Searching for the Perfect Stage Piano (Part 2: VTines MK1)

A recent setup for John C.S. Keston with a Rhodes EP at the McGuire Theater, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

As I continue my search for the “perfect” stage piano (spoiler: there isn’t one) I have been asking myself if it is practical and/or desirable to use a VST instead of a dedicated hardware instrument. This is an approach that I have used in the past, and one that many professionals choose, so I have decided to explore a few modern examples of this possibility in detail.

Since the Rhodes (the actual 130lbs version) has been the instrument of choice for me for many years, the first thing I wanted to determine was if there was an electric piano VST that could emulate the Rhodes well enough to satisfy my ears. Over the years I have used Lounge Lizard (Electric in Ableton Live), Arturia’s Stage-73 V, and several others with limited success. This article is a reflection on a new-to-me VST that might just work in my weird and atypical performance and studio setups. No emulation has the ability to replace the Rhodes, but I’m hoping to find a satisfactory facsimile for live performances.

The latest Rhodes VST that I have found interesting is VTines MK1 from Acousticsounds. Although VTines MK1 provides only one electric piano model, is it by far the most adjustable of the examples I have used. For example VTines MK1 allows for the adjustment of around 9 parameters on a per key basis! In other words you can adjust the virtual “pickup distance”, “tine height”, and more for individual notes on the instrument. Continue reading

The Democratization of Piano?

Although I use them on occasion I’ve always been indifferent to digital pianos and piano virtual instruments, and prefer to play acoustic pianos and Rhodes electric pianos. Recently I’ve been experimenting with a handful of piano VSTs and I’m quite inspired with the sounds, the response, and the ability to adjust these instruments. Now I find myself interrogating my former apathy toward these simulacra of the acoustic instrument I have spent my life playing.

Of course there are many technical justifications, but I’m more interested in the underlying statements that one’s “choice” between acoustic and digital pianos might infer. Choice in quotes because it isn’t possible to choose without means. I have had the privilege of recording and performing with a few amazing instruments over the years and hope to do so again, but I don’t have unfettered access to pianos of concert or studio grade. And neither do most people who play, including many talented professionals. Access to what might be considered the best instruments is sometimes based on merit but more frequently based on economics. And when there is a meritocracy, who is making those judgements? We all know how that can go wrong.

I’m not suggesting that everyone who wants one should get a 9′ concert grand delivered to their apartment. However, shouldn’t we weigh the value of a performance over the price tag of the instrument that was employed? By and large we value musicianship over the prestige and expense of an instrument. But, like it or not there are elitist undertones that go along with the aesthetics and name recognition of prohibitively expensive pianos and other instruments.

Over the last two decades there’s been a lot of discussion in the music tech world regarding the democratization of music production and the pros and cons of high quality recording being available to the “masses”. As a result of this and other factors (social media, music downloads/streaming vs physical distribution, etc.), there’s no question that the industry is undergoing significant transformations. But, what impact has the access to sounds that closely emulate the “keys to the kingdom” (AKA piano) with so much variety and accuracy had on music?

Whether or not digital pianos have democratized the instrument, they have made acoustic piano sounds more accessible. I would argue that accessibility, convenience, flexibility, and affordability are their most transformational characteristics. Piano VSTs are ubiquitous. They come built-in with most DAWs. They merely require the software, a computer, electricity, and a MIDI controller, things that most musicians already have on hand. One needn’t look far to find artists like DOMi, Cory Henry, Jesus Molina, and countless others bringing digital pianos to life.

I feel that I will always prefer acoustic pianos to digital versions, even/especially if they are old, worn, and slightly out of tune. There’s something magical about a complicated combination of aged wood, metal, and felt at your fingertips. I love playing acoustic pianos, preparing them, recording them, performing with them, and all the difficulties they present. Yet, the digital variety has a magic of its own. They are virtually (pun alert) immune to changes in the environment. They can be virtually weightless, or at least no heavier than a mobile device. Recording them doesn’t require microphones or a quiet room. And, they can sound like an old upright, a majestic concert grand, or anywhere else on or off that spectrum.

