Saint Johnny B Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 I've been wanting to put this up for a while. Here's what you do, share all your ideas, goofy or not, for new keyboards. Here's an example: An 88-key keyboard built-in to a motorized mixer surface contoller. It would have preamps and di's so you could plug in your computer, mics, and guitars and go to work. It would have 4 or more screens to look at different things like eq, comps, effects and tracks. In the same vein, it's always a bitch to get the stage monitor mix right for all the players, esp with wedges, but what if you could plug the mics into an 88 key keyboard and give every player the exact same in-ear monitor mix they wanted everytime you hit a stage. One guy wants a little more verb on the chorus of XYZ song, no problem; the drummer wants more bass than anyone else, no problem; the keyboard guy wants less gutar, more kick and more of his own vocal, no problem. You could have some presets or scenes and even those cool motorized faders built in. Then you'd have another out, say a different or uneffected mix output to the FOH guy. So it would have a lot of different mixes available. And who better to do this than a keyboard person. A keyboard that does a great job with in-ear stage monitor mixes. But feel free to slam any ideas or just come up with oddball ones or cool ideas of your own. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botch. Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 For awhile they were advertising these tablets that had rotary pots with signal from each guy in the band, then each member had his own tablet. He could then dial in his own sound as he wished, that would be even better. Haven't seen their ads lately, though, maybe the idea was ahead of its time. Botch "Eccentric language often is symptomatic of peculiar thinking" - George Will www.puddlestone.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Johnny B Posted January 28, 2004 Author Share Posted January 28, 2004 yeah, but I bet that gadget did not have motorized faders, screens and all the other cool stuff you need to make this a truly pro unit fit for gigging and recording. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BP3 Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 How about Kurz re-release the Expression Mate! It'll pretty much fill in the holes that many keyboard are deficient in controlwise, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucasdopandeiro Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 so the keyboard player would be working as a musician and monitor guy? if the money doubles too! lucas reis rio de janeiro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Johnny B Posted January 28, 2004 Author Share Posted January 28, 2004 yeah, you never know. C'mon folks post some ideas for new keyboards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salyphus Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 Did you see this controller which debuted at NAMM? http://www.hakenaudio.com/Continuum/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Lozada Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 Actually, Johnny, all that is possible with the OPEN LABS NeCKO, if you run LIVE or any similar application. It does NOT have motorized faders, but that's the only thing missing. It can have mic preamps, a HUGHE touch-screen, multiple outputs and all the software goodies you want to load in. BTW I do basically the same, when I combine a little OZONE (1 mic pre, 1 guitar input, 1 stereio input) and send everything to LIVE and then to the outputs. For a bigger I/O thing, adding a bigger interface does the trick. basically, the answer remains the same: check out the NecKo keyboard. It rocks and it's OS is pretty stable. Músico, Productor, Ingeniero, Tecnólogo Senior Product Manager, América Latina y Caribe - PreSonus at Fender Musical Instruments Company Instagram: guslozada Facebook: Lozada - Música y Tecnología www.guslozada.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RudyS Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 Originally posted by SaloWig: Did you see this controller which debuted at NAMM? http://www.hakenaudio.com/Continuum/ seems a neat thing, but c'mon, US$5290.00 for a midi controller??? Rudy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Johnny B Posted January 28, 2004 Author Share Posted January 28, 2004 Think in terms of a D5Live console with a buit-in keyboard, or a Mackie d8b or dXb with an 88 keyboard buit in. This would be aimed at the studio market. For, live stage gigs, it would have smaller screens and so on built-in. Say 4 or 5 PDA size screens. It would have the flying faders and all kinds of ins and outs. Roland, Apple, Yamaha, or others could make something like this. Feel free to add your ideas for the coolest keyboard that could ever be made. What features would you like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DafDuc Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 32 notes on the pedalboard - full size slat-style peds - fully AGO compliant. A boy can dream, can't he??? Daf I played in an 8 piece horn band. We would often get bored. So...three words: "Tower of Polka." - Calumet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabbe Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 I'd like to see some more musical instruments. Or at least musical sounds for synths. Why is it that I most often use the piano/rhodes/clav/hammond etc. patches