Introductions?

[alby]

Hi guys & gals,

 

My name is Alban. I am 40 years old this year. I have been playing music on and off for the past 25 years of my life. The first 10 was playing classical piano. I was pretty average, did exams and everything but never really did that well. Started learning Jazz when I was about 24, took lessons and did some Jazz workshops. Bought a Roland Juno 106, then updated that a year later with a Roland Alpha Juno 2. A year later bought an Roland HP 3000.

 

Everything started to gel when I began playing with a Trad Jazz band for about 18 months, 3 years ago. Weekly rehearsals and monthly gigs really burn't all those chords into my subconcious.

 

For the past 5 months, have been doing solo jazz piano at a restaurant on Friday nights. Really good for your chops playing for 4 hours at a time. I don't really practise other than my restaurant gig (dont tell the boss!)

 

My 2 cents to any fellow hobby musicians - get a live gig - not for the money or the glamour. It is the best thing to improve your chops - better than lessons, books, practise. Of course the pressure of a live gig will force you to practise, practise. (unless you play at a restaurant where you can practise while the punters are scoffing their food!) Actually if you give it your all, even in a restaurant patorns will respond to your music.

 

I have really enjoyed the conversations on this forum. Lots of great people.

 

Alby

[Guerillatheater]

heya, well to introduce myself and tear away this pathetic facade I'm 19 years old, I've been playing keyboards since I can remember. but I've never had any formal training (which really isn't so good, I'd if you have kids or something that you at least teach them music theory)

 

I learned all my music theory from books and... other musicians (which hasn't been real great, but whatever)

I've been in several bands including a bad 80's (my first decent keyboard was a dx7) cover band which had two female singers and a drummer that never showed. one of those funk/jam bands that seem to be ever so popular with stoned people, it was a great experience to jam for hours and go nowhere much, but it really wasn't my scene so I ditched that. I wasalso in a Nirvana cover band for a while, but we also split on musical differences ( ie they weren't real good) we're still good friends though.

 

well anyway, I'm currently shoveling out electronic music with my dx7 and zr-76, I also have a aardvark 24/96 which is really nice, it has no problems whatsoever.. which is actually kind of bad for aardvark because everyone who has one spends all their time making music instead of complaining about their soundcard

 

well that's about it... I really can't wait for absynth on the pc, from all I've heard of it it's awesome... drool.

and I was wondering about how most people handle keyboards live, I really haven't a clue, but I've been mostly running my keyboard through the house PA or our PA... and it seems to work. though the monitoring situation is a little rough, though I guess that's to be expected in tiny clubs and with no budget.

I've also been doing some interesting things with taking my pc to gigs and playing softsynths... with the right ones my setup has been stable enough to get through the entire show, it's cool and I highly recommend it.

[soapbox]

Steve, Eric, Alban, and Guerillatheater, thanks for sharing. I'm sorry to only be responding now. I must have missed your posts. Thanks for joining us in The Keyboard Corner!

 

I've noticed a few new screen names around here recently, so I decided to bump this thread up to the top and invite those of you who have yet to share in this thread to do so now.

 

tundrkys, analogman, 88 KEYS, Dave Pierce, Hanjaya, SurrealMcCoyJazz, jlsy, and anyone else I may have missed, please tell us a little bit about yourselves!

 

Thanks,

 

Geoff

[soapbox]

Okay folks, I'm giving you another shot.

 

BumP!!!

[eric]

Hello,

 

Eric here. I had not noticed this discussion topic before and came across it while reading the dissertations about Keyboard Mag being shallow. I can't say that I believe it is shallow in the least bit. I may not get value from every single article, but I start salivating for it around about this time every month (mine usually arrives on the 25th or thereabouts). I tear into it immediately and read it all. I have most every issue (missing 3 or 4). I started subscribing in 1985 after buying them piecemeal for a year or two. Then I went back and bought the back issues and have actually purchased a couple of collections over the years. So I also have duplicates, which is great for the dog-eared ones that I read too many times...

 

But that's a whole separate topic. Let me get back to an introduction...

 

I found this site by chance in January 2002, I believe. I have been a regular contributor in a couple of Hammond-centric groups and was happy to find this forum that goes a bit beyond that. I usually browse at least once a day and will chime in when something picques my interest.

