boards being mentioned here sound "different" than the Kronos, and would certainly have some sounds or categories of sounds that you may prefer (especially if you've grown tired of Kronos' character)...but you'd really have to get into the software/iPad route to get something that is definitively a step up sonically across the board.

 

With that said, if upgrading your sounds is secondary to getting a board that is lighter and/or has more keys, I think you've got some great suggestions to check out here.

[Delaware Dave]

If I had to start over with a gigging keyboard I'd probably start with a Forte 7.  Only upgrade would be the leslie sim; the current one is acceptable; because you can route the organ output to aux outs, you could also add a Vent and be pretty complete.  Excellent electro-mechanicals and acoustic piano, brass/horns, strings, etc..  Also, a great MIDI controller.  Actually, I'm contemplating buying one I found locally ....

[Cabo]

20 hours ago, AlanB said:

the Montage does not provide any significant advantage over the MODX.

 

 

 

In my opinion, there are a few significant advantages ---  the Montage has a premium keyed --it's so much better than the MODX. Also, there's no wall wart to deal with, and the interface is much better with the extra sliders, buttons.

These were significant enough for me to sell my MODX.

 

 

 

[stoken6]

On 1/12/2023 at 4:16 PM, AlanB said:

This leaves me really with the Nord Stage 3 or the Yamaha YC73 for consideration as a gigging keyboard.

The YC73 is the only hammer-action we've mentioned so far. Would that work for you? It doesn't have the synth-programmability of the workstations, Nord Stage or even the VR730 (some limited "FM Organs" functionality, which don't have envelope control). And it's only a little lighter than your Kronos. 

 

Are we going to relive the keyboard equivalent of Rupert Holmes' "Escape", where a muso is bored of his current partner, goes chasing keyboard tail, and discovers his ideal woman is the gal he's already got?

 

Cheers, Mike.

 

 

[HammondDave]

On 1/11/2023 at 8:53 AM, Viv Savage said:

The MODX can cover it all.  Although it’s not the strongest board for any of the sound categories you mention, MODX7 is a compelling gig board.  It is incredibly lightweight, it covers all bases, and the audio interface / iOS integration is very good, which allows me to use an iPhone or iPad for things like VB3m or B-3x.  The dedicated USB volume knob is very handy too! My current approach is to use MODX7 as my main sound source playing parts 1-8, with a Kawai ES110 underneath acting as a weighted controller to play MODX parts 9-16 (or whichever other parts I want to play, defined on a per-song basis by the Midiflow routing app on iOS).    The Kawai action feels as good as any lightweight 88 I have ever played. For my purposes, the only thing this rig is missing is physical drawbars, but I don’t play a ton of organ with my current band so it’s fine, I just set up presets in my iOS organ apps that are called up by each MODX performance.   

I agree with Viv. I have a similar setup, but as I am primarily an organ player, I use a Mojo 61 on top of my MODX7. For smaller gigs I only use the MODX7 and B3X on the iPad. Very light a fast to set up and strike. 

[AnotherScott]

On 1/12/2023 at 11:16 AM, AlanB said:

This leaves me really with the Nord Stage 3 or the Yamaha YC73 for consideration as a gigging keyboard. The MODX with IPad is still worth considering though and I will research this further.

I thought you said the YC73 was "too heavy for gigging and difficult to transport in the car"?

 

In the end, there's no "one" answer to getting a board for piano, organ, and synth... lots of boards can do the job. So within that scope, it's a matter of preferences and priorities. Since it sounds like you're much more organ focussed than piano focussed, you probably don't want a hammer action board. Some of the semi-weighteds have better piano playability than others, that might prompt me personally away from the Fantom-07, which is a board I like a lot but really wouldn't enjoy as my piano board. "Synth" is such a broad term, people can mean different things, maybe you can explain more about what you need in that department? Also, must everything be self-contained, or are you willing to supplement with an external device (iPhone, tablet, whatever) for some of the sounds/capabilities you might like?

[AlanB]

"I thought you said the YC73 was "too heavy for gigging and difficult to transport in the car"?

 

Hi AnotherScott! Yes, I did say the YC73 was too heavy but this was a mistake on my part after reading the specs of so many instruments! It is actually lighter than my Kronos!! 

 

Ultimately, keyboard players are always looking for the right set up for live playing taking into account issues such as portability, cost, playability and sound but NOT necessarily in that order. I also take onboard the notion that the keyboard you are searching for may actually be the keyboard you are playing! Yes, I did appreciate the comparison with girlfriends and cars which I thought both accurate and amusing!

