From obxwindsurf@yahoo.com Fri Apr 01 07:24:47 2005
Subject:Re: Active or passive B4 controller?


Liz,

I'm using the B4 on a 850 MHz PIII with Motu Fastlane USB controller
(2x2 MIDI), a Sound Blaster Live 5.1 sound card with KX Project low
latency driver, and an additional MIDI interface (1x1) for my homemade
drawbar controller. I also have a vintage Morley EP-1 MIDI
merge/Expression pedal (no longer in production).

My setup uses a Yamaha PSR GX 76 and a Kurzweil PC1X. These serve the
dual purpose of generating MIDI performance data for upper and lower B4
manuals, but through their analog routing through the mixer I am able
to route their digital sampled sounds to a dry amplifier. The output
of the B4 also goes into the same mixer and is panned to my homebuilt
hot-rod Leslie 145.

The Morley EP-1 merges its expression data with the performance data of
the Kurzweil. The output of the EP-1 is sent into the B channel of the
MOTU MIDI interface and the Yamaha goes direct into channel A.

The MIDI interface is USB connected to the PC and the B4 takes MIDI
channel A direct as one input, and MIDI-YOKE as the other (MIDI-YOKE is
a virtual MIDI patch cable and used to software connect the output of
one MIDI program with the input of another. I use MIDI-YOKE to perform
on-the-fly data translations of the merged EP1-expression (remapped to
B4 Swell), and the Kurzweil data (all channel 1 messages get sent as
channel 2).

B4 uses channel 1 as upper manual, and channel 2 as lower and the
Yamaha is stacked on top of the Kurzweil during performance.

With this rig I have not only a true B3 emulation, but also strings,
pianos (acoustic and electric), orchestral samples, and anything else
that the two digitally sampled keyboards are capable of.

The Leslie is miked into the house board with 2 mikes on the upper
rotor about 120 degrees apart and a single mike on the bass rotor. The
keyboard amp is DI'ed into another channel on the house board. I also
play harmonica through a Hohner Blues Blaster mike which is plugged
into the same mixer as the keyboards and panned through the keyboard
amp.

You can see a diagram of my rig at:

http://www.vintagemusicprojects.com/B4RTC_images/CloneRig.jpg

My Home built hot-rod Leslie 145:

http://www.vintagemusicprojects.com/HomebrewLeslieConstr.html

with recent updates to include a new power supply which gives me a full
120 W RMS, and a balanced input at the control pedal to cut down on
noise introduced over the length of the 20' control cable.

Finally my Home made B4 real time control surface:

http://www.vintagemusicprojects.com/B4RTC_images/Assembled.jpg

Hope this helps.

Kevin
>
> As I gear up to try my hand at computer based home recording, I've got
> the B4D bundle on my "equipment to buy" list. What I'm wondering is,
> what's the best means to control B4, a regular MIDI keyboard, or a USB
> keystation? With that, what brands/models might I look at, within a
> $500.00 price point?
>
> Lizzy