 

As for my background, I began playing classical piano at age 8 and was more or less a classical guy until high school. I then happened into a production of Godspell in 10th grade. I played the school's Fender Rhodes and Hammond M3/Leslie 145 combo. This was my first real exposure to rock keyboards and I was hooked. Prior to this, the only real fame I received playing keys was knowing "Fur Elise" and "Linus and Lucy" in the 5th grade (a popular time for Charles Schultz and one of my early idols, Schroeder).

 

During Godspell (c. 1984), I began dating one of the makeup girls who happened to be an aspiring yet amateur keyboard player. She wanted to be Nick Rhodes and her dad bought her a Roland Juno-106 and Cube 40 amp. She used it a little bit, but it was collecting dust for the most part. She let me try it out and this was the first time I had really played a synth. I had this Juno on loan for awhile until I talked my parents into getting me my first synth. I actually agreed to delay getting my driver's license for 1 year in exhange for my first rig: Roland JX-8P, Peavey KB-300 amp, Ultimate A-frame stand. I had friends that drove me around, so the keyboard rig was much more useful to me than driving a car.

 

I started playing in several high school bands, doing a lot of different music. I was in a couple of 80's style bands doing The Cure, U2, INXS, etc. and then a classic rock band doing a lot of 60's stuff like the Doors, Animals, Beatles, etc. This band actually played UVA frat parties when I was a junior in high school. I was hopelessly addicted to playing live rock music by this point.

 

I went to college as a piano student, but then become more involved in the live music scene. I joined a band called Boy O Boy in 1988 and this band took off playing 4-5 nights a week up and down the east coast. Needless to say, I was getting my music fix outside of school, so I switched over to get an English degree with a music minor.

 

Boy O Boy changed names to Fighting Gravity and I was a member until 1997. We recorded 7 independent CDs during my tenure and the band is still in existence touring regionally and recording occasionally. We had a couple of close calls with record deals, but were never in the right place at the right time. We were featured in Rolling Stone magazine, which was cool. We were also on Star Search once (start mocking me, but it was actually a good experience). I have continued to sit in and also record with them since then, as they did not truly replace me on keys (one guy plays on a couple of songs). I decided to leave the band after my wife had twins in 1996. I continued to do it part time but then decided to be a full time family man for a couple of years.

 

After the kids grew up a little bit, I started dabbling back into the music scene on a part-time basis in 1998. Since then, I have become a regular member of a couple of part-time groups and I also sit in with regular touring bands when I can. I have had a day job all along (even when playing 20+ nights a month), so the weekend warrior thing seems easy now. My wife doesn't always dig it, but when we were first married I was pretty much gone all the time. So the fact that I am out several days a week is usually acceptable to her.

 

My current gear (only parts are used for gigs) consists of:

 

Roland RD-600

New Korg CX-3

Clavia Nord Lead 1

Speakeasy Vintage tube Leslie preamp

Roland JV-1010

Roland JX-8P

Hammond A-101 tonewheel organ

Leslie 122

Motion Sound KBRm

Motion Sound KT80

Peavey KB300

Invisible stands (4)

and some other stuff...

 

As for bands that I currently perform with, here are some links:

 

http://www.phatalbert.com

This is a 70's funk band doing mainly general business gigs.

 

http://www.buzbyband.com

This is mainly original jam/groove music in clubs or opening for national artists.

 

http://www.kyledavis.com

Original singer/songwriter that travels with a band (we opened for Dave Matthews 2x last year).

 

http://www.fightinggravity.com

Band I was with from 1988-1997. There are some references to me in the site (see Rolling Stone article) and I played on every recording up through about 2000. I sit in on gigs several times a year.

 

That's it in a nutshell. Hope this was informative. Looking forward to learning lots and hopefully adding some value to these discussion boards. Have a great day and thanks for reading.

 

Regards,

Eric

eslawson@juno.com

[soapbox]

Eric, thanks for answering my request to post! It sounds like you've struck a reasonable balance between gigging and being a family man! Welcome to the forum!

[Groeg]

Hi all,

 

Well, I've finally decided to introduce myself. I've been here since December last year and think that this forum is great. Been getting a lot of great ideas and tips.

