Where to mount a smaller MIDI controller just for playing bass? Above the main board? Below?

[Oogie Wa Wa]

I play bass. Key bass/keys half the time, and bass guitar the rest, during our 3-piece band live gigs. I just got a 32 key controller to use just for bass only, to use as an input to my Juno DS61, via wired MIDI. It works fine, no issues or questions there. This gives me a lot more room for my right hand to romp around on on the DS.

It's time to figure out where to physically mount that second, smaller board for playing bass.

I'm looking for orientation recommendations, especially if you use a similar setup. So what works best for you folks; put it above or below the main board? To the far left I suppose, but offset how far back/forward between the fronts? And how far above/below? Angles?

OR, If you always use two full keyboards, which one do you normally play bass on, upper or lower? That would help.

I'll figure out the how once I determine the where, that's not what I'm after yet. I'm "handy" and will make my own mounts. Thanks folks, input much appreciated!

Oh: I also sit about a fourth of the time, so please take that into consideration. And I do not need much access to the panel above the keys on the controller while playing.

 

[happyrat1]

I'd suggest mounting it about 12 inches above the Joystick on the DS.

Easier to work all the controls with that layout.

But really it depends on how deep the controller sits on the upper tier.

A Frame? X stand? Ultimate?

What's your current stage setup?

 

[happyrat1]

Oh! And I play my basslines on sequencers

 

[Oogie Wa Wa]

Good question, getting into the 'how' a bit, but it may help determine the configuration.

It's a double X frame stand with a safety strap between the two top bars right now. I keep the pivot bolts torqued regularly, which seems to be the most common failure point. There's also a little reinforcement inside the X bars around the pivot holes (JB Weld inside! I tend to over-engineer stuff.) Light and simple, but sturdy. The mounts for my tablet holder and mic boom wedge inide the top bar tubing back ends. Those might need reconfigured, no big deal.

I'd probably make a removable rectangular open frame for the main keyboard to sit on, with four pins sticking down that go down in holes going through the stand top bars, for easy assembly/disassembly. Then make a couple of C-shaped arms and a brace between them, attached to that, for the small board to sit above or hang below the main one. I'd use oak 1x1s and some marine plywood, or maybe square aluminum tubing and buy my welder buddy a case of beer to fuse it all together.

I'd probably also put a set of thumb screws on the back of both levels so I could raise the angle of each level.

 

[Oogie Wa Wa]

As THE bass player AND being one at the core, there will be none of that 'sequency' frivolity going on hereabouts!!! Bwahahaha, I'm not giving that groove up to a machine, no sir.

Now there's a whole bunch of right hand stuff I'd like to learn to use it for. Eventually. I want to get much better at what I do first.

 

[happyrat1]

Go ahead... It's an arpeggiator... It won't bite....

Touch it and see

As for your rig?

It already sounds a bit top heavy to me.

Yeah your best bet is to put the bass keys on a sliding drawer on the lower left below the Juno.

Amazon.com : sliding shelf for keyboard

 

[Oogie Wa Wa]

Hey, cool, I hadn't thought of the drawer thing. Hmmmm.... Then I wouldn't be banging my bass against it. I only see using it on a half dozen songs or so. Needs a latch in both positions.

The whole thing is pretty stable. Maybe it's the rebar I put in the lower bars, I dunno. Raising the DS a bit to make room won't be an issue.

 

[happyrat1]

The rebar in the base was a great idea. If you have easy access to welding gear then the sky's the limit.

You could even use a couple of short lengths of angle iron, welded into a simple box frame with cutouts at the ends to rest comfortably on the X crossbars, and bolted to one of these sliding shelf/drawer units.

Just drop the whole thing in place at setup and drop the Juno right on top of it. wouldn't raise the board more than an inch or so.

If you want to minimize shipping weight, use aluminum angles and machine screws to hold the thing together.

I grew up in a metal fabrication shop as a kid.

 

[Oogie Wa Wa]

Ahh, you're 'handy' too. It really is a curse sometimes. The wife knows I can make or fix just about anything, and sometimes I think she abuses it. We went to Florida from Ohio for two weeks last summer to help out her sickly 92yo aunt. Not much home maintenance has been done in the last 15 years there. My "to do" list had 27 line items, and she found another dozen things for me to do while we were there! Install handrails all over the place, fix broken screens and windows and a sliding door, reinstall skirting, change all the bathrooms' fixtures and all the toilet guts, re-align sagging doors, etc. etc.

But it beats being bored I suppose. Saved a lot of money over the years, perhaps even enough to pay for all the nice toys, er, I mean tools.

"Here's a slab of pretty live-edge wood I found for a dollar, can you make me one of those epoxied tables with it for me?" grumble grumble Yeah I suppose so grumble grumble. "Thanks, it'll look nice on that new deck you put in." sigh

 

[Bob Meyer]

I place my Yamaha MX49 below my main keyboard. Sometime I'll have 3rd keyboard on top, sometimes not. I sit and have it at a comfortable "bent elbow" position. I use an Ultimate Support stand which allows me to place it in the exact location I want.