It would've been nice if Don or one of our other SZ members were able to report in to the Zone from the Jam in Shreveport. I reckon where ever it was held they don't have internet access. Or maybe they forgot to bring a laptop. Oh well.., maybe we'll hear something later this evening hopefully.

Best,
Mike

my understanding is that it was the weekend of the 19th April as in next weekend??
bebop

Bill,

It's this weekend. AJ had the wrong dates on his post. Some problems, however, because of the American Airlines plane groundings.

Cheers,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy

ok Gary, thank you for the update. My faulty recollection, and I had hoped to go there too. Good thing I didn't go there a week late
Next year I will get it right and go there
Best to all,
Bebop

Got a call from Eddie (Betweengigs) Shoemaker and he said they were having lots of fun, the accommodations were great and he would give me a full report when he got back home.

Cheers,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy

Just got in from the Jam, day one. We had a tremendous time! Our hosts at the American Legion went out of their way to accommodate us. They grilled hamburgers and sausages, and kept food out for us all night.
We had 10 arrangers set up, including two SD1s, SD5, Tyros, PSR 2000, 3000 and S900, Roland E50 and Korg PA1X and a Midjay.
We had one guy, Pete Mallet, and his wife drive 19 hours from Illinois. Eddie came from Florida, Vince from Houston, Hammer, JayR and Ted from Dallas or East Texas, Joe Lee from Arkansas, plus about a dozen entertainers that live closer to Shreveport, including HankB and his trio, and SemiLive (Bill).
Billy Ledbetter, from Monroe, LA, even came out and sang a few before going to my regular job and covering it for me.
We starting setting up before 3:00 and took turns playing either individually or together for the next EIGHT hours.
We are getting together again tomorrow at 1:00 to exchange tips and tricks and do some experimenting with the various keyboards.
Unfortunately there were several who planned to attend but couldn't make it for various reasons, including the AA flight problems.
Joe Lee got many hours of video, with audio recordings from the mixer.
I was extremely proud of the Bose L1. We hooked all the keyboards except Pete's into a mixer--actually two mixers, one as a sub to supply more channels. We then sent the L and R outputs from the mixer to two channels on the Bose, run flat. Pete brought his complete P.A. and had it set up already when I got there, so he played his SD1 and guitar through it.
It took only a few minutes to set the various levels from each keyboard and mic.
At about 1/3 volume, the Bose carried everything and sounded wonderful, whether you were right in front of it, or at the far end of the room. By having a traditional p.a. also set up, it was easy to hear both and use your ears to make a side-by-side comparison.
Pete's p.a. sounded very good, but different, and much more directional. He is a GREAT entertainer by the way.
Joe Lee also brought his guitar as did Richard Hough. Joe has a Midjay, but was too busy videoing to do much beside sing a few songs and play a couple on the guitar. Gerald "Cass" Acosta, a local keyboard player and entertainer also joined in. Cass works for the National Musician's Union, and is a previous President of the Shreveport Local.
Joe will make DVDs of the Jam available after he spends a hundred or so hours editing all this.
It was such a great pleasure to hear how the other guys do it. We had non-singing players, non-playing singers, full-time pros and play-at-home enthusiasts. I must admit that EVERYBODY sounded good, even though the various styles and levels of advancement varied widely.
Some of the guys I have "known" on the internet for several years, such as Eddie and Vince Ramos, but had never met. I figured they were pretty good, but they both knocked me out--they are PRO's, ya'll!
Oh well, you can make the next Jam or buy the DVD!
Gotta get some sleep now!
DonM

Don than you for the update....When will AJ be there with the Audya?

Thanks for the update Don!

Excuse my ignornance but I thought Ketron products were going to be one of the main attractions at the Jam but it looks like they - i.e. 'Ketron and company' was a no show. I also thought it was going to be more than just AJ. I figured some staff from Ketron proper was going to be there with at least one Audya in tow. Well, I guess that's what I get for being out of the loop with the goings on here at Synth Zone eh? I plan to be more active on the Zone in the future and I'll also try to be more cognizant of what's going on here. It helps to read all of the posts too I suppose huh.

PS: I'm glad everyone had a blast at the Jam. I'll be looking forward to next years.

Best,
Mike

Mike, the Audya is not yet available. AJ had planned to come and bring some modules, but couldn't make travel arrangements.
Vince Ramos, the Ketron rep from Houston, was there with his SD1. I had an SD5, Pete had his SD1 and Midjay. Today we'll be answering any questions and comparing the various pieces of gear.
DonM

Don was that the Midjay PLUS? wondering how the new unit is?