 

I grew up in So Cal until 1994 in which I moved to NC for a job writing music and creating sound FX for computer games. While in CA I attended CSUSB as a trumpet performance major for my first two years and switched my major to composition for my last two years. I also took a two year studio recording class during this time. As a music major you have to take a piano class. Well this introduced me to piano so I went out and bought my firtst synth, a Juno 106. The gear bug bit me and within the next few years I had a nice little MIDI studio. I didn't have any money, but at least I could record.

 

I did the typical play in bands and stuff trying to get better at piano. One band I was in was a Christian band that traveled CA. We recorded a few CD's and played about 2-3 weekends a month. It was during this time when I met Christian artist Cheri Keaggy (neice by marraige to guitarist Phil Keaggy)and ended up playing keys for her.

 

In 1994 I had the opportunity for a job in the computer game development feild so I jumped at it. I did that until last year and have worked on 16 released titles. When I first moved to NC I joined a country rock band called Electric Possum. We had minimul success as opening acts for Jerry Lee lewis, George Jones, Charlie Daniels, Confederate Railroad, Jeff Healy and others. We had some label interest but as with a lot of bands we all couldn't get along and the band broke up in 1997. Since then I've been buying gear and recording every chance I get.

 

Some gear includes :

PC 88

D-50

JV-1080 with orchestral card

U220

Juno 106 & Juno 2

S330 Sampler

TL Audio C1 pre/comp

AKG C414 Mic

Lexicon MPX1

2 MIDI Verb2's

Tascam DA30 Mk2 DAT

Mackie 1604VLZ

Roland M160 Line mixer

Aphex Aural Exciter

Yamaha NS10M's

and other stuff I can't remember right now.

 

Software I use is Sonar 2 and Sound Forge mainly. I also use Pro Tools LE, Vegas Video, Acid Pro, and Finale.

 

I work as an audio post guy for a video/film production company now. I score music to video projects as well as record/edit voice-overs and create sound effects. I also work at the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena (ESA) as an audio mixer for the Carolina Hurricanes, Carolina Cobras (Arena footbal), NC State basketball, and anything else that comes to the arena. Ever since I moved to NC things have just opened up for me. I think it was working full time in music that did it for me. It was hard to have a full time job and try to do music on the side. So if you are serious about your music, do anything you can to do it. It still keeps me focused on what I want to do. Don't know if I could do it if I had a regular 9-5 job outside music.

 

Thanks for reading all this and I hope I can add to this forum. It's a fun place to be.

 

Chris (Groeg)

[soapbox]

Chris, thanks for posting and a belated welcome to The Keyboard Corner!

 

Like you, I switched my major to composition midway through college (I began as a jazz major). I also played trumpet for a few years during elementary school, but I gave it up because it was painful to play after I got braces. I switched to drums in 7th grade. These were just second instruments to me though, because I began piano lessons when I was six.

 

Anyway, enough about me. I already wrote about myself a few pages back.

 

Who's next?

[ers]

Hi

 

I would like to introduce myself. I started playing keyboards about 15 years ago when sequencing was in its infancy. I got very hooked and took a Masters Degree in Music Tech at NYU about nine years ago. At that time I was programming reaktor style instruments on a specially designed card for the (now obsolete) NeXT computer from a research institution in France called IRCAM.

 

I left university and gave up most of my music passtime except for writing the theme tunes for some Sega Genesis and SNES video games.

 

About a year ago I took up programming again and formed Code Audio - a music software company. (Our first product BeatBurner has been introduced to this forum by Chris - one of our beta testers - in a very unprofessional way.)

 

I was convinced by fellow developers to go to the Frankfurt MusikMesse which is really something to see... It is HUGE. There I met a bunch of interesting people.

 

I recently posted a question about IRC Chat - which received no response. A number of the independent music software developers chat online extensively and if you have any good ideas I am sure they would be glad to hear from you.

 

A lot of them can be found on the kvr chat channel (http://www.kvr-vst.com) including FXpansion (DR008 and VST DX converter) and rgcAudio (Triangle and Pentagon VSTi's) and of course myself...

 

If you need a hand in getting into the IRC Chat scene let me know - or if you would like to get into contact with any of the plugin developers drop me a line and I will see what I can do.

 

ers

[soapbox]

ers, welcome to The Keyboard Corner. It's a small world: I was one of the writers of the music for Sega's game, "Sonic the Hedgehog 3."

