Roland CM30 monitors

Both the CM-30′s I purchased used on EBAY .. with shipping I paid about $110 each verses the $199 each going new rate.     The wire setup is my main mixer outs go to a Behringer Truth subwoofer which has a built-in crossover.   It has L and R outs which I plug the CM-30s into.   Thus the lows under 70hz  stay in the subwoofer.   I’m very happy with the sound and wished I had done this years ago.

BK-5 April 2012

The BK-5 has a several features the older arrangers didn’t have that swayed me into buying it.   One I want to mention is video output of lyrics of SMF and KAR songs to the  display and or to an external display via a composite video output plug.     In place of lyrics I’ve added chord notation to  the my backing tracks which helps me greatly to keep time and know the next chord to play.    Another  great feature  is the ability to edit your SMF backing songs.   When I say edit I mean you can change the instruments and set volumes and effects overall and by track.    You also can create your own Performances (user presets) which link to a SMF song file.

BK-5 display screen

The arranger part of the BK-5 comes with some 300 rhythm styles of various genre.  These are drum beats and accompaniment with intros, endings and variations that you find standard in most all arrangers.   You can also find large sets of styles on the Internet and load them via a USB stick.  You can also  edit rhythm styles and build your own rhythm styles from scratch. 

 What is not mentioned  in the manual is that the  BK-5 comes with  565 preset Performance:Rhythm defined.  These often have titles that suggest a well known song or genre of music.    Each of these presets  has the  UP1, UP2 and LWR parts defined and there are 4  other alternate part sets you can quickly switch to using the One Touch button!    You can of course  take any of these, customize it and save  to a USB stick memory.          

There are a couple things I’ve found I’m not liking.   One is I haven’t seen a way to turn off the internal speakers other then by plugging in a blank plug in the headphone out jack.    Another dislike I have is the Upper 1, Upper2 and LWR split feature is very geared for arranger song playing.     I wish they could work in what I’ll call  non-arranger split mode.       

Important to me is getting several of the piano tones customized in  Performances and outputting piano sound to my liking.   After adjusting the overall EQ and COMP settings along with applying Upper 1 tone effect settings inside a Performance .. I can get a piano tone about 50% to what I’m looking for.   I’m hopeful I can get to near 100% .. but that might take hours of experimenting as I don’t have the knowledge to know how to get to where I want to go in this case.     

This is not a dislike but I’ve found after playing only the big full weighted FP-7F keys for a few months now .. I’m having much difficulty switching my fingers to light touch mode for the BK-5.    I’ll need to start giving the BK-5 a walk every day.    Last I need to mention that I haven’t even looked at making my own rhythms(styles) yet but that is next on my list.      I bought a collection of  5000 style files on the internet so I surely have a bunch of examples.

Suwannee drum/bass midi track  EZM035

Text file of Chords swanniechords

Please before you leave the site .. click on the advertisement on the right hand side of the screen to earn me some click credits .. Thanks!

BoogieBeau PA system

First I went with one brand, Behringer, for the signal processing components.      One big positive mark for using same brand is the user interface to controlling the gear is similar.  Thus once you understand how parameters can be set and stored on one device you basically know how to operate the other devices.   Also making connections between devices should work smoothly.        For the rack selection itself I went with a SKB mini console.    I can place my mixer on top and leave the cables connected with the lid on.  There is room to store and keep speaker cables right in the box.   It is a big thing to move around  but not so heavy one guy can’t easily lift it.

SKB mini console rig

In the rack on top is a Furman power conditioner.  It also has pop out lights.    I  purchased shorter 3′ power cords to help eliminate the power cord mess inside the rack.   The mixer main stereo outputs  connect to FBQ1000 Feedback Destroyer .. which connects to the CX2310 Crossover.   Cables from the Crossover connect to the speakers.      The mixer monitor mono out connects to a 1124P Feedback Destroyer and a cable from it connects to my little CM30 monitor amp.     The Virtualizer Pro effects box connects to the mixer using channel insert cable.   It has two channels so I could run effects on two different microphones.

Rack componets

The mixer is a Behringer FX1222  I had before I thought of this project.  It will do the job nicely but I can clearly see now the advantages of having a full featured mixer.    I’d like to have one with sub channels to run multiple monitor outs, main and sub inserts and  dual effects.   Also I’d like one that had remote control via wireless link to an IPAD .. but that’s a bit beyond what’s in my wallet.     In all this was a good project and I’ve learn a bunch about PA systems.   Though I have my small Roland amps connected now I could easily replace them with much larger active PA speakers. 

