What are your rig/setup priorities?

[The Piano Man]

When gigging, what are your rig requirements/setup priorities?

 

What I mean is:

 

1. what do you need from your rig in terms of sounds/features?

2. what do you require in terms of amplification?

3. what are your setup priorities? That is, is the weight of your rig very important? Are the fewest number of items to carry important? Do you prioritise minimal hookup? Do you have a rack setup? DI boxes? Do you plug into a desk/monitor rig/keyboard amp etc etc

 

Basically, keen to hear what your rig requirements and setup priorities are? 
 

How has this changed over the years?
 

I will chime in with my own but happy to hear from others first.

[JoJoB3]

If it's organ centric, higher profile/fest/etc I haul a Hammond B3/Leslie, perhaps a synth above.
If the music and vibe screams a real rhodes I haul a real rhodes (from sound, accessories above, and look onstage). A rhodes keybd clone is often called upon now as well.

If synth specific and it's sounds are called for I try and bring/use those synths onhand that meet and make it happen.
If society/casual, lower profile I go light as possible and take a stage keyboard, stand, and amp/speaker that can get it done. (Roland VR at insanely light weight, small but useful amp at fair/enough power, stand, and fuel in car to gtfo when done.  Or a controller with a Surface pro and VSTs (even better sounds but still pref hardware).

Yep, horn players, singers, etc got it easy (we screwed up somewhere)

 

We should be able to make even a basic cheap casio sound good. If we can't we look within.

The studio is a different story.

[RABid]

A really good ROMpler that can cover everything and has a keybed that I enjoy playing.

A cheap backup ROMpler, just in case.

A small mixer and EV PA cabinet. 

 

When you hit 60 it becomes a battle of priorities. My fingers still move really fast and I hate cheap, slow keyboards like the MODX+. But those high quality 40+ pound keyboards also become a moving issue. I have a nice case with casters on one end for my Fantom 7ex, but my bedroom studio is upstairs and it is not worth moving that thing up and down the stairs.

[ProfD]

4 hours ago, The Piano Man said:

When gigging, what are your rig requirements/setup priorities?

Rhodes or digital piano (DP) (bottom) and unweighted KB/MIDI controller (top).  Powered PA speaker.  Small mixer.😎

 

[JimboKeys]

Number 1 priority – Ability to change songs near-instantly (as discussed in another thread).  Laptop running Cantabile makes song changes a one-button (or one-footswitch) action to go to the next song on the list.  For my one-man band shows, i make my own setlists (though often go off-list for requests or other reason); tribute band has a fixed setlist; and original prog band (still in rehearsal stage) plays what would be album sides, so i need to be able to switch everything during let’s say a one- or two-bar guitar segue.

 

Number 2 priority – Using as many keyboards as necessary to cover all the parts for a song with no patch changing during the song.  That’s 3 keyboards for the tribute band and original prog band (two 61-key boards + small synth on top); one-man-band show i can get away with one keyboard, with automated mid-song patch changes sent by Cantabile, sync’d to the backing track.

 

Number 3 priority – Weight and quick setup (for one-man-band shows anyway).  Have to balance this with number 2 above.  Tribute band have everything mounted on pedal board (mixer, wireless for headset mic, etc).  One-man-band i’m still struggling with too many separate pieces (running stereo PA etc.)

 

Number 4 priority – Decent feeling keybed.  I’m not a piano player, don’t need weighted action, but want something better feeling than a dime-store keyboard.

 

Low priority – I don’t need the best sounding EP or whatever (though i'm fussy about organ), but it needs to be something i enjoy playing on.

 

-- Jimbo

[aellison62]

#1. PA system I am playing thru must support stereo IEMs and support two stereo keyboards plus vocal

#2. a stable keyboard stand, preferably 2 tier

#3. weighted romper (minimum 73keys, with great piano and strings, passable everything else for bottom board

#4 semi or non weighted 61 key top board with great organ, synth and brass

#5 IPad and mount

[Sean M. H.]

This has changed for me as I've gotten older, busier and started having more financial responsibilities in my personal life.  Things like board size/weight, number of trips during load-in/out, cost of the boards (ie not buying a $4k board to go play $100-200 bar gigs), etc. matter more now than they once did.  Not to say that sound quality is secondary--but's it's certainly not the be-all end-all. Over time, I've gained the perspective that the crowd--spare any fellow musicians that may be there--generally couldn't give two shits whether you're playing a Nord or a Casio, as long as you keep them dancing/entertained!...and since we very rarely run our own sound, there are so many variables in terms of what ends up in my monitors (skill of the engineer, quality of the speaker, mono vs stereo, whether or not I can control my own mix, etc), that even the old "it's not about the audience--great sounds helps me play my best" thing starts to lose validity a bit.

