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What's your setup like?


Travst

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I thought it would be interesting to contribute diagrams or descriptions of our setups. Mine is a home studio, and the diagram below illustrates the keyboards/synths that I'm using. I'll get some pics later and include them as well. In this diagram, I've focused on synths and omitted all things guitar as well as all outboard gear.

Setup.jpg

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I need to put some things away.

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Thanks John.

It uses Triton AI synthesis, has about 500 programs and another 350 odd combis or performance modes if you will. The synth sounds are amazingly well done.

I've made some really nice tunes with it over the years and it's served me quite well. I wish when I'd bought it though, that I would have sprung for the extra 400 bux and bought the 88 key weighted model. Then again the 76 key model only weighs in at 22 lbs. A breeze to move around. ;)

Maybe one of these days I'll sell it and get something more advanced, but for the time being it's still making some great music :)

Gary

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I'm using mostly old school gear. The whole keyboard thing started when I picked up a cheap controller and decided I liked playing with it. I used to have an organ and a Crumar Stratus back in the eighties. Next, a guy wanted a Marshall amp head that I had for sale and had the JX-8P for trade. The JV and Casio units came after that. As usual, I have far more gear than talent.

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I really don't consider myself to be much more than an advanced hobbyist myself. I'm self taught on keyboards ever since they started becoming affordable over the last 15 years or so. Still, like 10,000 monkeys pounding on 10,000 typewriters for 10,000 years I've managed to crank out a few good tunes over the years.

I play music only for the sheer enjoyment of hearing pretty noises coming out of the magic boxes :D :D :D

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I'm glad to hear people doing it for the shear enjoyment (and of course, the pretty sounds). I've spent too many hours reading forums and seeing too many people taking it so seriously. It gets depressing or hilarious.

You guys have great setups! Here's the thing, we've got decent home studios, having lots of fun, having some great eureka moments, and generating some decent music. If there's 10,000 monkeys out there, you're going to get 10,000 unique sounds... and I enjoy listening to them all.

My studio is in boxes right now because of renos, but it should be up and running again in a few weeks (as long as my wife doesn't get any other crazy ideas for renos). Looking forward to seeing the creativity coming from people's Casios; in particularly, the XWs.

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When I was a teen growing up in Montreal, I would have killed to own a PolyMOOG but those suckers sold for $5K!!!!

That was a sizable down payment on a HOUSE in those days!!!

Needless to say my only options for affordable keyboards in those days were either an accordion or one of those cheezy $50 Magnus Electric Chord Organs :P

In those days I'd rather spend my money on vinyls from Gentle Giant and ELP than lessons on how to become an organ grinder, so all I can say nowadays is that kids are amazingly fortunate to grow up in a time when the power of a $20,000.00 Fairlight can be had for the price of a snazzy winter outfit ;)

Looking forward to seeing your rig EDB and to hearing peoples's tunes here on the board.

I've shamelessly added a link to my soundcloud page in my sig for people to laugh at and revile me... I don't care... Lennon said it best! "Genius is pain!" :D :D :D

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When I was a kid, keyboards cost a ton. I was a big ELP fan and couldn't imagine how much money went into Emerson's rig. I saw Rick Wakeman in Memphis and had never seen any of his gear in the local stores. I sat right up front directly under him at that show.

I remember when the ARP 2600 came out and no one I knew could afford one. People had B3s and Fender Rhodes pianos at that time. I couldn't afford keyboards and my parents wouldn't put up with my drums (I started on drums), so I bought a '64 Strat with OHSC and an original Vibro-Champ for $150 from a family friend. After a few months, I drove up to Memphis and bought a Dual Showman head with a Sunn 410 cab. And I've played at guitar ever since.

It's a hobby now. I decided long ago that I would make a better living with my brain than my music. I also tired of babysitting musicians when I was about 22.

Gary, I liked your tunes. In particular, The Dragon Sleeps.

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Thanks for listening to my tunes. :) I appreciate the compliment. Also, your studio looks much neater than my setup. I intentionally left the snakes' nest of cables on the floor out of the shot :D :D :D

BTW, I saw Wakeman in Montreal when he was still touring with Yes. I was in the cheap seats above and to the left of the stage and had a great view of his keyboards as well. In those days though, all I could do was dream about playing keyboards. :(

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Put away? I don't think so, Travst!

Your rack is clearly telling you: "Look at me! Look at that large 4U hole in the middle! Fill me in with something good! Please! :wub: "

Go ahead, indulge it! :D

ha.... just what I needed, an enabler! I did pick up a class to teach this spring and plan to spend some money on gear. There are just so many things out there. Last evening I popped for a good case and a trip to the Synth Spa for my JX-8P. Allen is going to do a total restoration.

I'm going to customize my case so that I have different foam inserts for the Casio and hunting rifles as well as the JX. ;)

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  • 2 months later...

My setup is simple...starting up in the hobby :)

I started with an iPad -3rd gen - got hooked on Rebirth app by Propellerhead, picked a couple of apps Animoog (Moog Synth App), iMS20 app by Korg, then bought Logic Pro for my Mac - sharp learning curve, took an online music class through iTunes U which made you (lol, hooked me) on a free (started off being free) app TableTop...bought PolySix App by Korg, then FL Studio Mobile, then finally Synergy Studio.