 

Someone commented that maybe I am just a bit “bored” with the Kronos sounds. Maybe this is true, but I find the operating system “quirky” and not very intuitive. However, since I started playing live, creating my own combis and tweaking programs, I have rediscovered the potential of the keyboard and reminded myself why I bought it in the first place!

 

Points for consideration about Kronos2 61:

• it is now a discontinued model
• the operating system is perhaps a bit dated - not necessarily a negative point but an issue when you don't really understand the file management system
• while the editing is extensive, it is complex and particularly challenging to use on a small screen - sometimes the icons are just too small!
• I would prefer 73/76 keys rather than 61

 

Most of the musicians who have commented on this topic seem to use more than one keyboard and apart from a few exceptions, weight and portability does not seem to be a problem. Some have commented on lack of stage space for keyboards and that is obviously an issue to be addressed. 88 note keyboards and/or multiple keyboards can take up considerably more space on a small stage.

 

Unsurprisingly, my Korg Kronos2 61, is probably the ideal keyboard in my current 8 piece band. It has an excellent range of sounds and the set list feature is excellent. So rather than a replacement keyboard with more notes, maybe I need to think of an "additional" keyboard and stack it to minimise the footprint. Perhaps, the MODX7plus and utilise the IOS functions/apps?

 

Apologies in advance for my apparent indecision but the forum comments have made me reconsider my options. Every comment from forum members has been thoughtful, supportive and relevant! This has been an excellent experience and I have learned so much about playing keyboards in a live setting.

 

Thanks.

 

[AnotherScott]

If I were going to try to "do it all" on a current 7x-key board that weighed under 30 lbs, my shortlist would be

 

Kurzweil PC4-76

Yamaha YC73

Nord Stage 3 Compact

Hammond SK Pro 73

 

each with its own pros and cons. They all give you 9-drawbar organ control, they all have actions that are at least passable for piano and organ, they all are at least reasonably good at integrating with an iPad for additional sounds if need be.

 

Kurzweil is the most flexible. Kurzweil and Nord are the only ones with aftertouch. Yamaha has the best action for piano (but weakest for organ). Hammond has the best action for organ. Yamaha is the only one without a fully editable synth section. Of the rest, Kurzweil's synth section is the most extensive, but the most difficult to program. Kurzweil has the most split/layer capability, Yamaha has the least. When it comes to patch management (e.g. locating and calling up sounds, setting up quick access for the sounds you need for a given set, etc.), Kurzweil wins there. And so on. If a priority is, not just more keys and lighter weight than the Kronos 61, but also less complex to use, I'd lean toward the Yamaha or the Nord.

 

Roland VR-730 and Vox Continental could also be possibilities if there was minimal need for split/layer functionality.

 

If travel weight wasn't an issue, my favorite might be the Fantom 7.

 

But for the new possible direction, if you want to add something to your Kronos 61, the first question would be, exactly what do you want it to do? That is, you should think about what you'd still be perfectly happy doing on the Kronos, vs. what kinds of things you might prefer to be able to do on the other board.

[jazzpiano88]

My 2cents:  Go with any of the above solutions with >=73 keys.

 

Personally, I just wouldn't feel comfortable with 61 keys unless there was some massive constraint dictating it.

  

What if someone wants you to play a Billy Joel or Elton song with just you and the singer?  Or a duet is added to the set that features a real piano part? Yeah it can be done on a 61, but you really need to have it worked out ahead of time.  You almost have to be a 61 key trained guy that has navigated that constraint for years.  And the whole argument about 61 keys is staying in your lane and not conflicting with the other people's frequency range kind of limits you to being a sound generator rather than a keyboardist.   No fun in my book.

[Synthaholic]

On 1/11/2023 at 1:36 PM, AlanB said:

 The Kronos is programmed with my sets and I am unlikely to stop using it right away which gives me time to consider my options

If you could deal with 2 boards I still like the Studiologic Numa Compact 2x for it's very nice 76 key action, inexpensive price and 16lbs. You may enjoy the Kronos more from a controller keyboard.  I wouldn't want to be limited to 61 keys unless I was playing specific parts all night. There's a lengthy thread about it here: Studiologic Numa Compact 2x - The Keyboard Corner - Music Player Network

 

If you're just itching for a new keyboard, I am really enjoying my PC4-7, and it covers piano, organ, and synth extensively and very well. It also doubles as probably the best MIDI controller out there, so you could set the Kronos anywhere and control it completely. And it's just under 20lbs.

 

Welcome!

[stoken6]

21 hours ago, AlanB said:

maybe I need to think of an "additional" keyboard and stack it to minimise the footprint

Now you're talking my language! Given that your Kronos is synth-weighted, I would recommend a hammer-action board to accompany it. For not much money, the Yamaha P121 can use the Kronos USB host capability to act as a controller and play Kronos sounds from its keys. 

