Synthzone friends,

I hope everyone here is having a terrific summer. It's been a very busy gig season here in sunny California, and as you might expect, includes lots of outdoor events & parties this season, so unfortunately haven't had an opportunity to post for quite awhile.

The one thing I've found frustrating about OUTDOOR keyboard giggin (with all electronic keyboards, not just Yamaha) is the total lack of LCD screen visibility outdoors. For this reason, I must always advise my clients that there MUST be a shaded location available for me to perform. If not, a large shade umbrella must be provided. But interestingly enough, even this does not always offer adequate screen visibility, as even bright ambient bright light produces screen reflectance, making outdoor screen visibility often (even in shade) challenging.

In attempt to reduce screen reflectance further, I constructed a screen hood out of cardboard. This provided some improvement, but it looked make-shift and funky.

Recently, I discovered a commercial LCD screen shade that helps to further reduce outdoor ambient light reflection. It's manufactured by CompuShade (Model # LAPTOP-UNV) and costs between $25-29.95 depending on retailer, and as low as $9.00 on Ebay. It's made of black vinyl plastic. I customized (cut down) mine to attach to my Tyros2 LCD tilt screen perfectly and looks professionally acceptable on the gig. It attaches to (fits) my Tyros2 tilt screen unit (secured with velcro) in less than 3 seconds, and folds & stored completely flat, making it a breeze to take along to outdoor gigs.

So, until keyboard manufacturers finally wake up and include screens easily viewable indoors AND outdoors, the CompuShade looks to me (for now) to be helpful.

Ok, here are a couple pics of me, taken over the weekend, performing on my Tyros2 (with the CompuShade) :





Scott Yee
Scott Yee Entertainment

[This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 07-30-2007).]

Hey Scotty...great to see you back...that's
a big plus for outdoor gigging...thanks for
posting the information...here in sunny Mexico
we have the same problem with glare...good to have you posting again......
TR

Welcome back Scott. Nice to see you posting again.
Good solution for the outdoor gigs.
This is one of the reasons I allways want a lot of knops and presets.

Also probably my final post for a while, since I am off on a holiday by the end of this week to the caribbean..

That just reminds me to the song "Oh Island in the sun"

Fred

Scott welcome back. Great find ! Have a great vacation.

Hey Fred....what part of the Caribbean are you traveling to???
TR

Hi Tony,
We are going to Curacao
I've never been there so I hope we like it.
Basicly we want sun,beach,good food,warm seawater and no risk of a hurricane.

Hi Scott

How about that? This is too funny. I happen to wonder what's happened to Scott Yee and the next day you call me and NOW you have actually found time to post. I am glad I was sitting down.

Anyway, good to hear from you and that you're ok.

Interesting solution for the screen glare. I used a cardboard box a couple times. I remember seeing something posted here from ebay in Germany where they had some gizmo made for the Tyros 1/2 screen glare.

I've been considering finding something on the order of a small waste basket or something like that.

This compushade looks like a good idea, especially that apparently it folds down.

Best
Scott

Hmmm, just happened to think, what happens on windy days? Does it come with kite string attached or it that extra

Welcome home Scott.....kool pics

that's some gadget you got there looks a bit big ...but if it works in blocking out the glare on your outside gigs ...so be it!
Is it Cardboard, wood, or?

Thanx for sharing....
& dont be a stranger!

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 07-30-2007).]

Scott, Nice to see you back on SZ.

I can relate to the hurricane part..hehehe
have great fun in the sun....when the hurricane season is over, come down this way
and enjoy our island...we'll take good care of you....have a Rum Punch for me...have a great vacation....
TR

Scott! Great to see your name on the SZ again! We have missed you. Good to see you are still enjoying the T2 and that great San Francisco weather.

Hope you decide to stick around and share more....

Randy

Hey, Scott... good to see you posting again. Hopefully Gary Diamond will chime in. I know he was pulling his hair out over the outdoor glare problem. Think he came up with something, not sure. Stick around for awhile.

Glenn

Great News! Mack (Scott) is back in town!

Hi Scott, great to hear from you again.
We've all been experiencing withdrawal symptoms for tooooo.. long.

Feels like a real breath of fresh air.

By the way, here in UK we need large UMBRELLAS for outside gigs. We are now officially MONSOON country
cheers
Eddie Johnson

great to have you back Scotty !! Why is there a shoe box on your keyboard ???? (just kidding , much love to ya mate)

Scott. It's big enough to put your overnight things in when gigging away...Ha!!!

Hi Scott,
A voice from the past, nice. I’m glad you’re back, missed your impute it was always good. And who else would find a black box to attach to his keyboard. (grin)

Like your pictures, John C.

