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A Blog About Keyboards and Stuff

budgetkeyboardist.com

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Writer’s Block

In my day job, I'm a professional web developer.  I manage servers and build and support websites.  As such, you might wonder why this site is so minimal.  It's because I do this site for fun, and the point is the words, not the look.  It's functional. I never get...

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A Serious Argument FOR Being a Musical Artist as a HOBBY!

First and foremost, let me just say this - I don't think anyone should tell you how to run your life.  I am going to propose an idea - that's all. I'm not saying it will work for everyone, or that doing something else is pointless.  This is a thought exercise... based...

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I’m Considering Downgrading to Logic Pro X

Let's face it - the AI keyboard player sucks, the AI bass player locks up a thread on even a powerhouse Mac, and every other time I run it, I see something like this: I do like the new Piano sounds, though - they're pretty good.  Still, I miss when Logic Pro was rock...

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Can All Music Fit in Two Categories?

I have a theory.  It's a stupid one and likely wrong, but I want to explore it.  I'm sure my massive audience of dozens will bear with me. Some genres seem to stick with the same instruments, chord progressions, melodies, etc, over the decades.  Radically changing...

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How Bad is the Online Synth Community, Part 2

Humans are tribal by nature - we like to be in communities. But in an era where people in the US drive around with bumper stickers that say "F*ck Your Feelings", is it really any wonder that online communities are full of nasty, angry people? Throughout history, an...

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The OPEN SECRET About Software vs. Hardware

The debate about how you get your synth sounds will go on forever.  We've got four different levels of sounds: inexpensive software synths, expensive software synths, inexpensive hardware synths, expensive hardware synths. Put another way, it's Cherry Audio vs....

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Why Does Logic Pro 11 SUCK SO BAD?

Hey, check this out: This comes up, randomly, since I upgraded to Logic Pro 11.  Wanna know what the plug is?  It's Arturia V Collection 9. I used to develop iOS apps.  The main reason I stopped was that every damn OS update broke my apps.  Every. Single. One. ...

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My Arturia KeyLab 49 Mk2 was a POS!

If I somehow manage to have some free time this weekend, I REALLY want to go to Guitar Center in Clearwater and see if they've got one of the Arturia KeyLab 49 Mk2 keyboards, like the one I just bought on Amazon (and returned).  I want to see if I had a defective...

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I am ALL IN on Synthesizer V

I've had Synthesizer V for several weeks now.  I've purchased four vocal databases - Natalie, Hayden, Astoria, and Saros - and they each have their pros and cons, much like the real life versions of those four singers. I already made a video about why Synth V (as us...

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Many Modern Synths Are Computers. Do We Care?

I'm entertained by the back and forth outrage of a four thousand dollar synth (Sequential Prophet X) being opened up (because it broke) by Espen Kraft, who then pointed out in a video the cheap $70 computer motherboard powering the thing.  I think that many people on...

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Is Behringer the Arcade1Up of the Synth World?

Yes. That's an easy one.  I'm not going to lie - when you look at someone's synth collection and it's mostly or all Behringer, it's a lot like looking at someone's home arcade and noticing that they're all Arcade1Up machines.  When I see that, I think two things: It's...

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