A Blog About Keyboards and Stuff
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I Bought a New Old Laptop
I was unkind to my laptop. I've had a 2018 15 inch MacBook Pro for about 4 years, and I slung it around in a laptop bag like it was a sack of laundry. As a result, I damaged the screen. In it's day, it was a powerhouse - a 6 core i7 with 16 GB RAM and a 512 SSD...
Is a Core 2 Duo Computer Still Usable?
No. Yes. Maybe. I have a 2009 White MacBook. I jacked up the RAM to 8 GB, and I installed a 250 GB SSD. I've got older versions of Logic Pro, Reason, and MainStage on it, and they mostly run fine. I can connect my Tascam US 16 x 8 to it and record 16 channels of...
Dealing with “Too Many Options”
There is a myth which musicians perpetuate that goes something like this: To be creative, you must limit your options. This myth is extremely close to the truth which is this: to be creative, you must choose your options. The difference between limiting your options...
Cherry Audio Quadra – Initial Thoughts
I'm going to shoot a video for the YouTube channel on this. I downloaded the demo of the Quadra when it first came out, and I spent time with it. From a pragmatic point of view, why would I want this thing? I've got the Arturia V9 Collection, which means I've got...
Moog Mariana – Um, Why?
I prefer synth plugins to analog gear because I have a budget and limited space in my house. But at some point in time, do you ever wonder if we're basically being conned? Moog just came out with a cool bass synth plugin called Mariana at an intro price of $49. It...
Logic Pro 10.8 Initial Thoughts
Let's get right to it - no one should complain about free updates. I immediately upgraded to Logic Pro 10.8 and I'm glad I did. That said, well, I might complain just a little bit. To me, there are four cool new things in 10.8, which are: Ability to easily use other...
Why You WANT MIDI 2.0!
Since the 80's we've had MIDI 1.0, and it was great for the time... but it also has its issues, doesn't it? To me, the two biggest issues were only having 128 different levels of velocity on a keyboard, and the fact that long MIDI cable runs usually screw with your...
Sick Musician? Here’s Some Advice…
I'm brutally sick as I type this. And I have videos that need to be shot for both of my channels. Fortunately I don't have any gigs scheduled. But what about the videos? Here's the best advice of all - if you're brutally sick, cancel your plans. They can wait. ...
Arturia V Collection 9 First Impressions
I just bought the Arturia V Collection 9 on a crossgrade special for a mere $249, and at that price, it's a no brainer... IF you like old fashioned classic synths. Which I do. I'm sure I'll be making a bunch of videos about the various synths in the collection,...
Elon Musk Renamed Twitter to X. No, really.
It's not really keyboard news, but... well, the most valuable thing about Twitter was name recognition. And Elon is dumping the name. I think this is George Lucas Syndrome in action. When George invented Star Wars, he created a multi-billion dollar property. He was...
Colds are Anti-Music
I caught a bad cold at work, so as a result, I took a sick day to stay home today and try to recover. I'm very congested, but my nose is running non-stop and even more annoyingly my right eye is non-stop watering. Benadryl helps a little bit but not that much. I'm...
5 Reasons Why I Prefer Software Synths
The video for this script will be posted on Friday, July 7, at 5 pm. I watch a lot of synth-based YouTube channels, and there’s an almost religious respect for vintage synths. I can’t speak for others, but for me, my love of vintage synths comes from being young and...