bitflipper

The forum software has been extra peckish lately. Three posts were flagged as offensive just in this short thread, including my own OP.

The auto-censor does not highlight which word was forbidden, so I don't know what's irritating it.

1 hour ago, Jeremy Oakes said:

UPS, who at least call before they deliver or when they are outside your gate.

Here's what I can't figure out...these delivery companies have advanced GPS technology and AI route mapping. They can tell exactly where a given truck or package is at any time, anywhere in the world.

Why, then, is it so hard to let you know when your package will arrive, short of "before 8:00 PM"?  And then be wrong about it.

Well, I'm admittedly a little off-center today because this morning I discovered I was out of coffee. Normally, I'd run to the store and grab some, or hit the corner coffee stand. But not today, because I dare not leave my front porch for a minute because FedEx is coming with my new synth.

Earlier today the shipment's status said "on truck for delivery". Yay! Just as promised.

But I don't trust them, because the last time I had an important delivery, they didn't show up. They changed the status to "Customer not available or business closed", even though I was here the whole time, waiting. They actually did that three days in a row,  changing the status from "out for delivery" to "nobody home". 

So guess what? Today at 1:00 in the afternoon they changed my current shipment's status from "out for delivery" to "nobody home".

F You, FedEx, I've been here the whole time, even going without coffee lest you sneak up while I'm away.

I'd even un-checked the "require signature" box so they could leave it if I didn't hear them come up the driveway. Damn you, FedEx, and damn you Sweetwater for switching to them from UPS. At least UPS would toss packages into the bushes down by my gate in the rain. I'm almost pissed off enough to start going back to Guitar Center - ok, no it isn't.

[/rant]

Oops, my last comment included a forbidden word and required moderator approval...I said yes, it's OK.

I think that's what they call a Xanax overdose.

22 hours ago, Dave Maffris said:

I've heard it's a long boot up, which is no biggie except when you have to reboot during a show

That's a fact. Twice I've had mine accidentally unplugged mid-song, and I was dead in the water for 2 minutes while it booted back up. Compare to the Nord, which takes < 10 seconds. That's because the Kronos stores libraries on SSDs and transfers a user-specified working set of them into RAM on boot up. The price of having 80GB of storage.

And it is a heavy beast. Even worse (~81 lbs) when residing in its plywood flight case. I usually solicit aid from one of my bandmates when moving, setting up and tearing down, lest I do a number on my back.

Still, the Kronos has been a real workhorse. Scrolling through the patch list is like scrolling through Omnisphere's enormous selection. I've also added some third-party libraries. So when the band asks if I've got a particular sound in there, I often tell them to check back with me tomorrow.

Its UI can be rather obtuse when editing, even for basic things such as routing fx. In performance, though, it's great. The large color touchscreen is the best I've seen on a synth. I can create any number of set lists, organize patches any way I like, color-code, pan, transpose and EQ each slot - all without altering the underlying patches. From what I've read in the Montage manual, its Live Sets are just lists. Will know more after it arrives on Thursday.

22 hours ago, Jim Roseberry said:

I prefer the Montage UI to Kronos.

I think I will, too. Even though I can do the equivalent of Scenes with the Kronos (e.g. I have a bunch of EPs in one set list slot for easy switching/layering), the 8 illuminated buttons on the Montage will be quicker and less error-prone when playing live. In the edit screens, I'm seeing a common UI philosophy with my Yamaha mixer, which I like a lot. Yamaha's definitely gotten better at that sort of thing over the years. Maybe they've learned a thing or two from Steinberg.

Apologies to the OP for hijacking the thread, and for all the words. I'm just excited to have a new synth on the way.

23 hours ago, Bapu said:

Transcendental?

Yes, that's a good word for it.

Not one I'd use, though, as it's a bit woo for my pragmatic sensibilities.

It's definitely an altered state of consciousness, and I've heard and subsequently forgotten a clinical term for it that psychologists use.

Other possibilities, according to the Thesaurus: euphoria, elation, exhilaration, jubilation, joy, and "frenzy" (?). I guess that last one might fit for those joyous nutjobs thrashing about in a mosh pit. An activity I cannot relate to, unless it involved a bunch of soft ladies in a vat of pudding.

58 minutes ago, Jim Roseberry said:

I use a high-pass filter on the 2-Band EQ (post Leslie)... to pull out a lot of bottom end.

That's good advice. I do that with all my patches, especially grand piano, in order to keep from stepping on the bass. The Korg has a nice parametric EQ across the entire instrument. Hopefully, the Montage has one, too.

