Patches and discussion for Ensoniq VFX family

Murphy's Law - if things can go wrong, it will!

If skipping is a concern, use an iPod!  More and more, I'm seeing these
performers with a Pod XT, a speaker, and an iPod.  A little goofy looking,
but hey, it's a paying gig!  I think it will be fine in a band surrounding -
just make sure the drummer can 'hear' the track so they'll get the timing -
same with your midi tracks.

Don't be so concerned with the technology - just don't do an "Ashley
Simpson", and blame your drummer and reflux.  Although, the crowd may get a
good laugh!  ...or maybe a different set list, too!  ;o)  

It happens to pro's, too!  I've seen ZZ Top, stop in mid song, and pick
right back up, due to a broken string.  I've seen Edward Van Halen botch
solo's, and he was like 'Oh well'.  It is part of the fun!  Jack White from
the white stripes said "I find it interesting that a performance can fall
apart at any moment" as he plays his Montgomery Ward guitar.  I thought this
was a cool approach.

We use Cakewalk Sonar 4 - sign up for a clinic next time and you'll get a
great discount.

These programs and v-synths have come a long way!  

That's my 3 cents!
Rodney

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael C Lesko [mailto:MichaelL33@...] 
Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2005 5:40 PM
To: Ensoniq-VFX-SD@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Ensoniq-VFX-SD] Is It Live - Or Is It Memorex?




Wow what an excellent point!  I agree myself.  There's something about a "CD
player" that gives me the willies.  I mean it is the same, if not better
than using a sequencer it's just I get chills up and down my spine when I
think of a song "skipping" like a CD player occassionaly does.  I would much
rather the whole thing just drop out in dead silence than have to stand
there like a deer caught in the headlights while a refrain of "Girls just
want to have fun" by Cindy Lauper plays over, and over, and over.

It's all just future shock.  Just like being in an elevator we put our lives
on the line with our technology.  Perhaps it's time to go low tech and start
hauling around pianos again., but then again even piano keys break.  Again I
think this all speaks to one of the thrills of playing out in front of a
bunch of people.  How borning it would be to know that nothing could ever go
wrong.  I have to think that it only adds to the excitement of the whole
thing.

Again I am looking into the CD player option.  Honestly my frustration lies
in the fact that I DO have a great laptop with some usefull programs in it,
it's just that I'm not completely aware of everything that is available on
the computer for live performances. I am looking for something that can
"Switch" everything, even perhaps load a sequence from one of my SD-1 disks
too, for each song.  Currently I go through a ballet at the end of each song
to press a button on my DX7II (if it's not already set up through my SD-1)
then jump over to my laptop to load in a sample, then scurry over to my SD-1
and load in my next song
(Whew!)  Somehow technology is causing me more work than creating added
benefits.

Any suggestions on software from all you seasoned pros out there?  Thanks
again for the great letter Alan!

Michael


----- Original Message -----
From: "Alan" <alangino@...>
To: <Ensoniq-VFX-SD@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2005 11:10 AM
Subject: [Ensoniq-VFX-SD] Is It Live - Or Is It Memorex?





Enjoying the "What A Sequencing Mess" discussion and couldn't stand just
sitting there so I thought I would throw in my two-cent theory in the mix
with hopefully an interesting side-line topic so as not to clutter Michael's
discussion....

I think there are times as musicians when we tend to psychologically fool
ourselves and give ourselves some sort of "live" playing credibility because
we have a synthesizer unit and programmed sequencer accompanying our "live"
performances. I would think we could all agree, however, that is one of the
primary purposes for the existence of synthesizers with on-board sequencers.
It certainly took our talent to create, arrange, play, and program the
sequences, but...once that is accomplished, we have nothing more than pre-
recorded keystrokes within designated patches initiating sounds or music.
There is no difference, bottom line, between that and a CD player playing a
pre-recorded piece of music during a "live" performance. And getting to that
word "psychologically" again, I do definitely think that audience members
would react very differently if they knew you were using a CD player verses
an on-board sequencer. From their perspective, I think they would throw
much, much more scorn toward the CD player. But I also think that is because
they don't, for the most part, have a clue as to what a sequencer is or what
it is really doing anyway. So then...if and when you come to terms with
that, you can move on to what may or may not be more reliable.

Let me first say with regard to my performing, I have been a "single act"
for most of my "live" performance career. There is considerable difference
between that and a band when it comes to equipment failures such as those we
are speaking about. I don't think that anything can be more reliable, as Jay
has previously mentioned in the previous topic, than a CD player with
pre-recorded material with selection and playback as easy as hitting a
button. I have owned my VFX and SD1 for almost 15 years and dearly love them
both but I would never get on stage with the dependability of my performance
riding on either one of the units, especially the VFX. I have experienced
that failure a couple of times. That's my choice of course. I use computer
software to accomplish my sequencing these days anyway so all my VFX and SD1
sequencers do is collect dust. Although I no longer play live very often
anymore, if I did I would have to have a laptop accompanying me and all that
goes with that set-up or.....a CD player.

Someone might say..."Well why don't you just record the whole performance
and lip-sync it or whatever. "Well, unfortunately to the demise of a "live"
performance, you could do exactly that and some folks out there do. And when
you use sequencers or drum machines to accompany your performance you are
doing just that, just in a limited way perhaps. You are going to hit a
button on the sequencer or drum machine and play the same sounds you would
play if you hit a button on a CD player containing your pre-recorded
material. In both cases "you" are not playing any of it at the time of your
"live" performance.

So therein lays the choice you have to make in my opinion. If you think
programmed sequencers playing during "live" performances is different in the
end than pre-recorded music playing on a CD player during "live"
performances, then you will have to put your trust in the sequencer and all
that goes with it. All things considered and with a choice, it seems to me
the CD player would be the more reliable and the easiest to back-up.

Smiley Face - Smiley Face - Smiley Face,
Alan








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