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Yamaha MODX anyone?


dave_bass5
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2 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

I don't have one but spent quite a time playing one. If I was playing keyboards in a group full time I would have one, but I have the roland DS at home and that is fine for there.

Thanks. That was going to be my next question. Although i know its a great all rounder i was wondering if its a good choice for the usual club covers. The piano’s sound great (I love the Montage pianos), strings, organ and brass are covered, and of course it has the Super Knob 😂😂.

Our keys player is a better player than i am, by a long way,  but lacks the sounds and experience of playing keys in a band. I quite fancy giving it a go, but I’d also be happy just writing on it at home. 

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Its a great all rounder.

One of the problems we had with the last keyboard player,  he could play fine but he had no concept of 'the sound for the song'. Whatever he did it sounded like a cheap organ. I was genuinely blown away when I heard how good the Nord Stage was when I heard it played by a demonstrator as all I had heard was cheap organ sounds!

In my current new band I will play keys for a few things, but its a bit restrictive when you also have to play bass,.

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This is the problem we have. I own a Korg N5 which is quite old, but good enough for the basics. Ive not played keys in a band for at least 20 years, so my playing skills are very, very low. We take it along to rehearsals for him to use, but he also has one he uses at home. He comes straight from work on the bus so i dont mind taking mine. He just plugs in and plays, with no real structure to what tones he uses. Quite often he leaves the mod wheel on and everything sounds extra cheesy. The whole thing sounds like you described, although he is quite a good piano player. 

It just gets frustrating for me to have the vision of what could be done, but not able to put it in to practice. Since getting the Reface DX last week ive realised that although I’m not much cop at the moment, I enjoy playing keys, and away from the band i can write some songs. 

The plan is to replace him at some point, when i get good enough, or we both play keys. Problems here is he will still have the cheesy sounds. I just dont feel confident in taking over, although its early days and i do have time to practice a lot more. Ive spoken to my guitarist and he thinks it’s good  idea i do keys, but we have agreeed I won’t do any solo’s. 

Probaly going to order it on Monday. Only going for the 6 though. 

Edited by dave_bass5
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Like all these things, its a question of practice. When I was a kid they used to leave me in the local department store where they sold organs and I would just play them and get quite an audience of people - the store seemed to like it and my parents could just dump me and go shopping (you know, it was the 70s, they didn't have problems with that sort of thing back then). And I did my exams and stuff, and got really pretty good, then kind of 15/16 came along and all of a sudden bach didn't seem anywhere near as cool and I wanted a guitar. Since then I didn't really play much until a few years ago, and i am fairly useless now.  I often though that if I joined the band as a keyboard player after a while I would get good, but then there is the whole not being good bit to get through, which would hardly be fair on the band.

But sounds are important to songs, that is what the keys are for. One thing I like on modern keys, like my DS, is you can pick a sound really quickly. Like the previous keyboard player, we would play, say, stevie wonder, and he would just have the organ sound. Is it not obvious you would just select keys, then start with a basic clavinet sound? Same as things with horn backgrounds - just select the horns and look through there, then adjust when you find something good, but no, always the cheesy organ.

I think if you can do it, then do it, being in a band is just as much about learning than something else, so do it and enjoy it. After a while, you are going to get better, because that is what makes you practice, having to do something

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Nice post. Couldn’t agree more. The more you do it the better you get, in theory.

I played keys back in the late 80’s, early 90’s. Even then i was only just passable with the Piano/organ stuff, but i enjoyed using the sounds as and when needed, rather than playing all the way through. Back then it was either a DX7, JP8 or M1. The M1 had the depth that the others didnt and i loved adding the incidental stuff. Really wish i had concentrated more on Piano though.

i agree, a brass sound or organ for example need to be chosen on how they fit in, and not just go to the firs tone. Also need to be played in the correct register. My keys play will quite often play brass stuff an octave higher than he should do, and it sounds really twee and piercing. 

If nothing else the MODX has a good enough piano or two for me to just lean the basics again and then progress from there. I know the rock Organ stuff will be difficult, but fun gettin got grips with it. 

I’m not really interested in editing at this stage, the stock presets seem to have all i need for the band stuff, and ive been offered one of the expansion packs for free when i get it. 

My other worry is to be restrained and not do full 7min symphonic intros with vocoder etc for songs like Mustang Sally and Stuck in the middle 😂😂😂

Think this is partly a mid life crisis, but at least its not a red Ferrari 😂

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I use the iM1 for sounds in my main band at the moment, but for chords in the back of stuff such as brick in the wall etc. I am using the reface for more dynamic stuff now like linkin park, but with the new band I will have room for a full sized keyboard.

As a midlife crises it seems pretty harmless!

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14 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

I use the iM1 for sounds in my main band at the moment, but for chords in the back of stuff such as brick in the wall etc. I am using the reface for more dynamic stuff now like linkin park, but with the new band I will have room for a full sized keyboard.

As a midlife crises it seems pretty harmless!

I’m not sure if I’ll bother too much with the Reface for band use, but for home use I think ill use it a lot for ideas and recording in to my ipad. Much more convenient than getting the big synth out and setting that up. Ive been using Cubasis 3 since i got the Reface, and love the soft synths in that. 

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I spent all afternoon playing my old Korg N5 today, and was impressed with how easier it is to play compared to the Reface. It also sounds much better than it does at rehearsals when my keys player uses it. Ill be using my Q/Strip with the MODX, i think the right EQ goes a long way with keyboards and PA’s, especially cheaper ones. 

And i have just ordered the MODX6. Should be here on Tuesday. Can’t wait. Anyone want to buy a load of basses lol. 

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The MODX arrived this morning. Ive been playing on it most off the day. Very impressed with it. It feels cheap, very light and plasticity feel, but the keyboard is ok. Sounds are great and it seems a lot easier to navigate than my Korg N5.

Amazed that it works so well with Cubasis on my iPad, using just one lead. Dont even need jack leads or midi leads, just a USB cable. How times have changed.  

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  • 2 years later...

Just updating this as ive just got my second MODX, a MODX7+.

The only negative i had with the MODX6 was i could do with more keys. Now im gigging i feel the 61 keybed is a bit restricting when playing piano type parts. 

 

More memory is also a most welcome, i  can now load more sounds without having to keep moving things around.

 

It’s been a fun 2 1/2 years, and im now firmly in the \don’t pick the bass up anymore’ camp……..for now. 

 

MODX6 pictured with the 7. I’ll be selling the MODX6 soon though, as my Fantom 06 takes top spot. 

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