...for that state of euphoria that music can sometimes elicit? I know there's a word for it. It's the dragon I'm always chasing.

This literally brought tears to my eyes.

33 minutes ago, Dave Maffris said:

I have done a lot of work on my Nord over the years to get it sounding perfect in nearly all situations...

That's really the key, isn't it - knowing your tools well enough to adapt them to your needs. I'm the same way with my Kronos, having heavily customized it over the past decade to suit my application ('60s-'70s cover band).

Unfortunately, I never clicked with the Nord in the same way. I thought the real-time controls would be cool, since the Korg is not easy to modify on the fly. But after nearly 3 years with the Stage, I still find myself turning the wrong knob in the heat of performance and suddenly I've applied a flanger when I meant to kick in a delay. 

My biggest disappointment is with the Stage's Leslie emulation. It's OK on slow but too warbly on fast. I've got a Neo Ventilator but no longer use it in order to minimize setup time. So even though I had intended to use the NS3 for organ, I do most of that on the Kronos with its superior Leslie sim, often playing on the Nord's keyboard for its faster action. I think I'd need a whole music store's worth of instruments to be truly content, but then I'd need a bigger van. And a couple roadies to lug it all.

Well, last night I took the plunge and ordered a Montage, then listed the NS3 on Craigslist at a bargain bin price. My hope is the Montage can suitably take over the Kronos' duties (mostly piano, strings and brass). If it does, then I'll likely add a Hammond XK-5 to the stack. Then surely I'll be happy for my remaining years.

Yeh, it's pretty good, if not $249 good. Is it better than the PSP FETpressor? Honestly, no. But for $30 it does the job.

32 minutes ago, Solit said:

Can anybody illuminate me why this one is so popular...

Well, 30 bucks has a lot to do with it.

iirc that's what I paid for it the last time it went on sale.

Thanks so much, Jim! Your insight comes at just the right time for me.

Guitar players routinely pick up new axes the way some people casually buy a new pair of shoes. Keyboard players have to be much more prudent. And not just because it's a lot of money (my instrument cases alone each cost more than a nice guitar amp) - each acquisition represents a serious learning commitment. And like Jim says, you don't find out the limitations until later.

I, too, bought the NS3 simply because every band on the planet seemed to have one. My decision was cinched when I saw Brit Floyd, a jaw-droppingly good note-perfect Pink Floyd tribute band. All those critical Rick Wright organ, piano and synth parts were credibly reproduced on an NS2. 

But I'll just say it: Nord synths are over-hyped and overpriced. My now-ancient Korg Kronos bests the Nord by every  measure except weight. Its progressively-weighted keys feel more piano-like than anything short of a dedicated digital piano.  The piano samples are comparable to anything in my Kontakt collection. It contains 9 synth engines, basically the entire Korg history in one box. 

Sadly, neither the Korg nor the Nord replicate a Hammond to my satisfaction. I am thinking it's time to go back to Suzuki for that, as the XK-5 seems to have nailed it.  At the moment I'm picturing the Montage 7 on the lower tier and the Hammond on top.  That combination's eight grand not including flight cases, and the combined resale value of my current instruments is about four grand. A big purchase for a guy living mostly on social security.

Arturia, you almost solved all my problems. Please keep trying.

13 hours ago, craigb said:

good to see you're still alive and kicking Adrian!

Ditto. I still think back on the bamidi mystery and its sad resolution.

If I were to suddenly kick the bucket, I'd hope that craigb might note that bitflipper hasn't posted in awhile, thus leading to the discovery of my rotting corpse slumped over my keyboard. I'm counting on you, Craig.

On 4/11/2024 at 2:19 PM, Jim Roseberry said:

I may replace my Stage-4 will the M8x (still haven't decided).

I have been researching replacements for my NS3, and am seriously considering the Montage M73 (for stage use I prefer 73 over 88 keys, and the 88's polyphonic aftertouch isn't a compelling feature to me).

However, there are no retailers here (or anywhere outside of LA, it seems) where I can sit down with one and see if it'll work for me. Every video demonstration is someone playing solo, and I need to assess it in the context of a live band. All those pretty stacked pads are useless to me in a 70's cover band. I need bright, dry pianos, brass and strings that cut through a live mix. Like my old Yamaha MO8. Would like to hear your thoughts on the M8x and why you're thinking it might be a good replacement for the NS4.

In the course of my search, I came across Arturia's instrument. The idea is great: a cheap, rugged hardware synth with downloadable VIs. My jeans get tight imagining a keyboard instrument hosting Keyscape! But Arturia's libraries just aren't suitable for a classic rock cover band, and 61 keys are often too few. So sadly, I have crossed this one off my list.

