Hi all.
Due to the amount of off topic conversation in the last thread I'm starting this new one. Please keep the questions and comments directly related to Mediastation and the demonstrations presented. Thank you.


Videos (YouTube)
*****************
1 - Introduction
2 – Loading Giga Files
3 – Piano Performance
4 – Arranger Introduction
5 – The Voyage – Performance with singing.
6 - Internet Access
7 - Arranger in depth.
8 - Arranger & External Module

MP3 Files
*****************
Song Title -“Daniel” – Giga files & VSTi's
Song Title - “Dance the night away” – Giga files & VSTi's


Photos
*****************
The keyboard arrives.
Opening the box.


This post will be updated to include new content.

Regards
James

[This message has been edited by Irishacts (edited 04-18-2010).]

[This message has been edited by Irishacts (edited 05-10-2010).]

I've been saying for years how great the Mediastation sounds and how much easier it is to use than people on the forum believed. James is doing a great job of showing off the capabilities and sound of the Mediastation. Hopefully the doubting Thomas's will be no longer.

I'm sure James can chime in to agree but one thing you can't hear in any online demo is the incredible dynamic range the Mediastation has. Only the Wersi, Oasys, and Mediastation have this broad a dynamic range. In person its shocking just how broad the frequency response and dynamic range are.

well i am looking forward to more demos before i reach any final conclusions.what i have heard so far has been encouraging. Please keep tye demos coming James in your own good time of course :-)

here a new nice concert video with the mediastation.
youtube video http://www.youtube.com/user/centrorey#p/a/u/0/HtmXLFMb4PQ

soon the guy upload new video songs.

Hi.

Just a quick note to say that I've updated the first post in this thread to include YouTube video number 5. This is a more every day use demonstration as it's a straight performance of a song which is also sung live.

Kind Regards
James

Nice performance James.

How was the song constructed? Using an MP3, or midi file?

I assume some of the pads were from your collection? Because they did sound familiar.

All the patches were from the Giga/VST banks?

And what mode on the keyboard were you in? as there was no screenshot?

Did the midi/mp3 get edited using Q-Ranger? If so how did it go saving all your patch information?

Have you had a chance to check out the actual Performance Mode (thats what is WAS called). To repeat this is a mode where all panel settings are captured in a "snapshot" saved to a performance slot for later recall at a gig?

On my MS, this mode ALWAYS totally crashed it. Only a full power down sorted it out.

Nice tune.

Dennis

Hi Dennis.



It's purchased midi file dumped into the Midi Sequencer on my Tascam SX-1 mixing desk. My SX-1 mixing desk is an integrated DAW/ Mixing desk that runs on an OS called BeOS.

The song was then resequenced and setup to connect to the VSTi host on the Mediastation by direct midi cable connection. The Tascam SX-1 then was used to mix and apply automation and sound changes as necessary by using that midi connection to the Mediastation.

Once it sounded exactly as I wanted, the audio output of the Mediastation producing the music was then recorded into the SX-1 was a two track Audio file, Left and Right.

So in the video I'm in Media Player mode playing back a Wave file and playing over with Giga Sounds.

The reason for this approach is simply because this is how I will use the keyboard when Gigging. I could install a Sequencer on the Meidastation, but the screen is too small for a DAW Sequencer and using an external display gigging is not an option. So using the Media Player to stream audio is just simpler and less to deal with when gigging.



I'm running Sample Lord on it because of the bugs in Lionstracs COMBI mode. So this gives me an alternative to COMBI mode and from that I'm running my own Piano, Guitars, Drums and Bass Guitar from Giga files. Everything else is the KORG Digital Legacy VSTi, mainly the KORG M1 VSTi.



No not really. I've only glanced at it and I really mean glanced. I did a quick little test at the time and it didn't recall what had setup so I left it as something I would look at later on properly.

I'll get to it this week though and report back.



No crashes here yet out of everything I've ever tested. Generally speaking the keyboard is extremely stable and all the core issue you had with no sound and bootup problems are clearly gone.

There are some things that don't function as expected though because of bugs. Most of which are very minor and you can easily work around them, but then there are things like the COMBI mode bug with make it useless and the fact that qRanger chokes to death when you slow down a midi style.

All in all though there is very little wrong in what I've tested so far. Considering the depth of the system, it's running extremly well actually. The COMBI mode bug needs to be closed out though, that's on my **** list as being a core function that does not work at all.

Qranger.... don't really care about it. Live Styler runs a million times better on the Mediastation anyway.

Regards
James

[This message has been edited by Irishacts (edited 04-06-2010).]

Cheers m8 . Thanks

Thats how I would be running it too, from an external DAW, in my case a laptop, using the MS for live play, and the midi/audio file I have created for the backing track.

I think my mistake was expecting the MS to do the whole job. Had I had a laptop system with the software I am now using back then, I may have stuck with it.

