From breynold@usc.edu Thu Nov 29 21:07:46 2001
Subject:Re: OT:Speaking of modules: Best horns?/Swiss Army Knife

I'm gigging with a larger band or smaller stage with exactly this combo:
CX3 and PC2r.

Sound wise, this is hard to beat.

Actually, I have also used a k2600r with the Roland Brass CD and Sweetwater
translator disc, and that's really killer. But I noticed that samples get
corrupted in crappy club electrical systems, where the ridiculous air
conditioning fan comes on when the show gets hot! So mere ROM is often
better for gigging.

So I like the PC2r (I often use a Fatar sl-161 as controller or second
manual for CX-3). I really like setting the 2nd controller to rest on my
CX-3. Stages are sometimes so small for a 7 piece band that I really don't
have room for a 73 key board on a 2nd tier of a stand. The CX-3 is big enough!

But a problem is the rack PC2r is that I have to set up midi cords, and, in
order to really do things like cross-fading between horns and piano, I have
to set up a midi translater box to send the right midi message from my CC
pedal to the module. I've gotten to hate setting even this much up is a
dark club on a tiny stage. I wish they had a 61 note version of the
PC2. I know Kurzweil announced one for the European market, but then the
European distributing went bust.

It is for this reason that I'm tempted by the utter simplicity of the Nord
Electro. Maybe I would play nothing but Rhodes and Clav all night, with
CX-3 for organ on bigger gigs. I've noticed that whenever I can't get a
horn patch happening for some reason, if I play the same part on an 888
organ batch, nobody seems to notice or care. And this is true even for
really horn heavy stuff like James Brown and TOP. Let the real horn
players do it for huge jobs! I've also noticed that I can play organ or
rhodes to cover synth parts from '80s dance music, and nobody notices that
either!!

Just in case you think I'm just lazy, next year I'm launching a 3 person
band with guitar, drums, and my hauling in a Bob Schleicherized a100 chop
with Leslie 145 and mackie subwoofer. I'll kick bass pedals. You think
these clones sound good until you spend an hour on the real thing. (And
practice your chops on the real thing, in the real seated position, with
the correct arm angle, etc.). For a lot of blues, soul, and funk, bass
pedals work in a way that they don't work for fast jazz. I love that
simple bass line, with left hand comp chords, right hand solos and colors
stuff. You just have to be a little selective of material, and let the
guitar and drums do more of the busy stuff.

By the way, since I'm such a gear slut (if you couldn't tell already), I
should let you know that I also have a Motion Sound Pro3T/Bottom Pro
combo. I like it, but I much prefer the sound of the Leslie 145,
especially when playing the a100.

So, I aiming toward two vastly different rigs; one simple and lightweight
as hell, and the other still simple but heavy as hell!

Barry

At 04:07 AM 11/30/2001 +0000, you wrote:
>Mark beat me to it, but I was also going to recommend the Roland
>Brass Section CD with the Sweetwater Kurzweil translator disc. I use
>mine a lot and it's very realistic. I also have a Kurzweil PC2R
>which has the best pianos, both acoustic and Rhodes/Wurly, that I've
>ever heard and some killer horns to boot. The PC2 is what Elton John
>and Billy Joel are using right now. At about a $1000 they're not
>real cheap and I'd have to say that it's weakest soundset is the
>Hammond stuff, and it's really pretty good considering. My CX3
>should arrive in about two weeks and I figure with it and my PC2R I
>should have all the traditional bases covered about as well as you
>can get with a clone system.
>
>Ed Fliege
>k2mojo@groovedaddies.com
>
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