Ultimately as virtual pianos get closer and closer to their organic counterparts we will hear them even more frequently. That said, they will not replace acoustic pianos. As far as I know there hasn’t been a digital piano made where you can reach under the lid and mute the strings, tap on the sound board, or perform any other manner of extended techniques. Most classical and jazz pianists still prefer performing on acoustic instruments. On the other hand, perhaps having the humility to accept the compromises (and convenience) of digital pianos is a nobel aspiration. As an artist, that still feels like a difficult ask, but as a listener I feel that I can dismiss the origin of the instrument when the music is inspiring.

This is a highly subjective area of inquiry and I do not pretend to have adequate answers (or questions), but I do hope that asking might start an interesting discussion, or spawn creative work. Here’s an improvised piece I recorded recently using my Keylab 88 to control the Japanese Jazz Studio preset in Arturia’s Analog Lab 4. Although clearly a digital piano, the preset has surprising dynamic range and tone quality. Listening back I get the sense that I’m peeling away old wallpaper to get a glimpse into a forgotten room within the decaying, haunted mansion of my mind.

Low Latency Wired MIDI with iPad, Bitstream 3X, and QuNexus

Like many of you I have experimented with MIDI over wifi on the iPad. Mainly so that I can use a proper keyboard to play some of the splendid virtual instruments available on iOS. However, connecting to the iPad this way requires a computer on the same network, or instantiating an ad hoc network for the MIDI I/O. Secondly, although it can be stable it is usually slower and suffers from wireless network traffic congestion, hence more latency than a wired connection.

So what are the options? Over at CDM there’s a really great article from Nicolas Bougaïeff, the creative director at Liine (makers of the Lemur app and LiveControl) that explores a wide range of possibilities. Here my intent is to share what I have found works for me with a minimal investment in iOS specific hardware. Specifically, the Camera Connection Kit (CCK). The CCK essentially provides USB I/O for the iPad allowing class compliant MIDI devices to be connected and used. This works great, if you have such a device and all you want to do is use a hardware controller with the iPad.

The problem with the CCK is three fold – integration into more complex MIDI setups, class compliance, and power restrictions. Most USB MIDI devices only have a single USB port, so you can’t have a computer connected to the same controller to record the MIDI, or otherwise interface with iPad apps. As a result, two MIDI interfaces are required – one for the iPad and another for the computer for wired communications between them to be possible.

Secondly, many iOS hardware solutions are costly and impractical especially if you’d rather make use of equipment that most experienced producers have already invested in. Hardware that could work perfectly if only there were drivers available for iOS (I can dream, right?). One of my MIDI keyboard controllers, for example, is not class compliant over USB (an admittedly crappy CME UF7).

Third, beyond Apple’s sandboxing of iOS, even if your device is class compliant, they have set a very low limit on the power draw (10-100mA) often causing an annoying error to come up stating “The connected device requires too much power.” Fortunately there’s a hack/workaround for this problem. Simply attaching an unpowered USB hub between the CCK and your MIDI controller prevents the error from popping up and allows you to use your class compliant hardware. As an added benefit, the USB hub allows you to use multiple devices with your iOS device as long as they are either powered on their own, or they can draw enough power from the iPad/iPod Touch/iPhone. Side note: this works on iOS 6, but I do not know if it works on iOS 7 since I’m still waiting to do the update, so I’d love to hear from someone who has tried this.

Lately I have been researching potential solutions, and digging through my old MIDI hardware to see what kind of setup will work the best for me take to advantage of my favorite iOS music apps. Recently the thought occurred to me that perhaps I could use the Bitstream 3X MIDI controller (BS3X) with the iPad. I bought the BS3X back in the Spring of 2011 specifically to use as a controller for my Roland Super Jupiter MKS-80 analog synth, and therefore it is consistently available in my studio setup.

The BS3X is one of the most flexible and programmable MIDI controllers ever designed. It has traditional MIDI I/O including an in, two outs, and a thru jack. It’s even got a pre-MIDI Sync-24 jack. More importantly to this conversation is that is has class compliant USB MIDI I/O. The BS3X is designed to be an interface and controller in one and works perfectly to bridge my old hardware, iPad, and MacBook Pro together. Since everything is wired there’s little to no noticeable latency when playing a synth app with any MIDI keyboard plugged into the BS3X. Also, thanks to the plethora of I/O options on the BS3X, I can use the iPad and a collection hardware controllers (including my non-class compliant devices) with or without a computer in the chain. Furthermore integrating the iPad into this setup does not interfere with BS3X controlling the Roland MKS-80 because those controls send system exclusive messages (sysex) to the channel I have dedicated to the MKS-80.

