During my adventures on youtube i bumped intoo this...

http://www.youtube.com/user/DeebachOrgans
http://www.deebach.com/00000198670088307/0000019867008c311/index.html

It seems these people take a Korg PA2X(upper) and a Korg M3(lower) add it intoo one box... then somehow add a lot of their very own sounds including direct of the box compatabillity with Tyros styles and sounds..

And then somehow they make everything controllable straight from the PA2X..

It sounds sweet...(and it can be played without peddals as a double keyboard)

Bachus,
I saw that a few days ago too...I can't read German so I don't know what the details are. Certainly is a PA2 on top. May just be a MIDI keyboard on the bottem? Did they say it is a M3 on the bottem?
Interesting about the Yamaha Styles... no one seems to be able to do that but Wersi???
That would be SWEET!

I have a poor mans version of this right now.

PA2XPRO on top CME 76 key MIDI board on the bottem VERY close to PA2 (as good as any organ I have owned. a 13 note ( certainly could use a 25) pedal board for controlling style functions ot playing bass notes ( at the change of a switch on the pefdalboard) all with dynamic and aftertouch.

Plays very nicely... just getting started with setting up all the performances and songbook entrys.

Lee

Intriguing! I feel many of us here long to go back to the integrated 2-kbd days. I know that much can be done using midi, but I've never figured it out. I'm waiting for Nord to come out with a C1-Stage 73 combo.

If you have a Tyros 2 it is done for you, by adding a Reggi Stick.
http://www.yamaha-club.co.uk/go.php?action=page&pid=44

Bill

Amen to that one. Day that comes out, they are getting MY money!

61 on the top, 76 weighted on the bottom would be my choice, but 73 plastic would still be cool... and a lot lighter! I've played the Electro 61 quite a bit, and I'm afraid for all but Hammond and Clav, that key-bed is just a hair too light for me. Playing Rhodes and Wurli, especially, I need a bit more resistance to really get into it...

But, if that's what they come out with, it'll still get my money!

Gang.... you can do this right now!
And it does not cost an arm & leg to do. Lower manual only or also with 13 or 25 note pedal board all with aftertouch...
It is not that hard.

Also, you can add 1 or more external sound modules if you want them too....OR use PC based samplers/Romplers VST also.

Lee

And how would we go about this?

The problem isn't so much assembling the components, but getting all of them to talk fluently to each other. For one reason or another, ever since the arranger manufacturers stopped making arranger MODULES, the MIDI implementation on them has got poorer and poorer, as they assume (probably correctly, in most cases) that these will be standalone units with nary a single thing EVER hooked up to them.

Add to that that the majority of MIDI remote keyboards have all the controls on the TOP, rather than at the sides or detachable, and it is difficult to get them in close enough to recreate the 'organ experience', where close spaced manuals are what make moving around so easy.

One thing I have been trying to get to arranger manufacturers attention (and I hope you all try as well) is the ability to plug in a dumb MIDI keyboard, one MIDI channel, no PC#'s, and have the arranger map the splits and layers, etc. to that one keyboard. It's what they do with their own internal keyboard, being able to do it to a secondary keyboard would open out all kinds of possibilities.

Want to play PianoStyle Mode, but on a weighted 88? (for you, Ian!)... There are quite considerable programming hoops you have to jump through to achieve this with a remote keyboard. Want to mirror the arranger's main keyboard on a second arranger (and combine the two)? Damn near impossible, nowadays (but it didn't used to be).

Want something MORE than what your arranger gives you as a completely isolated keyboard? Scream blue bloody murder at the manufacturers. Because, every model that comes out is just that bit less capable than previous models, and this trend won't change until you let them know you want more...!

Hi Cassp
1. Switch of keyboard split
2. Connect Midi out of 2nd keyboard to Midi in of 1st Keyboard
3. Set 1st keyboard to receive on channel 2 (Or whatever your arranger uses for the left hand split)
4. Set your 2nd keyboard to transmit on channel 2 (Or whatever your 1st keyboard requires for the left hand split)
5. You now have a 2 manual instrument
If you’re not sure about something, (And this may sound Alien) have a good read of the owner’s manual.
If you have a Tyros 2 the Reggi Stick has all the set-up done for you, so you just add your second keyboard.
Hope this helps

Bill

Bill, that's a great solution, as long as you want simple one sound per manual, but once you get into more sophisticated splits and layers (like we see in some of the better Wersi demos), you need the MAIN arranger to be able to map that on the secondary keyboard for you, and also chose whether the chord recognition is coming from the lower end of the UPR manual, or LWR one (or both, or neither, or a combination of LWR and pedals, etc., etc.).

