Okay, so I haven’t really gotten any new gear yet this year, unless you count the CZ-101 that I’m borrowing from the band leader in our wedding group. This has been a treat to play with, since I can use it as a keytar, which is a lot of fun. But the truth is, I really don’t need any new gear right now…..at least, I don’t think I do.

In fact, I should probably rename this blog entry as “What Now?”. I currently have plenty gear for what I’m doing, I think. Or at the very least, I have just enough to get the job done. The task that I’m setting myself to now is making things flow really smoothly.

So, there are several issues that I’m working on resolving. What follows is my first installment of wrinkles that I’d like to iron out:

KEYBOARDS
I know there are plenty of guys out there who carry a lot more to a gig than I do. But there are plenty who bring far less. My goal is to bring just enough to get the job done.

Of course, this starts with the keyboards themselves. I’ve grown quite accustomed to setting up three ‘boards at most of the gigs I do. Right now, I swap between a Kurzweil PC 88 and a CME VX8 as my weighted 88 key controller (pianos, Rhodes, Clav, etc); an M-Audio 88 ES (Organs, Synths, Horns, etc.); and an M-Audio KeyStudio (Synth Leads, Strings, Vocoder, etc.).

My big issue is with the weighted controllers, both of which I love – both have pros and cons.

I love the PC 88 for the pianos, and the overall feel of the instrument. In fact, I like it better than the CME. However, I have experienced intermittent power outages with it on occasion. Not good. It also has limited MIDI functionality as compared to the CME. And it only has 5-pin general MIDI; no USB.

The CME, on the other hand, has excellent MIDI control facility (9 faders, 18 rotary knobs, etc.). It has not only USB I/Os (to include a 2-port USB hub), it has multiple 5-pin MIDI outputs, which is quite handy. For pianos, I’m using either my Roland JV1010, or the acoustic piano samples in Logic Mainstage. I don’t really like the 1010 pianos, and the pianos in Logic, while very good, really eat up CPU on my laptop, and don’t generally cut very well in most rock settings.

I’ve decided of late to use the PC 88 for most gigs, with the understanding that it just might stop working. I figure that because I have another 88 key controller (the M-Audio 88 ES), I can use it as a backup if the PC goes down. I had to do that at a gig a few months back. I wasn’t real thrilled with that, but it worked. It’s worth it to me to have the PC, and the feel of a more playable piano rig.

So, I’ve thought that maybe I could replace the JV1010 with a more playable piano soundset. I do have Kurzweil MicroPiano, but it’s currently out of commission, and it’s pretty old. I’ve also considered the Use Audio Plugiator ASX card for the CME, which would transform it into a full-on synth.

Decisions, decisions…..