Sayid Rezić

Gig Performer in Action
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Sayid Rezić is an outstanding musician – keyboardist, accordion player, and producer, and the creator behind the most powerful custom keyboard today – Avenger M+.

Sayid is currently an active member and collaborator with major artists such as Hari Mata Hari, Ilma Karahmet, Maid Hećimović and many others.

Sound check with Hari Mata Hari in Arena Zagreb, 20,000+ seats:

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Trans-Audio Avenger M+ is the ultimate workstation that Sayid built from scratch!

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This is a project on which Sayid dreamed for around 20 years. After 8 years of experimenting, learning and various prototype-phases, this is the final version of prototype II. Prototype I is called just Trans-Audio Avenger. On this one, M+ means mini plus, although it’s not mini at all.

To learn why “Avenger”, check out this dedicated thread.

Features:

  • Touchscreen is big enough to be used without retracting.
  • Keybed is heavily modified to suit Sayid’s needs, as the default velocity curve.
  • He designed the slider system himself. It is made of beefy 2mm steel, strong enough to hold the weight of the whole workstation.
  • CPU: 14 core
  • RAM: 64 GB
  • Storage: 8 TB machine
  • Operating system: Windows 11 (heavily optimized and adjusted).
  • VST host: Gig Performer
  • Audio interface: Presonus
  • Pedal: Roland FC -300 - main and only pedal. Controls sustain, expression, super-knob, and other
  • Accessories: Elgato StreamDeck
  • Extension: Advanced Song Chooser, premium Gig Performer extension created by Dave Boulden

In idle, it stays on 1% of usage and below 85 active processes, with everything else what is not needed, completely disabled and removed.

The workstation has been tested in 24/7 scenarios for months, and got loaded way more than it would ever be in a live scenario.

It gives its designer freedom for using backing tracks and click sent on various outputs, with fully independent processing and lossless tempo change for audio if needed.

It can be extended to 16 in/16 out - handy for production.

Elgato StreamDeck gave Sayid freedom to assign anything however he wants: 32 buttons next to the screen are triggers for backing tracks, FX audio, and Cubase shortcuts. 15 on the left is for lower hold, transpose, tap tempo, and triggering different chords per song if needed. Needless to say, any button can be programmed to do anything - this is just the current layout.

Advanced Song Chooser - a premium extension created by Dave Boulden is responsilbe for choosing sounds. The extension gives Sayid more than enough room to never have need to ‘‘change pages’’. Everything is under the fingers, up to 70 sounds right away.

The LEDs for back logo are independent from the ones under the keys, of course RGB and remotely controlled. The one under the keys are always on - so he “never, ever again come in situation not be able to see the keys on pitch black stages”.

The 4 shiny small towers on the sides are there for gooseneck mic, tablet or phone holders, and stuff like that.

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The display has three modes:

  1. Basic/transport mode (without retracting)
  2. Stage mode
  3. Recording mode

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Avenger-Mode-A
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Long story short - all my experience and my own needs from the ‘‘battlefield’’ are translated into this project. At the same time, it’s my goodbye from the corporative outdated hardware and limitations. Simply said - a studio powerhouse which is turned into a keyboard.

Learn more here about the limitations of hardware keyboards.

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Check Sayid on:

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There is no “can’t” for the Trans-Audio Avenger M+.

The Avenger M+ is a story in itself, and a universe in itself. It can’t be compared to any other workstation.

The Avenger M+ runs Gig Performer and uses studio effects in VST2 and VST3 format, which can be combined as necessary, without any limitations.

For example: The clarinet goes into DYNAMIC EQ where only the frequencies that bother you are removed at the moment they appear. Then that signal goes into, for example, a Sonnox Inflator and from there it goes into an SSL compressor. From there it goes into a reverb, like a Valhalla Plate, which is also processed by an EQ plugin.

It can also parallelize as many effects as needed, all of which can also be processed separately.
This kind of routing and quality is BARELY possible to get even on the most powerful MIXERS today, with expensive add-ons like Waves servers and Fourier.

For comparison:

  • all samples of a Montage M are a little under 10 GB, with a total polyphony of 400, for all three engines.
  • One piano in the Avenger M+ (ONE) is approximately 12 GB, with a polyphony that can exceed 600.

On the Avenger M+, you can combine such pianos if necessary, with FM synthesis, and all other synths. You can put 10 Montage ESPs playing at the same time if necessary (equivalent to putting 10 Montage M on stage). No limits!

The Avenger M+ has 8 BALANCED outputs, with 24-bit / 192 kHz resolution. Dynamic range is 114 dB. The 8 combo inputs have 110 dB of dynamic range for microphones, and 112 dB of dynamic range for line inputs. Expandable to 16 inputs and outputs if necessary. Example of using multiple outputs - click and backing tracks.

Backing tracks can be downmix stems, or completely separate tracks (unlimited number),
which can be without effects or processed through FX.

In addition to all that, the tempo can also be changed.

Not that some other keyboard can’t do it - neither can devices designed for backing tracks,
such as the ldoro P1.

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Besides live stages and gigs - Gig Performer is such a great tool in the studio, too. In this example, I am using it for in-ear sound mix for my drummer (with real time effects), while dry channels are recorded in Cubase.
Simply lovely.

3+ hours studio session on my Trans-Audio Avenger M+.

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This display is full HD and also touch screen. It is expandable to two (up to 4k) external displays, as well.

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Here is a cover of Silent Inner Cry, a masterpiece from guitarist Muris Varajić.

Cover:

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Original

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Nemanja, thank you so much for this! You are the man!

Among all vst-host softwares I had in my hands, Gig Performer is definitely the one to trust. From the layout, to overall stability, it is 10/10. There are indeed a few things which I would like it to have, but it is for another topic.