MIDI at gigs.

[timpipmidi]

I am at present using a Sony mini-disc player through my amp. I was thinking of getting a MIDI player as I think it would be a lot more flexible. I have only come across one model on the net i.e. the ESS Mblaster from www.thomann.de/ that looks any where near professional. I would like to know what other people are using for playing MIDI backing tracks at gigs i.e. sequencer keyboards etc,.

[ovation99]

Hi, I use a QY700.
I've had a few sequencers over the years, but find this the most versatile and the integral sound module is GM AND XG !
It takes about 3 to 5 seconds to load a song and the memory can take about 11/12 midifiles at a time.
I also have it connected to a Digitech harmoniser so it produces up to 5 part hamony all in perfect tune.
be nice to what other guys use on gigs

[themd21]

Hi
I've always used Roland stuff, guess I just got used to the sound.
So at the minute I have a Roland VA 5 keyboard and a Roland Discover 5m midi Module. The Va5 is great for backing the singers in the pubs and clubs and the Discover 5 brill for dances etc.
I can load a lot of midis into its 128MB SD Card, which can be cataloged for song,artist,genre and custom. Instant loading.
Oh and its got a built in harmonizer.
Doesn't make good toast though.

Cheers Jimmy G

[funnygubber]

i've just started using backing tracks and use a yamaha dgx 305 keyboard it has a media smart card slot, the midis sound fine and its a great keyboard.

[a.j.]

Since we do not have a keyboard player on stage, we use Powertracks running through Virtual Sound Canvas. Before we had the VSC, we used a laptop and Powertracks version, through a Sound Blaster Extigy external sound card. This works fine with a USB 2.0 interface, but here are transmission delay problems if your compiter only supports USB 1.1

[stivy]

;DHi Tim,
I don't use these on stage (just in my studio) but it is primarily for live work and is very space saving.
I use a Roland Sound Canvas SC-88VL and an Alesis Datadisk. You could probably pick both of these up from Ebay for about £100-£120. The Sound Canvas is basically a Roland Synth in a box and the Datadisk is for playing the midi files from floppy. It does this in realtime and reads about 5 secs of data at a time. You can easily fit a spot on one floppy which equates to about an hour. Both are very easy to use and if you get yourself a small midi keyboard you can edit any file using Sonar or Cubase on your PC. Both are out of production now but were benchmarks of they're time. In fact Edirol (Rolands UK supplier) have just released a new sound canvas so they are obviously still popular.
Good Luck

Regards
Stivy ;D

[levi2]

Hi
I used to use a yamaha mdf midifile player and bought a sony minidisc player for back-up I now use the sony minidisc player as a main player. I record onto minidisc direct thru a yamaha mu50 tone generator and use the EQs on my mixer. The reason i did this was because i can get about 20 tracks on a minidisc in stereo and nearly double that in mono also if the midifile did not reset its controllers at the end of the song in could effect the next midfile you played unless you reset your tone generator. Levi2

[timpipmidi]

Thanks for all the replies. I am sticking with the mini disk for the time being. I am lucky in that i have both the Yamaha and Roland soft synths on my computer. The one big drawback about the mini disc is that all editing is done before recording. It would be nice to be able to carry a lot more of my backing tracks for requests etc.,, and for the good singers I ocasionally get up to sing.

[ironbaden]

timpipmidi said:

It would be nice to be able to carry a lot more of my backing tracks for requests etc.,, and for the good singers I ocasionally get up to sing.

That's why I like to use the Puter. I have a bunch of setlists created ..one being a list of every tune I have ready to play.

[charlie]

Midi at gigs...hmmmm....all I can say is try "ShowPlay"...a software sequencer designed specifically for live mid use. In a word.....AWESOME

[Steptoe]

Hi Charlie

I'd like to try out Showplay, but can't find it on the net.

[charlie]

Hello Steptoe,

Try typing in ShowPlay Midi Player or Pride Corporation. This is a Canadian product and I was a little apprehensive at first to order the software, being that it was my first out of US purchase...but boy am I glad I did. They have an excellent technical support department - via E-mail...but they are fast....and very knowledgeable. If you really want to use a GM software sequencer designed specifically for live midi use.....there's nothing out there that can rival it.

[charlie]

hey...you guys ...just wanted to know if anyone here at the forum has heard of ShowPlay....a GM software sequencer....for live midi use, it's phenomenal. No, I'm not being paid by ShowPlay to endorse their product. Just want us live midi perfomers to have all the latest and greatest tools at our disposal...to help keep live midi music as acceptable as any live act.

[levi2]

found the url but looks like showplay 4 hardware is there not just the software you can download

www.pride-corp.com/

[Steptoe]

levi2 said:

found the url but looks like showplay 4 hardware is there not just the software you can download

www.pride-corp.com/

Yes I saw that as well Levi, I was hoping for a software Demo version to try out.

[charlie]

Hey Levi2 & Steptoe,

As far as I know, thre isnt a demo version to try out. I bought ShowPlay 3 on sight alone, never did audition it. All I can say, it turned out to be one of the best purchases I've made in years, period. I had been running ShowPlay3 since 2003...and never a single problem. I upgraded to ShowPlay 4 so I could use my new laptop running on XP. Showplay 3 ran on Win98 SE. If you have some technical questions you want to ask, just go to the website and E-mail tech support. They have always been very helpful...and quick in their responses.

[terriandralph]

My wife and I are thinking about playing midi files live at gigs, and were thinking about using a laptop with scrolling lyrics that have the chords above the lyrics. Anyone know of a good program to do this?

[levi2]

terrain
there are a few karaoke players like vanbasco that will do lyrics but dunno about showing the chords aswell. theres a couple of progs to edit midifiles that will show you which chords are in the song but as for scrolling i dunno know

[rogerch]

timpipmidi

Cakewalk has the ability to do what you want. It can scroll the lyrics and notes if you like. As for the cords, you would need to put them in, but it's not that hard to do.

Hope this helps.

Roger

[charlie]

Hey terriandralph,

If you're looking for a software program to run sequences with scrolling lyrics and chords, then try looking a t ShowPlay 4. The url is: www.pride-corp.com. This software has all the features you're looking for...and more. Make tempo and key changes in real time ...while the seqence is running...and then save...while sequence is running. Swap out part voices, make set/song lists, dual screen viewing capability, and on an on. A great GM software sequencer. I've been using ShowPlay now for over 4 years...never crashes...always boots up. I dont believe you can go wrong with ShowPlay. Check it out...