Multiple Keyboards Live Setup

[Lonemusician]

Hello.
This is a fairly simple one, but I'm sure there are a hundred right answers.

I'm a keyboard player living in a rural area. So I'm usually in all the bands around here, as there aren't really any other keyboardists.
So it's gotten to the point where I'm in 5 local bands right now. Not a lot of places to play, so each band plays out once or twice a month. The bands are all different...country, 80s, 70s, 60s, and an alternative/reggae band.
In the past I used two keyboards and could find my patches before the drummer did his four count into the next song.
But now with the diversity of sounds needed (especially with the 80s band) I'm starting to bring more stuff.

Here's my setup for live playing...
Roland RD700SX , Roland XP-60, Roland D-50.
These boards I use the factory sounds on.
Roland S-10 that I use as a controller with my laptop with virtual instruments (softsynths).
Also have a Roland MS-1 (small sampler with 8 pads) that I also want to connect to the laptop for samples/sounds/waves.

Here's the simple question....

What software would you recommend for connecting these for live playing so each keyboard will be setup for the right sounds/patches for the songs needed.

I used to have a Korg M-1 in sequencer mode, and had the sequence named after the song.

I don't do any sequencing....all keyboards are played live.

Currently I have Cubase SX3, Ableton Live 7, Sonar 6 (which doesn't live my Vista laptop) and ASIO4all for sound driver to run the virtual instruments with VST minihost.

I don't want to do anything too complicated, just set up the boards so they have the right sounds for the next song, and without causing latency issues.....

Like I said, there's a hundred right answers.....

Thanks.

 

[b3maniac]

I suppose one way you might try with the laptop:
- (of course) have each keyboard set to it's own midi channel
- save your keyboard set-ups for each song as a midi file (no note data) with the instrument patches for all the keyboards saved under that song name
- use a midi-juke box program to select and "play" the midi files (which would send the instrument set-up data to the entire stage set-up)- (I think there are some shareware midi juke box players around)

Would a hardware midi patch manger work for you for most set-ups?
B3

 

[Lonemusician]

I do have Cubase SX3 and Ableton Live 7, but am trying to keep things simple.
Just changing patches for each keyboard at one time for each song.
Figured since I'm using the laptop anyway for my samples for the Roland MS-1 and Virtual synths for the S-10, might as well use some small software program for changing patches on the boards.
Wondering what simple software would do this, would rather not use the sequencer in the XP-60, D-50 or the RD700SX.

Thanks....

Lonemusician

 

[kanthos]

On a tight budget, I think this might do what you want. It has a demo; try it out.

If your laptop is half-decent and you want something that'll be more multi-purpose, I highly recommend Native Instruments Kore. It's got a great live performance mode, will act as a host (so you can bypass Cubase entirely), uses straight-forward MIDI routing, and is great for organizing sounds across multiple plugins. I'd suggest the software version if all you want to do is trigger samples and VSTs when playing live; the hardware controller makes it slightly easier to change presets (you don't have to worry about where the mouse cursor is) but is mainly designed for tweaking synth sounds.

 

[bsr2002]

How many patches do you use between the 5 Bands. I play with three right now(just started with the third )

So far all I've done is moved my patches over to the 1st 2 Banks of each keyboard and I just scroll up and down.

I use 3 sets of keys live.

 

[Lonemusician]

The three Roland boards (RD700SX, XP-60 and D-50) will be using their own sounds.
The Roland S-10 will be used as a controller for the softsynths in the laptop and the Roland MS-1 (8 pad sampler) will be used as controller for .wavs, etc. in the laptop.

I used to do what you're talking about....moving patches and scrolling, but now with 5 boards it gets a little crazy.

 

[bsr2002]

I used to do what you're talking about....moving patches and scrolling, but now with 5 boards it gets a little crazy.

You should post a pic of that set up, probably looks pretty bad @ss

 

[AnalogBlack]

Patch Changes in Live

For patch changes (since you're not using Live for sequencing) I'd use a MIDI Loop to set each keyboard.

