one of my favorite tunes.

i have a setup using garageband, a minimac, a audio-file interface
(the minimac doesn't have an audio in connector)

the audio-file interface has conventional midi in and out but
it also has usb connectivity.  so sound in and out and midi all
are available with usb. it also has a 1/4 inch jack for earphones.
rca out to play the sound through an amp or stereo.

my keyboard is a fatar studiologic sl880.  an 88 key controller.  which has really nice action.  the action is patterned after a conventional piano's hammer action.  

what i like about garageband, which i'm certain is the case with other
similar programs is the number of free sf2 instruments available that
can be added to garageband.

this piano sound is one of many that i have.  i sometimes can't make
up my mind which sound is best.

i'd like your opinion on the sound.

here's a link to the recording i did last november.

https://fcbmuzik.stvtech.com/fcbuccino/sprcrhanguptm.mp3

thanks
frank
There are 12 comments, leave a comment.
i had almost forgot about that tune.  thx for reminding me.  what a great tune.  hard to lose with that choice.  it is not always so much about the sound you choose but how you play the sound.  you have a good conception of how to play a digital piano sound.  some players try to play the same way they play accoustic piano and that does not work.  digital piano's are a different instrument.  if you try to play all the same the things you play on a great steinway grand you are going to sound horrable.  you seem to understand that.  you let the great tune carry it self for the most part and just play it solidly which is the best aproach with a digital piano sound.  now do i think i have heard better sounds than yours... yes... do i think i have heard worse... yes...  does it really matter... no   they are never going to compare to my steinway m or any other steinway.  but some are very unique.  i recorded a whole solo cd once on a roland rd 300   and  
i love it,  the sustain on it is so beautiful and it made me play differently than i would ever consider playing a real piano.  i played so much simpler.  i played much less.  much fewer notes.  but i love the sound of that cd.  well i am a ramblin man tonight i see.  just to ramble on a little more.  i am a garage band guy myself as of late.
its a cool thing.  hard to imagine life before garage band now.
that's a great piano sound, but i'm wondering if a more mellow one would suit this tune better?  like mike said you did a nice job on it

if you like this tune (by tommy wolf https://www.franlandesman.com/code/biogs/wolf.html ) also check out ballad of the sad young men - very nice
mike
i know what you are saying.  i haven't played an acoustic piano for several years.  when i do sit down to play i get tentative because i've lost the feel.  as i said about the sound i'm still searching. and i'm sure i will never find it.

dr whack. i agree about the mellowness. i think the lower register could be cleaner.

thanks for the comments.
frank, i love this tune and really enjoyed your playing of it. i agree with comments above and have little to add: just that i agree about the lower register.
i didn't know this tune - no useful comments from me, just want to say that i like the tune and your playing, and think i might learn the tune.  thanks for posting.
for a nice rendition of this song listen to chaka kahn and chick corea on the album echoes of an era.
loved it. beautiful arrangement. very modern sounding as well.  

as regards the sound of the piano, i guess that wasn't really what i was listening to, but it never seemed to detract from the music itself - so what more do you need?

thank you frank!
thanks all for the comments.

7
i guess my lesson from this is the sound is always going to be a digital
sound.  best you can do is make the performance "sound" good.
for what it's worth, i've found using digital sounds effectively to be tricky game of give and take.  brighter sounds usually sound more realistic but are trickier to play musically.  the problem with too bright a sound is there is nowhere to go when you play louder - the sound will sort of cap off at a certainly level, which to me sounds unrealistic and frustrates me.  on the other hand the bright digitals work very well in pop, rock & country groups where you need a piano to "cut through" in the mix.  

finding a digital that will sound musical playing solo at all velocities is tricky and a very personal thing.  sometimes adjusting the velocity sensitivity of a bright sound will help you find that balance.  personally i like to feel i have to dig in a little to get a brighter sound.  i don't like the ones that pop off too quickly.

the same can be said about acoustic pianos too, but in any case their analog nature makes the  highs and lows more gradual and somewhat more controllable than their digital counterparts (imho)

i remember playing solo on a baldwin grand at in a hotel lobby that was two stories high.  i had a hell of a time playing that thing.  after an hour they move me and the piano into a smaller room and it became a wonderful piano - the sound is everything to me
i don't really care what the piano sounds like as long as there is a good looking woman near me and/or good food.
a very interesting philosophical commentary dr. mike.  as usual, you have summed a complicated dilemma with a very simple statement.
thank you my good doctor.  you know i am honored to be at your service.
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