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Songwriter2015

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Everything posted by Songwriter2015

  1. Well, everyone can shoot me down in flames, if they choose, but I'm afraid I couldn't DISAGREE more with the poster's assertion! PLEASE don't get me wrong - In NO WAY am I setting myself up as the definitive X500 owner! I'm simply stating my honest and genuine belief that, whatever the "demographic", ( or whatever word applies to a particular bunch of musicians! ) that Casio were targeting when they designed the X500, I just CANNOT believe that they even considered that NOT having a: " control map to ableton " might be such a game-changer that it would adversely affect worldwide sales!! Likewise, I don't believe that ANY of the, average, X500 owners, are regretting their purchase and wishing they'd bought a controller keyboard instead!! Personally, I'll just continue to enjoy my X500, blissfully unaware of the omissions I didn't even know it had!??! Take care all Chris
  2. Good move TERENCE! Like I said, it'll take longer - but you'll feel terrific when you listen to the finished product! Good luck with it, and let us know how it goes. Chris
  3. Hey LADISLAV!! Welcome!! And congratulations on your new "Blue Wonder" ( I make no apologies for my choice of epithet!! ) You are about to embark on a fantastic ride, buddy! Enjoy every minute! Good luck mate Chris
  4. At the risk of stating the obvious ( to those who already know, that is ) the biggest enemy of ANY " Voice Canceller " that uses centre - cancelling, is REVERB! ANY piece that includes a vocal track that's been heavily processed, e.g., with a stereo reverb, is going to cause problems - and, sometimes, those problems can be, literally, insurmountable, UNLESS you're prepared to accept a faint ( hopefully! ) "ghost vocal" sitting behind whatever it is you're trying to do?!!? I can promise you it certainly wouldn't suit me!! I, obviously, have no idea what it is you're aiming to do, TERENCEYOUNGNOW, but if you're trying to create, for want of a better term, a "Backing Track", then, with the abilities that the X500 has, there must surely be more satisfying ( if, admittedly, more time-consuming! ) ways of achieving it. Whatever, I genuinely wish you the very best in achieving your goal ....... ...... And just a quick "ps " - if it IS a backing track you're trying to produce, then, unprofessional though this will sound, that "ghost" reverb track I mentioned, when mixed with what you, yourself, are playing / singing, may only actually be noticed by YOU!! To any audience, if it's noticed at all, it may well simply sound like some reverb you're using on your own voice!! Just a thought mate! Take care all Chris
  5. And I bet you BRAD, that in a couple of years time, you'll still remember that wonderful sound you created last week! Its moments like that which, I truly believe, separate music, not just from the other "arts", but from, literally, ANY other profession or pastime. A painting, well conceived and created is a beautiful thing, but, dare I say, once finished is...... well...... finished, and the materials used to create it are always what they are. They can be combined, sure, with new tones and palettes to subtly alter the feeling of the painting, with either a dramatic or more mellow mood, but, again, once placed on the canvas they are there, to all intents and purposes, for posterity. Music, however, whether a sound, a sample, a phrase, a pattern, an ostinato ( or "riff" as most of us are more comfortable calling it!! )..... or, in fact, ANY note, or combination of notes ( or beats ) is a living, breathing thing, which, simply because it's been heard and used, NEVER dies!! It can be re-used in countless different combinations, keys, time-signatures, tempos, etc etc ..... It NEVER dies!! I envy BRADMZ for creating that beautiful sound!! NOT because I haven't created some unforgettable sounds of my own, but because I didn't create THAT one! HIS sound!! I would have LOVED to have heard it in the way you did BRAD!! Take care all Chris
  6. Hey LOBBARD - That's £559 ( and MORE in many places!! ) -EACH!!!! BRADMZ - Oooohh!! A CORVETTE!! ...... But can I get one for £680?!!?