Great to see you Scott. That looks like a very practical and cheap solution.And while it looks a little bulky it really doesn't obscure the performer much at all, certainly less than a music stand.

And not being able to read a display in sunlight is a very real problem at a gig.

Great info, as always, from you Scot. I believe you own a Music Pad Pro and do you think this would work on that equipment. I have one of these and it can be difficult to see when the sun shines through my windows. I close the curtains but wondered if this attachment would solve the problem.
Cheers
Carol

Carol, I ordered the compu shade for my wife's laptop last night. I'm going to see if it will also work on my MPP. I'll post how it works on the MPP.

Hey, Scott! Good to hear frome you. I never had a problem with the screen on my old MS-60's, but I recently saw a guy with a 3000 outside and the screen was pretty unusable. The old MS-60 has a very small screen and the angle just prevents a lot of glare. I'll keep one around for just that reason.

R.

Hi Scott,

Thanks for the great tip.

Good to see you posting again.

Ian

Scott - welcome back! Several of us have been hoping you would get back on here. There are some newbies with Yamaha's and plenty of us older cats who need your technical advice! Hope to see you on here regularly. Please stick around.

R/I

Welcome back Scott, look forward to your participation once more.
The General Dynamics Company has come out with a product, which may solve the problem in the future. http://www.gd-itronix.com/index.cfm?page=Products:DynaVue
Until then I am afraid it’s back to the black shoe box.
BTW before anyone mentions Super Twist displays, they are totally unsuitable for keyboards at present, as they have limited capabilities and are only available in small sizes. (Unless of course you have the financial backing of the military)

Bill

Hey Scott:

Welcome back. I was so sad that you hadn't been posting here anymore.

I will check out and purchase that contraption when I see one on Ebay.

Good idea!

Beakybird

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Stephenm52:
[B] Carol, I ordered the compu shade for my wife's laptop last night. I'm going to see if it will also work on my MPP. I'll post how it works on the MPP.

Thanks for the info. Does anyone know if Guitar Center or any other major music store or Computer Store carries this product as I am going to USA in Sept for a vacation (I am UK based). It is difficult to arrange mail order to a USA hotel and expensive to UK.
Cheers
Carol

Scott, good to see you around here again - it's been a while. To quote the old Drifters song, Please Stay.

______________________________________
Stephenm52: Yeah, we've all tried that one, "buying something for the wife". Sure!!
--------------------------------------

Scott,
Nice to see youre posting again

Hi Scott,

welcome back.
Great to see you posting again.

Eric

Great Scott!, Welcome back.

Good to hear from you again.

Has anyone tried using Polarized Sun Glasses to help reduce LCD glare? Do they work?

Al

Visibility of the screen should be your LAST reason to want shade when you perform... The heat build up from playing in direct sunlight will KILL your expensive LCD displays, and probably warp your keyboard's plastic body, and perhaps fry your innards too (the keyboard's, if not yours! )

It is definitely a concern, but MUCH worse things can happen from playing in direct sunlight!

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome back. I was wondering how many people here might still remember me. Though I haven't posted here in a long time (7+ months!), I've still (as time has permitted) tried to keep up with some of the interesting posting threads, sometimes amusing, and often heated debate, but got to admit it's been nice to just sit back on the side-lines as a spectator for a change. I'll probably remain a spectator most of the time, but will post if I believe I have something of VALUE or interest to contribute, answer specific questions, and ask for help if needed myself.

By the way, a couple of weeks ago I finally had a chance to audition and play a Yamaha S900 keyboard at my local Guitar Center store. I immediately appreciated how "ultra" compact & lightweight the S900 is, as well as by it's more professional cosmetic appearance than its predecessor. Following reports heard that the S900's key feel an improvement over the PSR3000, I sat down & played some melodic runs (scales & arpeggios), but immediately disappointed to discover the S900 key feel (at least to me) essentially the same as the PSR3000: spongy (sluggish) key response, making passages which require quick expressive articulation difficult to achieve. Even though, I still highly recommend the S900 as it includes MANY IMPORTANT niceties (SA voices, Audio Recording, Text lyrics support), and at a very NICE price. I also have to acknowledge that the S900 (like the the rest of the PSR series, and to a lesser extent the Tyros series), with paint on plastic casing doesn't seem as road rugged as the much heavier (in weight) built brand keyboards, but then again, because Yamaha arranger keyboards are substantially lighter (26-32 lbs vs 45-50 lbs), and if treated with reasonable care, can endure a rigorous transport schedule, as all my Yamaha keyboards (from PSR2000 to Tyros2) have (and continue to) served me well, and (most importantly) helped to prevent possible back strain or injury.