 

Size is important not only because of schlep-factor, but also floorspace!  The smallest band I play with regularly is a 5-piece (my other two bands are even bigger)...and we don't often have the luxury of playing huge stages.  So every inch matters, in terms of what bars, restaurants, etc we can get into.  Right now, my rig is a PC4 (88) below a Fantom-07...but my IDEAL rig would be a weighted  73/76 board (with the wheels above the keys!) and a 61 key semiweighted up top...but since the former is all but non-existent these days, I don't have a reason to get the latter (no point downsizing to 61 up top, if the bottom is still an 88).

 

As far as specific board features...controllers and ergonomics have become increasingly important to me.  I'm not sure how I could even get through gigs without 9 sliders and assignable buttons at this point!  I'd have to totally revamp my entire workflow if I couldn't fade in/out various sounds on the fly the way I do on my PC4 (not to mention using the sliders for organ drawbars as well). 

 

Patch management has also become increasingly important for me over the years.  I'd say 75% of my gigs, we are calling songs on the fly, as we sort of "read the room."  Need to have a page full of sounds ideally 1-button press away.  Both the PC4 and Fantom-0 allow me to do this in various ways.

[The Piano Man]

I need the following:

 

- a piano sound with depth and the ability to cut through the mix (this is usually something that sounds worse in isolation/sometimes a touch harsh but that works well live. Over the years, this has been Technics P30, Alesis Nanopiano, Kurz Triple Strike etc.

- a warm upright bass sound. Over the years this has come from Korg X5dr, Kurz PC2r, Roland XV3080, Kurz PC3a8 and iFretless.

 

I like a lighter weight hammer action and even enjoy a nice semi weighted piano style. I have used Technics P30, Roland FP3, Kurzweil SP76, Roland EP760 and Kurzweil PC3a8.  
 

Weight

 

I have carried heavy pianos over the years but these days, I want something lighter. I still like 88 keys though and have picked up a Korg Liano recently.

 

Amps

 

Despite knowing that high quality stereo monitors are best for piano, I find myself coming back to the convenience of a mono keyboard amp. I like one thing to plug in. I like the immediacy of controls at my fingertips. (That is, not having to get out of my seat!) I like not having to hook up a monitor mixing desk. The options are not great, so I usually end up with a Peavey KB or Roland KC. Have also tried Laney and WEM. 

Hookup

 

I need:

- dual direct XLR to the main desk for stereo piano (provided the desk has switchable phantom power on each channel, so I can turn this off)

- Jack to my keyboard amp for mono piano

- Separate XLR to main desk for my upright bass sound 

- Jack to keyboard amp for my upright bass sound

 

Ideally, my main keyboard would have all the necessary outputs. I don’t know a lightweight board that does this. The Roland RD2000 is too bulky and heavy for my needs. 
 

So, as it is, I have a lot of cables/dongles/DI boxes etc instead, and thus keep the phantom power on! I wish this was more minimal.
 

I should maybe make use of a pedal board or rack or some such solution!

 

[The Real MC]

On 8/3/2024 at 1:13 PM, The Piano Man said:

1. what do you need from your rig in terms of sounds/features?

 

Modularity.  That's the theme I adopted ten years ago.  Wish I had thought of that a long time ago.
Change patches quickly between songs.  My MIDIBoard master controller is ace at this.

 

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2. what do you require in terms of amplification?

 

Modularity again.

 

I have three monitor systems ranging simple/low volume to high volume.  My low volume is my Barbetta 31, which is a great sounding keyboard amp.  My high volume is my Moog Synamp biamped into a pair of Bose 802s and a Peavey 2x15 cabinet for those times I am doubling on bass guitar/left hand bass and keyboards; that system can compete with a guitar player's Marshall 100watt full stack.  In between I can go with a single Bose 802 plus a 2nd 802 for vocal monitor.  My other in between monitor is a QSC 122KW - sounds great and a nice compact integrated amp/speaker system which can function as both keyboard/vocal monitor, but does not project well beyond five feet.

 

Stage monitor is mono; never bothered with stereo.  I only do stereo for patch development at home.

 

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3. what are your setup priorities? That is, is the weight of your rig very important?

 

Heavy gear does not bother me, although I set limits.  I designed all my racks to be reasonable weight.  When I first started out, I chose a big 24 unit rack - chest high - with everything bolted/wired in ready to go when rolled onto the stage, but it proved to be too heavy.  I set limits on weight of each piece to reduce the risk of back problems - that has served me well since 1981.  I consciously ruled out carrying a Hammond B-3 or Yamaha CP-70B as they were too damn heavy and bulky.  The heaviest piece is my MIDIBoard, which I will never give up.  I'm 60 years old and still strong as an ox.

