Getting to Know You (Introduce Yourself!)

[Kirumamoru]

Originally posted by Geoff Grace Kiru , how cool! It seems then that we had a similar education. Even though our enrollments there were almost a quarter-century apart, I wonder if we shared some of the same professors. I suppose the younger faculty members of my time, Glenn Hackbarth and Randall Shinn for example, are now the old guard. Perhaps, like me, you watched the Presidential debate at Frank Lloyd Wright's Gammage Auditorium last fall and told your friends, "I performed there!" Here's a little trivia for you. I went to elementary school (Payne Lab) in the 1960s just to the east of where ASU's music building now stands. The music building land was our playground, and we sat outside on the grass there, as an art assignment, to sketch the construction of Gammage Auditorium. Ah, Tempe memories... Good times... Anyway, it's great to see a fellow ASU alumnus online! Best, Geoff

Heh, yeah, I had both Hackbarth and Shinn, they're both still teaching there. I watched the debate on TV in my then-girlfriend's room, the window of which overlooked the Gammage parking lot, and watched the train of cars leave. It's amazing to think of a time when the School of Music wasn't there....

Kiru

[clusterchord]

since i havent done this on KSS yet, i'll chime in. following is an updated KC post from 2 yrs ago (my god, how time flies..):

basic data: name is Tomislav Babic. I'm (already) 37. live in Croatia. I work as a freelance film/theater/tv composer in Zagreb. unmarried, girlfriend.

background: piano lessons age 7 to 15. exposed to bunch of 70s prog/early electronic via my older brother's records => started composing (sort-of) in high school w poly800 and hammond x5. later i played in a local progrock trio - orig. material, long solos and all that crap.. towards late 80s got into MIDI sequencing, instrumental music - cross between TD and 4AD stuff. It all stopped when i went to study electrical engineering. After 3 yrs I decided to return to music and left to spend couple of yrs studying composition/orchestration at UCSB. also had classes at CCMRC in elec. music from tape tehniques to "digital concrete". After this , i went home, and after some initial lame arranging jobs, i more or less started doing what i do to this day.

I scored ton of artsy animation films, some of them had some success on international festivals. scored documentaries, short and experimental films, couple of theater plays. 2 years ago, I finally scored a full-length motion picture - my long time dream. did many jingles and tv themes. At the moment i'm working on scores for a cartoon series, and some corporate video. in films/theater, i think my music style could be described going two main directions - orchestral post-impressionism/expressionism ( Ravel/Stravinsky and Bartok/Schoenberg influences). and dark ambient electronic, ocasional mid eastern flair, featuring synthesis/sound design/audio editing.

I own a small home studio geared towards my needs. It is centered arround a PC/N2/Fireface. Hardware is ADAM P22, TC4000, PCM70, SRV3030D, Mutator, TAM21, Moog Phaser, RNC. Orchestration is done w Kontakt and E4XTU. I use the following synths: Roland JD990, MKS70 w PG800, MKS80 w MPG80, Jupiter 8, Yamaha TX802, FS1R, Oberheim OBXA w MIDI, Alesis A6, Waldorf XT30, Rhodes Mk I, E-Mu E4XTU and recently i got SCI Prophet 5 Rev2.

Other stuff i do/did: i played keys in a mildly succesful Croatian rock band Flare for 2 yrs - tours thru Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Hungary, we released one album, i also did an album with another alternative rock band in 98. i mixed Croatian voice-over actors with with IT track for bunch of cartoon series like Pokemon. did the final mix on three motion pictures - within last 2 yrs it kinda developed into a separate gig even tho it wasn't my intention. but its nice for variety sake.

Future wishes: finish my ambi/electro lounge tracks and find somebody to release it. Write a string quartet. To do theater/experimental film score projects outside of Croatia.

Freetime: nuts about sailing the Adriatic, skying, i dig forums, vintage synths, going out, friends.. women? i wasted way too much time on them. that about covers it..

