Something from the Great Man himself to enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuIbzPS0Ae0

“And Now” The US fights back to Retake the Keyboard Instrument Market
http://www.lowreyforum.com/recordings/Video/Lowrey_Stardust_DisneyMedley.wmv

Enjoy

Bill

I liked the "US fights back to Retake the Keyboard Instrument Market" one better, although both guys are fine players.

The old Lowrey sounds magnificent...I used to play one whilst working in Newfoundland.

Thanks for sharing, Bill.

Ian

Abacus....

Very enjoyable!! No faking there
I just dont understand how you can be comfortable playing with a Suit Jacket & Tie on? There are many more alternatives you can wear & still look presentable & definitly more comfortable while playing.
With that said thanx for the link....nice playing.

Who is the Lowrey player...is it Jim Vogelman?

Ian

http://www.jimvogelman.com/

Thanks Donny...you truly are the "Duke of URL".

Ian

Ian didn't you mean "KING" ?

You know, Donny....the song..."Duke of Earl"...URL...Earl...get it?

I know, I know...you're still the "King"!

Ian

Ian your a "Poet" & you don't even "Know it"

He sat on the wagon,

His feet were draggin'.

-Longfellow.

I used to work with Jim Vogelman. Great guy and obviously can play whatever he wants to.

You're right Scott...and he makes it look so easy...a real pro for sure.

Ian

Not my cup of tea, but great players...who can argue about that?

Thanks,


Russ

If this was the sixties and seventies, I'd be pretty impressed. Sadly, it's forty years on, and this quality of sound has been around for a while. Not to mention musical tastes have changed.

Using updated forms of outdated technology, to play outdated music, in an outdated style isn't going to "Retake the Keyboard Instrument Market" any more than sticking up a banner on an aircraft carrier is going to make our "Mission Accomplished"

No offense guys, but for a FRACTION of the price of this Lowery behemoth, you can put a computer based system together that can score Hollywood movies (and does, every day) and sound WAY more realistic. But, of course, it's not going to impress any little old ladies up at the Blackpool Tower, is it?

Only academics and period music buffs play virginals, harpsichords and forte-pianos any more. Better add this to the list...

Fran and I used to joke around years ago, that whenever you layered too many sounds ... it all became organISH. While I love a legit organ sound, I never warmed up to that proccessed, Lowery, Wersi style. The more layers...the closer to the old Farfisa sound, I say !

That said .... the Disney guy WAS awesome. What a great medley!

WOW, What a player... but.. Yes, the sounds are older...It is very impressive and I enjoyed it a lot, Thanks!

Add a second manual to a T2 or any arranger and you can do very similar to the same thing! Maybe add the pedal board too for some of the controls and/or percussion sounds/SFX sounds

If you have the interest?

I have the second maunal... and the pedals...now all I need is that kind of skill! :-)

I am improving, but have a long, long way to go. (I think I need another lifetime to get there!)

Lee

It's ALL about the skill, and next to NOTHING to do with the gear. Put this guy on a T2, or a PA2X Pro, or even my G70, and he will do things that will make your jaw drop...

The ability to step seamlessly through a list of registrations can more than make up for the lack of a second manual, as simple as it would be to add one (and some pedals) anyway.

Put him or Klaus on a Casio (no offense, Casio owners!), and he will still play circles around most here. The gear is at the END of the chain, not the start...

But whether he could play something more contemporary, well, that remains to be seen. Plenty of self professed 'oldies only' players here, no reason to assume that they are any different....

Why cant we just appreciate the talent these people have & forget comparisons and critiques?

You mean like this..

Yes, of course the skill is #1, I enjoy very much any performace by a PRO player (like these 2 for example) and it's interesting to see how they use the technology... But in the end, as you say, it's the musician.
Hearing them play is inspiring for sure!

In 1970 when I went out looking for my first electronic organ... several smart folks said to me: 'Listen to the instrument not the demonstrator' because when they deliver it, the they will not be comming along with it! :-)

Lee

I heard a demo of the Emulator II when it first came out. It was incredible. But that is now utterly ancient technology, but the demo would STILL be jaw-dropingly good. Great playing, and great sounds sound good no matter when they are made, and what they are played on.