Quote

 

As far as the Montage, I won't ever buy a keyboard for gigging that is super heavy, and for me, I prefer the 30 lbs or less, as my age, build and general health require this...and I gig too much to be shlepping too much, which is why I have a Nord in the first place

 

Me, too! I bought my Nord specifically because it was light.

My current main instrument is a Korg Kronos. It, too, has downloadable VIs, but they are specific to the Korg format and many are feature-reduced versions of their DAW-based equivalents. My biggest complaint is that even though it's the 73-key version it still weighs 82 lbs in its flight case and requires two people to lift it onto the stand. That's a selling point for the Montage - still a beast but about 25 lbs lighter.

The Nord has largely been a disappointment. As a sampled-instrument player it leaves a lot to be desired. The pianos are nice-sounding in solo, but not much use in a rock 'n roll band. I mostly use it as a lead instrument, for synth leads. I thought I'd like all the real-time controls more than I actually do, as in the heat of the moment I really don't want to do a lot of fiddling.

This has been my go-to FET-type compressor ever since my previous favorite went iLok and then tricked me into a "free upgrade" to surreptitiously install the Pace driver.

I was a fan of the video game ("game" singular, since FO4 was the only one I liked) and am looking forward to seeing the adaptation.

But not enough to give Amazon permission to dip into my checking account every month for all eternity. Some will say "just sign up for the free trial and then cancel". Nah, I am still scarred by my AOL experience 30 years ago. No corporate entity is getting my routing number ever again.

My transition back into popular culture was kickstarted by a heart attack.

It's the kind of event that makes you step back, and if not completely rethink one's priorities at least encourages them to be resequenced. Necessity dictated that the flipping of bits would remain my primary means of paying the bills, but music shot up the list with a bullet.

It was the return to live performance - a regular Friday-Saturday gig at a Chinese restaurant - that forced me to become reacquainted with the Top 40. In particular, Tom Petty's Refugee gave me hope that maybe pop music wasn't dead yet.

3 hours ago, audioschmaudio said:

...does that mean you've never watched Weird Science?!

Correct. Still haven't.

I didn't just abandon popular music in the '80s and '90s, but popular entertainment in general. I skipped gated reverbs, hackysacks, RotoToms, big hair, MTV and the DX7.  Instead, I embraced old music. By "old" I mean 18th and 19th centuries. 

Cool! Perhaps my reservations are unwarranted then. Assuming, of course, that promise exists somewhere in writing.

32 minutes ago, PavlovsCat said:

I just want a little more  confidence that this player/format will be around in 3 years before I commit...

My feeling exactly. Even if you buy a "Perpetual" license and buy an extra SSD so you can download every library, should the company later decide that it was a bad idea and shut down their server, you lose it all. Not only are the libraries gone, you'll never be able to rework (or finish) any project you've used them in.

Still, there's an awful lot of high-grade content in there for 200 bucks. Most of those libraries cost more than that individually.

Danny Elfman has long been one of my favorite composers. He can do epic and he can do silly with equal aplomb. Sometimes, both at the same time.

I knew he could sing and I knew that, like Hans Zimmer, he'd been in a pop band back in the day. But that was about it. I had shut pop music out of my consciousness throughout the 80's so as to focus on being a serious workaholic cubicle-dwelling technogeek working up to my first heart attack.

On a whim I pulled up this concert video of his old band. I am embarrassed to say I had no idea such brilliant creativity was happening in the 80's. Nor that apparently Eugene Levy seems to have been his bass player.

I expect you're not looking to spend money, but since you're discovering the possibilities of modulated filters we should at least mention the GOAT: FabFilter Volcano 3. This one takes the concept about as far as one can imagine. And it's compatible with any DAW.

No, Tutorials isn't a new forum. I keep forgetting it exists, too. No worries about being lost, though; will move this to the more appropriate Coffee House, the Miscellaneous backstop catch-all bin.

btw, Canopus gave the correct answer to the query.

Yes, it's specific to the instrument. And condolences, but it's also a "yes" to "am I royally screwed?", as it's an unsupported product.

It's not all bad news, though. The TTS-1 is based on Sound Canvas so if it's a General MIDI synth you're after, you've got one.

1 hour ago, craigb said:

My current weird life seems sooooo much saner and more normal now!

Glad to be of service, Craig.

If we ever meet in person, I'll tell you how I met my wife...not a story for public consumption, albeit music-related.