  7. RANDELPH - Firstly, I don't do "confrontation", so NOTHING I say is meant to have any negative, personal, inference My initial comment on your review, re the comparitive quality of the X500's speaker system, is that, here in the U.K., a pair of "QSC K-10"'s would set you back, close on, £1400 (!!!!) so, honestly my friend, how on earth that can be, in ANY way, a relevant contribution is beyond my poor simple brain! At least you concede that the onboard speakers are a "huge upgrade from the 7600" but, just a little earlier, you make a negative comparison with the "Yamaha CP300" ( again, an £1800 keyboard!! ) which I DEFINITELY recall as having a seriously disappointing bottom end with an emphasis on, what Yamaha describe as, "brightness", but which these ears remember as being very "thin" - but, of course, that is wholly a personal thing. Now..... EVERYTHING else you say is, with my very brief experience, right on the button, although I think it's fair to give Casio credit for making the X500 with the specific aim ( and certain knowledge!! ) that they would fly-out-the-door at the given price-point! Altering it to a 76 note board, would not have just meant a significant price increase in itself, but, in order to keep the style, the aesthetics, as appealing as they obviously are would have, again, meant a significant redesign which, to all intents and purposes, would have wound up with it being a totally different keyboard - and with a price tag of not much south of £1000!! Now, for what little it's worth, anyone who's seen any of my inadequate posts will know that I am an almost "fanatical" supporter of the X500, BUT, had I seen it advertised with a 76 note keyboard and a price of £1000 would I have bought it? Almost certainly NOT!! and thus I would not now be enjoying one of the most exciting, innovative, and genuinely fascinating instruments I've EVER come across in my ( many, many ) decades of writing and making music! It's also my firm belief that there are an awful lot of musicians who, in truth, don't WANT a 76 or 88 note keyboard! Many of them will be definitive Synth/Keyboard players, and NOT Pianists! Their setup, whether Live or in the Studio, may simply WORK with the smaller board. Personally, I have a studio that I've worked hard for. It's small, but it has everything virtually any musician might need. It's ultra friendly, VERY relaxed, it may not be "flash" but we "get it done" - and everybody who has anything to do with it is a musician, and a friend...... BUT, a 76 note keyboard would just "get in the way "!! I just don't have the room - seriously! I've produced more than 35 Albums in my studio ( ALL local-ish! NO "big-time, star struck" pretentions ) and I've never had ANYONE turn down the gig because we didn't have any 76 note keyboards....... BUT, I have ALREADY had some of my lifetime friends-in-music, literally, go "Wow!!" Before they'd even HEARD the X500!! Proves that, even to vastly experienced, wrinkled old, slightly cynical, musicians, the "Blue-Wonder" is a real eyeball-popper...... And when they've heard what it can do............!!!! I realise my my mind is wandering, so, to conclude...... ........ RANDELPH, I KNOW you are RIGHT!! Of course a 76/88 note, semi-weighted, keyboard on the X500 would be wonderful, brilliant, FANTASTIC!! BUT, in THIS musician's unwavering opinion, the X500 already IS Wonderful, Brilliant, FANTASTIC...... Just as it is Apologies, everyone, for babbling!! Take care all Chris
  8. "Anciko" - Sorry, but......... WHAT?!? PS - Hi LEONH!