Another essential I wish I had years ago is my Magliner cart.  It converts into a dolly so I can stack gear and minimize the trips between truck and stage.

 

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Are the fewest number of items to carry important?

 

My stage rig is all MIDI, the fewer boards on stage the better.  My stage controllers are MIDIBoard, Hammond XK3, and optional MIDI bass pedal controller (Moog Taurus 2 pedal set retrofitted with MIDI).  I go onstage with only the controllers and the racks stay offstage.

 

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Do you prioritise minimal hookup? Do you have a rack setup? DI boxes?

 

Having given up on the all-in-one-rack-prewired rack system, I went with the modular approach while being conscious of keeping hookup to a minimum.  I used to play different genres so I divided the racks starting with the base rack I would use for every genre.  Base rack contains the mixer, MIDI matrix, drum module, bass synth (Minitaur) - the essentials.  From there I add the rack(s) I need for the genre.  Smallest system starts with my Kurzweil K1200, just for piano gigs like jazz or accompaniment.  Add the rack with Kurzweil 1000PX and 1000AX plus the MIDIBoard for bread-n-butter sounds.  Another rack for Minimoog (Voyager RME), another rack for polysynths (Andromeda or soon-to-be-assembled (2) OB-X8 modules & Trigon-6 module plus rack with my proven "universal analog effects" consisting of Korg SDD-3300 triple digital delay paired with Lexicon PCM-60 digital reverb.  

 

I make my own I/O panels, so when I designed the racks there were some on the bottom some on top. On the bottom racks the panels are mounted at the top; the racks on top of those, the panels are mounted on bottom.  This placed the I/O panels such that with the stacked racks, the I/O panels are very close to each other.  That allowed me to use really short hookups.

 

With the exception of Minitaur and drum module, all of my rack modules use independent effects.  I have no master effects.  There's a lot of stereo signals running to the base rack.  So I standardized on TRS cables for routing stereo signals, which halved the hookup.  MIDI cables and AC cables are short too.  Short hookups makes for easy load in/out.

 

With the stacked racks, they double as a keyboard stand for the really tight venues.

 

The whole package is pretty powerful and has worked very well for the last couple of bands I worked with.

 

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Do you plug into a desk/monitor rig/keyboard amp etc etc

 

I insist on my own stage monitor for keyboards, so my base rack has a separate mixer for monitor.  Stereo FOH outputs are separate from monitor mixer.  Bass synth (Minitaur) is separate FOH send, our soundman prefers that on a separate channel with separate EQ. The only monitor I want back from FOH is vocals and whatever else.  Already discussed the various keyboard monitors at my disposal.
 

 

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How has this changed over the years?

 

I had different systems I built over the years.  I wish I had figured out my current system a long time ago.

 

Yes there are simpler systems today with a laptop or tablet.  I'm old enough that I'm tired of building stuff and tired of learning a new system.  I have a lot of money and experience invested in the system I have, and the components I chose have proven to be very reliable.  Not giving that up.

 

[cphollis]

My #1 priority is to fully enjoy the playing experience, as there's no money to be had

 

For me, that means a simple, powerful, light yet robust setup where I can focus on the music vs. my gear.  I've been a Nord fan for years, so for me it's a NS4C on top with a NP5 73 as weighted midi controller below. 

 

I use no outboard gear or amplification.  All the FX on the NS4 are more than enough, and I use IEMs or headphones to monitor when I'm performing.

 

I stopped using stage amplification a while back.  I don't miss it, I wish more would do it.

 

How has this changed over the years?  I've focused more on the experience vs. moar gear.  I've figured out how to make things sound good in my ears, and play in better bands that have real sound people running FOH.  I thought I'd record a bunch, but I haven't -- I get my thrills from playing live with others.

 

Hope this helps.

[HammondDave]

Easy… weight and ease of setup. Nothing in my rig weighs more than 25lbs, and sets up in 15 minutes.  

[CEB]

I'm pretty much retired from this stuff but I still get out a couple times a month during the summer.  #1 and #2 vary according to situation.  I will play anything from Pop to Polka if people paid me.

 

#1 - Everything totally depends on the gig and how much the gig pays.  I may play 1 board.  I may play 4 boards.  I may use one 3 tier stand or I may setup in an L etc...  I may stand.  I may sit.  I may play a Hammond but I aint carrying it.  What is the genre, what is appropriate, what is the support and what is the pay???  It is what it is. My 88 may be a Kronos or Kurz or a YoMamaHa ... each of these boards have strengths and weaknesses.  