[bopshuwadda]

Fellow addicts,

Nice to be aboard. Been a "fly-on-the-wall" for a few weeks now and thought it was about time jump in. Me? ... past - professional musician (waaaaaaaaay too many years ago) - always keyboards and some vocals (classically trained on piano and french horn) ... present - purchasing manager for big homebuilder in SF Bay Area (go figure). Home project studio stuff now, although would jump at the chance to hook up with some latent 80's prog rock refugees to resurrect some classics on the live side. Kids (2) are grown and gone; got time and a little money; could be potentially very dangerous! Current rig looks like this:

Motif Rack ES
Kurzweil PC2R
Emu Proteus 2500
Triton ProX
Roland A37 controller
MOTU Midi Express XT
Powerbook G4
MOTU 828 mkII interface
Digital Performer 4.5
Processing: Focusrite, Presonus, dBX, ART, TC Electronic Powercore
Mackie HR824 monitors

Looking forward to sapping all of the info I can squeeze out of you guys. Thanks

[GigMan]

Gary the Gig Man here -

I live in New Jersey - and proud of it. Of course, except for the part where we have unbelievable traffic jams, the highest auto insurance rates in the nation and sky high housing costs + property taxes...

You can see from my post count that I've been a member on this forum for 3 yrs. - I really dig it. There's always something to learn and occasionally I can help others with the things I know about.

I'm 41, married w/2 kids. I.T. support technician for a school system in NJ during the week - "weekend warrior" musician on nights & wknds. Been playing professionally since I was a teen, my pop dragged me along on his gigs - he's an awesome piano player but does not sing (the one thing I've got on him - ha ha!). I played bass to have something to do and soon pop's cronies started calling me separately from him, when they found out I could actually play/sing pretty well.

Over the years I've played weddings/banquets/clubs/bars/private parties/solo/duo/restaurants/cocktail piano/school plays/store grand openings/Family Fun Day+Town Days... etc. - I pretty much run the gamut: "you pay, I'll play..." For the last 12 yrs. or so I've done more of the wedding/banquet thing than anything else - with the rock+roll/bar scene mixed in on occasion for fun. But I do play to make money - I make no bones about it - which means that sometimes I wind up in gig situations that are less than ideal, but I want to send my kids to college someday, ya know? I also happen to love doing it! - gigging, that is. Hey, almost everyone in the NJ working middle class has 2 jobs nowadays - and gigging on wknds. sure beats driving a truck (which I've also done)!!

Current gigging setup:

- For Cktl. Hrs. or Solo -
Roland FP2 88 key dig. piano
Motion Sound KP100S

- For Band Gigs -
Ensoniq KS-32 76 key weighted keyboard
Kurzweil MicroPiano
Korg Triton Le
Mackie DFX6 mixer
2 JBL EON15 G2 powered spkrs. (though I often only use one)

I consider myself a pretty damn good piano player (and, in turn, keyboard player - but my roots are as a pianist) - can sit in and cover just about any rock/pop/wedding banquet gig. In fact, the last few years - that's pretty much what I've made my money at: freelancing - subbing for other bands when they need an extra player or are short or whatever.

I am, however, a lousy programmer + sound design person - I have no problem whatsoever using presets if they are even half decent. I'd rather spend the time learning a new tune, or an old standard, or going over vocal harmony or a lead for a song I might have to sing, etc...

Anyway, gotta go, playing w/a rock band tonight at a little hole in the wall joint in Lake Hopatcong, NJ - about 15 minutes from home.

So I say Welcome! to all the folks that have migrated over here from Keyboard Corner or MusicPlayer or wherever you said you're from... All I ask is that you just let us in on your inside jokes - which I'm sure there'll be some, now and then.


Cheers!