You need registration changes from ONE place to be able to do all that, not different commands from the arranger, lower manual keyboard, and pedals. Integration is what makes the organ such a powerful tool. Lose that, and you are simply running a normal multi-keyboard rig, and one thats' main sound-source is NOT set up well for this purpose...

I have to agree with Diki on this one. Having two keyboards is one thing, having them stacked like an organ is another thing altogether. A dummy keyboard similar Hammond's XK-3pro setup is more of what I had in mind. I'm sure the midi controller makers could come up with something that could handshake with a master keyboard; put any needed controls on the faceplate or to the left of the keyboard.

Arent we talking some major weight with two stacked...or is this your home setup?

btw...Cassp how are you progressing on your OMB solo act so far?

To address both questions, Donny:

Weight would be no more than two independent keyboards; it's the way you could stack them that would be helpful.

As for the OMB situation, nothing going yet. I really don't know what I want to do. Well, I do but that's a long discussion. I'd like to play daytime corporate and private events, but I need to get a PR package together. I've been busy with my church work this spring and have let the commercial stuff slide.

OK, Heres how I play it...
The CME 76 I have on the bottem is used only for a MIDI dumb keybed. I do NOT need to get to any of the controls. It has a split at C3.
Lower manual talks to T2 ( and now my PA2X) via MIDI and a requires some setup on the T2. Upper (right) side of the split is used to play voice upper 3. That way when I setup my performances I have Upper 1 and 2 on the normal T2 upper, lower can be played on either the lower CME 76 (left split) ot the left split of T2. This setup also allows me to have the split on the T2 very small area so I have more ROOM to play upper T2 sounds. Upper T2 sounds on upper sound 3 are played by just moving down to play the CME upper area. Very nice indeed.

One othe nice part... the lower chord area (CME) does not do MEMORY, but the upper left T2 does, so I just play either with chords when I want memory or not.

This is a very basic setup and can be expanded. There are many ways to also add a sound module to this setup and I have done that using my PC and EMU soft synth. With the Yamaha T2 you will need to select the sounds on the sound module outside of the T2, I use Live styler to do it Works super... But now with PA2X it supports full MIDI bank/program change right in the performances and I can setup performances to set ALL sounds the way I want them.

Anyways, If you guys & gals have the interest this can be done and works well. In fact one of the Yamaha demo guys a couple of years ago setup and demoed the Tyros Organ he called it...can't remember his name.

Oh, I also play 13 note pedals and it was easy to setup too. You do have to spend a little time setting it up. And you may need a good basic knowledge of MIDI... any MIDI book will get you what you need.

I started out wanting this because of two things.
1) I am a organ player and love the second manual for chords
2) I wanted more room on the 62 note upper to play ( a bigger RH split area) so as not to be so cramped and have that extra octive or so for some sounds that I wanted that range for.

In it's basic setup, you can make it work faster than you can explain it!

Lee

Anyone else doing or interested in this two manual setup?
Lee

I found some extra information on this beasty..

Its from the same company that produces the XMS boards for the PA1X.. http://www.xprodata.de/
All sounds of the XMS 1, 2 and 4 are inside the Xanadu organ.

Next to that there is an extra organ module inside the organ. (which is probably based on vst's... i would not be surprised if there was a kind of receptor inside) You can also choose to add a complete XG set of sounds and even mega voices to this organ...

The organ consists out of 2 or 3 mannuals and the top manuall (a korg Pa2X) can be removed from the home organ to take it to a gigg.

And yes it will be a very expensive and custom made instrument, your wish is their command..

So here you have the perfect opposition against Lowrey, Böhm and Wersi...

I may be interested in learning more on this as I also come from an organ background.
I have a PA1XPRO and thought on integrating it to a hammond clone and hook up the midi pedal board and be able to mix and match, but it all sounds complicated to me.
Mark

Hi Lee

I would love to be able to play some organ music using two manuals and a pedal board, and have been looking at the new Nord C2.

In searching posts on the forum I saw your comments here which looked very interesting. I also have a Pa2X. Can you use the lower manual just like the left split area on the Pa2X?

I was also looking at the Studiologic 17 note pedal board which seems reasonably priced and gives a little more than the basic octave.

Graham

Graham,
Yes, the setup I use provides the lower keybed with the left of the split function.

I use a PK-5 1 octave pedalboard also.

The only think I ran into is the chord memory function does not work on the lower keybed setup...I have requested a fix by Korg...but who knows if they ever will.

Lee S.

Wow! The first time I listened to these, I was on the other side of the room doing something else. I thought it was a full band I had plugged into by mistake. Great sounds. If I need a prompt (which I do) to buy a new keyboard……this is it! I'm going to take a 2nd look at that Korg!

Lucky