  9. RICK, sometimes, BECAUSE, as you rightly say, it's so awesome, it feels like trying to learn to fly the space-shuttle!! - BUT, even at this early stage, for me ( I can't believe it's only been 9 days!! ), the results are already proving mind-blowing! The sounds I'm already getting, just playing around with the Hex Layers, are beyond anything I could have imagined Rick! It truly is an astonishing feature of an astonishing keyboard! Thanks as always Rick Chris
  10. Well would you believe it?!!? I PROMISE you BRAD and RICK I wasnt fibbing when I said I'd read both the online Basics Manual and the Tutorial Manual, literally from "cover to cover", but this just proves that unless you absorb and digest EVERY word then you'll gain very little!! In my case there was one word that, somehow, I was simply blind to, and it's a word I've been familiar with throughout all my decades in the studio!! That single word ( thanks BRAD, because I spotted it instantly in your reply! ) was - "SOLO"!! HOW I managed to miss it every time I went through the Tutorial, in particular, I have no idea, considering I've, literally, pressed that button, countless times, on the mixer, every single session of my recording life! Admittedly it serves a different purpose in that context, but, even so, I'm red-faced with embarrassment!! Thanks, you two, for humouring my, literally, blind-stupidity, in such a gentle way! Take care Chris
  11. Hi all Okay, this is NOT "bragging", guys, I just have to emphasise that I'm no "virgin" when it comes to studio-recording! ........ BUT, I simply cannot get my head round how to record an accompaniement track and KEEP it whilst trying to continue to record individual tracks! Further, I can't find any way to even SELECT an individual track to record onto! If I record the Accompaniement track, I only get the SAME Midi Recorder screen with the only option being to record to "Track 1"! If I DO try to record to that track it ERASES the previously recorded Accompaniement track, and I STILL only have the option to record to that same "Track 1"!! Although I KNOW I'm making some sort of "beginner's" mistake somewhere, I've read both the Basics manual, and the Tutorial manual and, unless I'm blind, I'm darned if I can find ANY indication as to how to do a "simple" multitrack recording, INCLUDING Accompaniement properly! Im happy to be as humble as you like, accepting my own stupidity ( if that's what it is! ) but PLEASE guys, someone put me out of my misery and explain the "A,B,C" to solving this ridiculous conundrum!! Thanks a million Take care all Chris
  12. Hi All! But, if I may, especially RICK, BRADMZ, and LOBBARD!! I actually think, contrary to what some seem to feel, that the MZ-X500 online manuals are, actually, quite good, but in one aspect they seem to be puzzlingly lacking! No criticism from me, just an observation. So...... Firstly, having, hypothetically, recorded an Accompaniement track, how many, further, individual, keyboard tracks can I add to that track, if I wished, in order to make a multitrack recording? More important still - IS it possible to add an Audio Track to that multitrack recording ( e.g., a Vocal track - NOT recorded via the mic input, but from my X32 via the line inputs of the X500 ) that would, in essence, become a part of that multitrack. Putting it simply - A Vocal track, the Accompaniement track, and, however many further keyboard tracks that obviously playback together in sync? Im happy to experiment myself, obviously, but IF, for whatever reason the answer is "no-go", then at least I'll have saved a lot of wasted time! Thanks for your time guys Take care, Chris
  13. Incidentally mate, after BRAD's clarification, I think I might load the .ZAL file after all - because I'm naturally inquisitive
  14. LOBBARD - I'm laughing so much my glasses have steamed up!! BRILLIANT buddy! Take it easy Chris
  15. Ah - ha, BRAD! That makes it all sound a bit less of a "winding road" than I thought. Thanks for the clarity Brad! Take care mate Chris
  16. RICK - You obviously realise I'm in the very early days of getting to know the X500, and, so, some of my conclusions may be WAY off the mark - but, it seems to me, from what you, and BRAD, have intimated, a few times, that the player would need to have very, very, specific, and quite "narrow" requirements, in terms of the music they're making, to be prepared to have these .ZAL files "wipe" every aspect of the keyboard, in order to be able to use the files', limited, ( I assume? ), content? I further assume, 'cos it seems obvious (?!?), that it would need a complete reinstall of EVERYTHING that was on the X500, in order to bring it back to where it was before the .ZAL files were used?? From what you say, Rick, I'm guessing that includes any and all user-created content? I'm hoping you'll tell me whether these files are the equivalent of mana from the musician's version of heaven, because, if they're not, it seems like an awful lot of hassle to go through every time a player wants to use them!! Take care mate Chris