 

Cheers, Mike.

[AlanB]

Mike, thanks for the Yamaha P121 suggestion. I will do some research on this keyboard.

 

Does anyone have any experience with Korg LS 88? I know they were not a very popular model and that it has been discontinued but I came across a used one advertised on Gumtree. No aftertouch, semi weighted action and only slightly heavier than my Kronos61.

 

I will probably look at it tomorrow and see how the lighter action feels although I think it will be similar to my current synth. Only really considering it because it is 88 notes, I am familiar with the Kronos and the set lists should be transferable. At least, I hope so!

[stoken6]

12 hours ago, AlanB said:

Mike, thanks for the Yamaha P121 suggestion. I will do some research on this keyboard.

It's a simple stage piano - I'm suggesting you use it to drive Kronos sounds, rather than use its onboard sounds. You'd have to get into MIDI a bit, though.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[David Emm]

On 1/13/2023 at 8:51 PM, Synthaholic said:

 

If you could deal with 2 boards I still like the Studiologic Numa Compact 2x for it's very nice 76 key action, inexpensive price and 16lbs. You may enjoy the Kronos more from a controller keyboard.  I wouldn't want to be limited to 61 keys unless I was playing specific parts all night.

 

 

Its a minor point in the overall discussion, but I second triggering whatever you have with the best front end possible. That can lead to odd pairings, but its all about what's best for the rig. If it feels good to play, then its Good, period. Its also a small saving grace at times if you let a less expensive controller take the beating you can give keys over time. Better one of those than your Kronos. You might even want a spare Numa, because the price is surprisingly modest.

 

I know a 76-key instrument is a bear to haul, but with wheeled cases now, you might say "Worth it." It depends on the range of your set list. I had a friend who played live with a pair of truly beat-up looking Yamaha PSR-somethings. They were MIDI'd to his plywood "rack," which was cleverly built to hide a pair of high-end Roland modules and a decent mixer. It was hilarious to watch people go through their paces, trying to figure out where the massive sound was really coming from.

[AlanB]

Thanks David and Mike for the 2nd keyboard suggestions.  I bought the Kronos2 61 to use as workstation to do some sequencing at home as I stopped playing live over 20 years ago. However, after playing live with Roland pianos for years, I missed the 88 keys and I purchased an RD2000 and started using both keyboards with Cubase.

 

However, after dealing with some major health issues, I took up the opportunity to play in a band again! The Kronos was the first choice for the band as the keyboards parts were mostly synth and organ. To be honest, while I love playing the pianos and EPs on the RD2000, I don’t think the “other” sounds such as synth and organ are good enough to play live as they sound a bit dated! In addition, while the RD2000 is a fantastic controller keyboard with great piano sounds, it is just too heavy for me to transport, particularly along with the Kronos. Perhaps, if we had a “big gig” somewhere I could manage to use two keyboards but even then it would be a physical challenge!

 

So, after setting up combis for about 40 songs for the 8 piece band and playing a few gigs, I like the organ and synth sounds as they cut through the mix when needed. Piano is challenging in a mono setting but I plan to play through the stereo PA and use my Behringer amp as a monitor.

 

In other words, the Kronos sounds are excellent, the set list feature is fantastic and the 61 note keyboard is fine for playing “ keyboard parts”. However, I could do with more keys for splits, layers and the occasional solos or piano parts. The Kronos2 61 is fairly heavy but still portable although I don’t really want to have to haul it up lots of stairs!

 

SO - this is what led me to the Yamaha MODX7 with 76 keys and half the weight of the Kronos. Furthermore, although I don’t know for sure, I hoped the MODX pianos would sound better than the Kronos pianos particularly in mono. There have been some negative comments about the organs sounds on the MODX but IMO there is a good range of organ presets and I think they would sound ok when playing live.

 

For now, I am not that keen on the Nord Stage or the Yamaha YC. Too many buttons and knobs to tweak live! I prefer to program my sounds at home and then do minor adjustments when playing live. I suppose this is one of the reasons why I was attracted to the MODX as I thought the motion control and scenes would be slightly more user friendly than the Kronos sliders and knobs.

 

Anyway, as I have had so much helpful and constructive advice on this forum, I thought I would just do an update and provide some additional information and background. Thanks to everyone who has commented.

[AnotherScott]

7 hours ago, AlanB said:

For now, I am not that keen on the Nord Stage or the Yamaha YC. Too many buttons and knobs to tweak live! I prefer to program my sounds at home and then do minor adjustments when playing live.

