| So they fired the keyboard player... [message #311626] |
Sat, 02 February 2008 23:18  |
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 ericswan
Messages: 159
Registered: April 2004
Location: Zenith City |
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...in the middle of the session. One of the bands I am currently working with now wants to carry on without a keyboardist but still have a way to utilize the recorded synth parts in their live sets.
What's the easiest way to accomplish this; prerecorded tracks on a computer/cd/ipod, trigger a sequencer, hire a ghost player to sit off stage or?
Obviously the drummer should player to a click so the tempo lines up but what might be the easiest way to make this work?
"Be yourself. Everyone else is taken." Oscar Wilde
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| Re: So they fired the keyboard player... [message #311628 is a reply to message #311626 ] |
Sat, 02 February 2008 23:30  |
rjd2
Messages: 333
Registered: February 2005 |
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well, the EASIEST(not the cheapest)i would say is the instant replay machine. i dont remember who makes it, but i know the unit is named "instant replay". alot of hip-hop dj's used it for live shows to avoid records skipping; you can load up to 20 or so full songs into it, and it has 20 buttons, which trigger the sounds.
its rock solid. in addition, if you were a rock, you could probably operate it. really simple.
they used to go for 2k-2500, but who knows? maybe its dirt cheap now?
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| Re: So they fired the keyboard player... [message #311832 is a reply to message #311626 ] |
Sun, 03 February 2008 18:59 |
tripit
Messages: 57
Registered: March 2005
Location: Hollywood, CA. |
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In the tour situations I've been involved with that went on stage with prerecord backing tracks, we always used digital 8track with a redundant backup,start and stop controlled by the drummer. It works well that is until you have a malfunction on stage...and that is bound to happen at least once. I can pretty much say from experience that it will happen at least once, if not more. For an example, here is the point where I direct your attention to a Van Halen clip of Jump from their last tour http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuDYW31QPEg
Nothing makes a band look more stupid then when the playback track goes out of whack. In the Van Halen, the keyboards were playing out of tune with the rest of the group. Sounds like a total train wreck.
If the parts being replicated are really minor, then using backing tracks isn't such a big deal, as long as someone has the ability and mind set to kill them if things go wrong. If you have significant parts that carry the song (such as in Jump) I would always advocate a real player. Actually, I would always advocate a real player over backing tracks.
Tell'em it's a better bet to hire a player, park him or her on the side of the stage. You'll come off more legit and you won't have to worry about sync malfunctions. Plus, you have the freedom to change up stuff as the tour progresses.
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| Re: So they fired the keyboard player... [message #312191 is a reply to message #311626 ] |
Mon, 04 February 2008 18:55 |
Tom L
Messages: 225
Registered: December 2007
Location: Huntington, NY |
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Not a fan of prerecorded parts AT ALL but was kind of forced down this path once and had to fly in incidental parts from a recording (we do not have keys in the band). Lessons learned:
- CD players can skip
- iPods are difficult to navigate under gig conditions
- laptops...I've seen too many crash live. Waiting for somebody reboot a computer is not my idea of a show.
I ended up with a Roland SP-404 sampler triggered with a Yamaha MIDI foot controller. Might not be ideal for everyone but did the trick for me. Also a drag to program but I felt like I had a more solid solution working for me.
Didn't use a click because the nature of the some of the tunes just could not work with it.
Can be a bit of a crap shoot but once we rehearsed it, we just learned how to play to it. Again, not how I like to play but for a few songs, it was best option.
http://www.kaleidoscopesoundworks.com
http://www.knockoutdrops.com
"Re-examine all that you have been told... dismiss that which insults your soul." Walt Whitman
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| Re: So they fired the keyboard player... [message #312205 is a reply to message #311626 ] |
Mon, 04 February 2008 19:30 |
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tom eaton
Messages: 2120
Registered: May 2004
Location: Newburyport, MA |
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No... wait, hire another drummer and have him play the keyboards!
Or, maybe... no... I still think the possibility for actual music making comes with an actual human playing the actual parts. Oh well...
t
thomas eaton recording
acoustic music guy
http://www.thomaseaton.com
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