Needing help using multiple keyboards!

[Nantzjt]

Alright so here goes,
For the most part everything I've done so far myself has been just kind of guessing and experimenting playing in different 80's/classic rock cover bands and getting the sounds as close as I could but as of late the guitar player that I mainly work with is looking to do a little more key strong 80's songs and some of these songs obviously run multiple keyboard tracks. So my question would be on songs like Rick Springfields - Affair of the Heart, would it be possible to play the bass and high sequenced/arpeggiated tones on a full size arranger/workstation at the same time. More or less using a sustain pedal on those two tones while I use my hands on two other keyboards for the string and synth lead parts? I know this is probably a dumb question but I am still very green to full on keyboard rigs, mostly just play enough to get by for money reasons (Casio XW-P1 and an Alesis QS8.2). Also while I have your attention... I've always liked like Eddie Van Halen has going on Why can't This be Love and also coincidentally on Affair of the Heart as well, another dumb question but are those low bass tones in the beginning arpeggiated or sequenced?

Affair of the Heart:

Van Halen:

 

[happyrat1]

I'm not familiar with the sequencing abilities of the Alesis but I do own an XW-P1.

Both songs should be doable using the step sequencer with the chain function and the phrase sequencer. Not so sure about the ability to use the pedal to control both at the same time though.

All in all though, I don't really hear that much keyboard or fancy sequencing in either of the clips you linked.

Gary

 

[CowboyNQ]

I was a massive Van Halen fan in my teenage years.

The passage you refer to, I had always assumed that was done on an arpeggiator, but I speak without any real authority on the matter.

If I were trying to duplicate it, that's what I'd use in any case.

 

[Nantzjt]

Thank you both for your replies!

happyrat1 (Gary): The Alesis has an arpegiator on it but it's mainly a piano and pad/string unit, there are some synth sounds on there that sound awesome but I would probably just use them for underlying tones, big swells/builds or clean leads. Yea, they're not too fancy it's mainly just the fact that (In Affair of the Heart) there are two sequenced parts going on while he's playing a synth string pad for the chord progression and adding in that other synth lead so there are four parts running. Now I know that that is probably all in the magic of recording but I've seen videos of Rick from the 80's where the keyboardist who used to have travel with him all the time had one heck of a rig with one-two rack systems plus four keys and a slue of pedals, which they still do that song now on tours but the guy with him now usually uses a laptop and one high end arranger so I would assume that some of the parts could be programmed or running through playbacks that he is controlling on the laptop. My big thing is trying to do all that myself with just two keys and no playbacks since the drummers I usually end up playing with wouldn't do so well with a click live (drummers! what can you do? lol). I'll keep screwing around though and see what I can work out...
Thanks a bunch again though !

 

[happyrat1]

Ya know, the easiest way to do it might be to simply load up the tracks as MIDI sequences on an iPad and then trigger them on demand during a performance.

That way you've got 16 channels to play with and all of them are available.

Gary

Oh yeah, as for the drummer? Just throw him some raw meat and club him when he's in a coma