Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

Two Keyboard Rig - Same or different brands


Recommended Posts

I don't think there's an answer to this other than to say that some manufacturers are stronger in particular areas...

+1

 

I"ve always had a two-brand rig, for both complimentary and compensatory factors.

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

- George Bernard Shaw

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Replies 68
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

My preference is that two boards should complement each other. Good bread and butter on the bottom, good synth/organ on top. I see some people go for 2 x Nord, for example - as I said in another thread, I'd be wary of doing that. When I see rigs with something like a Nord Piano 4 on bottom and a Stage 3 compact on top part of me thinks you're paying for essentially the same sounds in a different package, which is a lot of money. In that scenario, it would be much more cost effective to get a MIDI controller on the bottom.

Hammond SKX

Mainstage 3

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My preference is that two boards should complement each other. Good bread and butter on the bottom, good synth/organ on top. I see some people go for 2 x Nord, for example - as I said in another thread, I'd be wary of doing that. When I see rigs with something like a Nord Piano 4 on bottom and a Stage 3 compact on top part of me thinks you're paying for essentially the same sounds in a different package, which is a lot of money. In that scenario, it would be much more cost effective to get a MIDI controller on the bottom.
I do this both ways round. Downstairs Nord is a controller for upper Nord. I got a reasonable deal on a Stage Classic which gave me 76 hammer-action keys with a decent action at 36lb. Barring failures, that controls my upstairs Nord Stage 2 compact. If the NS2 dies, I can limp through a gig on the lower board.

 

(I've never had a NS2 failure, although previous controllers and pedals have gone wrong mid-gig).

 

Cheers, Mike.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My preference is that two boards should complement each other. Good bread and butter on the bottom, good synth/organ on top. I see some people go for 2 x Nord, for example - as I said in another thread, I'd be wary of doing that. When I see rigs with something like a Nord Piano 4 on bottom and a Stage 3 compact on top part of me thinks you're paying for essentially the same sounds in a different package, which is a lot of money. In that scenario, it would be much more cost effective to get a MIDI controller on the bottom.

 

I thought the same when I got my Nord Stage 3 Compact and sold my Nord Piano 3. However, I've come to miss the Nord Piano simply because I've found that getting a midi controller with a Nice action, durable chasis, DIN midi out , and an internal power supply means spending about the same as I sold my used NP3 for ( Doh!). So for about the same price, having something like a Nord Piano on bottom gives you all of those features plus the option to leave the top board at home if you want a piano action and don't need any of the Organ or Synth sounds.

-Art

Live Rig: CP88, Nord Stage 3 Compact, Moog Sub Phatty
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My preference is that two boards should complement each other. Good bread and butter on the bottom, good synth/organ on top. I see some people go for 2 x Nord, for example - as I said in another thread, I'd be wary of doing that. When I see rigs with something like a Nord Piano 4 on bottom and a Stage 3 compact on top part of me thinks you're paying for essentially the same sounds in a different package, which is a lot of money. In that scenario, it would be much more cost effective to get a MIDI controller on the bottom.

 

I thought the same when I got my Nord Stage 3 Compact and sold my Nord Piano 3. However, I've come to miss the Nord Piano simply because I've found that getting a midi controller with a Nice action, durable chasis, DIN midi out , and an internal power supply means spending about the same as I sold my used NP3 for ( Doh!). So for about the same price, having something like a Nord Piano on bottom gives you all of those features plus the option to leave the top board at home if you want a piano action and don't need any of the Organ or Synth sounds.

-Art

Good additional point in there... that when you see someone with what you might consider an odd combination, it may not be merely that their approach is different from yours, but could be that it's just what they ended up with through circumstance... e.g. what would seem more cost-effective changes when you realize that often the most cost-effective thing to do is to make use of something you already have. And also, as you illustrate, it's not always just a matter of "what does that pair provide," but also "what does each one of them alone provide" because people do different kinds of gigs. The soundless hammer action controller under a NS3 Compact may not be so useful when your next gig is solo piano.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My preference is that two boards should complement each other. Good bread and butter on the bottom, good synth/organ on top.....

 

Agreed, that's been my approach (kind of like back in the early 80's, when you had to bring one of each keyboard type - don't miss those days!)

 

Thus, I went with the Roland "Gig Rig" combo a VR-09 organ/synth on top, RD-64 piano on the bottom (note - you can actually partially support the VR09 on the "shelf" at the back of the RD64 to get both keybbeds very close together).

 

I its very comforting (to me anyway) to know "piano/EP/clavs" is always at the bottom, everything else on the top - lowers my stress level in live situations.

 

As this video shows, it is pretty clear Roland designed them to be used together:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The confounding left panel on the RD64 (it negates the compactness of the 64 key hammer board!) is slightly forgivable in light of Roland's intent for it to be paired with the VR09.

 

Yeah, that thing annoyed me until I realized just what you said - I think that was a conscious decision to allow them to come closer together. Since I never use the Roland hand-wavy thing they seem to love so much, I just slide the VR09 right up to the edge of the RD64 keybed.

 

The biggest plusses of the RD64 - only 3 sound options for each piano/ep/clav/organ. Keeps you from too much paralysis by analysis. "Oh, well, guess I'll use this sound and get on with it". The Pianos especially are great sounding, the EPs not bad, and Clav's pretty good. Organ sounds are pretty useless. If you need more sounds, you can also use the RD64 in "MIDI controller mode" to run an iPad or sound module.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The using of two MODX's warrants it's own thread which I will post later today.

Building suspense... ;-)

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...