40+ yrs on stage with hardware keys to VSTs

Hardware
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Yep, you read that right. A real newbie. In the last few years I didn’t even midi my two keyboards together. :grimacing: :face_with_crossed_out_eyes:

Here are my questions.

  • Are there any templates available for a live 2 keyboard controller rig?
  • What do you think is best for backing tracks: audio or midi?

Hardware:

  • Novation Impulse 61
  • Novation Launchkey-3 88
  • Steinberg UR44 interface
  • Live Vocals (XLR)
  • Excellent efficient computer (it’s really good)
  • IT Professional girlfriend :slightly_smiling_face:

Live Use:

  • Easy Patch changes for the rig
  • Running a click for a drummer
  • Running backing tracks

I am hoping this change won’t take too long or be too complicated as performance is a considerable income stream.

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What have you been using for the keyboard sounds?

The level of complexity will depend on the level of complexity. If one of your keyboards is always playing a Rhodes sound and the other a B3 sound it’s pretty simple.

If you’re trying to do Rick Wakeman with two midi keyboards the bad news is that’s complicated. The good news is somebody here is already doing it.

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You can use splits (transpose where needed) and switch rackspaces/variations for different parts of songs. Very flexible for many song parts.

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Somewhere between the two I guess. The lower 88 note board would have pianos mostly. The upper would be for leads. for the most part.

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I suspect that I can add a different patch for every split on both keyboards, am I right? I guess I should just get started.

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In Gig Performer something like a patch does not exist.
There are rackspaces where you include plugins and with the routing you decide which keyboard plays what sounds.
So it is very easy to play a sound or stack of sounds or split of sounds with the lower keyboard and other sound or stack of sounds or split of sounds with the upper keyboard.
There is no restriction in the number of keyboards or other controllers can be used.

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its worth watching a few you tube videos to get a basic feel for setup

Racks are easiest but not a flexible as songs

if your just using the same keyboards and will not change them the rig manager may not be so important

Think of racks as fixed songs where you want to have a few variations of the buttons on front of your rack but not switch racks in the song

Think of songs and song parts where you want to switch variations on a rack but also switch to completely different VST racks in song parts. This is what I use, as I often switch Between piano hammond strings solo instruments, and have multiple splits across both keyboards ( and Keytar)

look at global rackspace to have your final audio output cleaning, Main mixer, compression, limiter, eq, Routing.

Eg i have a final mixer whare i can adjust the volume to the FOH or PA and have eq comp and limiting set here so I can have a more optimised sound to PA, it also allows you to route things like mono / stereo / IEM stage monitor etc I also use the SAFP for backing and clicktrack here to mix into the IEM / Stage Monitors.

I use Streaming audio player for backing and click track, as well as effects example sample of intro to us and them then into keyboards.

You can use the midi player but it depends on how good your midi playback vst is, the only decent one i found is halion sonic which allows general midi sounds playback, but you can use vsts eg Kontakt and route the midi player channels to individual layers in Kontact to get realistic sounds.

start simple, find the hardest song to do and build racks / songs and parts around it, add another song and test before duplicating to many songs too fast. a bit of time at the beginning getting things right can help same time going back and reworking tons of songs later.

f you dont have a foot controller its worth buying a cheap one to start with

If you have bluetooth midi this is a cheap starting point

M-VAVE Chocolate BT Wireless MIDI Controller Rechargeable Portable 4-Button Foot Pedal with APP Control for Musicians and DJs

about @£25 on amazon

Good luck, Its a product and a great journey.

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I know that feeling all too well. I’ve had to rework a few songs three times already. But you learn from it, if you have the time.:grinning_face:

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Cool.

I’ve been performing on stage for 35 years. But only as a hobby, and without a synth for 20 years. I’ve been working with Logic ever since. Twenty years ago, I was laughed at as a nerd. Five months ago, I got GigPerformer. Since I’d already done quite a bit of routing with Logic, I find GigPerformer easier to use. But it’s also very intuitive. There are so many possibilities. You have to try it.

However, it’s also true that the more complicated the setups become, the more other problems can arise.

But this forum will help you immensely, and everyone here is very helpful!

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So good to know! thanks

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Yes!

