I went through a lot of harmonizers through the years. I started with the Digitech VHM5 back in 1992 to my current Roland VP-770 and TC Helicon Harmony M pedal.

I used the VP-550 for a few years and loved it. The 770 came out and I upgraded because of the extra sounds and audio playing option. I use it in my duo "The Shueys" as a vocal back up to some 50's 60's songs to make a more "acapella" and "doo-wap" moment in our act. A song example is... "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow." Plus, I take a few moments to explain what a vocoder is to the crowd. It's also fun to use the vocoder for some solos and I will also use the brass on it for a solo instrument.

In the studio, I use it to create choir parts for some projects. I'll record a midi track of each part and then sing the each part on it's own to record 4 part harmony. I faked out a composer friend of mine. He has me record his new work so he can hear it. He asked me where I got the choir from?? Made my investment well worth it!!

I thought the audio playing would be like my sonic cell... insert a USB with .aiff files on it, and play it directly from it. It's not what I thought it would be... cool feature, but I don't use it much. In my act, I run tracks from older synths until I redo them with the new board. Songs from my O1/wfd and Triton Studio got converted to audio and I play the tracks from one of the following... iPod Touch - Sonar VS-100 - Roland Sonic Cell - CD - or from my newly acquired Yamaha Motif XF's audio player.

Thanks for Asking!!

He played the Asian arrangement and was ranked #2 in the contest by the two judges. It was just announced as a 'technicality'... only Yamaha knows. He looked a little bit young, he may have been under the age of 18... just a guess.



Scott - Thanks for the "welcome" to Synth Zone. I feel like I already know everybody here! If they just gave the prize away to the best, Yamaha wouldn't get anyone signed up for e-mail addresses for free. When it's your family a friends voting, they will give their info just to help you, not Yamaha. The company wins in the end... lot's of talk and exposure to a product is a "Win!"

A note on the AI... I liked Pia and Casey... both were great in their own way but both are gone!

Hi Jonathan, thanks for your help in filling in 'some' of the blanks.
It's too bad the guy who was ranked #2 by the Yamaha Judges was eliminated, because I thought his arranger presentation innovative & creative and one of my 'top 2' picks.
I thought he looked at least 18, but would have expected Yamaha to verify this even before the contestant selection began, so hope Yamaha will eventually disclose the actual reason for his removal from the contest.
That said, it's on with the show . . . as the deadline for this round is midnight tonight !
It'll be interesting to learn which two contestants make it into the final round.

Nope no racial slur in what I said, well none was intended...if you took it that way, well then that's your issue not mine..

And it was NO reprieve well certainly NOT in the manner in which you intended in your post, as if I am grateful for an morsels dropped from the SZ table!! Although I DID appreciate Nigel changing the status back to active

I did not really worry one way or the other as far as posting again, in fact I have been able to post for over a week now...and I had NO plans to make any posts until I read your hypocritical post re using mp3 files and audio tracks on your keyboard.

But I had to make some comment as it was these very things that you bag out other people for using and declaring anyone who uses them as being fakers.

I really don't care one way or the other about your personal issues with whatever race you are (I don't know and don't care).


PS: Nigel- This will be the last time I respond to this guy (as long as he stops criticising people for doing what they love/are very good at doing and then doing the very same thing he denigrates others for), so if you can leave this post up it will be appreciated, as at least it allows people to read both sides.

Anyone that is critical of using audio files or midi files is simply crazy. There are genres of music that are based upon machine performed songs that aren't humanly playable. These are the perfect candidates for using audio or midi files and performing over the top of them. It is NOT faking at all ... it is simply being REAL. My band plays some Pink and Lady Gaga and uses midifiles as a base. The band and vocalists then build up these tracks. There is no fakery, its simply so those multiple mechanical sequenced parts sit there in the mix in perfect time. Anyone that has a problem doing that is simply kidding themselves and I would totally question their ability to perform this type of electronica live.

If you think the original artists don't use audio and midi sequences on their tours you are completely out of touch.

Here's a guy who thinks outside of the box. This is hardly "faking it".

Wow, that is a very interesting clip. What an elaborate instrument triggering setup. I really enjoyed that, Pat Metheny is always a pleasure to hear but this showed a whole new dimension of experimentation.

Thanks for sharing the clip! Very cool concept. Now, let's see him load his gear into a Min Van... then set up in the smallest corner of the room... perform for the Women's Club for 30 to 45 min... get paid $150... tear down. Ha!

Ha! I don't think Pat needs the $150...but, man, what a great mind (and wallet) he has, to be able to get into stuff like that...he's literally got a huge full size arranger.

Lyle Mays, his keyboardist, is also an awesome musician who thinks outside the box.

Nice to see where the imagination can take us.

Ian

Just checked the results of the Yamaha Freestyle Arranger Keyboard Performance Contest "Semi Final" Round and it looks like the 2 top vote getters going to the Final Round are:

Dimitriv Greenberg:


Johnathan Shuey: