kkhopkins
05-12-2009, 10:34 PM
Hello all,
While I am new to the CVP User's Group, I have been a Yamaha Keyboard User for approximately 25 years or so... I've kind of lost count. I started out with a Yamaha pf80 electronic piano and quickly added synths to it to give it more sound patch choices. I used the pf80 as my Master keyboard and used a DX27 as the slave, but soon discovered the 4-operator synths are a little noisy. I made the switch to a DX7 and a TX7 and MIDI'd it all together in such a way that the pf80 was the Master keyboard, but the DX7 served as a controller, allowing me to select sound patches on the fly. The DX7 and TX7 were MIDI'd together in such a way that the sounds were complimentary, so if I selected number 16 Brasshorns on the DX7, it would also call up 16 Flugelhorn on the TX7. I got some really nice "phat" sounds out of this set-up, and blended it all together with my favorite pf80 #5 electric piano patch.
I set all the keyboards up on a rolling cart for portability, and had room on the shelves below for my sound reinforcement equipment. I started off with a Sansui 9090-DB receiver (125 watts per channel) and ran all the keyboards into the Aux input. The sound was output into 2 Kenwood KL888D speakers which featured 16" white titanium woofers and each cabinet had 6 speakers in a 5-way system. When I played "Horns" on these keyboards, you literally could hear the breath of the instruments coursing through the speakers and they would pulsate along with the beat. AWESOME sound for a keyboard newbie just starting out.
As I traveled and continued playing, all the equipment held up pretty well-- but eventually I needed a mixer and bought a HUGE Peavey mixer in a flight case. While it was OVERKILL, I still had fun hooking up just as much stuff as I could to this mixer. I also picked up an Alesis HR-16 Drum Machine after our drummer left for Berkley school of music. I had to keep on jammin' without always relying on a live drummer.
I played mostly contemporary Christian Praise and Worship music, and it always seemed that wherever there was a need, somehow I was able to help out with the sound. I had played 6-7 years for churches in East TN, then traveled to FL, NC, OK, NE, GA, and back to FL again-- all the while playing at churches and other venues when there was a need.
Eventually the Sansui receiver gave out, and I blew a couple of horns in the Kenwood speakers, so this was all replaced with two Peavey powered speakers. These things weighed a TON, and again, they were probably OVERKILL for the loudness they could create. Still it was nice knowing I probably could not blow the speakers in them.
Then one day, I was invited to audition for a small church in FL that had it's own keyboard-- a Clavinova CVP-94. It was an AWESOME keyboard that basically had everything rolled into one. It had great piano sounds and allowed for layering of patches, I could store them in registration memory locations for quick recall during services, and if the drummer was not there, I had that covered too. I did well enough with the audition to get the job as Worship Leader, but I felt like it was more like a Minister of Music position to me. I helped guide the singers along, and kicked off each song, but we were more of a team than I was a "leader".
The DX7 and TX7 began to have some problems so I traded them in and replaced them with a PSR540. The reason was because the PSR540 had basically the same "brain" as the Clavinova CVP-94. Sounds patches were compatible on both instruments and I could go back and forth between church and home and record/playback on either instrument. I really enjoyed playing that Clavinova for over three years. Then, I moved away to VA...
I had a very unfortunate mishap with my mint condition pf80-- a visiting cat decided to relieve himself on top of it-- right over the speaker vents. Even if I could have cleaned the fluid out of it, the smell would have been unbearable. I gave the keyboard away and it was like parting with a dear friend. I tried to replace it with a Casio Previa PX575R. It had a drum machine built in and the ability to layer "tones" but they are in different octaves which I find really stupid. Support was lame and could not help me. I discovered a work-around on my own, but it involved editing and storing tone patches an octave higher than normal so that when I "Layer" them and want to use two of them together, they are in the same key. Then I have to use up another memory location to store this Layered Tone set-up. I NEVER had this problem out of any of my Yamaha equipment.
Well, I confess, Yamaha synths were set up to play a bass instrument in the range where a bass normally should sound-- and a flute up in the higher registers where a flute normally would sound. I edited these all to me in the key of middle C if I were playing these sound patches on my 88 key pf80. But it was not the nightmare editing project the Casio has proved to be... which already is an 88 key.
In short, (okay-- you got the long-winded version...) I am looking to purchase my very first Clavinova. I have already read enough on this site to learn that they are out there-- and sometimes lower prices can be had through eBay, especially out of Miami. Now, it's just a matter of time before I zero in and make my purchase. I almost scored on a really nice used CVP-208 for about $2000, but I was away from my laptop and was outbid by $25. (ARRGGHH!) Better luck next time I guess, but I needed to be where I was at the time.
I can be patient and wait, and perhaps in the end, I may get closer to the CVP-407 or 408 that I REALLY would like to have.
I've been told many times, "Don't quit your day job..." so I haven't. I work as a Program Plan Developer for people with disabilities. But when I am off, I sing, make music, and play a custom white Steinberger bass with Big Lou and his Multi-Stringed Orchestra. Actually, it's just Big Lou and a couple other guys with guitars, but we have fun with it. We go to the nursing home about once a month and sing and play for them. It's a lot of fun, but last month was a tough crowd. Maybe we need to change up our sets a little bit!
Well, that about all for now. I hope my "introduction" didn't wear anyone out. Speaking of Introduction-- if you haven't listened to Chicago Transit Authority do their song called "Introduction" in a while, give it a listen. I was raised on that kind of music and I still love it.
Happy trails,
kkhopkins
While I am new to the CVP User's Group, I have been a Yamaha Keyboard User for approximately 25 years or so... I've kind of lost count. I started out with a Yamaha pf80 electronic piano and quickly added synths to it to give it more sound patch choices. I used the pf80 as my Master keyboard and used a DX27 as the slave, but soon discovered the 4-operator synths are a little noisy. I made the switch to a DX7 and a TX7 and MIDI'd it all together in such a way that the pf80 was the Master keyboard, but the DX7 served as a controller, allowing me to select sound patches on the fly. The DX7 and TX7 were MIDI'd together in such a way that the sounds were complimentary, so if I selected number 16 Brasshorns on the DX7, it would also call up 16 Flugelhorn on the TX7. I got some really nice "phat" sounds out of this set-up, and blended it all together with my favorite pf80 #5 electric piano patch.
I set all the keyboards up on a rolling cart for portability, and had room on the shelves below for my sound reinforcement equipment. I started off with a Sansui 9090-DB receiver (125 watts per channel) and ran all the keyboards into the Aux input. The sound was output into 2 Kenwood KL888D speakers which featured 16" white titanium woofers and each cabinet had 6 speakers in a 5-way system. When I played "Horns" on these keyboards, you literally could hear the breath of the instruments coursing through the speakers and they would pulsate along with the beat. AWESOME sound for a keyboard newbie just starting out.
As I traveled and continued playing, all the equipment held up pretty well-- but eventually I needed a mixer and bought a HUGE Peavey mixer in a flight case. While it was OVERKILL, I still had fun hooking up just as much stuff as I could to this mixer. I also picked up an Alesis HR-16 Drum Machine after our drummer left for Berkley school of music. I had to keep on jammin' without always relying on a live drummer.
I played mostly contemporary Christian Praise and Worship music, and it always seemed that wherever there was a need, somehow I was able to help out with the sound. I had played 6-7 years for churches in East TN, then traveled to FL, NC, OK, NE, GA, and back to FL again-- all the while playing at churches and other venues when there was a need.
Eventually the Sansui receiver gave out, and I blew a couple of horns in the Kenwood speakers, so this was all replaced with two Peavey powered speakers. These things weighed a TON, and again, they were probably OVERKILL for the loudness they could create. Still it was nice knowing I probably could not blow the speakers in them.
Then one day, I was invited to audition for a small church in FL that had it's own keyboard-- a Clavinova CVP-94. It was an AWESOME keyboard that basically had everything rolled into one. It had great piano sounds and allowed for layering of patches, I could store them in registration memory locations for quick recall during services, and if the drummer was not there, I had that covered too. I did well enough with the audition to get the job as Worship Leader, but I felt like it was more like a Minister of Music position to me. I helped guide the singers along, and kicked off each song, but we were more of a team than I was a "leader".
The DX7 and TX7 began to have some problems so I traded them in and replaced them with a PSR540. The reason was because the PSR540 had basically the same "brain" as the Clavinova CVP-94. Sounds patches were compatible on both instruments and I could go back and forth between church and home and record/playback on either instrument. I really enjoyed playing that Clavinova for over three years. Then, I moved away to VA...
I had a very unfortunate mishap with my mint condition pf80-- a visiting cat decided to relieve himself on top of it-- right over the speaker vents. Even if I could have cleaned the fluid out of it, the smell would have been unbearable. I gave the keyboard away and it was like parting with a dear friend. I tried to replace it with a Casio Previa PX575R. It had a drum machine built in and the ability to layer "tones" but they are in different octaves which I find really stupid. Support was lame and could not help me. I discovered a work-around on my own, but it involved editing and storing tone patches an octave higher than normal so that when I "Layer" them and want to use two of them together, they are in the same key. Then I have to use up another memory location to store this Layered Tone set-up. I NEVER had this problem out of any of my Yamaha equipment.
Well, I confess, Yamaha synths were set up to play a bass instrument in the range where a bass normally should sound-- and a flute up in the higher registers where a flute normally would sound. I edited these all to me in the key of middle C if I were playing these sound patches on my 88 key pf80. But it was not the nightmare editing project the Casio has proved to be... which already is an 88 key.
In short, (okay-- you got the long-winded version...) I am looking to purchase my very first Clavinova. I have already read enough on this site to learn that they are out there-- and sometimes lower prices can be had through eBay, especially out of Miami. Now, it's just a matter of time before I zero in and make my purchase. I almost scored on a really nice used CVP-208 for about $2000, but I was away from my laptop and was outbid by $25. (ARRGGHH!) Better luck next time I guess, but I needed to be where I was at the time.
I can be patient and wait, and perhaps in the end, I may get closer to the CVP-407 or 408 that I REALLY would like to have.
I've been told many times, "Don't quit your day job..." so I haven't. I work as a Program Plan Developer for people with disabilities. But when I am off, I sing, make music, and play a custom white Steinberger bass with Big Lou and his Multi-Stringed Orchestra. Actually, it's just Big Lou and a couple other guys with guitars, but we have fun with it. We go to the nursing home about once a month and sing and play for them. It's a lot of fun, but last month was a tough crowd. Maybe we need to change up our sets a little bit!
Well, that about all for now. I hope my "introduction" didn't wear anyone out. Speaking of Introduction-- if you haven't listened to Chicago Transit Authority do their song called "Introduction" in a while, give it a listen. I was raised on that kind of music and I still love it.
Happy trails,
kkhopkins