But you merely have to go to the websites of the current über-orchestral libraries to realize JUST how far things have progressed, and at a fraction of the price. Just how much is that Lowery? $30k+? What about a TOTL Wersi? Similar? A TOTL computer system, controller keyboards and a TOTL orchestral library is easily half that, and 100 times better sonically. Not to mention something as cheap as Garritan Personal Orchestra, which with good programming and playing, could, IMO, easily sound as good as that Lowery clip. A $299 piece of software.

Now whether you can PLAY something that well (and make up the patches and programming) is up to you. But you certainly don't need to buy a keyboard roughly the cost and weight of a nice car to do it, anymore. Unless you DO want to play Blackpool, that is...

How much does an engineer cost to set up this Computer based system and keep it updated and running smooth. (Not everyone wants to be stuck in front of a computer screen, most just want to get home, switch on and play)
Another point to remember is how many partners would allow multiple keyboards, wires etc in the lounge. (This is where most instruments go; and they become part of the furniture)
So while you are correct about it is cheaper to use a computer, (Providing you forget about the engineer costs) in reality in most cases it is a No Go proposition.

Bill

You must remember that these guys are playing all this music "live" which is pretty difficult with a computer based system.

Sure, you could do the same with an arranger with a second keyboard and bass pedals, but it wouldn't look as elegant as having the one dedicated instrument.

Jim Vogelman, on the Lowrey, has a terrific orchestral approach...an excellent player, to be sure.

Ian

I tried the software arranger approach.
Excellant sounds avilable for sure. But to do the integration and get it all to work well with a controller kbd... lots of hours and work. I eat MIDI for lunch, but still a challange.

I ran into two big problems.
1) Most of those soft synthes (GPO as example) DO NOT even accept bank/program changes. Yes there is other ways to do it (key switching) but not so good!

2) If you want YAmaha styles, how do you get a killer XG sound set? How do you get mega voices in the styles? NOT

But the flexibility and sound is supurb. Lee

Want to sound as good as either of those guys?

Trust me, you'll STILL be spending hours and hours setting up the Lowery or Wersi to sound that good. You think those are factory presets they are using?

The Lowery (I don't know what model that is, but the big display and the sounds might suggest some kind of VST capability - I might be wrong) and the Wersi both are anything but simple to set up in the first place. You want that degree of complexity, and sonic choice and quality, you HAVE to deal with computers, whether they sit inside a behemoth case or not... And sorry, guys, but setting up a software VST instrument is nowhere NEAR as complex as you make out.

The truth is somewhere in the middle. For those that haven't probably cracked half the features in a standard 'closed' arranger like a T2 or PA2X Pro, yes, achieving that sound and fluency of changing registrations will be difficult at best. On anything...

But, as I said at the start, forget all that hardware stuff. How many of us have the imagination, the taste, AND the chops to pull off an arrangement like that, anyway? I'd certainly like to hear it if anyone could! Truth is, take the Lowery clip for instance. Break down the sounds in each section. There's nothing I heard there that you couldn't do sonically with a T2, or PA2X Pro. Layers, splits, VERY standard orchestration (no sounds that any of these keyboards don't already have).

Any of you could do something VERY similar, if not identical, if you only had the imagination, programming skill and virtuosity on the arranger you already have. But buying this Lowery, or a Scala is NOT going to make you one little bit better than you already are. If you can't make a T2 do this, you won't be able to on a Wersi, either...

Hi Diki
You are perfectly correct about performance, at least 80% is the player, and the rest is technology.
However you are misinformed about a couple of other points.
1. A Wersi is no more difficult to set up and play then a Korg, Roland, or any other board.
2. The Lowrey uses its own sound engine, and is as far from Vsts as any hardware board.
3. The presets used in the demo are factory standard
4. The Cabinet of the Lowrey is hand crafted out of real wood
5. It is Lowreys new flagship model, and costs £29,900 in the UK (Expect it to be a lot cheaper in the US)
Isn’t music wonderful?

Bill

I have to admit that I don't really listen much to organ instrumentals, usually turn them off after about 5 seconds, but that Lowery guy, it just had something that hooked me and I had to watch until the end...Excellent playing and arrangement..
Thanks to the OP who found this clip and I will use the link dnj provided to check this guy out some more

Hi Miden
Just curious as to why you turn off when an organ comes on, particularly as arranger keyboards were developed from them.
If it’s the name, then try and ignore it and listen to the music produced, as you will find it has a less repetitive sound then what can be achieved on an arranger.
Look forward to your reply

Bill