Actually I WOULD have stuck with it

D

James
I Just listened to Video #5.....Bravo !!! Bravo !!! The path that you are taking, on your discovery of the "Mediastation", is looked on with great anticipation and so far, we are truly rewarded with some awesome videos .

Please continue on with your excellent journey ...I look forward to the future !!!

------------------
createsongstyles.com

newmusicroom.com



[This message has been edited by rphillipchuk (edited 04-07-2010).]

Yeah, it really simplifies things when you do that. The VST HOST has something like 100 + Performance slots which can recall all your VSTi's setup the way you want and connecting an external sequencer to those is really straight forward. At no point do you feel things are starting to get complicated. The hardest thing to overcome to be honest when working like that is the size of the screen because all your vsti's are on one desktop when running like this. Running software designed for a DAW on a 800X600 screen is like trying to eat an apple through a letter box. At home or in the Studio using an external monitor is going to be key to being very productive on the Mediastation. Then when your out gigging you use mp3's or wave files of your sequenced data you produced at home. I think that's really the only way to go to be honest.

The media player is excellent and for speed or easy of access to songs it would put any workstation / arranger keyboard to shame. Jumping in and out of Media mode to select sounds to play along with it is also dead easy. I can jump back to my VSTi or Giga library at the press of a button and call up my sound. When I want to get back to the meida player I just press the CALL button.

So in a gigging environment there is very little to operate and you really do have instant access with zero seconds delay to any song. As you know you can even fade one in over the other if you use both sides of the media player.



Yeah, I think the key to getting the most out of it is to find a way to work with it in a productive manner even if that means using external hardware. For me I think an external monitor, mouse and keyboard are key to get control over the VST HOST when your setting up a 16 part setup of VSTi's that works with your external sequencer.

Also running Sample Lord on it instead of using it's own Giga Player hugely simplifies things when your setting up many synths to work with your external sequencer. Sample Lord is a 16 part sample playback software that supports giga files and many other popular formats, but the key point here is that it also loads up as a VSTi in your HOST. So you can have all your VSTi Synths and your Giga Files all running from one single host. No need to jump to any other mode now to complete a song. All you need at this point is a external monitor so you can productively use all that.

The only thing about all that is now I'm using the Meidastation more like how a Neko operates.

Regards
James

Aye.... and we allready suspected that the Mediastation would be a great instrument to use in this way..

But most of us are hoping for an extended review of the arranger capabillities of the Mediastation.

Maybe you should send the MEdiastation to Diki for a month or so, he would surely test all possible arranging options on MS .. Or are we still expecting some indepth arranger reviews from you?

I know you are not really an arranger player, but most people on these boards are and we're still wayting on some indepth review of Both arrangers and its possibilities...

No disrespect to the guy but he would have to change his entire outlook before he would be suitable to even test an OPEN keyboard as an arranger. He has very set expectations which he simply won't find in a open keyboard.



Yes, I did promise.

Your not missing out on much though. Changing sounds assigned to a style is simple and far less interesting than you might think.



Sorry if you feel things are not moving on quick enough but remember I'm doing all this in my free time. It's also important to me that when I do post something I can talk about it in the capacity that it's been fully tested and I know how well that function works.

Regards
James

Take your time James don't feel pressured. Your investigation is invaluable so just keep doing what you are already doing, it is very informative.

James
how I told on email..if you want you can also resize the internal MS display to a bigger resolution, but then you will have the MS GUI more smaller and not centered, because are made for 800x600.
Go in etc/X11/xorg.conf and edit the line where you see the mode: "800x600"
Edit like "1024X768" or 1280x1024" save and then reboot.
On reboot the MS display 800x600, will shown the desktop MUCH bigger.
OR change on bios the primary display to the On Board and you can use one external display with any size.

In future maybe I will make this:

LED backlight touch display 11.6", 1366x768.
is not a joke...look the video test demo: http://www.lionstracs.com/demo/display/LEDtest.MOV
Much bigger resolution than OL keyboards..in LESS and Compact space...
This is the difference from: manufacture> PC assembler...( understand what I mean..)

it wil be great if is something like akai S6000 or korg oasys or roland fantom G display- only the AKAI S6000 option conected with a cabel to akai S6000 is very good for live use. i mean the screen with al keys......... data wheel ....:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3250/2612211832_bec699aac6.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2565/4203160080_23e1caf1e4.jpg

nice to see i wide screen.

[This message has been edited by AFG Music (edited 04-09-2010).]

Have to say that I'd actually disagree.

A removable / portable front panel like the S6000 defeats the purpose of an Open keyboard and it's total integration. The key point of an open keyboard is productivity level and it's streamlined workspace compared to a DAW.

As an actual OASYS owner the popup display is very exposed if your transporting the OASYS.

