My humble setup involves 2 keyboards, an iPad and an optional mic.
I'm using my latest setup for playing LIVE on YouTube or at gigs.
My current keyboards:
YAMAHA PSR S950 Arranger Workstation
IK Multimedia iRig PRO 37 keys MIDI
My iRig PRO is connected to my iPad3 which runs IK Multimedia's SampleTank, Xewton's Music Studio and Apple's GarageBand, depending on the song I'm performing.
It looks cool! Seriously though, it does. An often asked question is why many popular keyboardists use multiple (6 and/or above!) keyboards during their concerts. Yanni is known to use 6 Korg Krome keyboards and a YAMAHA piano for most of his concerts. The reason is more historical. A decade or two ago, keyboards could reproduce a very limited amount of voices. Hence, an artist would use multiple boards based on all the sounds required. Today though, one keyboard can produce a vast number of voices which can be further increased using expansion packs.
A major reason I opted for a dual setup is the relative freedom of switching between voices without having to change any original settings thereby avoiding touching a dial or button on the main board. Also, depending on the keyboards you play, sometimes there is a noticeable abrupt cut when switching between two sounds and having a second board almost eliminates that weird sound while playing live.
My workstation stands on a Yorkville IKS-T2 double braced stand.
The iRig Pro is mounted on top using Yorkville's second tier braces IKS-TS.
My iPad is connected to the main stand using Hercules mount for iPad.
I also have a Shure Beta 58A microphone mounted on Yorkville's MS206 stand. I did recently, however, buy a regular mic with a 6.3 mm jack as the Shure Beta 58A is too quiet due to (most probably) resistance in it's signal.
The new mic works perfectly with crisp audio output.
For sound input to my Asus G73JW laptop, I use a standard 3.5mm to 3.5mm male-to-male cable with one end plugged in the Headphones output of the board itself and the other in the laptop's mic input jack.
For laptop sound monitoring, I use the loopback function on the mixer which is specially useful when I'm performing, for example, on Skype or LINE and when I need to interact back and forth.
I use Sennheiser Momentum headphones which connect on the independent phones jack on the mixer.
I'm using my latest setup for playing LIVE on YouTube or at gigs.
My current keyboards:
YAMAHA PSR S950 Arranger Workstation
IK Multimedia iRig PRO 37 keys MIDI
My iRig PRO is connected to my iPad3 which runs IK Multimedia's SampleTank, Xewton's Music Studio and Apple's GarageBand, depending on the song I'm performing.
It looks cool! Seriously though, it does. An often asked question is why many popular keyboardists use multiple (6 and/or above!) keyboards during their concerts. Yanni is known to use 6 Korg Krome keyboards and a YAMAHA piano for most of his concerts. The reason is more historical. A decade or two ago, keyboards could reproduce a very limited amount of voices. Hence, an artist would use multiple boards based on all the sounds required. Today though, one keyboard can produce a vast number of voices which can be further increased using expansion packs.Why use multiple keyboards?
Ever since I started playing the keyboard, I've been fascinated with the kinds of sound and effects one can produce within a relatively short amount of time spent fiddling around with the settings.A major reason I opted for a dual setup is the relative freedom of switching between voices without having to change any original settings thereby avoiding touching a dial or button on the main board. Also, depending on the keyboards you play, sometimes there is a noticeable abrupt cut when switching between two sounds and having a second board almost eliminates that weird sound while playing live.
My keyboards, stand, extension and setup
The iRig Pro is mounted on top using Yorkville's second tier braces IKS-TS.
My iPad is connected to the main stand using Hercules mount for iPad.
I also have a Shure Beta 58A microphone mounted on Yorkville's MS206 stand. I did recently, however, buy a regular mic with a 6.3 mm jack as the Shure Beta 58A is too quiet due to (most probably) resistance in it's signal.
The new mic works perfectly with crisp audio output.
Software(s)
Depending on whether I'm doing a LIVE broadcast or simply doing a local recording, I alternate between Xsplit Broadcaster and the Logitech Webcam software.Sound Output
I've used the Mackie 402-VLZ3 mixer till my recent upgrade to YAMAHA AG06 for binding all sound inputs together. I love this mixer due to its direct USB connection and high quality audio recording. The iRig PRO Keys' sound is directly outputted to my workstation itself. The workstation's output Left and Right channels are connected as independent inputs on Line 1 and Line 2.For sound input to my Asus G73JW laptop, I use a standard 3.5mm to 3.5mm male-to-male cable with one end plugged in the Headphones output of the board itself and the other in the laptop's mic input jack.
For laptop sound monitoring, I use the loopback function on the mixer which is specially useful when I'm performing, for example, on Skype or LINE and when I need to interact back and forth.
I use Sennheiser Momentum headphones which connect on the independent phones jack on the mixer.