Getting back up to speed

[Fred Coulter]

After a way too long time away from my keys, I'm getting back up to playing. I'm looking for suggestions about a live setup. Please let me know your thoughts about the following setup.

Three keyboard setup, using the B&K Spider Pro.

Bottom (and primary) keyboard and sound generator: Korg Kronos 88

Middle keyboard: Yamaha SY-99, both as a controller of the Kronos and a secondary sound generator

Top keyboard controller: Roland A-800 Pro (I'm not sure that I have any other old keyboards that are worth restoring other than the SY-99. So I'd be using the Roland to drive additional sounds.)

One factor is how good the piano sound is, which is one reason for the Kronos. Additionally, it seems to provide a wide variety of sounds. The overall plan is for a flexible system.

 

[happyrat1]

That's a hell of a list you have there.

The only other thing I'd suggest if you have deep pockets is a Moog Sub 37 or Lil Phatty to cover the analog sounds.

Gary

 

[Fred Coulter]

Yeah, I miss analog. (Back in the day my father built some modular synths. I remember etching circuit boards, and scraping off the excess. We also tore apart an Arp Odyssey, adding patch points and a frequency divider.)

(I'm old.)

My thought on analog was to later replace the Roland controller with a used Alesis Andromeda. But that would be a couple years in the future.

 

[happyrat1]

Like I said, you described a really pricey system there...

If you were willing to spend a couple of thou the new Dave Smith Prophet 6 is a really nice looking beast.

What's your intended budget for this project anyway?

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

BTW, if you're looking to do it on the cheap I have a Korg Minilogue on backorder right now.

Best analog bang for the buck out there under $500 USD.

Gary

 

[Fred Coulter]

For stage one -- what I've described in the first post -- in the neighborhood of $4K or so. Swapping out the MIDI controller for an Andromeda wouldn't be until stage two, and that would probably double the cost. (I'll probably be getting the MIDI controllers first and I already own the SY-99.)

All of this is probably a year or so into the future. Mostly. My next major purchase is an AGO pedal board and bench and two of the MIDI controllers running Hauptwerk. (At least I don't need to buy a harpsichord. I'm moving my father's harpsichord to my place late this summer.) What's really interesting is that a piano is probably the last thing I'm looking for. They're big and bulky and require a tuner to come by the house on a regular basis.

My immediate equipment goals are to get a Rock N Roller cart and platform so I can bring the clavichord on the road. (Fretted, double strung, with a short octave.)

 

[CowboyNQ]

Sounds like a cool setup to me - well done! Agree with Gary it would be great to throw an analogue in there if you can afford it, since you're going top end with the Kronos for all your digital stuff.

My only question mark would be on the role of the SY99 as a sound generator. Not sure what it could give you that the Kronos couldn't from a sound perspective. In fact I'm almost wondering if you need three boards in your live rig if you use a Kronos plus an analogue synth or a non-Korg VA.

OT - Gary - that Minilogue sure looks like fun. Where will it sit in your setup?

 

[happyrat1]

Paul, when (if ever) the thing finally ships here in Canada I have a spot reserved for it where my Microbrute used to sit.

As it is now it's been backordered almost a month so far.

Gary

 

[Fred Coulter]

The SY-99 fits a hole, rather than being a needed sound generator. I'm looking at three keyboards so I can change sounds quickly. While I love playing the piano and want the 88 note to have the weighted keys, I'd like lighter keys for the other two keyboards. The notion of having the three keyboards creating a pyramid appeals to me visually, and I didn't like three octave keyboards back in the day, so I was looking at a five octave on top, an 88 on the bottom, and something "in between" in the middle.

There are almost no 7X key controllers out there, and I already own an SY-99. (I've found one, but it's not cheap.) Therefore, it gives me that third keyboard and some additional sound generation that the Kronos doesn't supply. Yes, the Kronos does DX-7 level FM synthesis. But the SY-99 goes further with FM, with the ability to use waveforms other than sine waves as operators. If you look at Yamaha's FM synthesis as an evolutionary tree, both the Montage and the SY-99 are descendants of the DX-7. But the SY-99 increased the number of waveforms used as operators, while the Montage increased the number of operators. (Yes, there are other differences. But getting a Montage7 is lower on my priority list than getting a good analog synthesizer. Low enough that something "better" may come out before I get around to it. Years away.)

 

[aellison62]

Fred, what is planned to cover any Hanmmond organ parts, the Kronos CX-3 engine? What if you need to have Hammond in addition to piano at same time? Can the Kronos layer them? I was thinking you might want to add a module like the new Keyboard Partner HX3 to cover Hammond

 

[Fred Coulter]

Fred, what is planned to cover any Hanmmond organ parts, the Kronos CX-3 engine? What if you need to have Hammond in addition to piano at same time? Can the Kronos layer them? I was thinking you might want to add a module like the new Keyboard Partner HX3 to cover Hammond

The plan would be to utilize the other keyboards as controllers for the Kronos when needed. That way I can play piano on the weighted keys while playing Hammond on a lighter keyboard.