The new screen Domenico has and it's location is just perfect in my opinion. It's resolution is also extremely important too as VSTi's and software sequencers are written for DAW's which generally all run at high resolutions. So working with a 800X600 screen is not exactly ideal, where that larger screen would be totally kick ass to be honest.

A Sequencer would looks bloody sweet on that.

Regards
James

i did not said all MS front panel, only LCD the keys for sound selecting and F-keys and data wheel with exit-inter- arrow keys.

MS is here by even lighter. other advantage is when you use two keyboard on a stand. do you use on your Ultimate Support Apex stand 2 keyboards?!

Another advantage of this studio use. In short, if this is possible, yoou have only benefit. but this does not mean that groove / ms has been poorly designed.

but it can be better. because one of things that some guts to want is a good product design. especially when design makes the product more user-friendly.


[This message has been edited by AFG Music (edited 04-14-2010).]

Hi AFG Music.

I'm just against removable parts or add ons when there's no real need for them if your sitting at the keyboard. The AKAI S6000 front panel only works well as a removable device simply because nobody is going to sit at a Rack. Your going to want to have it's function in your work space right beside the keyboards.

To me less is more if you know what I mean.

For example why do we have 20 buttons for navigating the Touch Screen on the Mediastation.

Regards
James

but you can make the LCD popup like tyros 3:
http://en.woodbrass.com/images/woodbrass/YAMAHA+TYROS3.JPG
http://futuremusic.com/news/images/Yamaha_Tyros3.jpg

so its inline design but adjustable.

with this design it is possible to make LCD removable to.

it's just an idea. You can write new ideas now than when the product is ready.

The manufacturer has the right to decide. see what is feasible and what end users expect from a product. and not to forget cost.

when you make a good design, you should not think about 1 or 2 people in mind, but all your end users. and I know that is not easy.

but one thing is certain, how better you design and more people want to buy your product.

So manufacturer has every right to decide what the final product looks like. look at ideas but is also not bad.


when i bought Roland VA-76, I have send an email to Roland and asked why they did not make expanssion slots from fantom series on their arranger keyboards. they say we are going to think about. few years later, Roland G-70 and E-80 made use of. roland G-70 one slot and E80 two slot. I do not know if I've put them on this idea or someone else. but they certainly have not regretted it.

my other idea was not feasible for Roland:

I asked to make possible variphrase audio loops to use inside styles.
So you have midi + audio styles.

variphrase recording on Roland VA-76 series is possible in songs.

look what Lionstracs-Korg-Ketron now reach at this point by listen to their users, and good Roland continues to sleep.

i did not said make the LCD smaller again do not get me wrong, becouse is good to see a 11,6 inch widescreen LCD on new lionstracs keyboard.

domenico must not change that even if even if he chooses adjustable inline design (my openion)




[This message has been edited by AFG Music (edited 04-14-2010).]

Just added another video, number 7.

Regards
James

Good video James..

Can you advise what sound patches you used? As in GM, Giga or VST?

It seems far less "glitchy" than when I was doing styles on OS 3.

Dennis

Dennis



I'm only using the stock GM Giga files here. So this is pretty much the sound you get out of the box with no purchase of any additional sound source. Even the piano and strings on my right hand are stock sounds assigned to a COMBI.

While I'm very happy with the results, I will still in time look into replacing many of the GM sounds with my own sounds. I've been using AKAI Samplers all my life so I'd have a pretty extensive collection of premium sounds that would work like a dream inserted in exchange for some of the stock GM sounds. At the moment though it's not something that would be high up on my list of things to do. For me I will only ever use the Arranger functions to back singers. Everything else will likely be sequenced and streaming back as a wave.



I can only find 2 issues with Live Styler and none of them are bugs. More so design / compatibility differences.

1: You can't transpose part of the style up or down an octave. Maybe you can, but for the life of me I can't find this function and on some styles I've optimised this is a function needed.

2: The sounds displayed on the screen are from the Ketron SD2 and and since the actual sound source used is the GM Giga bank, obviously many sounds won't work. The GM bank simply has nowhere near the amount of sounds a SD2 has.

Hmmmm.... that's got me thinking actually. I wonder is there someone interested in swapping a SD-2 for a V-Machine.

Regards
James

This arranger seems to be made to function with the SD2 perfectly...

Thats for sure... so if one was to use it extensively on the mediastation he'd have to buy an SD2....

Or someone ought to make a sound collection of giga sounds to mimic all Ketron sounds.

Each Bank is GM compatible but the sound list extends to support the SD2. So while it will work with the GM bank by default on the Mdeaistation, if you had the SD2 connected to the midi port you would get all the benefits of the system.

So much so that you wouldn't have to do anything to a style. You would instantly have a fully function and optimized arranger with all the benefits of the Open system.



That is a very appealing idea.

Regards
James

You have mail James.

D

Video 8 added to the first post