 

Just as an FYI, those board don't require more live button/knob tweaking than a Kronos. Just as you program Kronos sounds at home via its touchscreen, you would program Nord Stage or Yamaha YC sounds at home via their front panel controls... then at the gig, you could just call up a preset and play it, just as on the Kronos. The difference is, if you decided you'd like to tweak something in real-time, it is easier on these other boards. OTOH, they do not have the programming depth of the Kronos, so in a way, the choice is between a board with 50 parameters always easily accessible, vs. a board with 500 parameters you have to navigate to get to. More immediacy vs. more flexibility. (Number for illustrative purposes only, of course.) And yes, it's an over-simplification... even the Nord and Yamaha have some parameters you have to dive into menus for, and even Kronos has some parameters that are pre-assigned to certain controls (though still generally labelled generically). I'm just talking about a basic philosophical difference between the approaches. But if you don't even find the idea of manipulating your sounds in real-time appealing, you're probably better off with some other board, because you're paying a premium for this capability... i.e. there are other board for less money that do more. As a whole, the MODX does a whole lot more than a YC.

 

Also, for simply recalling the sounds you've set up in advance, Kronos' Set List mode is excellent, and it gives you one-tap access to 16 of your stored sound settings at a time, as does MODX's Live Set screen. Yamaha YC only gives you one-tap access to 8 buttons worth of sounds at a time, and Nord Stage 3 gives you only 5, and has some of the weaker patch navigation capabilities in general.

 

7 hours ago, AlanB said:

SO - this is what led me to the Yamaha MODX7 with 76 keys and half the weight of the Kronos...There have been some negative comments about the organs sounds on the MODX but IMO there is a good range of organ presets and I think they would sound ok when playing live.

 

I did not include the MODX in my post at https://forums.musicplayer.com/topic/184403-gigging-keyboard/page/2/#comment-2930021 mostly because of its lack of 9-drawbar control, but if you don't need that, it is certainly a viable option.

 

[D. Gauss]

On 1/12/2023 at 10:39 AM, Reezekeys said:

 

Clip mounts that put the device close to you should not be an issue, imo. Anyone close enough to risk damage to my devices the way I mount them are too close in general, device or not!

 

 

 

do you have links to those two mounts? never seen one like that phone mount before

[Ibarch]

Have you considered the Roland Rd-88 in place of your Rd-2000? It is much lighter (29  lbs v 47) and has an updated sound library of nearly 4000 sounds. 

It loses a few features like the vpianos, 8 zones reduced to 3 and a slightly different action but I think the compromises well worth it for a lightweight gigging board. It works for me. 

 

It has added bonus of having nearly all its sounds in Roland's zenology Pro synth. You can preview and edit them on pc and download to the board. Note that it shares the tones, not the patches in Zenology, but with a tool like mainstage or Ableton it doesn't take much effort to replicate your patches on pc and the RD-88. This enables me to take my super light 61 note A-800 Pro controller and laptop in place of the RD-88 to practices and smaller gigs and have all my patches available. The best of both worlds. 

[Reezekeys]

4 hours ago, D. Gauss said:

do you have links to those two mounts? never seen one like that phone mount before

 

The phone mount is pretty cool - it's marketed for clipping to an airplane seat! The pic you saw was "stealth mode", lol.... didn't want anyone to see I was using the phone.  I also mount it like this, due to my keyboard having the perfect "lip" built into its design. It collapses into a tiny brick too:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XC1NT8N/

 

 

The iPad mount is also a no-name Chinese brand-du-jour, of which there are quite a few. Looks like it's designed for mic stands but I figured it would work well clipped to a horizontal tube like I have it. The jaws open up only far enough to just fit over the tube. Linky: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QHSGVTW/

[jcamp4]

On 1/11/2023 at 11:53 AM, Viv Savage said:

The MODX can cover it all.  Although it’s not the strongest board for any of the sound categories you mention, MODX7 is a compelling gig board.  It is incredibly lightweight, it covers all bases, and the audio interface / iOS integration is very good, which allows me to use an iPhone or iPad for things like VB3m or B-3x.  The dedicated USB volume knob is very handy too! My current approach is to use MODX7 as my main sound source playing parts 1-8, with a Kawai ES110 underneath acting as a weighted controller to play MODX parts 9-16 (or whichever other parts I want to play, defined on a per-song basis by the Midiflow routing app on iOS).    The Kawai action feels as good as any lightweight 88 I have ever played. For my purposes, the only thing this rig is missing is physical drawbars, but I don’t play a ton of organ with my current band so it’s fine, I just set up presets in my iOS organ apps that are called up by each MODX performance.   

How do you connect the kawai as a controller it has no midi din i/o