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#502203 - 02/08/21 02:19 PM
Re: Making better demos
[Re: Diki]
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Senior Member
Registered: 12/08/02
Posts: 15576
Loc: Forest Hill, MD USA
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Ironically, some of my best recordings have come from the keyboard's onboard USB audio recorder, which seems to now be standard with most Yamaha arranger keyboards. The quality is excellent, and while there is no editing available, you can download a free copy of Audacity and edit everything - it's an incredible program. I use a Sennheiser E855 mic and Marantz MPH2 headphones, both of which do an outstanding job. Now, I used to strictly use a headset mic when I was performing on stage, a Crown CM-311A, which is fantastic, but since my retirement, I sold all three of them, including one to Paul Blood. The headset mic give an arranger keyboard player the freedom to maintain great eye contact with his audiences, glance at the laptop when needed, and not worry where the mic is or whether it is in the right position. While I have used the keyboard's onboard vocal harmony processor, I found the TC Helicon Harmony M provided better clarity and no delay when triggered. I fire it through the arranger's line/mic input so everything comes out of the keyboard's main, audio outputs. Works for me,  All the best, Gary 
_________________________
PSR-S950, TC Helicon Harmony-M, Digitech VR, Samson Q7, Sennheiser E855, Custom Console, and lots of other silly stuff!
K+E=W (Knowledge Plus Experience = Wisdom.)
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#502210 - 02/09/21 11:39 AM
Re: Making better demos
[Re: Diki]
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Registered: 04/25/05
Posts: 14276
Loc: NW Florida
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I use a Zoom H4n, but just about any cheap pocket recorder will work if it records at standard cd quality.
While using a keyboard’s built in audio recorder is a good option for small one off jobs, one of the problems they have is in recording an entire nights worth of music. At least on Roland’s, every time you finish a song the recorder interrupts your performance to ask you if you want to save the file, and give it a name. Obviously, that’s not good when you are out performing!
And, at least on the Roland arrangers, how full or fragmented your memory stick is can lead to dropouts in the recording process, and also it cannot playback an MP3 backing track and record one at the same time. Other brands may do this better, but for the sake of conveniently recording a whole nights worth of music, and to avoid the drop outs, I simply use an external recorder and that way my performance isn’t interrupted all the time. I just turn it on at the start of the gig and completely forget about it until the last note.
To a certain extent, not feeling the “red light pressure“ helps you perform better, And as digital recording is so cheap, you can afford to record every night every gig every performance, every song, until you get one that is what you consider you at your best!
_________________________
An arranger is just a tool. What matters is what you build with it..!
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#502217 - 02/10/21 02:40 AM
Re: Making better demos
[Re: Diki]
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Senior Member
Registered: 09/21/02
Posts: 5520
Loc: Port Charlotte,FL,USA
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I think the purpose of recording your performance is important in determining method and amount of fine tuning necessary. I recently bought a Zoom Q2n camcorder for YouTube demonstrations for prospective venues. As mentioned, I had some showing myself and others in a spontaneous setting. Unless I want to rehash ten year old clips, I can't very well duplicate that during our pandemic situation. In the area of personal improvement, there is no question that the above posted methodology will be of great benefit. I will use this to eventually to create some video, "warts and all", It will not be a live scenario, but, will give them some idea of what to expect.
_________________________
pa4X 76 ,SX900, Audya 76,Yamaha S970 , vArranger, Hammond SK1, Ketron SD40, Centerpoint Space Station, Bose compact
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#502220 - 02/10/21 08:26 AM
Re: Making better demos
[Re: Diki]
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Senior Member
Registered: 12/08/02
Posts: 15576
Loc: Forest Hill, MD USA
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Diki, not a problem with Yamaha's onboard USB recorder. Everything is recorded directly to the USB drive, as a .wav file, it is automatically saved to the drive when the recording ends and I have recorded entire performances with no drop-outs. The main reason I used this was critique my performances while I was driving home from the jobs - great device and produces incredible, high quality recordings that can easily be edited using Audacity. Gary
_________________________
PSR-S950, TC Helicon Harmony-M, Digitech VR, Samson Q7, Sennheiser E855, Custom Console, and lots of other silly stuff!
K+E=W (Knowledge Plus Experience = Wisdom.)
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#502227 - 02/11/21 04:51 AM
Re: Making better demos
[Re: Diki]
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Member
Registered: 11/16/08
Posts: 636
Loc: Arbroath,Angus,Scotland
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Following on from this I’m reposting this from another Forum. Though it’s food for thought. I actually use this when balancing sounds and styles.