 I’ve now started building a separate studio rack.      I believe it would be nice to be able hear the processed live audio while making it.         

I’ve have great success the last couple months creating my backup band bass and drum patterns on the DR-880 drum machine.   I record them using Sonar and save them as midi files which I load onto the USB stick I plug into the FP-7F.    Bascially I’ve eliminated the need to take a drum machine with me on a gig .. well if I ever gig that is.    I created a You Tube video showing this process and what it looks like on the FP-7F.  Also I did a video showing what one can do with the Looper feature.

I’m just starting on a new project to create a  booklet titled  “First Stride”.    It is not going to be a detailed all encompassing manual by any means .. just a brief starter guide with some easy beginner practice routines.   But I do want to work to get it published .. so I can say I’m a published author!  

Also in 2012 I hope to find a sax player and practice to perfection a set of a couple dozen  boogie woogie blues songs.    I’ve recorded snipets of the song set and have my backup tracks for the sax player to practice with.      I’ve been working on getting a small mixer rack ready and have speakers  enough I’ve believe to fill smaller venues.    Of course the kind of music I’m playing is basic and surely non-pop .. so I’m not so sure if I’d find an audience.   But we .. shall see!  

Roland FP-7F

 My search for a next keyboard took several weeks but I finally decided on a Roland FP-7F that has the new PA III ivory feel escapement 88 key bed.   I’m not going to do a review on it here but I do want to mention one of the big selling points for me.      The built in song player on it will display lyrics.    So that means I can record my Boss DR-880 patterns into Sonar, add chord notations and then play them on the FP-7F.       This is something I really wanted to be able to do.    I’ll be creating a detailed video slide show on Youtube about how I manage to port my DR-880 patterns over to the FP-7F.

FP-7F showing chords

M-Audio Venom

At Sweetwater Gearfest 2011 in June I got some hands on time on the new M-Audio Venom and attended an hour demo there on it.   It’s a new product,   under $450,  and comes with a lovely computer based program editor to help setup user presets, sound and arp beats on it.    But a warning … the Venom is not for someone looking for a keyboard to learn piano with as it doesn’t even have piano voices on it.   Instead it is loaded with aggressive synth sounds and arps.     Definitely not my type of music but I want to expand my horizons and thus I went for it.   

In a user setup  you can layer and or split the keyboard  with as many as 4 sounds.    Each sound is associated with an arpeggio so you could get 4 arps playing at once.      Buttons on the keyboard allow you to control the 4 sounds during a live performance.      So that’s the skinny on the M-Audio Venom.    Watch for a Youtube of me using it later this fall.

1.   I purchased a 48″ x 8″ long shelf from the hardware store.  Cut a slot in both ends and added it underneath the table stand.   I have a power strip on it and place the AC/DC adapters there on it also for the stage and drum machine.   The surplus cordage is gathered in with velcro wire tie straps.  I’m using velcro to keep the power adapters in position.   

Rig power shelf

2.  Though a bit hard to find in the picture I have a second table stand with a smaller 36″ shelf right next to the Juno Stage.   That stand has my mixer,  computer and VK-8M on top.   The shelf board  also has a power strip on it  which the power strip under the Stage plugs into.    I also mounted a third power strip under the long table I have along the wall there.    The results is I have no cables except for my foot switches on the floor.  

Overall it is just pleasant to look at and a neat image compared to the spaghetti ball of cables that was there previously.   I’m working on a third board now for the traveling rig I’m putting together.   On that one I’m adding some extra holes to strap down power supplies and I’ll sew up a padded bag for transporting it.

Yamaha RY-9

The second drummer I got was an Roland MC-303.   There have been several Roland MC-### models made over the period of like the last 25 years.     The MC-303 is way more than a drum mahcine,  Roland calls it a Groovebox.    The presets are mainly techno  trance beats.   I was surprised that it contains several rhythm sets as well as a bunch of tones and a bunch of specialty sounds in preset banks as well.     I’m still learning how to program beats on it as there are tons of options.    The display is neat and bright and the kinda keyboard buttons on it along with all the little led lights .. well it’s cool to

Roland MC-303

just look at when it’s beating.      After fiddling with this girl a few hours I now love the EZ-Composer feature on my Roland Boss DR-880 drum machine even more.      The EZ-Composer is just such a big time saver as it lets you quickly preview a bunch of different combinations very quickly to come up with a good matching drum beat and bass line for a song.     With the MC-303 you need to have what you are looking for in your head first .. then you can program it and go wild with effects.      I’m looking forward to spending some serious time with this little girl.