The accordeon: Walther commodore with midi .
I have a new hobby: playing the accordeon.
I bought a 120-bas Walther accordeon, which is equipped with Midi !
It has 4-voices (=in combinations selectable by 10-registers), and 3-basses.
A rather impressive instrument to start with:
I am using the Ketron SD2 as expander for the midi accordeon. It works fine. At least, as long as you know the limitations... The Ketron SD2 is GM-compatible (so, no XG voices).
The expander provides a lot of functionality, especially when compared to its size of approx. 2 packs of cigarets. The piano voice is not the most impressive. But other voices like panflute and several organs are really amazing. Sooner or later I want to couple the SD2 with my Tyros 3.
The PC program "Live-Styler" is terrific good as accompaniement generator with any midi device. It goes like this: the midi accordeon sends its MIDI to the PC, which runs the Live-Styler program. I can add up to 8 voices to channel 1. Channel 2 sends the accords. When an appropriate style (e.g. a Yamaha style) has been loaded, then Live-Styler works like a perfect accompaniment machine.
Live-Styler then adds the voices to channel 1 and all style effects to other channels; the result is sent to the Ketron SD2. As simple as that I can control a one-man-band just at my fingertips at the accordeon!
And somewhere, the sounds come together... Digitech Mixer 1202FX
Ofcourse the sounds from the different instruments need to be mixed up before feeding them to the amplifier.
I use a Digitech 1202FX. A small yet useful machine. And the built in FX signalprocessor
allows to make direct studio recordings and/or provides proper mixing for shows.All equipment together:
Left, approx 2007: Right summer 2011:
My first show-off with the accordeon:
The choir of my daughter needed a fill-in conductor. I took the job seriously...
Photo while playing during a private party
Old stuff.... (SOLD!!!)
The remainder of this page is the equipment which I used earlier in combination with the Walther...
With midi expander: Hohner XE9 . (SOLD!!!)
At the beginning I used an Yamaha TX81Z expander.
Very handy for excercises while the children are asleep
(and probably also the neighboors migh appriciate not having to listen to all excercises). Nice sounds in this
expander, but for me an accompianiament was missing....
And then I found a unique instrument: Hohner XE9. It is a 'organ in a box'. So, an organ, but then without keys. With the advantages of the analog organs: drawbars!!!, as well as with the advantages of the digital organs: several banks with voices, to be assigned to different midi channels or overlayed to a single midi channel. And, in the dark, it can perform a reasonable christmas tree: approximately 300 red LED's will glow up the room. I recently sold the device and am looking for a newer version such as the Wersi Pegasus 3 or a "Tyros in module"....
And yet a keyboard: Yamaha PSR340 .
Although this keyboard is somewhat outdated,
I still use this one as either expander because the rythms in this keyboard have little bit more modern style.
Or else, I use it as master keyboard and connect it then to the Hohner XE9. Then the sound is similar to
a big theatre organ or a church orgen. Even the real Hammond sound is possible by setting/enabling the drawbars.I would rather exchange this keyboard with a newer one> E.g. PSR3000 or Tyros. But well, the budget....
Digitech vocalist workstation
For the special effects, I have a vocalist workstation. Mostly used to generate a singing ensemble
from my own voice. But also used for its superb reverb and delay.Also very useful to empower some other solo instruments. For example the panflute of my daughter.