on my Motif? Those are just damn good sounding and expressive things, even sampled. Why don't they make more responsive and unique instruments anymore? Also, more control would be nice. And expressive control. All those knobs etc. are too often too hard to use the way I'd like to, the response just ain't right for real musical expression. The specs are fine now with the new workstations etc. Please, just concentrate on making musical instruments rather than try to make computers. And that idea of a monitor mixer in a keyboard.. why not have a guitar with a lighting dimmer? Or drums with a coffee machine. It's better to have a separate mixer, didn't you know? But I'd really like to see my Motif making a cup of coffee for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Fiala Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 How about a keyboard where you chould change the "feel" of the action on demand? Tom F. "It is what it is." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabbe Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 Originally posted by Tom Fiala: How about a keyboard where you chould change the "feel" of the action on demand?From weighted piano action to synth to waterfall... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coyote Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 What I'd like is a module dedicated to grand piano, Rhodes/Wurly, and Clavinet. Do those things extraordinarily well for a reasonable price and it would be better than all these "kitchen sink" devices. Take the old Alesis NanoPiano, for instance. It should never have had organ or synth or bass sounds on it. Just imagine that little thing, with all its memory devoted to a few great sounds instead of distributed among a bunch of mediocre sounds.... Originally posted by Jabbe: I'd like to see some more musical instruments. Or at least musical sounds for synths. Why is it that I most often use the piano/rhodes/clav/hammond etc. patches on my Motif? Those are just damn good sounding and expressive things, even sampled. I used to think I was Libertarian. Until I saw their platform; now I know I'm no more Libertarian than I am RepubliCrat or neoCON or Liberal or Socialist. This ain't no track meet; this is football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdman Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 Originally posted by Jabbe: Originally posted by Tom Fiala: How about a keyboard where you chould change the "feel" of the action on demand?From weighted piano action to synth to waterfall... That you can pick up and carry in one hand (88 note of course) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Fiala Posted January 30, 2004 Share Posted January 30, 2004 Well, I never claimed it was a realistic idea!!! We'd probably have to bend a few laws of physics to make the "Variable Weighted Keyboard" work. Tom F. "It is what it is." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted January 30, 2004 Share Posted January 30, 2004 Originally posted by Tom Fiala: How about a keyboard where you chould change the "feel" of the action on demand?I remember one controller from the eighties, which could change the heaviness of the action with an user-controllable device. It was 88-key weighted and rather bulky. I can't remember the make unfortunately, I think this was their only product, and they disappeared in a short time. As for my wishes, sorry Cornerers, I'm going to say it *again*! A 73-key, fully weighted master keyboard with aftertouch, wheels (on top), zones, MIDI ins and outs, maybe a ribbon controller and a breath controller input. Lighter than 33 lbs. Thanks Also: A piano module, with a few variations on some Giga-style multisample (lots of memory). Better yet, an Ivory rack... Then, if somebody would put those multi-giga piano samples inside that 73-key master, I would buy it *right now*, whatever the price! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MurMan Posted January 30, 2004 Share Posted January 30, 2004 Originally posted by Jabbe: ... why not have a guitar with a lighting dimmer? My dream is a keyboard with a guitar dimmer. Casio PX-5S, Korg Kronos 61, Omnisphere 2, Ableton Live, LaunchKey 25, 2M cables Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmplifierExperts Posted January 30, 2004 Share Posted January 30, 2004 Originally posted by lucasdopandeiro: so the keyboard player would be working as a musician and monitor guy? if the money doubles too!I have the ExpressionMate--wonderful tool, all too often under-utilized. At the minimum, it makes a hi resolution controller for nuances that are hard to get with smaller controllers. Oh and as for the topic, how 'bout a keyboard with a Theramin built in? Best Regards, Mark A. Weiss, P.E. www.ampexperts.com - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeep Posted January 30, 2004 Share Posted January 30, 2004 http://www.scientificpsychic.com/graphics/organ.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dasher Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 For years I've been wanting a dual manual controller - lower manual - 76 key, semi-weighted with pitch bend wheel, mod wheel AND small ribbon controller, like the KW 2600 (but way lighter.) Aftertouch optional, but preferred. Upper manual - 61-note, aftertouch, pitch and mod wheels, and on the left side, a set of midi control drawbars, with presets for the major organ modules - NI B4, Voce V3 and V5, Hammond XM-1. Positioned witht he same spacing as Hammods dual-manuals, no more than a couple inches apart. Rear panel - 2 footswitches, 1 for sustain, one for 'other', plus 2 CC pedal inputs. 