Keyboard Rigs of professional keyboardists and composers: Here’s what the pros use.
Andy Burton Keyboardist/Composer: Keyboard Rig for Cyndi Lauper and John Mayer
Andy Burton is a much sought after keyboardist. He’s toured with top musicians, including Rufus Wainwright, Ian Hunter, John Mayer, and recently joined Bruce Springsteen bandmate Little Steven for his Disciples of Soul tour.
Take a look at this KEYBOARD rig that he’ll be using on stage (Burton is heading-out with Cyndi Lauper on her joint tour with Rod Stewart).
Watch: Andy Burton – Keyboard Rig with Cyndi Lauper (can you spot the Nord Stage 2 and Dave Smith OB-6)
Watch: Andy Burton – Keyboard Rig with John Mayer. He uses a Hammond B3 organ and the Nord Stage 2 (76 keys). He uses Nord to control Ivory VST (grand piano sounds like Fazioli, Steinway, Andy uses different pianos on different songs)
Andrew “Andy” Burton is a keyboardist, vocalist and composer based in New York City. His major influences are: (on piano) Chopin, J.S. Bach, James Booker, James P. Johnson, Ray Charles, and Jerry Lee Lewis, Stevie Wonder, Billy Preston, and legendary session musicians Nicky Hopkins and Paul Griffin.
Website: facebook.com/andy.burton.921
English keyboardist Rick Wakeman talks about his elaborate Touring Rig
English keyboardist Rick Wakeman talks about his elaborate Touring Rig for the 2016 Anderson/Rabin/Wakeman (ARW) tour.
Rick tells us how he figures out where various sounds are placed, how he layers instruments to fit the songs. he also reveals his secrets such as what he does when things go wrong onstage.
Wakeman reveals that he owns 9 Minimoogs, as well several Hammond organs. He even shares some anecdotes about Bob Moog.
Watch: Part 2
Richard Christopher “Rick” Wakeman is an English keyboardist, songwriter, TV and radio presenter, and also an author.
Star Keyboardist Monte Neuble (Rhianna, Eminem) shows his advanced Keyboards in his Live Rig
Celebrity Keyboardist Monte Neuble (Rhianna, Eminem) shows his advanced Keyboards in his Live Rig.
Monte Neuble tells us how he uses Akai Pro Advance Keyboards and VIP 2.0 to control his favorite virtual instruments and effects live, and to achieve the massive sound of a global superstar.
The video was filmed during the Europe leg of Rihanna’s Anti World Tour, checkout his ridiculously cool keyboard rig (including Mr. Neuble’s custom white Advance 61 keyboard.)
Watch: Akai Pro On Stage: Rihanna’s Monte Neuble
Watch: Akai Advance 61 Keyboard Controller
Austin native Mobley’s Keyboard Rig
Austin based Sometimes Mobley is one of those few musicians who’s successfully able to manage working solo (creating electronic music) as well as being a band leader. Mobely handles all the vocals, keys, guitar, bass, drums and samplers for his music, both in the studio and live on stage. Mobely also travels with self-contained full-show rig including his own visuals and lighting design.
His workspace, which he affectionately calls ‘Mothership’ is “aesthetically modeled after Wurlitzer and Rhodes keyboards from the 70s, and runs synthesizers, samplers, MIDI sequences, guitar processing, bass, vocal effects, videos, and lights. The brain is a Mac Mini that I souped up by maxing out the RAM and adding an SSD for storage. Using various software solutions (including some I wrote myself) and some creative hardware routing, I basically run anything that isn’t the drum kit.”
During his stage shows, Mobley easily switches to and from vocals+keys, vocals+guitar, vocal+drums and even a little new-school finger drumming on a pad controller.
But is his setup involves complex sound engineering?
Well, on the contrary its extremely easy to setup. The drums and the amp need to be miked, but the rest of the music and vocals are direct outputs that can plug straight into the house mixer.
Other software/gear used in his setup:
- The Mothership runs Apple Logic Pro software, which also handles the videos and hosts the DMXIS plug-in for the light show.
- He also uses the Logic companion app MainStage for the synths, samplers and loops, and Native Instruments Guitar Rig software for guitar processing.
- His whole guitar sound is being shaped in Guitar Rig exclusively.
- He’s got an outboard vocal processor built-in to handle my vocal effects (mostly reverb and delay).
- The keyboard controller is an M-Audio Axiom.
It’s completely normal these day for the biggest tours in the world to use computer workstations at the heart of their setups, so computers on stage are nothing unusual.
Mobley’s music toes the line between up-to-the-minute modernity and good old-fashioned rock-‘n’-soul. Mobley says its important that his music shares a similar aural aesthetic regardless of whether they’re classified as pop, indie-electronic, R&B, or something else; it’s the songs that have to stand out, rather than sounds.
Source: keyboardmag.com
Jamming with a giant Roland TB-303 and the Tiny Korg volca
Jamming with a giant Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer and a tiny Korg volca at the Kelburn Garden Party 2017. Featuring Gav from Main Ingredient (on the Korg volca).
Hanging under a camo tent outdoors, jamming out the acid breaks with a GIANT 303 & a tiny Volca.
Giant 303 is a huge, working Roland TB-303 bassline synthesizer, created by ray interactive as an installation for festival and events.
Also See:
Recording studio setups of top artists, DJs
KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
Leave a Reply