Hi, Evan!!! how are you??? I haven't spoken in a long time, I hope you're okay!! I saw that you have the same two microphones as Elton, the beta 58A and the AE6100. I want to buy one. Which one do you think is better? thanks very much buddy!!!
Hey Man... Things are going well, thanks! The mics are 2 totally different animals, and both have pros and cons. PROS for AE6100: - It's hyper-cardioid... a big reason Elton/Elton's engineers switched to it. It's basically dead if you're not right on it, like "eating the mic". There's insane amounts of off-axis rejection from anything within 100-120 degrees from center in either direction. There is a small lobe at the base of the mic, so you cannot have a floor monitor directly in front of you or it will ring due to that lobe at the base. - Very balanced frequency pattern as well... nice boost at 5K and around 10K for clarity. PROS for The Beta 58A: - It's is a Supercardioid, so it has good off-axis rejection, but not as good as the AE6100, but still very good. One nice thing about a slightly less intense polar pattern is that it isn't dead when you back-off of the mic a couple inches. I also fine, due to this, it's much more linear as you go from say 4-5 inches back and begin to climb on it. But if you have the technique Elton does, where he's literally on it... that doesn't really matter. - From an aesthetic standpoint, I like the traditional round grille on the Beta, less angles and larger than the AE6100... so if you turn your head to look at something, again, it's more forgiving. CONS for AE6100: - To my point above, I don't like that when you back off an inch or 2 to stretch a note that you lose some gain. All due to the extremely tight pickup pattern. CONS for Beta 58A: - It's a bit strong in the mid-range. This is good and bad: good that you'll cut through, back that it can make you sound more hollow. I like to dip (slightly) between 800-3K just to balance that out a bit. I like my voice in the AE6100, but I like the pickup of the Beta. There's an AE4100... that is a basically the same mic as the AE6100, only it's a cardioid pattern. Even less off-axis rejection, but I would imagine smoother and more linear. I'm heavily considering purchasing one in hopes to get the best of both worlds.
Good job. Has the CP4 been pensioned off - looks like a CP88? If so how do you find the action - some say it’s a bit heavy. The piano sound is very good - do you still use Elton’s MKS/Motif set up?
Yes, I sold my CP4 last year. Honestly, I didn’t notice much of a difference in weigh since it’s essentially the same Graded Hammer Action wooden keys. There may have been some tweaks, but to me, not really perceivable. This piano is phenomenal, and I don’t plan a changing it out for a long time. The capabilities with analog controls, the aluminum constructions instead of plastic, the sampling… I’m thrilled. And yes, you’re hearing the MKS-20/Motif, as well as some of the CP88.
@@20gravedigger11 Good to hear that you’re pleased with the CP88. I’m between pianos at the moment and also do EJ tribute material (no YT channel yet). Had a Nord Piano 4 which had a nice light action but was overkill for what I needed. Just waiting to see if Roland ‘ever’ replace the RD2000. In the meantime I might try the MKS Sensation App linked up to my ancient Roland FP4.
@@strongchord4384 I "test drove" the Roland RD-2000... the CP4 action blew it out of the water, never mind the CP88. The Roland has a "notchy" feel to it... it's not buttery smooth and linear like the Yamaha. I didn't care for it at all, but instrumentation is very subjective. Unfortunately, I've never played a Nord, as I don't have a local dealer where I live.
“The roses in the window box have tilted to one side Everything about this house was born to grow and die…” Great stuff! One of my all-time favs off one of my all-time fav albums! Reminds me of my younger years. Fantastic rendition of the intro! Amazing! 👍👍 !
Hey, congrats, bro!!! Nice playing, and really nice piano sounding preset you’ve just nailed it in your layerings! Sounds pretty much like Elton’s Grand! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
hello sir, great cover but I myself am trying to get the stage elton sound, I have a rd1000 but if im being honest I have no clue on how to mix or connect moudles together for sound, if you could please help.
Hi! Thanks for reaching out… glad you enjoyed the video! I did a short video on this very topic a few years back. I suggest you take a look at that and then let me know if you have any more questions… it’s proved helpful for some other musicians as well! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-klWNVp-ivOU.html
@@20gravedigger11 hey! Thanks for responding, ive watched ur video and I do have a few questions. One, beacuse i have a rd1000 keyboard does that mean i need a mks20 aswell? And 2, could the motif rack be connected directly into the midi ports?