Setup Live with a column for each device. Each row (scene) will be the song you need to set the hardware for. If you get really trick with this, I set a sound for each channel of the device (each channel will be a column) like my ASRxPro since it can run 16 sounds at once.

Under each hardware device create a MIDI loop but take the loop function off. Set the patch # on the loop.

When you "play" the scene, the patch change data will be sent to your keyboards.

I use this in a similar manner, but since I do sequencing, each "set" is a song and I have a "Prog Set" scene at the beginning to accomplish exactly what you are doing.

For a listing of my equipment, see www.analogblack.com, or visit me on www.facebook.com/analogblack.

 

[prokeys33442]

I've been searching for a solution for the same issue you have.

Please read the following thread on the Midiworld forum:
http://www.midiworld.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=698

Also search for my userid prokeys33442 here in this forum.

Ed

 

[Spherical]

I use a good MIDI controller keyboard to do this for myself - I just change patch on the controller keyboard, and it sends out bank selects and program changes to all my keyboards and rack modules, and I also do this multiple times within songs.

However if you don't want to invest in a controller keyboard, another way to do it is to set up patches on each synth for every song (even if two songs have the same sound on one synth, use multiple patches). Then choose one of your keyboards as a "master" and have it send out a program change when you change patch on it, which is received on your other keyboards - there is usually a global option on most modern synths to enable/disable sending of program changes. As long as each "song patch" has the same program change number for each synth, each patch change on your designated "master" keyboard will set up all your other synths accordingly. If you order your patches on the master in setlist order, you can then go through your entire set with a single button press between each song. This arrangement is pretty simple and removes the need for using a laptop on stage, or using any sequencing.

 

[goz211]

Old thread - check to date - the OP is 20th Feb 2009.

Are you still with us on this forum Lonemusician?

 

[vonnor]

I go kinda old-school on stage.

I have an old Lake Butler Sound Midi Mitigator footboard (circa 1988?) that holds midi data and lets me have a setup for each song we do. The name of the song shows on a display and I can set the order of the songs to match our set-lists. A little before a song ends, I call up the next song in the display to get it ready, then as the drummer clicks off the next tune I just hit a footswitch on the pedalboard and a bunch of things happen.

The Mitigator sends a program change through a midi merger (merged with my main keyboard) to a Digital Music Corp MX-8 midi patchbay/processor that switches to the proper routing config for that song, and the MX-8 sends out all the individual patch change messages to all my boards and rack units. Everything gets set-up in a tenth of a second without my hands touching anything. Pretty slick. The merger box lets the Mitigator send mid-song program changes to the module that my main keyboard is controlling if needed.

The MX-8 does not send bank select messages automatically, so I always set each sound module to user bank one (or equivalant) and put all my live patches there.

I similar set-up can be done with a variety of midi foot-boards, and the MX-8's can be had on whee-bay for a buck-n-a-half or so ($150ish).

~ vonnor

 

[Gajones6]

I am having a similar issue, maybe someone can help me out.. im running 2 keyboards: an Alesis Micron synth and an Arturia USB MIDI thru my Macbook Pro.. right now, im running them both through a small Behringer mixer out to a combo amp.. should i have direct boxes or something to that effect somewhere along the line?

 

[Gunthunder]

I guess I am very old school, but with the 5 keybd setup I have, I always have a piano, horns section, string section, organ (XK 1), and one free for specials. Most of the time we go by a set list with a very short down time but when we veer from the set list, I play with one hand and set up the other boards as I need them. But this is depending on experience and song familiarity...going on 40 yrs now.

 

[goz211]

Gun thunder, can you list your five keyboards for us on here. I also have to ask - do you load in your own rig by yourself or ...?

 

[Gunthunder]

Yamaha S08, Korg Triton Le (61), Hammond XK1, Roland A33/ EMU Proteus, and Akai Miniak. Roland KC-500 and PV KB/A 300.

 

[Gunthunder]

Oh yeah, I load everything and I do a lot to stay in shape.