In the video I have focused on illustrating how one might use two iPad synthesizer apps and a hardware synthesizer together including Cassini, Sunrizer, and the MKS-80. The BS3X is used as both the iPad interface and MKS-80 controller. No computer is required, but a simple change of cable allows for a computer to be integrated into this setup because the MOTU UltraLite interface and standalone mixer has MIDI I/O. In other words two MIDI interfaces are still necessary with a computer, but prior to this experiment I was only using the BS3X as a controller for the MKS-80 and bypassing the class compliant USB MIDI interface functionality. Since the USB hub was required I also added the QuNexus to the setup. This was dedicated to feeding notes into the arpeggiator in Cassini. The keyboard controller was split so that in the low end I could play the MKS-80 effect then tweak it with the BS3X knobs and sliders as it decayed. In the upper end of the same keyboard I played a lead sound programmed in Sunrizer.

iPad with QuNexus and AudioBus Demo

For the last few weeks I have be in the midst of remodeling my mixing studio leaving me with no place work on electronic music. Soon I’ll have my studio back, but whilst I’m waiting for the flooring to arrive I decided to take the opportunity to explore using the iPad exclusively (with various apps and the QuNexus) to produce and perform tracks.

I’ve been looking at a long list of apps, but for this video I chose to narrow things down to AudioBus, Samplr, Sunrizer, and Propellerheads Figure (not shown in the video). The process started in Figure where I created a drum pattern, pizzicato bass line, and synth melody. I then used Sonoma AudioCopy/Paste to get the parts into Samplr on separate tracks. Next I recorded an arpeggio from Sunrizer into Samplr that I used in two of the slots, but setup quite differently from each other. Finally I recorded a bit of vocal straight in via the internal mic to use as a effect. During the performance I used the touchscreen to manipulate the layers and adjust the processing in Samplr, then I used the QuNexus connected via the iPad Camera Kit to play a mono synth patch in Sunrizer.

For me this experiment serves as a proof of concept. The audio quality coming out of the iPad is not great, but it’s not bad either and can be improved by adding an audio interface. Any latency was hardly noticeable with the 4th generation iPad that I’m using. In another experiment I even had two controllers connected to the Camera Kit with a USB hub. Both running on bus power. Unfortunately this did cause the “connected USB device uses too much power” error to come up occasionally, but a powered USB hub will solve that.

So what’s the prognosis? In my view the iPad is approaching the professionalism of some laptop setups. If you need an ultraportable system there’s going to be some subset of apps and hardware out there that will serve most purposes. More interesting than that is the range of applications and the innovation that comes along many of them as a result of the multitouch interface. Samplr, for example, is really a pleasure to use and features seven different play modes that allow you to interact with the audio in unique and addicting ways. Beyond being just a scratch pad setups like these are a way to change one’s perspective and try a new approach to music making.

Is anyone else discovering intriguing new ways to produce using mobile devices? Whether it’s the iPad, OP-1, Android Tablet, or harmonica I would love to hear about what you’re learning and hear what you’re producing with these sorts of techniques.

Generative Sequence Driving MDA JX10 Emulator

I created the following generative sequence using GMS (click for details), during a solo performance at the Spark Festival of Electronic Music and Art, October 2010. One of the virtual instruments I used in the set is an Open Source, Roland Super JX10 emulator made by MDA. The Roland Super JX10 was one of the last great analog poly-synths produced by Roland, and the first Roland synth to receive velocity and aftertouch treatment on the 76 key keyboard. Although I never owned one of these, I have played one before, and I imagine that programming them was brain surgery without the optional PG-800 programmer. In the documentation for the MDA JX10 they state, “[this] plug-in is designed for high quality (lower aliasing than most soft synths) and low processor usage – this means that some features that would increase CPU load have been left out”. To me this plugin sounds very good. I’d like to hear from anyone who owns or has played a Roland Super JX10 for their perspective on this instrument.

MDA JX10 Emulator