@@JohnPaul-yc2nv Got it! 1. Since you have the RD-1000, you do not need the MKS-20... that is just the rack version of the actual piano you have. For me, having a Yamaha piano, I needed the MKS-20 MIDI box to get the sounds. 2. Yes and No... Yes... any time you wish to use a MIDI box, you must connect it to a piano's/keyboard's MIDI Output because the instrument becomes the "controller" of the MIDI unit. No... you can't hear both just by plugging in/out the MIDI. MIDI is "Musical Instrument Digital Interface"... it just a data signal that's recreating the built-in samples through the "controller". MIDI does not send audible audio... for that, you need a mixer to take the Outputs from both the RD-1000 and the Motif into mixer channels, and then start blending the two to make the "Elton Mix". The Motif Rack uses 1/4 inch Outputs from the unit into a 1/4 Input on a mixer. Your RD-1000 has both XLR/mic or 1/4 Outputs in the rear. You can go with either, but note that XLR is going to generate a "hotter" channel in your mixer. From there, you can start blending the sounds to get the "Elton Mix". I only use Piano 1 on the Roland and PowerGrand on the Motif. Hope that helps!
@@JohnPaul-yc2nv I use a Soundcraft Signature 12 MTK. It’s reasonably priced, has 8 mic inputs (12 overall when you include the 1/4 inputs), and has one of the best features: the ability to record to software in multi-track (MTK) format. If you’re new to that, what it means is you can record via USB to a computer each individual input channel separately… pre-EQ. So each channel records independently and dry, ready for you to mix in software on your own. It’s been a great console for me for 7+ years now… never an issue and the Ghost pre-amp is dead silent.
Hey man Please excuse my bad english.. I have the Roland Rd 2000 keyboard. Can I connect a Motif Rack with the Rd 2000 witch has the Rd1000 sound to get the Elton sound? Love your work
Thank you! I hope to record more content soon... just been too busy to devote time to do so. To answer your question: yes, the RD-2000 has MIDI In/Out ports. However, to get be able to blend and hear the Motif Rack, you will need to have a mixer (I'm assuming you already have one). * You will take a MIDI Out of the RD-2000 In to the Motif Rack. * Then you will take either Line or Mic/XLR Outputs from both the Motif Rack and the RD-2000 into their own audio channel inputs on the mixer so that you can fine-tune the two sounds together. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for your answer! Yes that helps a lot! But I have another question if you like to answer me. Do you know if there's also a way to get the Philadelphia Freedom sound with these racks? I’m looking forward to the upcoming uploads!
Thank you!! I just upgraded to the CP88… it’s amazing! Some reviews said the sampling isn’t as good and there are less voices compared to the CP4, but that’s completely false. There are actually more choices, just less of the redundant ones. In the CP4, there are like 15 versions of the CFX with different EQ’s built in, stereo vs. mono, etc.… now, you get one CFX but you can control all the EQ-ing, effects, etc. It’s amazing, I’m so happy with it!
@@20gravedigger11 That’s annoying. I’ve replied about 5 times with my instagram handle but it keeps disappearing. Maybe it’s getting nerfed by an algorithm for some reason.
Thank you so much! So, I first learned to play by ear... and I still pick up a lot of songs by ear, using recordings and chords for reference. There is an Elton John Piano Book called To Be Continued and (to my knowledge) it is the only book of his that has Funeral For A Friend written out. It's an incredibly good transcription. What you heard here is a more of a Live cover emulating his One Night Only concert. MusicNotes is excellent too... Here is the link to the sheet music for FFAF: www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0038645
Hey mate, sounds absolutely fantastic! You’ve really got the growl in the low end! How did you manage that?! Do you use any of the Soundcraft reverb at all?
There’s definitely some EQ-in involved. The MKS-20 is actually quite flat sounding, so it needs a lot of boosting in all areas. The Soundcraft frequency knobs go +/- 15 db. I have the Bass cranked at +15 db, the Mids at +13 db with the mid-frequency Hz sweep at around 2.5 kHz, and the Highs at +14 db. For effects, yes, I was using the built-in lexicon reverb. I’ve since upgraded the rack and got my hands on an actual Lexicon MX200 Dual Reverb Effects Processor to supplement as well. These are highly sought after because you could get one for really short money. Only way now is through eBay, that’s where I got mine. I wish RU-vid allowed photos to be attached to comments, because I’d show you a pic of the mixer for better reference.
@@20gravedigger11 Awesome man. What do you feed through the lexicon & what do you set that at? I’m going to pick one up. Another thing I’m missing is the natural sound from the CP4 mixed in… Are you on social media? We could get in touch via instagram or twitter if that suits for photos etc.
@@WillEvans_ So for the Lexicon, it's not so much what you feed through it, but rather, it's applied to. You utilize an input channel (typically a 1/4'' stereo pair) and an AUX output channel (like a monitor mix) to have effects be heard and applied. To do this loop (for lack of a better term) through the hardware, you need a Y Insert Cable (Hosa sells them for like 10 Bucks on Amazon, that's what I bought and it does the job). What is your Insta? I'll look you up. Are you in the U.S.?
@@20gravedigger11 Musically speaking, the piece is about as nuanced as you can get, rock and roll or anything, almost like a Back piece. You perform it well!
@@tracksidethomas That means a lot! Thank you! I just bought a new piano yesterday (Yamaha CP88). I plan to re-record this and do some new stuff in the very near future.