On another note, in addition to my usual gigs, I've embarked on another musical adventure. I've hooked up with an accomplished oboist (visiting University professor -musician from Italy) performing baroque period classical music together, which has given me the opportunity to discover the Tyros2's authentically realistic sounding 'SA harpsichord' voice. We're currently working on the Telemann: "Sonata in A Minor for Oboe & Piano (harpsichord)" and plan to perform it together in concert next month. The nice thing is that the keyboard part for this (and many baroque period pieces) is typically within the 5 octave range of a 61 keyboard.

Ok, back to KB screen visibility outdoors. I need to EMPHASIZE that the CompUShade (I mentioned above) offers about a 30% visibility improvement, and does not completely eliminate the outdoor visibility problem. It's important to add that the Yamaha Tyros2 includes an INDEPENDENT fully "tilt-able" LCD Screen Unit, allowing the CompUShade to attach to it, fully surrounding it on 3 sides, but most importantly tilt WITH it, allowing for adjustment to better help keep ambient light from entering the screen depending on positioning of the KB. I can't say how much benefit (if any) to keyboards that don't include a "fully independent" tilt ajustable screen to mount to & surround would provide. Another thing to consider is that the CompUShade units sold on Ebay for around $9 are an older model (with thinner gauge vinyl & vulnerable to bending in the wind) vs the heavier gauge vinyl on the one's
currently manufactured by & available from the CompUShade website. Ok, here are pics of the Tyros2 LCD screen both without & with CompuShade attached, as well as a shot of the CompuShade folded flat.







Back to making music . . .

Catch you soon.


Scott

[This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 07-31-2007).]

Freddy: Wow. Sounds exciting. Have a terrific vacation. Hope you post some pics on your return.



Carol & Stephenm52 (hope you didn't jump the gun and order it for your MPP already! ), I don't recommend the CompuShade for the MusicPad Pro. I tested the CompuShade on my MPP+ outdoors and unfortunately saw very little (if any) improvement. That said, I think visibility outdoors (without CompUshade) on the MPP+ is far better than the Tyros2 screen and quite acceptable (to my eyes) when viewed in the shade. I suspect the reason is that the MPP+ includes an anti-glare glass surface whereas the T2 screen is highly reflective (like a mirror).



Al, unfortunately not with the polarized sunglasses I tried it with viewing my Tyros2's screen, as the polarization produces a modled artifact appearance on the screen.




Diki, I agree. As I prefaced in my original post, I always perform in the shade, but screen visibility even outdoors in the SHADE is compromised from surrounding ambient daylight. This is where the CompUShade offers 'some' improvement, and the introduction by keyboard manufacturers of an improved LCD screen viewable both OUTDOORS and INDOORS would be greatly appreciated.

Scott,
it's good to see you back here.

Good to have you back on the SZ, Scott. Good post too, as always. Stick around (as I'm sure you quietly have).

------------------
Cass Pawlowski - Detroit
www.cassponline.com/

Actually a couple of weeks ago I was looking for a shade for my wife's laptop, in the summer months we sit out on our deck and the glossy screen makes her laptop hard to view, but my primary motivation was for the MPP After Scott's comment about use with the MPP, looks like my wife will have a sunshade for use all the time

Btw, the screen is only half the problem. In the sunglight you can't see the lights on the buttons either! This can lead to disasterous consequences!

First, Good to see your posts again Scott.
The topic of shading the keyboard screen was discussed about a year or two ago and taking some of the suggestions made at that time, I constructed a shade of cardboard and Velcro. Well, last week I played a large Italian Festa and forgot to bring the shade. So, I took and old music stand and reversed it to shade the screen. However, the stand surface has holes, so I had to put a binder on the stand to block the holes. I also attached my golf umbrella to my mic stand to provide some extra shade so my set up looked like a Rube Goldberg design – if anyone remembers the Rube Goldberg method of design - it worked. I tried to post a photo, but no luck.
Ciao,
Jerry

Scott .. good to see you back here ...

Question to all - Do the LCD screens on your KBs, whatever you play, have an adjustment slide for the screen? ... my technics KN6000 does and I really don't have a sun problem on outdoor gigs ...

Now for the BAD news ... somehow when packing up or unloading from a gig today I broke the key for middle C ... got to find a repair place in a hurry ....
t.

[This message has been edited by tony mads usa (edited 08-03-2007).]

Tony meanwhile while its in the shop for a while go buy a S900 for backup....everyone else is

Donny, I'm surprised you didn't suggest the G-70 !!!
t.