Hi,
I finally ended up getting a very inexpensive numeric keypad to try with a laptop /Omb software.
It appears to work really well.
Mine has 18 keys, 14 of which are useable to assign variations , intro's fills etc.
As for the remaining 4 , 1 is for numeric lock another 2 are used for switching back & forth to Preset & 4th unfortunately can't be assigned to anything.

Either way, having 14 assignable keys should be enough for me to be able to swith between the various fills , variations etc.

Beats having my laptop perched on top of a piano or keyboard.

best wishes
Rikki

hi rikki, can you post some details on where you got it from, or other info? i would be interested in looking at getting something like that too..i still have the OMB software, but its taken a bit of a back-seat since midjay came along
dennis

Hi Dennis.
i got mine thru Ebay ( Aust) $17.99 Aud incl postage from Hong Kong.
You can also bid, instead of "buy it now"
but watch the postage costs. http://tinyurl.com/nw4pc

it's a bit cheap & nasty ( haahaa) but I didn't want to buy an expensive one . The one's I looked at a while back in retail stores here , were about $99, too much money, just in case they didn't work with omb.
Definately makes things easier.

I'm actually using my Clavinova as a controller & for main melody piano voice & a mix of sd1 & Clav xg voices for the styles.

Could be a good way for you to use midijay voices with omb/psr styles. Saves converting psr styles across to ketron.
I've tried converting a couple of my favourites across to the sd1, but I've had a couple of hassles with Intro's not converting properly, especially in minor keys, so I'm still using OMB. It's like having a second keyboard.

If I can be of any help , let me know.

best wishes
Rikki

hi rikki,
thanks for that,i will have a look...you might be right with using omb with midjay too, so i will investigate that too..
all the best
dennis

oh, God, this marks the first time I suggested something in this forum and it worked.

Hi Trident,
works very well actually. I remember the subject cropped up a few months back, we weren't sure if a usb numeric key pad would work.
It was sheer luck I happened to be browsing ebay. I thought that for a mere $17 it was worth a try. Just have to come up with a safe way to attach it to the piano that won't do damage to it the veneer.
Then I'll get some colored stickers & work out what functions I want to assign to the keys.

Haven't spotted Frank recently. i think he was interest in the subject also.

best wishes
Rikki

Rikki, I just can't keep up with you. You provided a very good alternative to using the PC Keyboard or the midi controller for switching various arranger functions.

I am going in for hip replacement surgery tomorrow ..... and all I can say is ..... I am scared. So I haven't said much in recent times.

No need to be worried about hip surgery, Frank. I know a lot of people at church (this is a retirement community) who have had it and they are all very much better and very thankful for the surgery and the pain relief.

Knee replacement surgery is another thing, though. I know some who have had little or no problem (like my wife) and I know others who say it is terrible and they hurt all the time. This mostly seems to be people who are very over weight and didn't do the rehab exercises the way they were supposed to.

Tom

------------------
Bigger is not always better

rikki,
is the keypad a USB or a 5 pin (old style) one?

Hi Trident,
the one I got was actually USB.
It even has 2 usb ports onboard, though not sure how well they work ie if they'd cause latency if I used a controller via the keypads ports.
At the moment I'm using it with an old win98
64mb celeron laptop which has 2 usb ports anyway, so not an issue.
The bizzare part is I think I paid $3-99 AUD for the keypad & $14AUD postage from hong kong. Figured it was worth a try.

I blew my Dell xp laptop up, I didn't realize I hadn't switched it off properly and left it sitting on a soft surface. When I moved it , it reactivated & went into melt down. Still can't beleive it happened and that I was so careless. Suppose live& learn.

best wishes
Rikki

Hi Frank,
good luck with the surgery.
I was wondering why we hadn't heard much from you recently.

Actually it's quite a good alternative. Probably easier to find a spot for it on a controller keyboard , than on my piano.

I'm still in a bit of shock, I blew up Rikki 2006 realtime arranger system.
Maybe I'll be able to replace it , or hopefully my laptop may be fixable.

Anyway, more importantly, all the best for tomorrow.

best wishes
rikki

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Frank L. Rosenthal:
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