Downsizing gear: the best laid plans...

[SamuelBLupowitz]

Thought some of y'all would find this Plight of the Gigging Musician relatable.

 

I got a used Motion Sound KBR-3D around 2018 so that I could run my clones through a real spinny thing (and still have stereo inputs for my other boards without having to ask for multiple lines or, god forbid, bring additional amps). It served me well onstage and even in some Leslie-less studio situations. But my eventual move to in-ear monitors, plus a post-pandemic desire to lighten my load-in/load-out, left the amp sidelined to a corner of my studio (where I now have a real Leslie 147 when I want to move air). I got the sim on my Mojo dialed in to a place where it sounded great in the in-ears and PA speakers, so why not just run everything direct on gigs and save my back? I still had my SpaceStation when I wanted quick stereo amplification for a rehearsal or vocals-only-in-the-PA gig, and that's a lot less cumbersome. So I started thinking about selling the Motion Sound.

 

When I started gigging in earnest with my organ trio last fall, I wasn't using the in-ears, especially since we were playing more breweries and small venues without house PAs. Still, I was getting by with the SpaceStation and my little 10" Line 6 bass amp from 2008. Yeah, two amps, but both pretty small and easy to transport. But I was struggling with a lack of focus and punch in the bass synth patches, and a shrillness in the organ I wasn't entirely happy with.

 

So for our gig this past weekend, I thought "what the hell, I'll run through the Motion Sound to see if it makes it any different, and if not, I'll know for sure I don't need to keep it."

 

You know how that story ends. Even not using the "Leslie" part of the amp and running the sim and the bass synth into the stereo inputs, there was my full, beautiful organ sound and a synth that was thumping more like a dirty old p-bass than I had been able to dial in previously.

 

Hooray, but also, I guess I'm back to lugging a big hefty amp around for these gigs! At least it's only one of them now, and I can leave it at home when there's a PA with subs at the venue... so it can continue to take up space in my studio rather than my wallet. Life is tough. 😉 

 

[Delaware Dave]

Went around this phenomena again over the past year.  Went back to trying my Motion Sound Pro3T/Low Pro, tried the Pro3T and its internal drum simulation, tried the GSI BURN, the original Vent and the internal sim on my Gemini Module (Mojo in a module, so the Mojo internal sim).

 

What I found:

* The Motion Sound horn is the least shrill on the top octave but doesnt sound the best

* The BURN is now my favorite external leslie sim of what I own. The Vent gives me that mic'd leslie sound while the BURN gives me a room leslie sound.

* I got the Mojo sim "dialed in" so that I find it acceptable to rely on.  Caveat is that I run the sim through my mixer's internal EQ and cut the 2Khz back about -6 to -8 dbs.  That cut removes the top end shrillness of the Mojo yet still keeps the top octave scream that is typical with a Hammond.  Too much cut of 2Khz and the scream disappears, not enough cut and the shrillness is still there.  I also use the 2Khz EQ cut when I use the BURN; and w/ the Vent the cut is the largest as I find the Vent to be the most shrill.

* The 1961 A102 organ provides the least shrill top end and the organ choice I now use of the 22 that are loaded in the Mojo (along with some drawbar trimming I used to bump up the 2' and 1' drawbar volume).

 

Reality with age kicking in, bad back and knees and 50-60 gigs/year is that I use the Mojo Sim 90% of the time and on occasion of a large gig, or easy setup/breakdown distances or if I get 'help' setting up I'll go with the BURN.  The MS 3t/lowpro is two pieces, one 55 pounds and the other 27; so not a killer to move and setup (I put built in mics into both units) but when I go to load up the car I just don't have the energy or drive to load up that stuff anymore.  I even went the last month with 2-3 gigs where I used the Kurzweil's KB3 engine into the BURN; I was actually surprised by how decent it sounded.  The first one was a Hollywood Casino show where we had to load into the other side of the building (for security reasons) and carry stuff through various small hallways, through a greasy kitchen floor, and down two more hallways  to the back of the stage.  I looked at it and said to myself "one keyboard, one amp, that's it".  So I attached the BURN to KB3 and spent the first set making fine tuning adjustments on the fly.  By the end of the show it sounded pretty darn good.  Did it two more shows and was satisfied.  Then I realized "why am I carrying all of this crap when I'm somewhat content with KB3 and the BURN?".  So my compromise is the Gemini module and the internal leslie and just call it a day. The Gemini also allows me to use all of the electromechanicals (rhodes, wurli, organ/leslie, clav, new acoustic piano and Brass (all which are better than the Kurz) while minimizing setup/breakdown. As you get older and the aches and pains are there (along with 50-60 shows/year) you'll start to understand why compromise is good.

