Post Namm

[lofi]

Some have been, others might have bench watched the various news feed others might not care.

What is your Namm 2020 favorite?
Here's mine:


Well not really the guitar, more the guitarist that brought us this guitar.
Yvette Young.
I got really inspired by her playing. As so that I dug up my old Stairfield guitar so that I could try that F,A,C,G,B,E tuning.
(not sure that she's using that tuning but it worked for me transcribing some of her licks and it's one of the more common "EMO" tunings).



Her band Covet was a great finding.
I'm sure most of you already know how to play this stuff so please don't comment on how banal it is, let's just go with it.
I for one got a kick of it, she really has her chops together, both technical but more important musical.
Open tunings are a great way to explore new grounds on string instruments or as Yvette says a new/different canvas that might or might not imply tonality, melody and chord-changes.

Kind of hesitant to post video since I don't think the ascetic of the video works with the music, but hey what do I know...
If you feel that all those pastel colors are hurting your eyes just close them and listen.



The future looks, eh, bright.

Best,

Anders

[Lawrence]

I really liked this for about 2 and a half minutes. She’s a good player.

[Guy Rowland]

I've never been able to get my head around alternate tunings, at least for chord work (I can figure out short phrases, that's it!). My muscle memory defeats me every time. That said Yvette makes good points and tips, but here technique is waaay better than mine.

One NAMM thing that I'd have been more interested in two years ago are a couple of new 88 note semi-weighteds, this from Arturia:



https://www.arturia.com/products/hybrid ... 8/overview

This is actually very similar to my Swissonic which I don't love but we get along ok I guess.

And this looks lovely from Nektar:



https://www.gearnews.com/nektar-impact- ... ontroller/

But I remember when I tested their last 88 note they had that weird black note / white note discrepancy in velocity response, and if this were the same keybed then that's a problem.

[Geoff Grace]

Nice playing. Thanks for sharing, Anders.

Re:NAMM...

As for the cutting edge, I'm very interested in seeing how MIDI 2.0 develops, as products implementing this spec finally hit the street.

As for long overdue catching up to (what was once) the cutting edge, I'm really looking forward to Pro Tools folder tracks.

Best,

Geoff

[lofi]

And this looks lovely from Nektar:



https://www.gearnews.com/nektar-impact- ... ontroller/

But I remember when I tested their last 88 note they had that weird black note / white note discrepancy in velocity response, and if this were the same keybed then that's a problem.

According to Nektar, the Impact GXP88 features a newly designed keybed with 88 semi-weighted, velocity and pressure sensitive keys.
But I guess you're not looking for one at the moment.

Best,
Anders

[lofi]

Nice playing. Thanks for sharing, Anders.

Re:NAMM...

As for the cutting edge, I'm very interested in seeing how MIDI 2.0 develops, as products implementing this spec finally hit the street.

As for long overdue catching up to (what was once) the cutting edge, I'm really looking forward to Pro Tools folder tracks.

Best,

Geoff

I have to read up on MIDI 2.0 not sure what's in in it as with PT. It's been on and off beta and works like a charm
I really thought they'd show it last summer, but I guess something happened.

/Anders

[Guy Rowland]

According to Nektar, the Impact GXP88 features a newly designed keybed with 88 semi-weighted, velocity and pressure sensitive keys.
But I guess you're not looking for one at the moment.

Ooh it is tempting, I'd missed that bit. I'll have to try and get my hands on one sometime. I use a couple of pads on my Swissonic for enabling / disabling VE Pro via automation, but these are just set up as keyswitches so I could use 2 of their assignable buttons to do the same thing I reckon.

Love the form factor, modwheel in the right place, it's sort of my dream ticket if the keyboard is good.

[lofi]

I asked the Swedish ibanez rep about the guitar, it will arrive in June/July around 11k Swedish (that’s less than 1000gbp).
Will definitely take it for a spin, the neck on my Starfield is amazing.

Hope you’ll get your hands on a nectar before that.
Cheers,
/A

[Geoff Grace]

Nice playing. Thanks for sharing, Anders.

Re:NAMM...

As for the cutting edge, I'm very interested in seeing how MIDI 2.0 develops, as products implementing this spec finally hit the street.

As for long overdue catching up to (what was once) the cutting edge, I'm really looking forward to Pro Tools folder tracks.

Best,

Geoff

I have to read up on MIDI 2.0 not sure what's in in it as with PT. It's been on and off beta and works like a charm
I really thought they'd show it last summer, but I guess something happened.