 

#2  Amplification depends on the gig.  Most times before I semi-quit I used no amplification.  Everything was direct and monitored through in ears.  I run a Shure PSM in dual mono mix mode.  There are no keys in my monitor from the desk.  I control the keys in my ears with the monitor bus on my rack mixer.  If the desk feed goes down I still can play if I yank an ear and can hear the FOH.  Now if I play with my local Blues group I just have the keys shot back at me through a monitor wedge.  These are local low paying bar gigs.  If I need amplification I have some EV ZXA1s I can bring. My rack is setup to support speakers and IEMs.

 

#3 is the only category I can really address.

- I hate extraneous doo-dads.  Everything is compressed into the fewest items as possible.  This is not about the fewest trips or least weight.  It actually weighs more this way but it is the way to do it.  The fewer items are the fewer items that get lost.  I used to use a Dr. Q and a Phase 100.  We think they got left in the Lake of the Ozarks.  That is what happens to doo-dads.

 

This speeds setup and tear down tremendously.   Here is a picture from a club gig a fewer years ago.  The only improvement I made since then is all the cable on the floor in front of the rig is gone now.  I was using a hard wired headset for the Vocoder mic.  Now my headset is wireless,  If I sing it goes to a Radial ABo switch that routes the either to the FOH snake or the Kronos.  This makes a nice cough switch as long as The Korg wasn't set to a Vocoder program.

 

Setup goes like this-

1) setup stands

2) throw boards on stands

3) Place pedal case under stand.  Lift the lid and plugs in pedals to the boards.

4) Place Rack beside rig.  Take the keyboard snake and plug the boards into the rack.

5) Plug boards and rack into the UPS.  I have to have an UPS.  Boot time on a Kronos is stupid.

6) Turn everything on and put on IEMs and check stuff.  Remember the IEMs keys send is internal to my rig.    Setup is Done ... I hope.

 

Production guys plug into my rack taking the DI signal.  They also plug my monitor send into the one unlabeled  XLR jack.

 

That is it.   The only extra doo-dad is a tablet running MobileSheets Pro.  Everything else is in the rack.  My mixer, my wireless transceiver, the Vent, the DIs. It is all ready to go.   This is standard practice.  Most keyboard player I know do it like this.  

 

The rig is ordinary as hell but here is an example from a ordinary club gig.

 

[Stokely]

I'm semi-pro (at best), one might say "weekend warrior" but a couple of our members do make a living with band and solo/duo work.  We try to be pro in word and deed

Anyway, with that in mind, I'm not playing big festivals so it would be a bit....overkill...to have a huge rig that takes ages to set up.  Plus, we often don't have a large stage area (or a stage) and we have five members.

Point by point!
 

1. what do you need from your rig in terms of sounds/features?

 

We are a 70s-00s cover band but mostly classic stuff.  I need a decent organ, piano, rhodes and while I could likely get by without a real synth, I'm not willing to.  We have been adding more synthy stuff lately so that "get by" might change to "can't get by" at some point!   So, basically, everything and the moon and stars.
I make it a bit tougher on myself by wanting to do some gigs with one board and some with two, so my main keyboard needs to be able to do everything.  The other one can also do everything, some things not quite as well and some things better, but this provides redundancy in case of a tech issue.

 

2. what do you require in terms of amplification?

 

I have run direct for many years, no amp.  Normally I use IEMs for monitors, or wedges if they are provided.  Typically my keys are just part of my monitor mix.  If I'm not sure what the situation will be, or think the monitors will be iffy,  I will bring a Yamaha DXR10 as an "amp" and use my submixer's monitor out to drive it.   We use our own PA for probably 90% of our gigs so it's a controlled environment and we all use IEMs.

 

 

3. what are your setup priorities? That is, is the weight of your rig very important? Are the fewest number of items to carry important? Do you prioritise minimal hookup? Do you have a rack setup? DI boxes? Do you plug into a desk/monitor rig/keyboard amp etc etc

 

Weight, "within reason".   Bulk is just as important (small stages as I mentioned).  Few items are very important, as I have been known to forget loose items.  I have one big wheeled toolbox that all cables and mic boom, pedalboard etc goes into.  All my keyboard stands I've used have a way to attach a mic boom so I don't have to bring a stand.  last sat was a one-keyboard gig so I brought:   Stand, keyboard, toolbox, fan and rug (if the stage has no carpet, the rug leaves the car!).  I have a backup cable/gear case that normally stays in the car, this lets my stage toolbox have only exactly what I need.   I have snaked up everything I can and the band now uses a drop snake, so it's very easy and tidy to hook up to the PA.  Rack--no intention to ever use one, and no need.  When I need a submixer, it's on my pedalboard (with one keyboard, I just use a passive DI).  My submixer is the key Largo which has DIs in the output.