[stoken6]

2 hours ago, SamuelBLupowitz said:

Hooray, but also, I guess I'm back to lugging a big hefty amp around for these gigs! At least it's only one of them now, and I can leave it at home when there's a PA with subs at the venue... so it can continue to take up space in my studio rather than my wallet. Life is tough.

Can you fit castors to it to make moving easier?

 

Cheers, Mike.

[SamuelBLupowitz]

31 minutes ago, stoken6 said:

Can you fit castors to it to make moving easier?

Not out of the question if it comes to it, and if I wind up using it often again, I may do that. With this amp it's not even so much the weight but the size and bulk of it. Trickier for loading in the car, maneuvering down narrow stairways, etc. If I need to I can carry it by one handle, but good luck fitting through a door that way!

 

The specs say it weighs 70 pounds but it's never felt that heavy to me, at least not the way the weight is distributed. Just harder to slide into the back of the car than the Two Amp Solution.  

[ProfD]

The Motion Sound was made for that type of gig situation where there is no PA system and two smaller amps won't cut it.

 

OTOH, if a PA is provided and/or load in/out is fast or stage space is limited, it's better to use in-ears or smaller amps.

 

It's all about using the right tool for the job or in this case....right gear for the gig.  Have a blast with that organ trio mayne.😎

[drawback]

6 hours ago, SamuelBLupowitz said:

You know how that story ends. Even not using the "Leslie" part of the amp and running the sim and the bass synth into the stereo inputs, there was my full, beautiful organ sound and a synth that was thumping more like a dirty old p-bass than I had been able to dial in previously.

 

Hooray, but also, I guess I'm back to lugging a big hefty amp around for these gigs! At least it's only one of them now, and I can leave it at home when there's a PA with subs at the venue... so it can continue to take up space in my studio rather than my wallet. Life is tough. 😉 

 

Well, at least you're young. 😆

[David Emm]

I have two software CS-80s. I love 'em, but I don't know how to weigh them. How much is, say, 117 MB in ounces? I know how good I've got it. I was once hauling a damned Yamaha CP20 (which sounded like @$$) and a Minimoog around, so cue Dave Stewart's "The Lethargy Shuffle & Mind Your Backs Tango." I understood the roadie hate for the 200 pound CS-80. I also understand the ongoing fistfight between the beauty of a Leslie and the hernias it can generate. 😳

[SamuelBLupowitz]

15 hours ago, ProfD said:

The Motion Sound was made for that type of gig situation where there is no PA system and two smaller amps won't cut it.

 

OTOH, if a PA is provided and/or load in/out is fast or stage space is limited, it's better to use in-ears or smaller amps.

 

It's all about using the right tool for the job or in this case....right gear for the gig.  Have a blast with that organ trio mayne.😎

The advantage of an instrumental three-piece is that it's easier to book in smaller venues that don't have the sound and stage infrastructure that some of my larger projects need to make it worthwhile.

 

The disadvantage of an instrumental three-piece is that so far I've been playing a lot of smaller venues that don't have the sound and stage infrastructure that some of my larger projects need to make it worthwhile! Hauling the amp is still easier than a mixer, mains, speaker stands, a bunch of mics and mic stands, and monitor wedges, I suppose. But the one actual club show we've played so far has been easier to load in, set up, and get levels, that's for sure. Baby steps!

[ProfD]

1 hour ago, SamuelBLupowitz said:

The advantage of an instrumental three-piece is that it's easier to book in smaller venues that don't have the sound and stage infrastructure that some of my larger projects need to make it worthwhile.

 

The disadvantage of an instrumental three-piece is that so far I've been playing a lot of smaller venues that don't have the sound and stage infrastructure that some of my larger projects need to make it worthwhile! 

Catch 22.😁

 

Gigging will always have its challenges from booking to logistics and everything in the middle. 

 

I recently heard a story from back in the day of how a musician had to transport his Rhodes suitcase model to and from gigs in his friend's Datsun sportscar. They took the top half of Rhodes to the club first.  They had to go back and get the speaker.  Repeat the process going home.

 

Thankfully, technology has gotten smaller in terms of size and weight.  Modularity makes it easier.  We have access to better vehicles and transportation options too.

 

A hand truck/cart makes life easier.  Finding a roadie who really digs the band and/or music is even better. 😎