How to mix my keyboards live

Dextroze · February 18, 2021, 1:37pm

Hello there,
I’m more playing acoustic piano lately but I have a question in my head that I have to ask you.

How does mixing work for the audience when we use vst ?

I mean…I would have on stage my prophet (easy to mix : all I have is too put the output into the DI of the sound engineering).
But for my vst ? I would have for exemple 2 controllers with different sounds, but only ONE stereo output with my Babyface.

Does this mean the sound guy will only be able to mix both of the keyboards at once, or is there some workaround or something I don’t know ?

Thanks !

PS : last little video alone with my piano https://youtu.be/0Mp4DRGm3r8

pianopaul · February 18, 2021, 1:43pm

I am using a RME UFX II and all sounds (VST or real instrument) are sent to 2 Main out, Left and Right.
The sound-engineer is happy that he has not to mix different sound sources.
So it is up to you to deliver a “compact” sound, eq and volume.

dhj · February 18, 2021, 1:47pm

My sound engineer wants the opposite…I use 8 outputs and try to send each VST to a different pair so FOH can have direct control of each sound.

Of course, if you want to get really cute and still use just a stereo pair, then you could give the sound engineer an iPad running Lemur which connects to your GigPerformer over a WiFi network and allows him (or her) to control individual audio outputs in Gig Performer

pianopaul · February 18, 2021, 2:11pm

or it (to be political correct) …

pianopaul · February 18, 2021, 2:19pm

So with Gig Performer: Everything is possible

pianopaul · February 18, 2021, 2:38pm

Do you have always the same sound engineer - then you are lucky?

David-san · February 18, 2021, 2:53pm

Do you have a sound engineer - then you are lucky?

Dick · February 19, 2021, 7:29am

With our band, it was experimenting at first. Quite enthusiastically, I started out sending my 12 channels to FOH but that wasn’t quite as sophisticated as I’d hoped
So I started mixing my VST’s more precise and, like @pianopaul, just send 2mains out. It’s a bit of a work to get all the sounds properly mixed, eq’d etc. but it’s worthwhile the effort.

Besides, like @David-san stated, sometimes you may be lucky if there is a sound engineer at all! The way I see it: the engineers need to get all our muscial effort in the best possible way to the audience, so if they want it all, or just two outs, they need to make the best out of it!

@Dextroze, does your band include a sound engineer?

Dextroze · February 19, 2021, 10:55am

Hello guys, thank you for your answers, it’s nice
Unfortunately with the Babyface I can only have 1 main output stereo.
No I don’t have a sound engineer, maybe one day.
I’m slowly putting synths and keyboards into my acoustic trio but I take my time.

Angel · February 20, 2021, 5:28pm

Hi Dextroze,

I have a RME Babyface Pro, too.

PA FOH gets a stereo sum, only. With many synths and samplers and different sound characters coming out of them, different for each part within a song, there would be no chance for a mixer to find a proper balance between them in time, anyway. Balance and EQing of the sounds need to by checked during setting up at home, and then during band rehearsals. Fine tunig after a few shows, and then don’t touch anymore.

IMHO overall balance of the band instruments and EQing depending on the PA and venue is part of the job of the mixer, but not the internal balance of my sounds.

Small recommendation for adjusting sound levels:
As a final plug in the stereo sum before it is routed to the analog outs I always use the same preset of this compressor/limiter plug-in in every rackspace:

In low-latency mode it has almost no extra latency (0,12 ms = 3cm distance in air), and yet, almost no distortion even at quite heavy compression and onset of peak limiting.
I adjust any sound level (except very calm sounds) until I see some compression and onset of peak limiting on the meters. So I offer the PA the same sound level for any sound, without any significant overshoots. Overshoots typically forces the mixer to pull your fader down, and then to forget to pull it up, again.

Here’s my preset, tested to work fine for this purpose, can be imported in text format:

Hermon · February 19, 2021, 5:45pm

I fully agree with this.
I add that I use on stage a Yamaha MG06X mixer next to me: 1 stereo input for my audio interface’s GP output, other inputs for my other hardware sources whose output levels are set to the GP output.
I just have to fine-tune during the soundcheck or the performance.
If my mix is not good, I’m only blaming myself…

David-san · February 19, 2021, 7:30pm

@Dextroze, your babyface has one stereo headphone output for you and one stereo XLR output for the FOH. With TotalMixFX you can give the hand to a FOH engineer who can make its own submix without changing yours. TotalMix can be fully controlled via OSC from an iPad or a distant GP instance. So you even don’t need separate outputs.

SirTommes · February 20, 2021, 4:31pm

Thank you for the tip, I own the TDR Limiter6 GE.
How can I import your preset?

Angel · February 20, 2021, 5:29pm

Copy the parameter text
Right click on the preset selection button
Paste state

SirTommes · February 20, 2021, 5:41pm

Yes, it works, thank you!

By the way: Do you know the possible number of installations of TDR Limiter6 GE, I need two, one on my Windows PC at home, one for my MacBook “on the road”.