What’s SAFP? Streaming Audio somthin’ somthin’

Thanks so much for the suggestions - amazing

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It’s been great so far! Thank you

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streaming audio file player

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Hey @Lindsey welcome to the club! I too was a 35 year guy who switched to VSTs and ONLY because Gig Performer made that possible. I gave up rock bands, folk trio, even cruise ship, and now do a solo piano bar routine. I have only one 88-key keyboard, and everything else through Gig Performer. I use the song/setlist which allows you to move through parts of a song (Intro, Chorus, Solo, Verse, Outro, or however you create and name them) and switch through the different sounds/VSTs with each song part.

I use Mobile Sheets, which maintains my 600+ songs and when I select a song (an audience request) from Mobile Sheets, it automatically sends the Midi program change to Gig Performer and pulls up the appropriate Song and sounds! I wrote a guest article for the GP blog on using Mobile Sheets here: How to set up MobileSheets on a PC with Gig Performer

I also launch a second instance of Gig Performer to run my small PA, using a Behringer X-Air 18, using this Gig file from Glen here on the forum.

Also, I never used backing tracks before, but Gig Performer made that possible, so now I do a mix of both live music, and live with back tracks using the Gig Performer streaming audio player, which you can download some controls from another user, and moderator here @NPudar Streaming Audio File Player controls.

Again, when I select a song from Mobile Sheets, it will pull up the song with the related instruments in Gig Performer, and if it has a backing track, it’s already loaded in the Streaming Audio File Player.

There’s literally no end to the use cases. Enjoy, and welcome to the community for owning the stage with Gig Performer!

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Grab some of the shared rackspaces and get a feel for what works for you. There’s a lot of flexibility with Gigperformer so don’t commit to an approach too soon - explore the possibilities first. Lots of diverse approaches here and a fantastic community at your disposal!

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Oh wow, Dennis - this is so helpful. Having these templates as starting points is going to help. I have a fraction of your repertoire but I’m all by ear.

I’m also interested to learn more about solo + backing tracks when it comes to sounding too produced or maybe it depends on what material I am doing. For example, I play some live EDM instrumental work where this is expected.

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So streaming audio in a VST Host. :exploding_head:

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It’s not what you think. It’s not streaming audio from the internet (there are plugins that do that though)
It is streaming your audio files from disk rather than loading them into RAM

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Sounds like you’re a serious user, so my tuppence would be:

Use Rig manager from the start

  1. May take 5 mins to get your head round, but can save so much time in the future.
  2. Will mean all your rackspaces use an alias for the source of midi data
  3. If you change keyboards, use a different rig for a gig etc, it will take 5 mins to remap the input, as opposed to having to edit each and every rackspace.

Embrace the Rackspace / Widget paradigm

  1. The developers knew the best way to approach live use of vst, and built GP around it. Don’t fight it and build some Frankenstein Monster in the global rackspace becuase you think it will save memory. Having many, many rackspaces is not an issue and is not innificient, it’s using GP how it’s meant to be used.
  2. Use Widgets to control VST parameters, map your rig manager controls to the widgets. This is the way

Send your audio data to the global rackspace, and from there to your audio interface.

  1. If you change your interface, one change Vs 1 change for each rackspace.
  2. You want to introduce a limiter/some other effect for all rackspace output - easy!

Good luck with your journey, you’ll find GP to be your ultimate and final keyboard rig - although it will probably always continue to develop as it’s so powerful and customisable.

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Welcome, Lindsey! I, too, am a 40-year veteran of lugging gear and made the jump to GP a while ago. My former setup consisted of four keyboards and a keytar, taking up as much or more space on stage (and in the truck) as the drummer (!) but thanks to GP I’m down to one 88-key controller - as well as fewer back problems and a smaller car. :slight_smile: (Well, OK, the keytar still gets in the mix for fun from time to time too!)

Others have given some awesome advice already - the thing that helped me the most was picking up a foot switch and setting it up to move between song parts. By setting up splits and layers for each part of a song and being able to move to the next one with a foot tap, I’m able to have just one MIDI controller and not need racks of synths that I can only play with the two hands I have at one time anyway. Instead of leaping from synth to synth, the sounds change under my hands for me. It takes some thought and setup but is incredibly flexible and liberating. For some great examples of this in action and to see what’s possible check out some of Francis’ videos in this thread. Dude is an inspiration, and has some awesome rackspace setups for sale too (disclaimer: I’m only a very satisfied customer!). Have fun!