 

It's true that Chris got off on a bad foot, but he turned things around well. I hope that both of you will hang around and participate in this fun forum of ours.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[progfusion74]

Oh Boy, I feel really weird introducing myself here. At least one person knows me (Hi Squids!!!)

 

In the daytime (and a lot of the night too), I am a research scientist/scientific programmer at a small San Diego biotech. In my freetime I am a 100% amateur keyboardist/computer-music guy. About 6 months ago, I started fulfilling a lifelong dream of setting up a home studio. Thanks to soft synths like Squids' SonicSynth, I have a passable studio now (good software, terrible hardware) where I am now trying to master the craft of composition, arranging and mixing.

 

Passable keyboard player. Taught myself harmonium when I was a kid (yep, from India here) and years later taught myself how to play chords. Have about 1 months worth of formal jazz piano training and am finally getting back to teaching myself theory and jazz piano. If I can fulfil even a third of my musical dreams, I can die a happy man. One dream where I have great hopes is mixing. In past, some of the most fun I had was being in charge of a mixing console of stage productions in college. Now if only I could get a drum mix to sound right

 

My musical styles (still trying to identify "my" voice) include Pink Floyd/Marillion-style prog rock, some Steely Dan style Jazz-Rock and in recent weeks I have been exposed to Bill Laswell's projects, leading to an interest in Indian-oriented D 'n B.

 

As I said my hardware is nothing to write home about, but on the software side I use

 

Host - Cubase 5.1 (sometimes Orion Pro)

Wave Editing/Mastering - Cooledit2000 w. Studio Plug-in

Soft Synths (in rough order of usage)

LinPlug RM III

SonicSynth

LinPlug daOrgan

 

and much less use

Speedsoft VSampler 2.75

Triangle I and II

JX16

Cheezemachine

 

Cheers

 

prog

[soapbox]

progfusion74, great handle! You'll find a number of progressive rock fans (including myself) here at The Keyboard Corner. We've got everyone from beginner to pro levels as well, so it's a diverse community. I'm glad to see that you're honoring your dream of building a home studio. Good luck and welcome aboard!

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[progfusion74]

Hi Geoff,

 

Thank you very much. Been around for a few weeks and have already picked up a few tips from here.

 

.. and it is always good to find prog fans ... not an easy task these days

 

Cheers

 

prog

[steinwaym]

I thought that I posted on this awhile ago, but I guess that I didn't. I really enjoy this forum, although I post only rarely. I am really into performing live, but I am not as knowledgable in the programming and recording side, but this forum has peaked my interest.

About me: I spent 9 years in various Army Bands in places like Virginia, Japan, and Washington D.C. and am currently in the Air Force. I have found the gigs an excellent opportunity to live in different places and to play with many different players. Outside of the military I freelance pretty extensively in many varied groups, from old time swing groups to country to and funk band with horns.

My gear: Although I play much more expensive stuff in the military, I have 2 kids and a wife to support, so purchasing the latest and most expensive gear is not currently on my agenda. I own:

1. Kurzweil Sp76(bad luck with the reliability of other weighted action synths, so I purchased this)

2. Yamaha S03 (I really dig the electric pianos)

3. Voce Micro B organ module (love a V5, but oh well)

4. Hughes and Kettner Tube Rotosphere

5. Barbetta Sona 41C keyboard amp

6. Yamaha Mu50 module.

For somebody like me who does some simple tweaking of the sounds and goes out and performs, I have found this relatively inexpensive equipment to be very effective, but by the same token, I don't have as much flexibility that I would like. But I really don't think that I would get all that many more gigs if I purchased the top of the line stuff, as I have found that if your sounds are acceptable, it is more important how you play. Having said all of that, you wonder I often wonder if the "you have to spend money to make money" adage would apply to my situation.

I would just like to say thanks for all of the interesting posts that you all put on these boards!!!

[soapbox]

steinwaym, thanks for posting; and thanks for your service to our country. With your military gigs and freelance bands, a wife, and two kids, it sounds like you have a full life!

 

I also agree that playing is more important than programming for most users, yet we seem to have a lot more discussions about sounds than we do about technique. Perhaps you'll steer us more in that direction with a thread of your own sometime?

 

Welcome again to the forum steinwaym.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Dave Pierce]

OK, I'm long overdue for posting this.

