Inside the Music Industry

[smoothmoniker]

Originally posted by Elspode
My question for SM is more along the lines of hardware...

What's your favorite keyboard of all time? Your favorite VA synth (both hardware and software)? Your favorite classic analogue synth? What is the one indispensible instrument or piece of equipment for a live performance keyboardist (excepting stands, of course)?

Too many. Of course, the B3 and the Fender Rhodes reign supreme, and will for a long time. I'm actually in the middle of rebuilding my Rhodes right now, and covering it in an old yellow tweed. It's getting harder to use those live though, because so many managers are bitching about cartage fees (a cartage company stores your equipment, then brings it to where you are playing – indispensable for keyboardists and drummers).

I’m not much into the VA hardware – I use a Jupiter 8 and a Mini Moog for analog, so there’s not much need for an emulator. On the software side, I like the Logic instruments – the ES1 and ES2.

My one indispensable instrument for live playing is my laptop. I run Logic software live onstage, and trigger samples, loops, BGVS, all the ear candy stuff from there. I think I’ve gotten more tours because of the wow factor of showing up to the audition playing a laptop than for any other reason.

Also, a vote for the Korg Triton. It’s a great bread-and-butter keyboard. Very easy to program, flexible routing and effects, and a great sound library.


-sm