80's Pop/Rock set Vintage keys

aron · Post by **aron** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 9:10 am

Just dance is a good example, does it have to be exact or will a generic synth sound do?

Anyway, I don't have experience playing a cover band that tries to copy every sound, so I'm staying out. Thanks guys.

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 12:27 pm

@brickpilot
I don't need to get in line at all, I already have those sounds

@aron
IMO, the opening lead has to be spot on. The synth pad/filler in the chorus perhaps not. YMMV and all that.

PinkFloydDudi · Post by **PinkFloydDudi** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:19 pm

NuSkoolTone wrote:Gotta chime in here and say I can't stress ENOUGH how much accurate keyboard sounds give your band credibility as PROFESSIONALS vs. weekend warrior HACKS.

+1 to that.

I'm someone who says if you are going to do something, do it to the best ability you can.

Granted our band is weekend warrior professionals! lol.

I do not ever want to be associated with a cover band that comes across as a bunch of hacks. Everything gets half-assed.

Would you play the opening guitar lick of "Sweet Child of Mine" with a smooth jazz tone? Why then would it be ok to play a keyboard part without the proper sound?

I would certainly love to be the one to build this!!! Sadly, I don't think I have the knowledge to properly get these sounds as close as they should be.

I am actually going to check with my neighbor though...who is a pro when it comes to making sounds like this. I'm not sure if even his skill will be enough to really get as close as I would want them to be for a sound pack for sale, but I think some $ signs might inspire him? We shall see.

If anyone else would be interested in helping with the pack, would certainly be willing to share profits!

aron · Post by **aron** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 6:51 pm

>I do not ever want to be associated with a cover band that comes across as a bunch of hacks. Everything gets half-assed.

I understand. I guess I never came across having to play in a band like that. It's another part of music I don't understand.

Thanks for enlightening me. One thing I am sure of, you guys would think every single band in Hawaii is a bunch of hacks.

I also admit that I am fully capable of synthesizing and nailing every single sound (within reason) for a cover song, but I will not put in the time - not for some of the music I have to play. I will cover the sounds for a general soundscape, but will will not try and cover every single part or try to get every sound exactly right.

Good luck to you guys. I'd love to hear your bands live one day.

PinkFloydDudi · Post by **PinkFloydDudi** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 9:56 pm

aron wrote:>I do not ever want to be associated with a cover band that comes across as a bunch of hacks. Everything gets half-assed.

I understand. I guess I never came across having to play in a band like that. It's another part of music I don't understand.

Thanks for enlightening me. One thing I am sure of, you guys would think every single band in Hawaii is a bunch of hacks.

Everything has its place. If I'm in some backyard bar or sitting on the beach enjoying a coctail, almost any guy with a piano or guitar will do =)

I also admit that I am fully capable of synthesizing and nailing every single sound (within reason) for a cover song, but I will not put in the time - not for some of the music I have to play. I will cover the sounds for a general soundscape, but will will not try and cover every single part or try to get every sound exactly right.

But you admit that is just you being lazy! Which is what it comes across as.

Good luck to you guys. I'd love to hear your bands live one day.

Does youtube count?
http://www.youtube.com/BigEyedPhishLIVE

Also, feel free to find a venue that will pay for our band to come out to Hawaii and I will gladly be down there in a heartbeat! lol.

aron · Post by **aron** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 11:43 pm

> But you admit that is just you being lazy

No it's not being lazy. I'd like to think (this is just me) that I don't need to spend hours and hours of nailing that stupid Lady Gaga tone when I could be doing other things such as practicing and playing other gigs, or writing code.

It all comes down to the time you have and what you want to do with it. You perceive it as being lazy. To me it's time management. Honestly I see no reason just because I am playing the song of the day to have to spend hours and hours trying to recreate a sound that someone dialed up on their Oberheim in the 80's.

I have never, ever had anyone complain about my sounds - well once, but I didn't have a good tone back then (too poor).

I run my own website, I play guitar, I build guitar pedals, I play keyboards, I have an iPad app among other things I do. I play with 4+ different bands. If I choose to use my JP-8000 to play Jump or a Lady Gaga tune and it doesn't fit what other keyboards player think and they perceive me as lazy, then so be it.

Anyway, I don't know why I read this. I need to record now. Working on another commercial.

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Fri Nov 11, 2011 8:11 am

I get what you're saying. But honestly, it doesn't take me "hours and hours", or even one hour. Music is my living as well, and I do have to divide time between practicing, gigging, checking songs, administration etc..
But getting the right sounds is a good part of why people ask me. I always get complimented on it. And I admit, I like playing with those sounds, I get a kick from it, so I probably do spend more time on it then other keyboard players. At the same time, that practice makes me quicker at it, so meh. To each their own.

michelkeijzers · Post by **michelkeijzers** » Fri Nov 11, 2011 9:13 am

aron wrote:
but was purpose built with engines that can faithfully reproduce old sounds as well
Good point. I wish you could daisy chain more pedals in the effects loops of the electric pianos. Also, like you said, there's probably a market for nailing the old sounds of recordings with a Rhodes, Clavinet and Wurlitzer - something like Kurzweil did with the PC3.

