Title’s it! Just a fun discussion. What shows have K2 parts that were too difficult? What made it hard?
I’m mostly referring here to keyboard 2 or 3 books that cover other instruments. But if the keys 1 that you played was harder to play, tell us why!
Likewise, what shows are easy to play?
[AI ASSISTED]
Hi everyone,
I’m preparing a MainStage rig for an upcoming live performance and I’d like to learn the workflow that experienced keyboard players and FOH engineers use to build a consistent-sounding live show.
I’m not looking for plugin or hardware recommendations. I’m trying to understand the mixing and gain staging process that goes into preparing a keyboard rig before it ever reaches the PA.
Some of the things I’m struggling with are:
How do you balance the perceived loudness between pianos, EPs, pads, strings, synths, organs and leads?
What’s your gain staging workflow from the virtual instrument to the MainStage output?
Do you level primarily by ear, RMS, LUFS, peak metering, or a combination?
How much EQ, compression, saturation and reverb do you typically apply within MainStage versus leaving it for FOH?
Do you put processing on individual channel strips, buses, or only on the concert output?
How much headroom do you normally leave?
Are there any common mistakes beginners make that result in patches disappearing in the mix or jumping out unexpectedly?
For context, I’m using MainStage with software instruments (Kontakt libraries, Omnisphere, Keyscape, Arturia instruments, etc.), but my question is really about live sound workflow rather than the instruments themselves.
Ultimately I’d like to build a set where:
patch changes maintain a consistent perceived volume,
sounds translate well through a PA,
and I’m sending FOH a clean, predictable signal instead of making the engineer spend the entire night chasing my output.
If anyone has a repeatable workflow, calibration method, or best practices they’ve developed over years of gigs, I’d really appreciate hearing it.
Thanks!
(I used ai to format the post)
I've played in a lot of pits at this point, but it's been a while since I've had to set up my own rig and I think I have cable amnesia. Help me with the VERY basics! Right now I have my keyboard (yamaha p-145, nothing fancy), using the lowest key to switch patches (not ideal, but I'll add a pedal later if I can), USB-b to USB-a cable (with USB-c converter) from keyboard directly into MacBook pro. From there, can I do an aux to 1/4" cable into a DI box, then just use a 1/4" cable right into my amp? Do I need to use an audio interface or will this setup work? Again, going for simplicity and working with what I have. It's community theater and there's very little in the way of sound support. Thanks in advance!!
EDIT: I have an audio interface and a Radial ProDI box available, just want to find the simplest setup chain and make sure I have the cables I need! I've got to take care of all my own sound, I won't be going into a bigger system, just my own amp (community theater lol)