  17. JAZZMAN - I ( HOPE!! ) I may have an immediately workable solution to your problem :-) BEHRINGER manufacture a truly BRILLIANT little mixer called the "XENYX 502" which, in the U.K., costs around £30!! It has a single XLR mic input featuring an ( also brilliant!! ) XENYX PRE AMP, which produces a gain-range of +10db to + 60db !!!! Surely enough to overcome your problem, as you describe it? It also features: Line Input / Aux Input / Stereo Aux Returns / Main Outs / Control Room Outs / Headphone Out - ALL on TRS 1/4" jacks, and easily configurable to suit the way you work buddy ;-) You also get the 2 Band version of Behringer's astonishing "Neo Classic British" eq, which I can catagorically promise you mate, is the most pro-sounding eq you'll find, anywhere, for anything like the price!! So you'll get an awful lot of "bonuses" for your £30 apart from overcoming your mic/X500 problem...... I hope!! :-) Anyway, I KNOW it means buying yet another bit of kit, but I'm absolutely certain that, if you've already coughed-up for the brillliant ( I LOVE that word! :-) ) X500 then you're not going to flinch if a further £30 solves your problem? Hope you crack it, Jazzman, whatever solution you choose! Take care all Chris
  18. Well, with genuine apologies to everyone who's heavily into Electronic Dance Music, but I think I'll follow Rick's advice and wipe the drive!! I don't know about you guys but, personally, I can never get enough blank USB drives!! ;-) Take care all Chris
  19. Being brutally honest, and, I hope, truthfully self-critical, I've just realised how pointless that post is - apart from the fact that I still don't speak German, so I have no idea what's printed in the folded card! So I've installed the drive in the laptop and it's contents are 10.6mb consisting of a folder labelled " MUSICDAT " in which is a single file titled " edm.zal "! I have NO idea what this is, and, because of not being able to read the card ( which I ASSUME contains some form of description or instruction? ), I have NO intention of doing anything with the file until, hopefully, one or more of you brilliant people can give me SOME idea as to what it IS!! Here's hoping! ;-) Take care all Chris
  20. I realise I can phone Thomann, or even just stick it in the laptop and see what's on it, but I'm SO intrigued I thought you might not mind me asking the Group if they can enlighten me ;-) In all the "stuff" that came with my X500 is a REALLY heavily sealed, slightly padded, bag, in which is a USB Drive and a printed card - which is entirely in GERMAN!! I've actually had this before with Thomann".... in fact, several times in the past! I guess, with them being a German based company, they get a version of whatever the product is, that's focussed, in terms of paperwork, and even the power cable ( they included a U.K. adapter for use here! ) on Germany/ Mainland Europe? No hassle as far as I'm concerned, except that I have NO idea what is printed on this folded ( 4 "page" ) card, OR what is on the USB drive! I'm assuming that everyone else got this same "package" as well, so, before I take the boring option of checking it out ;-) I'd love to know what it's all about! Thanks for your time guys. Take care all Chris
  21. Hey JAZZMAN! I hoped nobody would notice that!! ;-) Thanks for the thoughts buddy :-) Actually the lightbulb fitting stopped working sometime ago, so I just use it as a cable holder for leads and stuff that I use often, and so can just grab when I need them! Also I can "trail" long cables over it that I don't want to have winding across the floor. I know it looks "scruffy", so maybe, one day, I'll tidy it up :-) :-)
  22. Hey LOBBARD I hoped you'd "make an appearance"!! :-) Happiness really IS "blue shaped" my friend. Hey - thanks for all the words of support over the past (almost unbearable!! ) weeks!! That goes for BRADMZ, and RICK also! Since I first joined all those weeks ago you've all been unbelievably helpful and supportive! You really are the best! Take care all Chris
  23. How genuinely humble do I feel!! Thank you ALL for taking the time to share my almost childish excitement! ;-) Thanks for the comment BRAD - and yeah it really feels cool! :-) drb32856 - I believe you, I really do! :-) LEONH - You bet it does mate! :-) Just "playing around" today ( I just KNOW you'll all understand that - there's SO much to explore!! ), and, to be honest, that may well last into the next couple of days as well! ;-) But I WILL, eventually, start to explore how it'll fit into, and enhance, some of my original material - and THAT'S going to be REALLY exciting!! :-) Thanks again guys! The support and encouragement means a lot, believe me! Take care all Chris
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