My hookup currently is:   keys (one keyboard or two via KL) to the drop snake, goes to FOH.   Vocals, same.   My monitor is connected via ethernet as we use a Behringer mixer so I have a Behringer P16m monitor mixer.  With other PAs, I can sometimes still use it (if they have a Behringer with ultranet, otherwise I have other options such as a Rolls P55).  Quite often, another PA means I'll end up on a wedge for simplicity.   Always direct for keys and vocals though.  If I do hook up my powered speaker, I wouldn't normally go in-line, I'd use the Rolls or KL to output an independent monitor feed (I wouldn't want any chance of my monitor volume to affect their gain settings.)

With one keyboard, I can be setup and connected to FOH and able to check my headphone monitors in a few minutes, if I bust ass.    Two takes a bit longer as I have more connections and more physical stuff to do.     If it took me more than 10 minutes or so I'd rethink things.  For our level of gigs I just don't want complexity.

 

 

[Al Quinn]

My top priority is great sounding and great playing AP, EP, and B3. None need to be the absolute best but all need to be excellent and inspiring. After that weight has become a key factor as I age (i.e., I'm 65).

 

Amplification needs to be good enough to provide an inspiring playing experience. I have a pair of RCF TT08A's that are lightweight, powerful, and sound awesome; when pinched for space I use a Motion Sound KP-610S which is a nice sounding stereo amp but heavier than I'd like.

 

I'm happy gigging with my SK Pro 61 and either the CP4 or YC73. When I want to bring only one keyboard the YC73 works well but I usually bring two keyboards because it's more enjoyable.

[ABECK]

No matter how hard I've tried, one thing I've learned is, there is no "one size fits all" rig.  My setups vary based on a number of factors, including stage size, monitor setup, parking, distance from my car to the stage, the time allotted for setup and breakdown, the sound requirements (patches) for the gig, and many others....

 

To echo others, my primary importance for any rig is 1.  Ability to change patches quickly (including having a plan for last minute additions), and 2) The ability to hear myself clearly when playing.  I typically have 3 approaches to monitoring, a) bringing a powered speaker so I can control my own level independent of all else.  b) brining my in-ears and taking a monitor feed from the board.  c) Using only the venue monitors 

[Adan]

Others have said this already, but flexibility is important. I have several possible configurations depending on the style of music, venue, load in logistics, and yes also pay, the latter if only as a psychological thing as I'm able to motivate myself to shlep more for more money. I get a huge amount of nerdy no-one-understands-this-except-me pleasure in figuring out the best rig for each gig.

 

I will try to have a 2-keyboard setup whenever possible: the proverbial organ/synth on top, piano on bottom. Many's the time I've tried to use one keyboard and I don't think it's ever been satisfying.

[BluMunk]

12 hours ago, CEB said:

The rig is ordinary as hell but here is an example from a ordinary club gig.

 

[tangent]I'm curious, it looks like you have just one MIDI jack in your rack... what's that for?[/tangent]

 

I like this solution, and it's the direction I'm headed in as well... it's a little bit about weight (or at least a combination of weight and ergonomics for individual items), but it's become more about having fewer pieces to keep track of and ensure they're working.

 

Most of my gigging is theater work, which is often: 

• All sounds coming from a laptop
• Monitoring might be in-ear, or might be wedges
• Robustness of sound design and operation can vary wildly gig to gig

 

1. what do you need from your rig in terms of sounds/features?

I need to be able to get MIDI into and audio out of a laptop. Single board with 88 keys, with its own piano (priority), epiano, and a basic collection of synth pads, leads, and orchestral sounds and the ability to save programs/combis/etc and step through them sequentially. Aside from a sustain pedal, I need a single foot switch for patch changes, and theoretically an additional expression input but I admit that I haven't really incorporated an expression pedal into my 'regular' setup yet. And, though this is maybe un-sexy, in recent years I've found that proper seating is also an important part of my rig. I used to sit in any folding chair that happened to be around no matter the height, or even perched on top of my PA speaker. No more. I carry a Roc-N-Soc drum throne with me and it's an important part of my rig (unless the house has a piano bench or other appropriate seating).

 

2. what do you require in terms of amplification?

This can vary. Sometimes the gig is all in-ear and all I need are my Shure SE215s and I'm good to go. Other times I need to provide my own monitoring and/or ambient levels for the pit, so I bring a single 10" PA wedge (Yamaha DXR-10) and a Mackie 1202-VLZ3 mixer (overkill on the mixer, but it's the gear I have. Plus, lots of options to solve any surprise mixing/routing needs).

