So glad it was helpful!

Thanks Kevin!

Brother, time’s fun when you’re having flies 😂😂😂

Thank you for watching!

Yeah, this was definitely not the norm for me over three decades on that gig - it was usually just the opposite! Racks, looms, etc. - especially when we were doing international fly dates!

@@JimDaneker sure but I’m talking still just a pure MS rig. Have you ever had a rack based MS rig or always taken this slimmed down approach?

@@k852live Well, I always ran everything (MainStage & Logic) on the same machine, so it was always just those same basic components: laptop, interface, controller, and pedal board. I did have a rack quite often since most interfaces I used were always rack units. However, I also built a custom pedal board for a few years that had the interface mounted on the underside - that was really slick because all the looms were pre-wired and ready to go, so I could get on and off stage really fast if necessary ;-)

Sure thing!

Thanks Pete!

Sure thing!

Thanks! Beginning and end is one of MWS’ tracks - the rest is from my AD ALTA record.

Mighty kind words, friend - thank you!

Thanks much! Yeah, definitely much more fun playing B3 parts on a waterfall, but I’m not doing a whole lot of complicated B3 stuff on this tour, so the weighted action is OK. And the sleek all-in-one aspect makes it worth it ;-)

Thanks!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for the kind words my friend!

You too Brosef 😁👊🏻

You cray 😂

Ha - yes! I was actually just thinking about that the other night… I’d like to add a second pedal, but to do it right, it would have to be a good foot away so I could use it with my other foot!

Sure thing, glad to do it! As I mentioned in the video, the computer handles it no problem whatsoever. Much of it is just common sense… not running a bunch of CPU heavy instruments like Omnisphere or big Kontakt libraries, etc. This is partly why I developed my own series of virtual instruments that are very CPU efficient (the BackStage Pass stuff). I wrote a detailed guide in the BackStage Pass manual that covers optimizing a live computer rig, but a lot of it really does come down to common sense stuff 😁👍🏻

Thanks my friend! The Catch button is hard to explain - it’s to do with whether the screen follows the song position line (so it stays centered or not). As for jumping around to different sections in Logic, we just don’t do that on the fly - we decide on arrangements ahead of time. If it’s a song that needs to be flexible, we would typically just use click for that so that it wouldn’t matter. Ableton would have the edge here for bands that need to jump around like that, but I’m just not an Ableton fan - I’ve used Logic for 30 years so I’m lightning fast on it and it works perfectly for our needs. MWS uses it too so it makes it easy to collaborate. 😁

Well, the advantage of running my sounds in MainStage is that it’s totally separate from Logic - so I can be holding a pad during a transition while changing songs in Logic. Super easy.

Hi Joehen, thanks for the kind words! Nope, the iPad hasn’t ever been a problem there - it’s the perfect spot for it. Same with the MOTU - it’s under the laptop stand which protects it. It also gets packed up every night so it travels with me in my laptop bag ;-)

@@JimDaneker Thanks for that! Cheers.

@@joehenthompson2023 anytime!

Thanks for the kind words! No, it's been probably 15 years since I ever used external drives for anything, because the internal solid-state drive in any Apple laptop is much faster.

Hey Todd, all my MIDI control & patch changes come from the iPad running TouchOSC, and it’s hardwired via USB straight to the computer.

Thanks much! I only intended to use it for a few shows, but I ended up using it for three months, and I’m thinking of taking it out again this year!

@@JimDaneker touring at this level has to be nice. Happy for you.

@@jgooch99 thanks for the kind words. It has definitely been an adventure that I don’t take for granted. Sadly it’s not always like this though 😁

@@JimDaneker I understand I did a summer tour for drum & bugle corps years ago. Waking up not knowing what city were in was regular so I understand.

Yep, it sure is!

Thanks much. I’m not sure what you’re asking about Secret Ambition though?

@@JimDaneker When you guys do secret ambition now you always use a really cool Hammond b3 sound like what kinda inspired you to come up with that? I just find it super awesome to hear live!

@@angelchacon5557 ah, I see what you mean now… why a B3 instead of the original synth parts? Well, I played the original parts into the computer so I can play B3 live - it just feels more rock & roll in a live setting ;-)

@@JimDaneker That's awesome Jim! It's always a blessing hearing from you happy new year and God bless!