 

My name is Dave Pierce, I'm 36 and live in San Jose, California, which is in the San Francisco Bay Area for those of you who are not from the western US. I have career in high-tech management. (Network and systems operations for those of you in the industry.) I've been married to my lovely wife Audrey for 13 years; 0 kids, 1 dog, 3 cats.

 

My mom started teaching me how to pick out basic piano chords and melodies when I was 3. She also bought me a ukelele shortly after that, since the guitar neck was too big for my little hands, and starting teaching me chords and such. At 8 or 9 I got a trumpet and joined the school band, and I played trumpet all the way through high school.

 

I took piano lessons on and off throughout my childhood, but often had to stop for a while and/or change teachers, because we didn't always have the money and we also moved around a bit. I didn't take the piano lessons very seriously, which I regret today because my play is really only "good enough for rock 'n roll", I don't have the finger chops to attempt jazz or classical.

 

As a teenager though something did catch my interest -- the organs at church! When I was 18'ish my mom was playing piano for a small church that had a rock-style church band with piano, drums, guitar, bass, trumpet and sax. The sax player was an 60-something cigar-smoking ex-session player from the jazz world. His playing made it obvious that his stories were true, and I idolized that man. When my mom asked me to come play organ there I vassilated a bit, being a rebellious 18-year-old partyer who was usually hung over Sunday mornings, but that sax man said in his quiet gravelley voice, "You know -- that church organ has a Leslie -- sounds really sweet"...and the rest was history.

 

I also started a rock band around that time, and I played in bands until I was 25. Two of them played out regularly -- one was a cover band playing pop/rock tunes (this was the 80's), and one was an all-original hard rock band. Unfortunately, during that 7 or 8 year time period, I also became increasingly plagued by drug abuse and alcoholism. On August 20, 1990, I took my last drink and my last drug. The story around that is better suited for a different forum, but suffice it to say that it was a major lifestyle change for me. And, for reasons that are still not entirely clear to me, I also stopped playing music. Now, I don't want to make it sound like the next 12 years were wasted -- I learned how to live clean, developed a healthy and happy partnership with my wife, and built up a very rewarding career.

 

But at a New Year's Eve party last year (well I guess it ended this year ), I sat at the table with the leader of the Jaywalkers, a local 50s and 60s cover band. Jay asked me to come rehearse with them one day, and a couple of weeks later I did.

 

OH MAN!!!

 

I had completely forgotten how cool it was to play with other musicians, and driving home from that rehearsal I promised myself that I wouldn't forget ever again! I played my first Jaywalkers gig a in March, and this only renewed my sense of wonder. Playing with other musicians, in front of a crowd, is an order of magnitude better.

 

The lead guitarist of the Jaywalkers is a guy about my age named Bob. Bob and I decided we wanted to play out more often than the Jaywalkers did, and after confirming with them that they were playing out as often as they wanted too, we started going to jam nights looking for more players. That's taken us a little while, but last Sunday, after many auditions, etc, we added the last pieces and we now have a five piece band with a female vocalist. We're going to do "classic rock" covers with a leaning towards the blues and southern rock.

 

So, gear list. Well, it's much smaller than I would like, but here goes:

 

Korg CX-3

Yamaha DX-27

Yamaha PSR-520

Motion Sound Pro3

Crate KX-300

 

In August I'm hoping to have a small financial windfall, and replace the PSR-520 with either an S80 or a PC2X. If the windfall is big enough I'll also replace the two amps with a single Motion Sound Combo unit, not sure which one yet.

 

Despite my high-tech background, and a very high level of computer literacy, I am not doing any computer-based music right now. I'm thinking about it though. Especially recording and mixing -- since I own no recording gear and my bandmates own very little, I need to investigate whether I can obtain what's needed for a basic demo in software cheaper than hardware.

 

But that's a topic for another post.

 

Nice meeting you all......

 

--Dave

[soapbox]

Dave, thanks for posting and for sharing. I'm glad that you found your way back to music. I played the clubs part-time during college (1976-1980) and full-time from 1980 to 1992, and sometimes I miss performing too (I now do studio work).

 

Be sure to let us know if the Jaywalkers perform down in LA.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[soapbox]

A lot of newbies have arrived in the five months since this thread was last on page one.

 

So, in the words of our esteemed moderator:

 

Originally posted by Dave Bryce:

please...step on up to the mic and introduce yourself!