Basics of mixing
My reference point for adjusting style part volume has always been 100 (in the scale 0-127).
This means that I have always set all parts to 100, and then adjusted all up or down in relation to this.
I had chosen this value for two reasons:
1: Analog mixing indicates the highest possible value before distortion occurs, to avoid hissing and noise.
2: Style Works uses 100 by default.
This number is far too high.
Why?
Because mixing on a keyboard does not take place analogously, but digitally.
What does the number 100 mean?
This is based on the scale 0-127, which starts at -64 and ends at +63.
This means that the actual zero point (center value) is 64, and not 100.
With 64 as the zero point, you can adjust the same amount both ways - 64 down and 63 up (64 + 63 = 127).
The weakest instruments thus get the maximum opportunity for reinforcement, while the strongest get the maximum opportunity for minimization.
Many people have probably noticed that the voices of the right hand often do not get enough reinforcement, and this is due to incorrect center value for style parts.
If this is set to 64, you will never experience problems with the right hand voices becoming too low.
If you study Yamaha`s internal styles, you will see that they have an average center value of 64.
_________________________
Gem Wk4, Solton Ms60, Technics Kn5000, Korg Pa50sd, Yamaha Psr k1, Tyros 4, Korg Pa700
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#502228 - 02/11/21 06:24 AM
Re: Making better demos
[Re: MusicalMemories]
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Senior Member
Registered: 07/21/05
Posts: 5391
Loc: English Riviera, UK
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Following on from this I’m reposting this from another Forum. Though it’s food for thought. I actually use this when balancing sounds and styles.
Basics of mixing
My reference point for adjusting style part volume has always been 100 (in the scale 0-127).
This means that I have always set all parts to 100, and then adjusted all up or down in relation to this.
I had chosen this value for two reasons:
1: Analog mixing indicates the highest possible value before distortion occurs, to avoid hissing and noise.
2: Style Works uses 100 by default.
This number is far too high.
Why?
Because mixing on a keyboard does not take place analogously, but digitally.
What does the number 100 mean?
This is based on the scale 0-127, which starts at -64 and ends at +63.
This means that the actual zero point (center value) is 64, and not 100.
With 64 as the zero point, you can adjust the same amount both ways - 64 down and 63 up (64 + 63 = 127).
The weakest instruments thus get the maximum opportunity for reinforcement, while the strongest get the maximum opportunity for minimization.
Many people have probably noticed that the voices of the right hand often do not get enough reinforcement, and this is due to incorrect center value for style parts.
If this is set to 64, you will never experience problems with the right hand voices becoming too low.
If you study Yamaha`s internal styles, you will see that they have an average center value of 64. 64 is a standard that is adopted if the true volume is not known or may cause problems, and as it is half way allows great flexibility for adjustment. Apart from Panorama or balance etc. . (Although technically they are still 0-127) then the full 0 (No sound) to 127 (Full volume) is used for all voices, it is not -64 +63. Styles use 100 for the same reason that sounds use 64, as it makes sure that the style sounds are not too loud for the manuals while at the same time not being dwarfed by the manuals. Bill
_________________________
English Riviera:
Live entertainment, Real Ale, Great Scenery, Great Beaches, why would anyone want to live anywhere else (I�m definitely staying put).
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#502230 - 02/11/21 09:24 AM
Re: Making better demos
[Re: Diki]
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Registered: 04/25/05
Posts: 14276
Loc: NW Florida
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Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble, but there’s absolutely no truth to those mixing levels advice. For starters, MIDI volume has zero relation to digital zero at the D/A converters. On the whole you can set everything to 127 and you won’t hear any difference to if you set it to 64 and just turned up the master.
In fact, there’s resolution to be lost by turning down your parts. Hit the D/A too low, and your 16 bit converters are now down to 8 bit!
Be careful where you get advice from... on the whole, you’ll find your arranger’s design team have already figured out the optimum gain staging for you with the factory ROM styles and presets.
Thing is, if you are struggling to hear your lead or swamping your backing using factory presets, a lot of the time the culprit can be tracked down to how hard you are playing, in the case of velocity sensitive sounds, or not using an expression pedal in the case of no velocity sounds (usually organ sounds).
Being the bastard stepchild of home organs, a lot of arranger players came from organ or accordion backgrounds and tend to play very lightly, whereas a lot of piano players tend to not use an expression pedal much. Both can mess with the factory balance...
Edited by Diki (02/11/21 11:09 AM)
_________________________
An arranger is just a tool. What matters is what you build with it..!
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