Amos Def (Amish Outlaws)

Glad to be part of this group and finally finding a VST host that does everything I could want and more.

Here’s my current setup. I’m working on a new rack which will house the Mac Mini more securely, so excuse the mess on top of the rack.

Right now I’m using the Kronos for most of my sounds but have the Mac running Gig Performer for some specialized sounds and will soon have it doing a lot more.

On top is a Nektar Panorama P6, which has a nice keybed feel and is one of the few decent keyboards that I’ve found that has aftertouch and is USB powered (reliably)

The iPad runs Mixing Station for my in ear mix via an X32 monitor board. It also has Duet to show the Gig Performer screen when needed, which isn’t often because it’s rock solid!

Soon to come, a Behringer X Touch Mini for quick control of my mix and sounds in Gig Performer.

In the rack is a small UPS and a Motu M4 audio interface to for both the Kronos and Mac to go to FOH. I will be changing to a full width rack so I can have a little more storage for my cable loom in a separate divided section of the rack. Basically, the plan is to make it a half width rack on one side and an open space for cable storage on the other. When I have some free time!

For VSTs, I’m currently using Waves Morphoder for vocoder, being fed by Brainworx Oberhausen, Musiclab RealEight fed into Guitar Rig Pro for guitars, Impact Soundworks Pedal Steel for Kontakt.

Soon to be added will be GG Audio Blue3, IK Multimedia Leslie (TRacks), Modartt Pianoteq (Piano, Rhodes, Wurly, Clav), SWAM Solo Strings, NI Session Horns and Arturia V Collection.

I hope to start replacing staple sounds in my Kronos with VST versions and eventually run the entire show through Gig Performer with the Kronos as a backup sound source.

We are full time cover band that plays around 170 shows all around the Northeast US. We try to recreate the songs as authentically as possible without backing tracks or sequences, so it’s always a challenge to program sounds creatively to get the best result that can be played with only two hands! With Gig Performer, I expect to spend a lot less time coming up with sounds as it’s very intuitive and offers me tons of flexibility to route and manipulate sounds easily. The upgrade in sound from the Kronos to VST based instruments also allows me to do a lot less layering to get a fuller sound so that is something I look forward to as well.

Amos

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Delightful website!

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Thanks! We like to have a little fun

What is not entirely clear, to the non-native English speaker I am, is whether you are Amish and self-deprecating or whether you are being humorous by caricaturing the Amish? :nerd_face:

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Wildest Chop Suey! I’ve ever seen :upside_down_face:

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3 members have Amish backgrounds, but obviously not practicing, so a bit of self-depreciating humor. Not intended to disparage the Amish otherwise

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This point was very clear to me :crazy_face:

You would be surprised. People see us play a show, then on a break they see us with a beer and ask “are you allowed to drink”? As if the huge pile of electric instruments would be ok :rofl:

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Thanks guys! Had a great time playing and look forward to doing more with GP. I learn something new every time I use it!

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Check out this great Backstage episode with Amos :slight_smile:

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Thanks for having me on! Hope it was informative and happy to answer any questions here.

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Amos’ new setup:

Amos is using all MIDI controllers (that can be USB powered) and M1 Mac Mini (16GB RAM and 512GB disk) running Gig Performer for all sounds.
He’s also using MOTU M4, UPS and an Anker powered USB hub. Nice and simple. His rack (on the lower right) houses computer, audio interface and UPS.

I just run my USB cables from the MIDI controllers and iPads and have L/R XLR outs to the FOH.

As for the SL88:

I love it! Great feel for such a lightweight controller. And the 88 is only an inch wider than my Kronos 73 that it replaced.

Additionally, he uses the Luna Display dongle on the Mac Mini which allows him to use the iPad as a touch screen monitor.

You can also use the Sidecar feature of Mac OS but this setup is easier to use in my case.

The stand is Quik-Lok M-91 Monolith.

Great stand that folds flat in seconds and is very stable.

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I got that stand on his recommendation. It’s fabulous

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Hi npudar,

I really like your setup!
Do you have a separate pic of your rack?
What UPS do you use? Is it a 4 unit rack?
What do you use to rack the Mac Mini with the Motu M4?
Thank you!

It’s actually my setup. @npudar did an awesome job posting it here to share.

The rack is a SKB 1SKB-R4S molded rack case. I have a Cyberpower CP425SLG 425VA UPS which provides power to the Mac Mini and the USB hub.

I have everything mounted on 2 rack shelves. The UPS and Mac mini on the lower shelf and the MOTU and USB hub on the upper shelf. The Mac mini is housed in a Sonnet MacCuff rackmount and secured to the shelf

I’ll try to get some more detailed pics of the rack sometime soon

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Ah ok… sorry for the confusion amosdef!
Thanks for your message and the details! Much appreciated.
What a great setup!

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Thanks! Glad to help. Let me know if you have any other questions. I’m trying to keep it simple and reliable, while still offering some flexibility when playing. Once the summer season is done, I’ll sit down and work on getting the back panel designed so I can have jacks to plug into power and FOH mixer instead of tails coming out from the back

You’re easily in the top 4 most helpful Amish guys on these forums. Keep up the good work!

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Thanks! I’m striving to be in the top 3! :joy:

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