... And if you're an established long-term member and you haven't posted here ... well ...

 

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?

[bitdump]

Well I just moved to Italy from the USA this year, my Italian is not good thus I've become a bit of a newsgroup hound as I still pretty much only speak geek in english still.

 

I guess my goofy web site that sees no traffic covers the introduction.

 

my page

 

You can find a gear list there and some other junk and personal information. You will also help my hit counter go up for once.

[soapbox]

Hey DJDM, I did read this the first time around; but thanks for posting it here too!

 

Congratulations on your soft synth success. I know a number of people who have gone this way, yet I still haven't gotten around to installing the several soft synths I bought in 2001!

 

Please keep us posted with soft synth tips, tricks, and updates.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[soapbox]

Hey bitdump, your site is a great introduction! Thanks for the link. Stravinsky was an early influence for me as well.

 

A few years ago, my wife and I studied Italian for a month. It's a beautiful language. Molto bene! We also almost moved to your birthplace of NYC last year, but we wound up staying in LA.

 

As you may or may not know, we have two Kurzweil members who frequent this forum. Perhaps you know them from your time at Young Chang? They are Mike Martin and Geosync (George Hamilton). Our moderator, Dave Bryce, once worked for Kurzweil as well.

 

Welcome aboard Jeffrey. I hope you enjoy your time here.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

 

-

 

So who's next?

[bitdump]

Hey thanks, someone accually read that stuff!

 

While I have never accually met either, I have interaction with both Mike and George before I left the Kurzweil.

 

I don't know much about Dave or that de moderator bees a fo'mer kurz dude.

 

I also don't know why I wrote that so getto.

 

later

[D_dup3]

FWIW, I'm an older musician (well, not that old---mid-40s); a guitarist w/skills on keyboards, as well as other instruments & (older) computer/tech methods (I had a Yamaha CX5M!).

Although I no linger make my living performing, I've experience playing a wide variety of types of music & in various situations from solo to 10+ ensembles. I've some school-training but (as my posts show) I firmly believe that self-actualization is better than following instruction alone.

I've composed songs & other forms since I was a teen & continue to do so.

My musical tastes are too varied to really cite a list of favorites but familiarity with all forms of R&B, gamelan & Beefheart may give an idea of my interests.

[DJDM]

Originally posted by soapbox:

Hey DJDM, I did read this the first time around; but thanks for posting it here too!

 

Congratulations on your soft synth success. I know a number of people who have gone this way, yet I still haven't gotten around to installing the several soft synths I bought in 2001!

 

Please keep us posted with soft synth tips, tricks, and updates.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

Thanks Geoff!

I tend to answer any questions I can about Softs and will continue to do so as the come up!

On the whole I get scooped a lot by this community on updates but I will be vigilant in that area as well if possible.

As for your personal adoption of the technology? There ain't nothin to it but to do it! What do you have that you are debating over installing?

Thanks again,

- DJDM

[Markyboard]

Well here goes. I guess I'm a 42 year old keyboard recluse that loves toys. I grew up on classical piano with my dad teaching me from about age 4 to 16. Classical was all I did until late high school when I started playing Elton John, Billy Joel type songs at friends homes and parties (cant sing for $%^&). Went to college and got my EE. Learned to party(Thanks Rich and Pete) and got totally into 60's 70s rock (Doors being the big one)Couldn't stand engineering and struggled through thinking I would hit it big in music.

First keyboard was a Yamaha CP30 I bought working 2 technician jobs over the summer before my last year of school. Lasted in an all Doors band for about a week (played 2 songs at a real bar gigue before being kicked out - they didnt like the college nerd thing).

Moved to LA in 82 working for Hughes Aircraft Co. Was saving up for the Korg BX3 an changed my mind when I saw the Memorymoog. Parents turned me down for a loan and saved some more and bought one. Joined top 40 band with eventual room mates and some co-workers from Hughes. Got tired of that and started doing solo giging and recording at times with female lead singer doing all my own material. Interviewed with Sequential Circuits after a couple of years at Hughes and was turned down. Hated the club scene and was on my way to the recluse I am today - buying new toys and enjoying creating sounds, writing song, producing cassette demos and playing. Love programming synths, refuse to use other peoples patches in my own songs(except for drums), hate sample playback/romplers, loops and generally closed minded.

