Yes John, that why I put "But, as has been said many times here on SZ...you use what you need to get the job done....that's the most important part, I suppose...and, it may depend on the type of gig, audience age, etc." in my post.

There are many possibilities of deriving satisfaction from how we perform (or prepare)...as many as there are varied personalities on this forum.

Fortunately I am in the position to turn down gigs that require the use of MP3's or commercial midi files, as these aren't part of what I want to include in my performance.

Ian

Don't use MP3s at all, and once in a blue moon I'll use a GM midi file, but that's pretty rare these days. Pretty much use nothing but the onboard arranger styles, a fair number of third-party styles, and my vocals. In comparison, my right hand sucks, but I manage to get by.

The main differences between DonM and myself is I'm older, better looking, and I only play restaurants and bars about once a month. The rest of the jobs are at upscale retirement communities, nursing homes, assisted living centers and of course, some private parties. DonM plays restaurants and bars most of the time, a fair number of large, private parties, he's a lot more talented than myself, lives where it's relatively warm during winter, but he ain't purdy.

Cheers,

Gary

As a Pro who can do both ,and also play guitar as well i found when i mixed in midi files and some styles my business has gone thru the Roof , I am a good Voc and when i use midi files i ether play the keyboard with a full sound and a layer or play my Guitiar it give me a much fuller sound and with todays keyboards and jump points you can keep your audience going all night .

we should not look down at peaple who use midi files , playing a guitar or piano ect to a midi file take just as much skill as playing just styles singing 40 plus songs a night and keeping your audience involved is where the skill comes in, my audience has grown 10 fold and selling CD's like crazy i think being able to do both with all the skill you have is a great way to offer a different look to your audience.

those have been on Korgs we site for around 6 mo .

Those are good demo's. I am always AMAZED at what one can do with an arranger. The little Korg has my attention, and sheesh, I just bought a Yamaha NP-31 so I could make myself learn piano only. Help me!

I do enjoy an arranger in many ways. And I've always been impressed with Korg styles. So, hmmm...

I have one question, and I think I asked it once before during a similar thread ... how many players here are playing 3 to 4 hour gigs of 'Top 40' music for 20 and 30 year olds using ONLY kb styles?
I have to doubt that there are many - if ANY ... ???

Sheeesh Tony...why would anyone (especially an arranger player) want to do that?

Would you?

I can't think of anything more unpleasant.


Ian

Ian ... ABSOLUTELY NOT ... the point I am trying to make - perhaps using a poor comparison - is that I think the use of midi files and mp3s comes in to 'play' more depending on the audience - OR - if the performer wants a song to sound more like the record than a style can achieve ... I probably have 150 to 200 midi files on my kb hard drive and I use styles 95% of the time - or more ... BUT, they are there if I feel the necessity to use them ...
As has been said - SATISFY THE AUDIENCE, HOWEVER YOU CHOOSE TO DO IT ...

I play in a live rock band but there are few songs we play where the electronica instrumentation is provided using MIDI files and the band plays to a click track. They are songs by Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Pink and Gwen Stephanie. We aren't cheating but just augmenting our playing with parts we just can't perform with our lineup. And you can bet that these artists also use some pre-recorded parts when playing live.

The audience loves that we can deliver convincing covers of these songs.

Gary, I think what I read could be easily misunderstood. When I said "around here", I meant in my geographic area, not Synthzone.
BTW, I have send you a mirror overnight via UPS. Of course it will be broken when it arrives, but, trust me, that's a blessing!

DonM