 

3. what are your setup priorities? That is, is the weight of your rig very important? Are the fewest number of items to carry important? Do you prioritise minimal hookup? Do you have a rack setup? DI boxes? Do you plug into a desk/monitor rig/keyboard amp etc etc

Like I said at the top, weight is kind of important, but it's the combination of weight and ergonomics. Keeping trips to and from the car (or up and down stairs in my house and to the orchestra pit) to a minimum cuts down a lot of effort and time for load-in/out. I also might have to set up for a rehearsal in one part of the building and then tear-down and re-set up in the pit, so minimizing complexity allows me to easily re-locate. This is also useful for wedding or event gigs, where I might be set up for the ceremony, but then have to move for cocktail hour.

 

I haven't done 'band' gigs in a long time, but here's a run-down of my theater gig rigs over the last 20 years (consolidating some incremental steps and leaving some failed experiments out):

 

V1:

• Alesis QS7.1
• Roland KC550

V2:

• Alesis QS7.1
• Roland JV1080
• Mackie SRM450

V3:

• Roland RD700-GX
• Roland JV1080
• Yamaha DXR-10

V4:

• Casio PX-5S
• Audiofront MIDI Expression pedal interface
• Laptop (when necessary)
  • Audio Interface (most recently MOTU Ultralite which bricked- gotta find a replacement)
• Yamaha DXR-10 OR Shure in-ears

 

... also hardware includes a keyboard stand (using a Quik-lok Z-stand), Manhasset music stand, a stand for my laptop/audio interface, and seating.

 

I'd like to do something like @CEB shows at some point- put a mixer, in-ear transmitter and audio interface all together in a box with easily accessible ins/outs, and really be able to plug-and-play without having to find surfaces to put each individual item on and without having to crawl around or pick up and rotate items to find the right place to plug cable X into.

 

 

 

[vonnor]

13 hours ago, CEB said:

 

1) setup stands

2) throw boards on stands

3) Place pedal case under stand.  Lift the lid and plugs in pedals to the boards.

4) Place Rack beside rig.  Take the keyboard snake and plug the boards into the rack.

5) Plug boards and rack into the UPS.  I have to have an UPS.  Boot time on a Kronos is stupid.

6) Turn everything on and put on IEMs and check stuff.  Remember the IEMs keys send is internal to my rig.    Setup is Done ... I hope.

 

Production guys plug into my rack taking the DI signal.  They also plug my monitor send into the one unlabeled  XLR jack.

 

That is it.   The only extra doo-dad is a tablet running MobileSheets Pro.  Everything else is in the rack.  My mixer, my wireless transceiver, the Vent, the DIs. It is all ready to go.   This is standard practice.  Most keyboard player I know do it like this.  

 

Ed, I love your setup - modular and in-rack wiring.

 

You forgot step 7: Lay the snappy fedora lightly over the keys.

 

~ vonnor

[vonnor]

I share a couple priorities with @JimboKeys up there.

 

1. Cantabile on a laptop: Big bag-o-midi-magic. Also #1 is a low latency audio interface.

2. Enough keys (currently 73+61=134) to cover the parts ergonomically - see #1 for range mapping/transpose, mid-song patch-changes, etc.

2b. (tied with #2  above) Multitimbral sound sources - I think differently than most live players, consider the control devices separate from the sound sources - even if they're both in the same HW instrument. LOCAL-CONTROL=OFF for both my boards. Everything goes thru Cantabile.

3. Rock-stable stand - hate the bounce/sway

4. Modular setup (like @CEB) with no spaghetti - multi-chan snake with custom length pig tails from every back panel jack on the boards to an internally wired pedalboard - single circular milti-pin twist-lock connector at pedalboard - similar snake with milti-pin connector from pedalboard to internally wired rack.

5. No wall-warts. External power supplies are a non-starter for me - just personal preference.

 

~ vonnor

[CEB]

32 minutes ago, BluMunk said:

 

[tangent]I'm curious, it looks like you have just one MIDI jack in your rack... what's that for?[/tangent]

 

Well… I don’t use the MIDI jack.  When I put this 4 space rack together I took the patch panel off an old 12 space rack that was loaded with some rack synths.  I didn’t need that hole for a jack so I just left the MIDI pass through jack in that spot.  😀

[CEB]

Conner mentioned external power supplies. I don’t like them either but I will live them.  I’ve gigged with FA06 and Gaia.  I mount any external power supplies to the pedal case a long with power distro. ( fancy talk for power strip)

[eric]

When I was touring 15-20 nights a month from the late '80s to late '90s, I found my way to a single keyboard and MIDI rack to be my jam. I've posted before about my various rolling and tilting keyboard stands, so a big part of my performance dating back now 35 years is being mobile on stage, keeping it simple with a single keyboard. Back in the day, that was a Hammond XB-2 for so many years, with a rack stocked with various things like Korg M1R, Roland JV-880, and other things.