 

Moving along, got married - (12 years- I got it good), have 2 beautiful kids ( 7 and 9), moved to VA, and spent the last 5 years teaching my son piano. I gave up on my daughter after 1 year and am about to give up teaching my son as he hates every aspect of it and I am the worst person in the world to teach him (over demanding, frustrated, impatient - me, not him - sound familiar anyone?).

I've used this in part as my excuse for not creating any new music in years, projects or playing out etc. It does take so much energy to teach and when you want it so bad for your child it totally zaps your energy.

Anyway I continue- 20 years now to work at Boeing (which bought Hughes a couple of years ago) and I did become a pretty good engineer. I cant stand presenting though (sounds like my music) and I continue to buy great toys (pride myself on getting the best price - yeah I know the arguments). BTW I love F@#$ing with car sales peolpes and telephone solicitors and love to be a smart ass. Its all for entertainment though - mostly mine so dont take me too serious on these threads). Recently purchased the Andromeda and as of yesterday ordered a Walnut Voyager ( I think I have inputs on other threads calling people crazy for spending big $ on this mono synth - played one last weekend and had to have one.

 

Other equipment includes 2 FS1Rs, Z1, EIV, CX3, CP-80, Logic Audio 5.3, RME Hammerfall/ADI-8DS , Sounddiver, MC-3000, Mini/Memorymoog+ and Mackie 32X8/ Gen 1031. Hopefully when I get past this piano lesson issue I'll produce some music to download on the web or on the keyaboard Corner CD (I can dream).

 

Oh yeah - love this site as well as Keyboard Magazine and think most people on it are awesome. Especially the music being downloaded. Thanks. Life is good.

[soapbox]

d and Markyboard, thanks for sharing. It's nice to be reintroduced to you both in this way after having interacted with you both online. At 43, I'm close to you both in age. Like you d, I have a formal education in music and yet also value self-actualization. Like you Markyboard, I've been married for 12 years to a wonderful woman (no kids though); and I've spent a good chunk of my life living in LA.

 

Originally posted by DJDM:

As for your personal adoption of the technology? There ain't nothin to it but to do it! What do you have that you are debating over installing?

DJDM, I'm embarrassed to admit that I've got HALion, Reaktor, Battery, Absynth, and OASYS all sitting in boxes waiting to be installed! Actually, I've installed the OASYS hardware, just not the software.

 

What's holding me back? Mostly it's that I have a stable and functioning studio system without them. I do plan to install them, but probably one at a time. That way, if problems arise, I'll know what caused them.

 

I should also mention that I use Pro Tools, Digital Performer, Logic Audio, and Cubase VST (on a Mac). I presume that this will make setting up soft synths four times as difficult as it would be otherwise.

 

Reading your positive report of working with soft synths reminds me that I really should start this adoption process, so thanks for your feedback and enthusiasm!

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Analogaddict]

Alright, here goes... I´m a 25-year-old guy from Stockholm, Sweden. I try to keep myself busy, and I´m a big fan of most kinds of music. Realising I WILL forget somebody important, I´ll try to list some of my current musical favorites: Donny Hathaway, Joni Mitchell, Joe Zawinul, Elis Regina, Jimi Hendrix, Emmylou Harris, Elton John, Lyle Mays, Foo Fighters, Al Green, John Coltrane, Brian Eno, Ivan Lins, Janet Jackson, D´angelo, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Wayne Shorter, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Faces, Stones, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bruce Hornsby, Jon Hassell, Larry Young, Bill Frisell... ah, the list just goes on... I could do this all day.