/Anders

Thanks for testing the PT Folder waters and reporting back, Anders. I'm glad to hear that the release version should work as expected.

If you're interested in getting acquainted a little with MIDI 2.0 features, Craig Anderton—who was recently named Vice President of Public Relations for the MIDI Manufacturer's Association—has a couple of threads that may be of interest in his Sound, Studio, and Stage forum.

The most current info is in Anderton's posts of this thread: Craig Gets Another Job!!!!

There's a more thorough discussion here, although the spec was still being developed at that point: MIDI 2.0 - Do You Care?

FYI, Craig Anderton has perhaps the oldest music forum on the 'net. I've been participating in Sound, Studio, and Stage since it debuted at America Online in 1995.

Best,

Geoff

[lofi]

The most current info is in Anderton's posts of this thread: Craig Gets Another Job!!!!

There's a more thorough discussion here, although the spec was still being developed at that point: MIDI 2.0 - Do You Care?

FYI, Craig Anderton has perhaps the oldest music forum on the 'net. I've been participating in Sound, Studio, and Stage since it debuted at America Online in 1995.

Best,

Geoff

Thanks for the links, I’m really not in the loop.
First time hearing about S,S and S.
I was never in the loop

At a first glance Midi2.0 looks great, 32bits, backwards compatibility...

Best,
/Anders

[wst3]

For a long time I was pretty blah about MIDI v2 - I mean really, what was in it for me???

Over the last year or so the noise level increased, and I was starting to hear some very cool ideas. Still it didn't seem likely that it would happen anytime soon.

Guess I was wrong!!

I'm re-reading them MMA docs for the third time, and there is a lot to ponder, but my overall reaction has changed from "meh" to "this could be really cool!"

Better timing? May or may not be audible with current systems, but it will allow systems to grow in complexity, and it will sound better.

More resolution - there are still few calls for more than 127 steps, but when you need them you really need them, and NRPNs was not a good solution. This is.

Inquiries, auto-config, on the fly changes??? Wow, just plain clever, and this could be the single biggest advantage for developers (and later us).

There is a lot to be excited about, especially since they did maintain backwards compatibility.

Things are going to get interesting...

[richhickey]

I would think everyone here could get excited about attribute type and attribute in the note on messages. This is the path to portable articulation info in MIDI, vs the DAW-specific stuff we have now.

[wst3]

I have to wonder just how useful that would be. I am unlikely to start a project in one DAW and then switch to others.

Although each DAW does have strengths and weaknesses... you could be on to something.

[richhickey]

Even without switching between DAWs, having things be in the MIDI standard facilitates things like:

• Putting artics in MIDI files, and thus getting to/from your notation program and DAW.

• Generating and processing artics from scripting tools and other intermediaries that can manipulate MIDI - like Bidule/Plug'n Script/Scripter/Max/Bome etc.

I think we need to be extra careful these days in accepting the levels of proprietary solutions we are seeing - bespoke expression systems, DAW-locked plugins etc. The DAW/plugin industry was built on MIDI being a lingua franca, and the virtualization of MIDI being a path between hardware and software. Things like VST3 break that in appalling ways.

It's important that MIDI catch up. Standards keep our costs low and our flexibility high.

[IFM]

I've never been able to get my head around alternate tunings, at least for chord work (I can figure out short phrases, that's it!). My muscle memory defeats me every time. That said Yvette makes good points and tips, but here technique is waaay better than mine.

One NAMM thing that I'd have been more interested in two years ago are a couple of new 88 note semi-weighteds, this from Arturia:



https://www.arturia.com/products/hybrid ... 8/overview

I think I have to admit I'm not a fan of the newer KL88 MkII. I also have a Mk I and it's noisier but I had better control over the velocity.
This new offering of a Semi-weighted option sounds tempting. I've not been a fan of the look of the Nektar but I've heard the Mk2 fixed the black/white response issue. I recall testing the original a few years back at NAMM and thought it was something I could enjoy.

Tonight I'm probably swapping the old KL back in. Might sell the Mk2 as it is still in mint condition and I'm sure someone will enjoy it. I don't have the space to keep three 88 note controllers...heck my QS8.1 has been relegated to the sidelines and replaced with a smaller Studiologic controller (live streaming or occasional shows use).

[Lawrence]

I have the Arturia Keylab 88. I love its look, and the action could be a bit chunkier but it’s ok.

I don’t love the too-small LED, the complex multi-function editing buttons or the placement of the wheels, although I get that the keep the length down.