I do carry a second laptop but in all my years of doing this, I’ve never had any kind of catastrophic issue that warranted it. I just take a lot of care to set the rig up properly and really test it thoroughly before trusting it on the road. If you optimize a Mac system properly, it will be essentially bulletproof.

Hey Nick, I mix all my keyboard parts into one stereo pair, and I ride the expression pedal for layered sounds (like a pad behind a piano, for example). All the stems are submixed into two other stereo pairs.

I certainly prefer a waterfall action for B3 stuff, but the trade-off in having just a single-board sleek rig is nice for a change! Especially for fly dates when I just need to grab one - the YC88 is perfect for that!

Yep, you could certainly do that!

Most of them use an app called Four Score if I’m not mistaken - it’s pretty brilliant and allows you to mark up your own charts using an Apple Pencil. I’m probably the only one on stage that doesn’t use one… It’s far easier for me to just memorize everything.

Yes, as I mentioned in the video, I created an entirely software based rig called BackStage Pass, which is what I’ve used for several years now. That’s what I was showing in the video. More info at www.backstagepass.store

Hey Tony, I do NOT miss those big racks full of hardware, other than for the nostalgia factor… It sure looked cool, but that’s about it! Everything was vastly more complicated with many points of failure, it was hideously expensive in every possible way, and so on. These days it’s staggering the amount of power and sonic capability you have in a laptop rig!

@@JimDaneker Your strong faith in your MacBook, is pushing me close to the point of conversion, lol. You should do a sampling tutorial for Mainstage, my head always spins with different sample points and velocity layers and loop points, considering I want to have the Yamaha pianos for myself.

@@tonylancer7367 that’s a deep subject! It’s far easier to just get my sounds like BackStage Pass or DX Dreams - the hard work has already been done and the results are stunning 😁😁😁

@@JimDaneker Well played Jim! Considering I'm looking at Blair's grand, I might be almost there! 😅

@@tonylancer7367 let me know if I can ever answer any questions 😁

No magic whatsoever- they are designed to work together and share the same audio & MIDI interface. And no Applescriipt needed - TouchOSC connects to both directly. That's what it's designed to do. It's really not that complicated ;-) Oh, and yes, I typically have 8 outputs total, for my keys (from MainStage), 2 stereo pairs for stems, click, and SMPTE.

Hi Martijn, I’m using a FW800 cable, connected to the FW800 port on the MOTU - and the other end connects to a Thunderbolt port on the laptop via an Apple Thunderbolt to FW800 dongle.

@@JimDaneker thank you so much for your clear answer! I am so not into Apple. Just bought a new Macbook pro two years ago especially for music application and haven't used it as much. Windows keeps so more easy to me. Have to work on that! Thnx again!

HA! I gotta keep some edges to punish anyone who dares to touch my rig 😂

Both, ideally. It can work depending on the drivers, but because of the way USB works, it's hard to avoid issues like computer ground loop noise, MIDI disconnects, etc.

No, I never have need for MIDI tracks - everything is rendered as audio.

Good questions! No, the laptop has Thunderbolt, so I built an adapter into the cable loom for that. USB is just notoriously flaky and can cause ground loop issues/noises. And no, I don’t use the MOTU software - I just assign everything directly in Logic.

What do you want to know about it?

I talk about them both in the video, and there are links in the description ;-)

Awesome- so glad! You can see in the video that the iPad is sitting on the keyboard stand - it has two extensions facing toward me that are the exact perfect size to hold the iPad in front of the keyboard.

Well, at the time of this video it was a 2014 quad core i7 with just 16 GB RAM and a 1 TB SSD!

Since around 2007. Before that I used a few rack modules for a few sounds here and there, but I’ve been using Logic for most of my patches for probably 20 years on the road, and MainStage since 2018.

Well, The one in the video is seven years old and still does everything I need it to do. We just replaced it with a brand new 14” MacBook Pro M1 Max with 64 GB RAM and upgraded video card, just for future proofing. It is so ridiculously fast, it doesn’t even break a sweat… I have yet to ever hear the fan come on even when testing it extensively!