4 MIDI outs, either two top and two bottom or all assignable to either manual. 1 MIDI in for optional 25-note footpedal (or cheaper 13-note style.) The presets could be accessed via numeric pad, and frequent presets assigned to a button block placed between the manuals (like traditional electronic and church organs have the tabs.) I started to build a limited version of this myself from a Roland A50 lower manual and some really light upper manual, I think a cheapo Korg N-something. Hammond XM1 drawbars, replacable with Voce when eBay finally gave up a set (I have both the XM1 and Voce V3-plus 2 A100s.) I had rough detailed schematics and blueprints The sheet-metal bender who was going to do the hard part bailed on me, so I eventually sold the boards on eBay. But I thing a dual-manual controller is a massive improvement over current 'boards a foot apart' stands you can get today. Dasher It's all about the music. Really. I just keep telling myself that... The Soundsmith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeep Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 Hear, hear! (Oh, waitress....bring Dasher a double, please) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dementia13 Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 I was kind of brainstorming ides for the other day- I know you can buy something like this, but I was thinking about maybe building something like this- jamming a dual pentium 4 motherboard into a keyboard, putting a hard drive and lots of RAM in it, and putting a trackpad, computer keyboard, and 640x480 LCD display in the screen. Then load it with a very stripped-down OS, and the thing would run softsynths. It could be done with an embedded-device type of OS, like Windows CE or Linux (BeOS would have been perfect for this), but it would be stripped down to the point that the OS itself would be transparent to the user: as far as they're concerned, they're just playing a keyboard. What you would get is a keyboard that could encompass any type of synthesis: since digital synths run on DSP power, the idea is to jack up the horsepower to an obscene level. Without the weight of a computer OS, the computer processors would kill. You'd need software, but Windows CE might make it easier to port some existing synths to it. It could also function as a dedicated effects module. For ROMpler purposes, sample RAM could be contained in PCMCIA or Smart Media or some such type of card. With USB 2.0 and FireWire connections, you could connect hard drives and CD-ROMs, even mLAN. Controllers and knobs would be generous, and maybe there could even be some real analog circuitry built in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dasher Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 (Oh, waitress....bring Dasher a double, please) Just a cup of VSTea, please... Actually, they're beginning to get closer to the truly all-purpose (at least for current technology level instruments) keyboard: VTS capable, sliders that can reverse to act as drawbars, lots o' knobs, etc. But the true dual manual controller with nice closely stacked keys is still not a riority for the builders. Oh well, someday maybe... Dasher It's all about the music. Really. I just keep telling myself that... The Soundsmith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coyote Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 It's awesome, isn't it? I use it as my master program changer, and I use the ribbon on four songs now. Originally posted by Mark Weiss: I have the ExpressionMate--wonderful tool, all too often under-utilized. I used to think I was Libertarian. Until I saw their platform; now I know I'm no more Libertarian than I am RepubliCrat or neoCON or Liberal or Socialist. This ain't no track meet; this is football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Johnny B Posted February 2, 2004 Author Share Posted February 2, 2004 I still like the idea of an honest to goodness digital mixer built-in, esp. for smaller bands doing clubs. It could have the "more me" in-ear monitoring built in, it would mean the monitor mix could be consistent from show to show. Love the dual manual ideas too. Keep the ideas coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve in KS Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 Originally posted by Jeep: http://www.scientificpsychic.com/graphics/organ.gifI love it! Now THAT's finally getting the manuals close enough together! This would also make a fun Heathkit for the do-it-yourselfer bound for insanity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raymar Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 How about a dual manual portable you wear with a strap and controllers for each! You shouldn't chase after the past or pin your hopes on the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dasher Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 That's sort of my other 'dream' board - a breath controller attached to a melodica-style midi unit, to play my VL70m like the wind synth would (in other words, a wind synth with piano-style keyboard, preferably with the pitch ribbon for 'natural' vibrato... Dasher It's all about the music. Really. I just keep telling myself that... The Soundsmith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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