[Miket156]

I live in Central PA, USA. About 10 miles west of State College, PA. I

[GigMan]

Originally posted by Miket156 I consider myself a

[geekgurl]

Originally posted by Birdienumnum That is absolutely fantastic. I have the greatest respect and love for the music of Harrison and also for gamelan. I met him once at college (Cal Arts). Have you ever been to his straw-bale house in the desert? That guy was an original.

Hey Birdie, cool to see someone who's into Lou's stuff. I never did get to his straw bale house in the desert (but rehearsed a couple times at his solar-powered home, tho ... which he did before it became more popular to do that sort of thing).

Yes, he was definitely a true original. I'm hoping someday I can look back on my work and feel satisfied that there's a even a mere fraction of that level of originality in it ...

[Rabid]

I never did do this at the corner, but here goes

[Miket156]

Quote by Gigman:
---------------------------------------------------------------
Ah ha! 57, eh Mike? No wonder you usually make sense to me - with age comes wisdom... he-he-he

I can't believe you didn't play out for 10 years?! I got married in '94 and quit the wedding band I was in at the time - saying I needed a "break." That break only lasted less than 6 months - and that's the longest I've gone w/out playing a gig (paying gigs, of course) since I was a teenager!

Can't help it - it's in my bones. Plus it's a night away from wife + kids, nowadays... ha ha!
----------------------------------------------------------------

Gary, yeah, I'm a fossil. Wisdom? Hell if I was even half smart, I'd be living in Jersey cleaning up like you are.

I didn't play out for a long time because I didn't have a good master KB, and a number of other things needed to be repaired or replaced. The day jobs I had were pretty demanding time wise, and getting gigs in this area is tough. There's only so many rooms that I can play with the music format I have, and there's a lot of established acts that have the rooms tied up. I stayed away too long and its tough to get your foot back in the door. A lot of places that still hire solos and duos want you to work for the door. The younger players take those gigs. I'll pass.

It's in my bones too. After all the years I was off, I got the itch again and spent about 5k on new gear. I have a solid setup again and having a good time getting back the chops and enjoying the music again.

Cheers,


Mike T.

[Dave Bryce]

Originally posted by GigMan with age comes wisdom...

...and the occasional back problem...

dB

[The Real MC]

Hi, my name is Michael Caloroso. I'm a gearaholic. When I get depressed I go down to the music store and buy gear I don't need... oh wait this isn't gearaholics anonymous?

I'm an EE by day and a rock-n-roll rebel by night. The day job pays for the bills and the toys. I frequented AH since 1997 and have recently joined KC and HC forums, would've been here sooner but had been busy with other priorities. My first exposure to audio engineering was at three when I was given my hearing aid and I immediately adjusted the volume and tone to be comfortable. The doctors said it was unheard of for a three year old to know how to adjust a hearing aid on their own. Music has always been in my blood as I would plop myself in front of the stereo speakers for hours and then pick out the songs on the piano. I started piano lessons at five and continued through college.

My father had a large model train layout and a bench full of tools, where I learned to fix things and make little projects. In fact, my first intelligible word as a child was a curse word (much to the dismay of mother), which was attributed to hearing Dad's frustrations trying to keep the train from jumping the track. Mom put me back on the piano.

Paralleling my musical education was my engineering skills. On one occasion a neighbor called to ask my father if he could help wire up his train set, and in his absence Mom sent seven-year-old Mikey to help. I got the train set wired up and running and the neighbor was quite delighted until it occurred to him that a seven-year-old boy was teaching an adult how to wire up a simple train set.

Having been fascinated with tinkering with toy trains since childhood, I discovered the inside of a radio and took it apart to learn how it worked. Imagine dad's disgust when the radio no longer worked after I put it back together. That progressed to building circuits from magazines and designing my own fixes for things that broke. An engineer in the making. When I reached college age, I was at a crossroads: a career in music or a career in engineering?

It was the age of Disco, and I had read of the abuses of the music industry in the book The Platinum Rainbow. I chose engineering.