@@JimDaneker okay, great. so I don't see any problems with the new M2 chip just for stems/sound programming in the future either. After many years on the bass, my last technical stand on keyboards was around 1997 (around the time of MWS life in Sindelfingen/Germany). Thank you for the super quick reply and all the best, Jim!

@@Glexmusic sure thing! I wouldn’t jump on the M2 immediately unreleased though… Let some more adventurous people beta test that before you depend on it 😁😁😁

Well, i’m definitely much more of a Yamaha fan because of their pianos and piano sounds - the YC is fantastic! The action is far superior too, IMO.

@@JimDaneker thanks for the prompt reply! Love the rig tour. Thanks

@@jeremymckee9649 anytime!

Ha - I couldn't agree more! 😁😁😁

Yes, if you check out the iPad section, that highlights that stuff. And of course I use the controls on whatever keyboard I'm using as well - pitch & mod wheels, expression pedal, etc.

@@JimDaneker what if I start layering two or there sound creating a new patch? Let's say with a piano, a Pad, strings and a rhodes? Is it possible to assign patches (and volumes) to sliders on a master keyboard? And if yes, what about the CPU? How many sounds can be layered in your opinion? (sure it depends from the computer, but using that old 2014 macbook pro you had for many years, for example?)

@@giacomocagnetti2529 yes, all of that is possible, but it depends on the keyboard you're using. That's why I like TouchOSC on an iPad - limitless options. As for CPU, many of the big patches I created in DX Dreams use 8 layers, all of which use very deep-sampled sounds - and that runs fine even on that old 2014 machine. The only thing you'd have to be careful of is something like Omnisphere when it uses huge layers.

@@JimDaneker thank you so much... Another question: in a master keyboard with sliders would it be possible to assign each layer to sliders to control independent volumes? I am very interested in your backstage pass... I have to buy also a new 88-key Master keyboard and I am very undecided because there are dozens of possibilities. There are very expensive master keyboards that have many controls and many libraries included and there are other master keyboards that are much simpler and less expensive... To make the best use of your backstage pass which master keyboards would you recommend?

@@giacomocagnetti2529 yes, absolutely - you can assign the controls from any keyboard that transmits MIDI CCs. This is really a core feature of MainStage, which BackStage Pass happens to take advantage of. It's hard to give any specific recommendations because there are so many out there and it depends on your needs. Unfortunately there aren't many though with assignable sliders, so that narrows the choices a bit. If you aren't opposed to using an iPad for controls, that really gives you total freedom...

Awesome Dana, thanks! I really love the sleek look of a single keyboard so I won't be modifying this one... but you never know! Where are you located?

@@JimDaneker I was in Seattle for 12 years did work with Robert Lang Studios just moved back to my hometown Wichita KS where I grew up. John and Martina are friends of mine. I'd love to send you some pics of stuff that I've done. Love your home studio by the way.

@@danafiorucci83 awesome - please do! You can reach me via my website: www.jimdaneker.com

Hey @danafiorucci83 - I'd love to chat about this. Let me know how to get in touch!

@@danafiorucci83 Love Robert Lang Studio.. I have recorded there a few times.. Legendary!!

I’m probably sticking with the KX88 at least the rest of this year. We’ll see!

@@JimDaneker will be waiting … ✌️

Oh it’s more… something 😂😂😂

@@JimDaneker cost more...lol

@@antonbriggs5680 😂😂😂

How so? Haven’t heard any complaints from anyone else? Or do you mean the background noise? Most of this was shot on stage while there was a lot going on, but the dialogue should be clear…

Ha - no thanks. Never been a Nord fan, never will be. Sure, Yamaha took some design cues from "Bord", but the YC88 actually FEELS like a piano... probably because they've made real pianos for over a century. It's a stunningly good master keyboard.

@@JimDaneker probably true on the keyboard feel itself but I've a/b 'd both tone wise and Nord's samples just sound better in general. I guess if your just using it as a controller though it makes sense to go cheaper. I would say calling it "design cues" is a bit understated, try complete copy of layout and control design. Ive own Roland, Yamaha, and Nord and for me Nord has the best recoil action and crossover for Piano and Organ players. But to each his own