Hi Scott,
I might be overly fussy, plus I use a limited amount of styles. I only tweak the ones I need. I've got 100's I've collected over the years but I wouldn't use a fraction of them. I have some favourites, and if they don't work for a particular song, then I go thru the collection till I find one that does & tweak it.

I quite like the concept of having some basic styles & varying them.
OMB for instance, gives you the option of saving individual tracks ie drums, bass, guitar , strings etc

You could actually build up a bit of a library & use these tracks to vary other styles or create totally new ones.
You also have the option of saving complete parts ie intro's , endings, fills & variations. If you have a basic style that works, instead of using the same Intro or Ending , over & over for different songs, just import a new one.

Sounds like a fair bit of work, but once you've done it , you don't lose it.
Unlike with an arranger keyboard, a new model comes out, people usually sell the old one, to buy the new one . The old styles / sequences don't always sound the same on the new keyboard.

With softsynths, you can afford to keep adding to your collection. Any editing or work you've done , doesn't neccesarily become redundent when they create a better product.

Technics closing, gave me a bit of a shock. All of a sudden I wouldn't be able to replace my keyboard if something went wrong. All the work on styles etc I'd done over the years was wasted.

I think I prefer to put my effort into something that can last. I just move my software from computer to computer.

I do have an SD1. Lovely keyboard. I've worked out how style creation functions etc work, but I don't know how long I'll end up keeping it , so I think I'm better off putting my style creation efforts into my software arranger , instead.
best wishes
Rikki

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Scott Langholff:
[B]Hi Rikki

Rikki

I agree with you totally - the software direction - that is. As you probably know by now (From Yahoo group) my hardware arranger is a Roland EXR-7 and my wife has a Korg PA80. I have three controller keyboards, Roland A-30, a smaller Roland controller 2.5 octave and a Behringer UMX-61 Controller keyboard. The Behringer I bought because it links up by USB and needs no external power - nice for a laptop.

My software at this stage is BIAB2006, OMB9, Ntonyx Arranger, Jasmine Orchestrator (VST) which I use along with Cubase SX to produce the starting backing beds for my projects.

I can also produce backing beds with the EXR-7 and PA80 by recording to the onboard sequencers and saving a midi file. Or just recording the audio straight into Cubase.

For a long time I have looked for the definitive software solution to a real-time arranger. OMB comes close in some areas. Control is usually the issue that lets this process down. On hardware arrangers you have buttons to control fill-ins etc but on software up to now you have to press a computer keyboard key or assign a keyboard note to these functions. The latter has it's problems as these are usually assigned outside the playing area and are hard to hit just at the right moment when both hands are busy playing. I have looked at using a wireless keypad and this may work but they would have to be mounted on the keyboard in an area away from other controls and displays - usually meaning again that they are hard to access in the heat of playing. The answer may be in using something like the Behringer FCB1010 midi footpedal, but I need to figure out how to have two midi inputs into OMB.

Maybe the next thing for OMB is VSTi support as that could be awesome for live use. I know you could use a midi yoke or similar but having everything in one central program means saving setups becomes a breeze.

Kevin

You do realise you have created more work for those of us that own a Wersi OAS instrument, or a Mediastation. (There is only so much time in the day to check the various forums)
Still, as this is the way future instruments will probably go, let’s get stuck in.

Bill

I think this is going to be a great forum especially for us beginners.

I do have a very basic question that I guess fits within this forum.

I haven't yet progressed into using the pc for creating styles or sequencing. I also have a Roland EXR7S and am still at the stage of finding styles I like using and have recently gotten a cd containing over 7000 Roland styles. My keyboards are way on the other side of the room and not connected via usb or anything like that yet, so I have been dumping styles to a floppy and bringing them over to the keyboard and listening to them there. I am wondering if there is a utility available that I can use to audition Roiland .stl files on the pc using my desktop's sound card. I fully understand it won't sound that great and nothing like the style will sound on the Roland but I would at least like to be able to click on a style, or bring it into a utillity and just get a quick idea of the general type of style it is before shlepping across the room to the keyboard. Is there anything like that available without spending a ton of money on something like Sonar or BIB or OMB? I'd appreciate any ideas on this. Thanks.



------------------
Rick Alfaro
Yamaha PSR3000
Roland EXR7S

EMC styleworks

Congratulations with the new forum.

Allthough I am not very active since the last years and I am a hardware addict it's very interesting to see the deveopments at the moment.
(I am also very interested in the mediastation by the way, which is hardware and software)

Anyway let's make it a succes.

Fred

Quote: "Behringer UMX-61 Controller keyboard. The Behringer I bought because it links up by USB and needs no external power - nice for a laptop."

Interesting. Are there any other conroller keyboards that have the USB hookup?

Quote: "Maybe the next thing for OMB is VSTi support as that could be awesome for live use."

Live-Styler by Norbert Stellberg is a VSTi host. It also looks like an arranger keyboard control panel which makes it very easy to comprehend, and looks very nice also.
http://www.live-styler.de/

How is the keys feel on the Behringer controller keyboard? How do the virtual instruments sound?

Hi Kevin,
great you could join us.
Have you also joined Jos's OMB group.
It's always worth making suggestions ( ie 2 inputs) to Jos, on how he could improve OMB. Obviously not always do_able but it's worth making a suggestion & explaining why it would help.

I've now got a 18 button keypad
(unfortunately not wireless) but it has helped. Far easier than using my laptop's keys. I also used a wireless computer keyboard for a while, but the keypads easier. Problem is where to place it, mines attached to my piano's music rest.

best wishes
Rikki

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Kevin Woolley:
[B]Rikki

I

Hi Bill,
life wasn't meant to be easy haa haa.
Great you've joined us.

best wishes
Rikki