My older brother had taken piano lessons and then took up guitar, and we formed their first band together. We were hooked when we performed on the stage with that band for the first time in 1981. Those were the days when the drinking age was still 18! I earned my Bachelor's degree in Electronic Engineering Technology and worked in bands to pay for school. Both my musical and engineering skills progressed during this period and by the time I graduated I was an accomplished multi-instrumentalist (piano, bass, drums, and guitar) and an experienced technician at keeping my electronic music gear running. At 42 I still like to play gigs, although I go through cycles of loving it and then wanting a break. I'm currently taking a break from gigging but the itch is coming back. I've played classic rock, top 40, R&B, funk, cajun, zydeco, blues, jazz, classical, lots of styles.

I maintained a passion in old analog synthesizers ever since I built a PAiA modular kit in 1981. I bought a lot of analog gear during the "great analog dump" of the 80s when everybody was buying DX7s and D50s, and I had a good job to pay for them. The old analog keyboards also offered another engineering challenge: how to keep them working when parts are scarce and how to keep them from going out of tune.

Analog synths have been a favorite hobby as I love being creative and finding new ways to make sounds. I tried to like FM, LA synthesis, additive synthesis, sampling, and the others but I always gravitated back to a panel full of knobs/buttons and that big fat sound that is the domain of analog.

I was a member of the beta test and sound design team for the Alesis Andromeda and contributed many patches in the factory library. I have a good collection of keyboards but I buy stuff I'll use, not just for the sake of "collecting". My rig is at a point where I don't need any more keyboards, so I'm building up my PA/Recording rig. I have done some sound reinforcement and liked that kind of work. I hadn't been able to invest in much new gear due to other priorities in the past, but with those behind me I can move forward and finally get these original songs out of my head that have been dormant for years, which is another reason I'm taking a break from gigging.

This is a recent pic of me in action:



Pics of my studio:

[JimmyJamesJames]

Better make this quick, surely no-one actually reads the deep life stories...

Names Jim, 20 years old, live in beautiful New Zealand, luuuurve music, got a few boards (i'm a poor student) but just starting to get into the wonderful world of synthesis. I'm another transfer from the old crew at MPKC, nice to see heaps of the bruvvas over here, lets see how this rocks out! (and sistas geekgurl )

[Mike Conway]

Better make this quick, surely no-one actually reads the deep life stories...

Quick is good, but I'm actually reading all of these.

[EerieDreamZ]

Wow, seeing those studio pics makes me envious of some of ya'all! I have some cool stuff, but not a LOT of it lol. One day I will have more than two keyboards stacked around me to choose from.

About me....

My name is Mick and I'm in Red Oak, Texas. I'm 42 and in charge of my own destiny, lol! Meaning I do everything out of my home studio, rarely collaborate (due mostly to non-portability of my gear), and am slow to get "lots" of music done.
I'm my own worse critic when it comes to what I create, but I do enjoy getting ANY feedback on my work from others.
My studio consists of the Kurzweil K2500XS (full deal), 3 M1's, a large Peavey Mixing board, Krok speakers/amp, and Cakewalk home studio (soon to be upgraded to sonar pro).

Non-musically "trained", but have lots of music in my head. It drives me crazy sometimes (and my wife late at night when my foot starts tapping).

Been a part of KSS for three years now and enjoy it immensely. Don't be fooled by my pathetically high post count as it does not reflect "quality" posting. If I only posted serious stuff, it would be around 750 (best guess). So the monicker of "sr member" doesn't count in my case.

I am also the creator of the word GODDY!

With the new additions to our crew I think that KSS will be even better than before. New people means NEW input!

