OK, it's no secret that I love my axe.
It's also no secret that I love having my laptop on stage for special DJ type enhancements to my live show ( don't you DARE use the K word!I work my ARSE off )

Anyway - tonight, I am leaving the laptop at home, alomg with it's custom mounting bracket that you can see on my website if you wish. I am playing my regular Monday night vertical, and the requirements are not as rigid as some other rooms. Volume is always an issue, and I decided to give the MP3 board a run for it's money tonight. I spent some time organizing my "go to" break tunes for a summer at the jersesy shore, converted all the WMF files to MP3, and set up my little 4GB USB drive to handle the load. In rehersal - it works like a charm! I can use SMF or MP3 in the song play mode, and use my custom playlists for break times when I leave the stage.

I have all my custom audio files on this drive in the same folder with my SMFs, and they live and work happily together! So, tonight (tonigt, tonight, Woah, Oh ... thanx Phil) I am traveling even lighter than usual. Oh, did I fail to mention that I'm also leaving the (gasp) Bose at home too? I simply don't need the coverage! I have a teeny ( I mean TEENY ) Radio Shack semi-surround system that kicks just enought bass to fatten up the sound for 10-15 feet in front of me, and adds some "sizzle" in the high end to reach the bar. Any more than that is wasted in this acoustic nightmare of a room. Granted, the Bose would sound 500% better, if I could turn it up enough for anyone to hear it OVER the kb speakers, but hey - we do what we must to survive.

Wish me luck tonight, and yes Fran .... I checked the time for tonight. Sure glad I'm still a youngun!

BTW - As a side note - I dropped 30 lbs in 4 weeks on the 6 week makeover plan. Saw it on TV, and it works great! The secret is 5-6 smaller meals. I swear, I am NEVR hungry !
Ahhh.....

UD, sounds like you've tamed that beast, good luck tonight!!

On another note congratulations for dropping the 30 pounds!! One of the folks I work in the office purchased the 6 week makeover program. She's been trying to stay on it for months and hasn't been all that successful. I tried it a couple of times and all I could do was one week, it's a very rigid diet, but you're right your never hungry on it. The longest I stayed on it was 1 week and lost 7 pounds, no question about it, it works.

4 weeks ago I hit 275 & said "Woah" !
It's one thing to have a genetic problem with weight loss, it's another to just be careless and lazy about taking care of yourself. I decided that it's time to "think" about what I put in my mouth and when ( ...don't touch it, Pierce! ). I'm fortunate that I like simple, good foods, and don't use alot of salt. That makes this plan very effective.

No cravings, because of the frequency of meal times, and with a little porper planning - lots of things can be prepared ahead of time. I'm packing a little cooler for tonight, and I'll order a baked sweet potato at the bar mmmm...

Don't forget to stop at the diner after work..Get a cheeseburger with Jersey tomatoes...and have the girls make that cheesecake special with fresh strawberries and whipped cream..

PS: If she is working the bar tonight...give Kim a hug from me..

Good luck Dave.....I also used the PA800 "naked" with no problems a few times when I had it....In no way is it faster then a laptop which I always prefer but it will work with a little lag time switching in between song modes...

Uh, weren't you just celebrating losing 30 lbs.? With friends like Fran, you don't need any enemies .

chas

UD -

Been there, done that! This board DOES IT ALL - Amazing. I expect nothing less than a successful report back in the days ahead. I LOVE THE PA800...........

Wow ..... tonight went off without a hitch! I fully expected a great time, and I got it. I found that without the screen in front of me, I looked at the crowd more, instead of checking the time ... looking for more song choices ... it was a great way to get "back to basics" so to speak.

No lag time at all - the PA lets you have the song and/or style ready when you need it, and it's a simple button push to switch modes. No worries at all.

I did have one small problem ... not Korg, but with my ROLAND DP5 pedal for sustain. It just died. I always carry a spare, so I was OK, but man - I'd be lost without the sustain. The harmonies are EZ to trigger by hand, because you can either push the button with the RH or work the slider with the left, but I would be miserable with no sustain pedal.

So, RAVE reviews - the MP3 board is WELL worth the money, and this kb just continues to shine, day after day on my stages.

That teeny baby PA worked just as I predicted tonight too. I even had one "please turn it down" request! (nothing new for this joint!)

That's all for now folks ... tomorrow, I'm back in school, so I need my rest!

Glad to see you posting again Dave.

I love my pa800 too.

Cousin Ken

Thanx Ken,
I check in every so often, but I just can't get involved with some of the mindless bickering that is so prevailant these days! Life's too short for all the arguing!