 

Fast forward to 2024 and I'm still using a single keyboard, the Nord Stage 3 Compact, with a rack that currently is just my Vent and wireless IEM rig. I picked up a Roland XV-3080 module earlier this year that I'll eventually add to the rig, though I find it very satisfying (and challenging) to wrangle ALL of my sounds out of a single Nord Stage 3. I play regularly with a cover band that requires a lot of different sounds from crazy synths to piano, organ, EP, clav, etc. and I can do all of this easily in the NS3. My original touring band does 3-4 reunion shows each year and the NS3 can cover those bases well - probably 60% organ, some piano and CP80, occasional strings and synths. The other sidebar gigs I do in a Clash tribute and a few other things are well-served by the NS3.

 

As for amplification, I have been 99% wireless IEM since 2011. It is by far the most life changing gear investment ever. I get a perfect stereo mix and my hearing is protected, plus it makes rolling my rig around the stage much easier, not dependent on being near wedges or whatever. On the off chance I get a pickup gig that can't support IEMs (rare), I'll take a couple of QSC K8 or K10 speakers, or sometimes the Motion Sound KP500.

 

I have optimized my rig so that it all fits on a cart (flight cases/briefcases) and can be rolled from my car into the gig with one trip. When I get home, the cart rolls right into my garage gear closet. I keep a second NS3 in a soft bag for rehearsals and back up. All of my cables are custom multi pin snakes, courtesy of the fine engineering work of @vonnor who has worked tirelessly with me since 2016 to craft several different versions of this rig. There's a multi pin snake that travels from my keyboard to my pedal board and then a second one from the pedal board to my offstage rack. It is extremely cool and very easy to use.

 

Here are a couple of photos from the past and present.

 

 

[CEB]

I loved the XB-2! It had balls. 

[eric]

4 minutes ago, CEB said:

I loved the XB-2! It had balls. 

 

Agreed - it was THE STANDARD for people like me in the '90s, not quite able to carry real Hammonds and Leslies on the road...though I did give that a brief whirl. I played my XB-2 through a Dynacord CLS-222 Leslie simulator live and in the studio. It was a very, very respectable sound and playing experience for that era. I had the analog Korg CX-3 for a few years before the XB-2. Later I had the XK-2 and it was a way better waterfall keyboard, though it was eclipsed by other things...I went through almost all of the clonewheels between the '80s - '00s.

[TommyS]

For me... being  primarily a road musician... it's build quality and reliability ....It's gotta work flawlessly every night,,Don't want to be in the middle of anywhere looking for parts. a keyboard tech, authorized service centers...........going from city to city, driving hours upon hours, load in , setting up, playing the gig, teardown , load out, ..... doing this everyday doesnt lend itself  to repairs and replacements....,

[HammondDave]

I basically have two rigs, depending on the band. For my classic rock cover band I have:

 

MODX7+ on a Quiklok aluminum Z stand (wish they still made these)

iPad pro 13” on top of the MODX loaded with Korg Module for my set lists and some sounds, B3x, Moog Model D, and Streetly Tron

2 Alto 10” powered monitors. Two expression pedals and one sustain pedal. 

All this rolls in from my car on a small rock n’ roller cart.  One trip. Sets up in about 10 minutes. 
 

For my Soul/R&B band I add a MOJO 61 on top of a K&M 1880 stand. I find that I prefer the MOJO’s keyboard and sound for that type of music.  This takes me about 15 minutes to set up and an extra trip to the car. 
 

 

 

[NewImprov]

On 8/3/2024 at 10:13 AM, The Piano Man said:

When gigging, what are your rig requirements/setup priorities?

 

Love this topic, I can talk for hours about this, and I know virtually no one is interested 🙂

 

1. what do you need from your rig in terms of sounds/features?

Above all, my goal on the gig is to have as much fun as possible, and to have a rig that is comfortable, familiar, reliable, and inspiring to play. I generally gig with a larger rig than most here, 4 keyboards, including a Rhodes and a dual manual Crumar Mojo, 3 stands, 2 pedalboards, a rack and a laptop. I setup in an L shape, The Rhodes and Arturia controller in front, the Mojo and Sequential Take 5 to my right, and my 4-space rack on a stand, with the MacBook on top to my left. My main band plays 1-2 times a month, if I was gigging every weekend, I'd take a smaller rig, and I do have a rig for smaller gigs, but we kind of avoid those gigs.