Welcome aboard to all the new people and I hope we can learn from each other in the days ahead!
Sincerely
Smokin-Man Mick

[Mr. Botch]

Another MPKC transplant. I'm Botch, 45, have been gigging since high school. Currently playing with these goofs: Puddlestone My stage setup includes a Kurz PC-88MX, Yamaha EX-5, Nord Lead I, Nord Electro II, wireless solidbody fiddle, wireless Jupiter tenor Sax, and Hohner Golden Melody harps in every key. At home I still bumble along on orphaned Opcode DAW and hardware, Mac G3 (that will soon be upgraded I hope). Never wanted to "make it big", I just enjoy a hobby that (almost) pays for itself.

My day job, I'm an explosives engineer for Air Force ejection systems. I'm also a bomb technician in the Air Force Reserves. I enjoy downhill skiing, hiking (that's why I stay in Utah), cooking, woodworking and nature photography. Professional bachelor. Guess that's it, I'm looking forward to getting to know all you guys who are new to me.

[Miket156]

Hey Botch:

I listened to your band. Good work. You play "shameless covers" as I do. Different material, but covers none the less. I enjoyed your Charlie Daniels rendition. Your band has a number of singers and harmonize well. That makes playing gigs a lot easier. It's a bitch when you have one singer that wants to sing lead all the time and invariably will show up for a gig hoarse.

Thanks for the link.


Mike T.

[Faruk]

Hello everyone,

My name is Faruk and I post from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. By vocation I work as a civile engineer during the day but during the night and weekends I am part time keyboard player in the band and small studio setup at home. I enjoyed reading posts here for a couple of years now and finnaly decided to registrate today.

[GigMan]

Originally posted by The Real MC Hi, my name is Michael Caloroso. I'm a gearaholic. When I get depressed I go down to the music store and buy gear I don't need... oh wait this isn't gearaholics anonymous? I'm an EE by day and a rock-n-roll rebel by night. The day job pays for the bills and the toys. I frequented AH since 1997 and have recently joined KC and HC forums, would've been here sooner but had been busy with other priorities. My first exposure to audio engineering was at three when I was given my hearing aid and I immediately adjusted the volume and tone to be comfortable. The doctors said it was unheard of for a three year old to know how to adjust a hearing aid on their own. Music has always been in my blood as I would plop myself in front of the stereo speakers for hours and then pick out the songs on the piano. I started piano lessons at five and continued through college. My father had a large model train layout and a bench full of tools, where I learned to fix things and make little projects. In fact, my first intelligible word as a child was a curse word (much to the dismay of mother), which was attributed to hearing Dad's frustrations trying to keep the train from jumping the track. Mom put me back on the piano. Paralleling my musical education was my engineering skills. On one occasion a neighbor called to ask my father if he could help wire up his train set, and in his absence Mom sent seven-year-old Mikey to help. I got the train set wired up and running and the neighbor was quite delighted until it occurred to him that a seven-year-old boy was teaching an adult how to wire up a simple train set.

Mike -
That's one of the funniest posts I've read in a long time - especially about the guy realizing a 7-yr. old was teaching him how to wire up a simple train set...

[Marzzz]

Marshall, 45/m, drying out in the desert after 15 years in Chicago. I am yet another follower from the MusicPlayer forums....

Took piano lessons as a young child (and hated it), was musically dormant until 14, when I heard Brain Salad Surgery and suddenly wanted to take piano lessons again! Was very into the ELP/Yes/Crimson/Genesis thing, and eventually talked my dad into loaning me the $$$ for a MiniMoog. Thru HS I was in various cover-type bands, but eventually ended up doing the college/career thing and music was pushed aside (but this time not forgotten). Haven't played a gig in 20 years, but have always managed to have some kind of keyboard handy.

After many iterations, my current gear is:
Andromeda
Voyager
Kurzweil MIDIBoard (I am huge into PolyAT!)
DSI PEK/PER

As you can see, I like modern analogs! I have some softsynths (B4, CS-80V, M-Tron, Logic) but tend to prefer the real thing. Several years ago I fulfilled a dream and bought a CS-80, but the reality of dealing with a huge, cantankerous vintage synth cured me of this particular disease.....