I have a basic home brew studio -

  • Mac connect to Roland Quad Capture via USB.
  • Mac to M-Audio Oxygen25.
  • iPad can either connect directly with Casio WX-P1 with camera kit usb I/F or Wireless connect with Mac, Sound to External in on Casio.
  • Casio is connect to Quad Capture both Line L/R line out of WX-P1 and Midi In/Out of WX-P1.
  • Casio sometimes connect to Mac via USB
  • Quad Capture goes to DI then to Pioneer Stereo Amp with AcoustiMass speakers.

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I currently use a 2-keyboard rig. The lower is my Privia PX-3 (that I use for manual bass & pianos, e.pianos, strings and other comping sounds). The upper keyboard is a Korg microSTATION that I use for all of my organ sounds, brass, synth and various solo sounds). Whereas the Privia has some pretty good orchestral sounds as well, if the organ/rotary sounds are improved enough on the Privia Pro PX-5S, I just may be able to leave the Korg at home and rely on the new Privia keyboard for all of my sounds! :)

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  • 2 months later...

I've updated my configuration since my last pics.  Here's an updated flowchart of what it's looking like these days.  I'll add an actual pic once some shelving I have on backorder actually arrives and I've managed to clean things up a bit. ;)

 

post-14-0-67902700-1368683668_thumb.jpg

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Great to see your music-making setups. I would comment, but I know nothing about it. So please forgive my not-saying anything. Although it looks great!

Here is an actual picture of my/our setup. Not much, but we can make lots of noise with it )) :
 

post-1536-0-35335600-1368719229_thumb.jp

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Dang AndreiR.  I didn't know this topic was here until you mentioned it.  

 

Your picture:  You have a lot going on there. I'm sharing my bedroom with my setup. It's much smaller than yours.

 

Nice guitars. I play banjo myself (bluegrass).  That's what I've been playing mostly for the past few years. Now I'm refocusing on piano.  I like a wide range of music.

 

When I get the PX5 I'll have to post a pic here. Although its not an XW synth so it should probably should go in another section.

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Dang AndreiR.  I didn't know this topic was here until you mentioned it.  

 

Your picture:  You have a lot going on there. I'm sharing my bedroom with my setup. It's much smaller than yours.

 

Nice guitars. I play banjo myself (bluegrass).  That's what I've been playing mostly for the past few years. Now I'm refocusing on piano.  I like a wide range of music.

 

When I get the PX5 I'll have to post a pic here. Although its not an XW synth so it should probably should go in another section.

Blue grass is great, Brad! A friend of mine plays banjo and a violin, so we jam sometimes with me on my acoustic guitar. A own a little banjo -- one of those with enclosed wooden back, four-string, but I can't say I play it... I wish.

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Hi,

Glade to see another venom + xwp1 ... :ph34r:

 

attachicon.giflive setup.jpg

attachicon.gif20130117_215300.jpg

attachicon.gifstudio setup.jpg

attachicon.gif20130110_030658.jpg

 

ps : cleaning isn't my priority ... :P

 

Right now I have dust bunnies you could lose a Labrador Retriever in :D

 

But seriously though, the venom was simply irresistible around last Xmas when outfits like Amazon were selling it for $169.  Supposedly it was being discontinued but I still see it being sold even today, for a much higher price again.

 

Anyway, while I love some of the funky sounds the venom makes I am really not impressed with its key action.  I find it misses and skips notes like nobody's business on fast runs and arpeggios.  My solution is to use it as a module and use the keyboard on the Korg TR as a controller.

 

Have you noticed the same problem on yours?

 

I've also encountered the exact same problem on an M-Audio Oxygen49 controller that I use for practice.  The only way to make it even marginally useful is to turn off velocity.

 

It's for this reasons I don't recommend M-Audio keyboards to ANYONE whenever they ask about controllers.

 

One thing I have to say about Casio's keybeds is that for a budget product, it's very crisp and responsive and would not be out of place on a machine costing twice the price.

 

Actually on one thread there's a cool posting about a guy in Finland or Sweden who put the guts of his Venom into a custom enclosure and turned it into a dedicated module.  Very neat piece of engineering and it sorta backs up what I feel about their keyboard actions.

 

Gary

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Great to see your music-making setups. I would comment, but I know nothing about it. So please forgive my not-saying anything. Although it looks great!

Here is an actual picture of my/our setup. Not much, but we can make lots of noise with it )) :

 

 

That's a pretty amazing looking home studio you have there Andre.  I seriously wish that I had enough space for a setup like that.  Do you come from a musical family or do you just hold jam sessions with your friends in that amazing space?

 

Gary

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That's a pretty amazing looking home studio you have there Andre.  I seriously wish that I had enough space for a setup like that.  Do you come from a musical family or do you just hold jam sessions with your friends in that amazing space?

 

Gary

Thanks, Gary! I guess, the picture makes it look bigger than in life. My wife and I play together and we think of ourselves as a core of a future group. And we also jam sometimes with our more serious and "professional" friends-musicians.

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