My musical career started the way it does for many kids in Sweden; with the occarina in third grade. The occarinas are loaners, so you´re actually supposed to return them. I was not allowed to, since "my" occarina had bite marks... As a kid, I was really into Prince and Stevie Wonder, but it was after hearing Elton John´s "Tiny Dancer" that I started playing the piano by ear. This was at age fifteen, in eight grade. I did not take any formal lessons until I was 21, so I guess i´m kind of self-taught. In ninth grade I was asked whether I wanted to join the school band, since I claimed I could play the piano. This became my first band, with a setup of piano, bass, guitar, drums and a vocalist. At this point, I also started learning music harmony by borrowing the guitar player´s home assignment. At this time, I was introduced to four albums that would change my life; the Pat Metheny Group´s white album, Chick Corea´s "Return to forever", Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays´"As Falls Whichita, So Falls, Whichita Falls" and Keith Jarret´s "Köln Concert". I learned to whistle almost everything on those albums, and doing that was a real workout for my ears. After high school and the compulsory military stint I studied music full time for two years, and got increasingly obsessed with music. I was getting a lot of connections, and suddenly I was making money from playing music. Unfortunately I damaged my ears in the military, leading to constant ringing in both ears (luckily, the frequencies shift so that there is no constant pitch!), and lately I´ve been rearranging my career plans. Now I´m studying full time at the university, currently writing an essay on film music. I´ve also been returning to my soul roots; when I heard D´angelo´s "Voodoo", I realised I have to do it right. You can´t fake the funk, or your nose will grow! Musically, I play with two gospel choirs, a house band, a rock band, a heavy Texas blues band, a free-form electronic duo project, a Moroccan Raï band and lots more I can´t come to think of right now. Except for the freelance work I am steady in thirteen or fourteen bands. I´ve also worked with cabarets, written film music and done a couple of other things. As you may have understood, I´m not the greatest student of all times... As for the paraphernelia department, my rig consists of the following; (Please bear in mind that I´m not associated with any company. I buy and use whatever I want.)

 

Rhodes mark II 1980, which I run through a 1978 Small Stone Phaser and a Hughes & Kettner tubesphere. I also have a Moogerfooger lowpass filter, a Vox wah-wah and an old Ibanez flanger.

Weinbach upright acoustic piano from the late 70´s

Oberheim OB-Xa

Roland A-50 midi master keyboard

Nord Electro 61

Nord Electro Rack

Nord Lead 3 (bought it 2 days ago!!!)

Korg Triton rack

Mac G4 w. DIGI 001 interface and Pro Tools LE

 

I plan on expanding my rig with an old school organ (think Neil Young!), a Line6 delay modeller pro, and an Alesis Andromeda. I wish I also could afford a SidStation, a Kaoss pad, a Motion Sound leslie setup, a couple of good mics and a Wurlitzer...

 

I´m looking forward to many good threads; I´ve learned a lot and saved huge amounts of time by using this forum. If you need anything in Stockholm, be sure to let me know!

 

/J nas

[Dave Pierce]

Originally posted by Analogaddict:

Rhodes mark II 1980, which I run through a 1978 Small Stone Phaser [snip]

Welcome, AnalogAddict! Wow, a Small Stone Phaser. Brings back memories! Nice rig you've got, and a busy schedule too. How in the world do you handle schedule with 15 projects?

 

--Dave

[Analogaddict]

Originally posted by Dave Pierce:

How in the world do you handle schedule with 15 projects?

 

--Dave

Well, not as well as I´d like to! Luckily, I´ve been able to patch it all together so far. All the bands do not work all the time, but I do work a 7-day week. Right now, I´m on my way to a slick cocktail gig at www.grythyttan.com... see you after the weekend!

 

/J

[Griffinator]

Hi.

 

My name is Scott "Griff" Griffin.

 

I'm 29 years old. I've been a musician and a songwriter for longer than I can remember (damn that Mary Jane ) Seriously - I started on piano at age 4, picked up a guitar at age 17, and have been doing bands and solo projects ever since. I don't claim to be anything special vocally or instrumentally, but I pride myself in my songwriting and arranging skills. I currently operate under two project names - one is sequenced abstract electronica - Rhino Horn - and the other is a progressive rock/metal thing - mas Griffin. Rhino Horn has completed one album and is in process on a second, while mas Griffin is still plodding along on its first.

 

My styles and tastes are spread wide, but I'm often accused of being a musical elitist because I cannot stand "comfortable" music - I need to hear someone pushing the envelope - regardless of how they do it.

 

On a professional level, I'm a struggling mastering engineer (local bands don't even know what mastering is, never mind why they need it) so I'm also a retail salesman and hating it.

 

I have a beautiful wife and a wonderful 4-year-old son whom I swear has enriched plutonium in his veins - the kid is wide open 16 hours a day, 7 days a week - he only stops when he sleeps.

 

Anyway, that's me in a nutshell. Good to be here - I'm really happy I stumbled over this place back whenever it was I signed up...