[Mr. Botch]

Originally posted by Miket156 Hey Botch: I listened to your band. Good work. You play "shameless covers" as I do. Different material, but covers none the less. I enjoyed your Charlie Daniels rendition. Your band has a number of singers and harmonize well. Thanks for the link. Mike T.

Thanks for the kind words, Mike. We're currently getting blasted for our male-vocal version of "Hellagood" on another thread, nice to see some positive words too!

[Miket156]

Botch:

Never worry about the critics. If they don't like what you play, they don't have to listen. You're band sounds good together. You guys can play and sing, do a nice job on your instruments. I noticed some DYNAMICS in your stage act too. It takes years for people to figure out that you just don't buy a Marshall stack, plug a guitar in, and turn everything up to 10. Some people NEVER learn about dynamics. They're the ones that are wearing hearing aids before age 50!


Enjoy the music,


Mike T.

[Markyboard]

Originally posted by The Real MC Hi, my name is Michael Caloroso. I'm a gearaholic. ... I'm an EE by day .../B]

I have 4 of the same synths - no Source, CX-3 instead of the XK3. And I'm also a EE. You're not from a parallel universe are you?

[Etienne Rambert]

marcellis age 53 New Orleans.

 

Not much to say. I don't gig. No time.

Day job = lawyer.

 

I compose now & then.

Some people have heard of me.

mostly in France though.

 

One of my tunes captured a Hollywood gent's imagination. He's a CAA guy too.

Now if he can just get his damned film produced.

 

He's got one coming out later this year though, with Clive Owen. It will be called "Savage Grace".

 

http://www.wga.org/WrittenBy/0603/f.html

 

I am a Kawai K-1 fanatic.

 

I have two setups now for composing.

 

New Orleans:

#1 Roland RS-9; Kawai K-1M; Yamaha MU-90

 

Slidell:

Triton Le; Kawai K-1; another Yamaha MU-90

 

I work in XG format. I have no interest in making my own patches or doing analog stuff. I don't have the time either. Although I was having fun tonight playing around with the arpeggiator on my Triton Le.

 

For strings I will only use a K-1. S-1-A-3 string pad. It is my only indispensable instrument. Someday I might need a different sound. I don't need it yet.

 

I go to Vietnam at least twice a year, every year.

 

I have business there. And I kind of like the place.

 

[bryla]

by the way i'm new in here too, heya guys!
I heard of this forum when it was announced on Keyboard Corner that Dave Bryce switched, and then I found out, you guys weren't that bad

I'm from Denmark in Europe, and I am a student of music. I study most kinds of contemporary music, but I concentrate and I enjoy playing jazz, funk, fusion, rock and second line
I have several jazz groups - depending on which of my fellow students are eligible for the gig .
I also play in a Pink Floyd Tribute band, where I am the keyboard guy/sampler/backing vocalist.
Besides that I am a church musician, playing organ in two local churches, and I have also sat in on several occasions with symphony orchestras and participated in some musical productions
I only recently bought a laptop, and I pretty soon want to get started with software synthesizing....

My current gear is:
Yamaha P-250
Roland V-Combo
Roland V-Synth XT
Korg M1 (the one that is painted "bryla" )
Roland AX-7
And my 15" powerbook

that's all from me at the moment... take care

[Brian Ormond]

-50+ Seattleite here- Grew up in Detroit suburban Steinway
household with Mom and Grandmas all accomplished keyboard players, some commercial (radio show in the 1940s), and decades of church organ.
-Played viola into middle school and morphed into guitar, banjo and Irish flute/tinwhistle music. -Still want to learn some piano, Irish button accordion and uilleann pipes. First keyboard: Melodica!

-Lessee now, -Banjo, Melodica, accordion, pipes, bones, tinwhistle...dang.. the whole frickin Academy of Annoying Instruments...

-Still want a decent weighted-action keyboard for basic piano learning, but waiting (maybe) for next iteration of Yamaha KBs before biting..