 

I take the Rhodes because I love to play it, and, while there are very good emulations available that sound absolutely acceptable, I haven't found any that have the same finger to ear connection that the Rhodes does. I gigged for years with a laptop and controllers, and spent a lot of time refining my Rhodes sound, and I definitely felt that the audience was getting a really believable sound. But it didn't feel like I was playing the real thing. For the music we play, funk/soul/hip-hop/fusion, the rhodes is a big part of the sound. When I started taking the Rhodes to gigs, 5-6 years ago, my gig satisfaction went way up.

 

I put the Rhodes on a stand, because it's a stage, and it is much faster to just set it on a stand than to screw in the legs. I have a pedalboard under the stand, with a few effects for the Rhodes, the Rhodes sustain pedal, and a sustain and expression pedal for the controller. Audio goes to my rack through a 4-channel 1/4" to Ethercon connector box, and Cat5 cable.

 

Clavinet, string synth, lead synth, etc., comes from Mainstage.

 

Like the Rhodes, the Mojo feels like I'm playing a real console, not like I'm listening to a recording of one. There's a pedalboard under the Mojo as well, with controller pedals for it and the T5, and another 4 channel Ethercon box.

 

The Take 5 is probably the least essential piece of my setup, but it's such a fun little synth, and has become my go-to instrument for synth leads and pads.

 

2. what do you require in terms of amplification?

My rack has a Radial KL8 rackmount mixer that also acts as the interface for the MacBook. The main stereo mix goes to front of house, and the monitor mix goes, in mono, to an EV powered monitor, I'd prefer monitoring in stereo, but mono is fine for most of my gigs. My EV has a 2nd XLR input, so if the venue has it available, I'll take a monitor mix. My whole band is debating going to in-ears, our singer already uses them.

 

3. what are your setup priorities?

I knew I'd need the system to set up quickly, despite the size and weight. It takes me about 20 minutes to set up if I have to, but we usually do shows that don't require quick setups. We usually have DJ's as opening acts, and rarely gig with other bands. I'll get a bandmate to help me lift the Rhodes onto the stand, otherwise, I can move everything else myself.

[John Tweed]

1. Most of my gigs these days are organ and piano, occasionally synth pads or solo voices.

2. I invariably take a monitor along unless I am assured that the sound people (if there are any) can provide me with a decent audible sound. For many years I carried a JBL 15” and horn box, then a Behringer KX 3000 but for a while its been a QSC K10. Recently I picked up an Alto TS408 as a smaller, lighter alternative. I’ve got an in-ear setup but never use it due to the nature of most of my gigs being blues or jazz in small rooms.

3. Weight and schlep factor are important as I’m not as young as I’d like to be, and I’m over big complicated rigs. Over the years my main rigs have been a) Hammond L100 and Leslie, then b) Fender-Rhodes with Clavinet and Arp Odyssey, c) DX7 d) Ensoniq KS32, e) Yamaha P120 or Privia PX3 plus Hammond XK3 or SK1, f) Mojo dual manual and nowadays g) Yamaha CP4 and/or CK61 or Legend Soul, occasionally with Leslie.

 

The CK61 (with iPad) and TS408 are recent acquisitions which I intend to use wherever I can get away with it. This rig will be easy for me to move, and for anyone that I might turn to for assistance. For moderately serious piano gigs I’ll use the CP4, and for lhb gigs I’ll use the Soul. My favourite gigs these days tend to be where I can use the Soul, or play a real piano as provided by the venue.

[yannis D]

Portability

 

When I move it, it's always a 61 keys (Nord E 5d) and my Mainstage rig

 

When production pays, let them bring a nice Nord 88, a grand piano, a..a...a...

 

 

[Ibarch]

Lightweight is the absolute number one for me. Physically I'm not able to lift heavy keyboards around without suffering significant pain for days afterwards.  For years I've made do with keyboards under 20KG. Thus missing out on an RD-700 and stuck with an RD-300sx for many years. 

 

Last year I reluctantly parked my 88 note weighted key Fantom 08 in my studio and got a Fantom 07 for gigging. Surprisingly, I've not noticed the difference so much. Our band is very synth heavy with little piano so it is less obvious. I find the adrenaline of a live gig is enough to keep me dwelling on 'only' having  synth keys. I'm happy with this compromise and consider myself fortunate to be able to play live with a great band. 

 

 

Next priority is being able to cover a the synth, organ and other parts in a single board. So a keyboard with good live control, lots of parts and unlimited split points (sorry Nord).