You can add IFXs to it, I assume you get the same result then.

Pips · Post by **Pips** » Fri Nov 11, 2011 9:41 am

BrickPilot wrote:
aron wrote:The last time someone obsessed about the sound being exactly the same, the person was also obsessing about the part being played exactly the same.

That was when I was in High School.
...
IMO.
Ideologies and judgments aside, the point of this thread is that there is a market for same-or-nearly-so "classic rock synth" sounds for the Kronos. An enterprising sound creator could readily make some money if they produce some quality work along these lines. Whether anyone chooses to buy them or use them, for whatever reason, is their own choice.

Let's not let this devolve into a discussion as to whether or not someone is obsessive / a hack / an unoriginal peon, just because they want to use sound X instead of X' or Y.

The Kronos has immense and nearly bottomless capability for creating new and exciting sounds, but was purpose built with engines that can faithfully reproduce old sounds as well. Not utilizing all facets of this fantastic piece of equipment would be a shame, IMO.

I love the sounds of the 60's and 70's on the 2080, most bases are covered in the kronos: eps, trons etc but I would pay for a great set of vintage keys, and I think a lot of people would.

navydave · Post by **navydave** » Sun Nov 20, 2011 12:22 am

This 80's Pop/rock set is making it harder for me to decide what to get. The Kronos or the Motif XF. I'm in an 80's cover band and now I cant decide, lol. I will be replacing an aging Triton Le (and "maybe" selling a Korg R3 and loaded Roland JV1080). Too bad I couldn't afford both. Could get a rack XS I suppose.

johnnydr · Post by **johnnydr** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 2:06 am

80's Pop/Rock set does not load in the rack properly

navydave · Post by **navydave** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 2:31 am

johnnydr wrote:80's Pop/Rock set does not load in the rack properly

Hmm, thats a drag. I'm still on the fence between the XF6 or 7 and the Kronos 61, since I already have the Legacy collection on my laptop. Wondering if the XF will be a better fit for an 80's pop/rock band. I like both boards (from watching videos online) and like the fact that the Kronos has the 9 engines, setlist mode and am already fimilar with Korg layout, but I like the ready to go 80's stuff and established sound libraries on the Motif. I guess it doesnt make much sense to double up on what I already have (minus the ones that arent in the Legacy collection). And all the reports of bugs and hardware issues are starting to scare me, but I guess that would be a topic thats already been discussed in various threads. Don't want to get too off topic here. Guess I just need to go down to a music store that has them both in stock and compare. I got a few more months to think about it before the funds are available anyways.

lunaluna · Post by **lunaluna** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 12:58 pm

navydave wrote:
johnnydr wrote:80's Pop/Rock set does not load in the rack properly
Hmm, thats a drag. I'm still on the fence between the XF6 or 7 and the Kronos 61, since I already have the Legacy collection on my laptop. Wondering if the XF will be a better fit for an 80's pop/rock band. I like both boards (from watching videos online) and like the fact that the Kronos has the 9 engines, setlist mode and am already fimilar with Korg layout, but I like the ready to go 80's stuff and established sound libraries on the Motif. I guess it doesnt make much sense to double up on what I already have (minus the ones that arent in the Legacy collection). And all the reports of bugs and hardware issues are starting to scare me, but I guess that would be a topic thats already been discussed in various threads. Don't want to get too off topic here. Guess I just need to go down to a music store that has them both in stock and compare. I got a few more months to think about it before the funds are available anyways.

>>>King Kronos is the better keyboard IMO ,but if you're already in the band and need the sounds yesterday Motif xs/xf is the better option since the sounds are ready to go, unless you have the time and knowledge to make the sounds yourself then get KK .

BillW · Post by **BillW** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 1:29 pm

johnnydr wrote:80's Pop/Rock set does not load in the rack properly

The banks don't load directly into the Rack XS but they will work if you have access to a Motif XS keyboard. Here's my posting from Motifator describing the process:

There are a number of threads discussing how various voice libraries from the Motifator Shop cause the Motif-Rack XS to hang up if you try to load and play them. After some experimentation, I have successfully loaded voices from:

80’s Pop/Rock Volumes I & II
Organimation
Axxe
Vintage Keys

The trick is to import them into a Motif XS keyboard FIRST and then save them as an ALL file onto your USB stick. From the USB stick, move the file to a computer and then use the Motif-Rack XS’s software to import them from the ALL file. For some reason, once these voices have been loaded into a Motif XS keyboard, their structure is compatible with the Motif-Rack XS. I am using John Melas’ Total Librarian, but I suspect the Yamaha software will work too.

Bill

BrickPilot · Post by **BrickPilot** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 2:34 pm

FWIW, I emailed the original developer of the 80's pop/rock set for the Motif and asked him to consider porting the library to (or recreating it for) the Kronos. I got an automated reply back that he was focusing on other areas and don't expect work on new sound libraries.

<shrug>