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“The New Performance Ergonomics in the Information Age”
©2014 William Brookfield
“Ergonomics” : a science that deals with designing and arranging things so that people can use them easily and safely: - Merriam Webster
I recently (March 2014) purchased a new synthesizer - a Korg Kronos - and while it is a great synth/workstation with some great sounds and features I rarely play it anymore and I am back playing my good old Kurzweil PC3. The reason for this has to do with “The New Performance Ergonomics in the Information Age” and my inability (thus far) to bring the Kronos into line.
In the olden days, live performances were limited to what the physical human body could accomplish, given the physical size, weight and design limitations of physical instruments. The standard physical drum kit is ergonomically designed physically. The toms for instance are conveniently located beside the drummer so that they can be easily reached. It would not be ergonomically sensible to keep the toms on the other side of the room because this configuration would force the drummer to run to the other side of the room in order to perform tom fills.
The optimal ergonomics of physical drum kit however are very different than the optimal ergonomics of a digital drum kit. Similarly the optimal ergonomics for a full physical live band is completely different than the optimal ergonomics of a full digital live band. This is because informational instruments don’t take up space in the way that physical instruments do.
Digital instruments can be stacked, toggled and momentarily accessed in a way that physical instruments cannot. One cannot put a physical piano on top of a physical drum kit and expect to play them both. I have however have made my living (since 1997) playing live drums and live piano keyboard (and more) at the same time. This is only possible because digital instruments can be accessed (played) in ways that physical instruments cannot.
Unfortunately standard Program Change controls will not work because they are too specific. I.E, A PG change that specifies a brush kit patch will always specify a brush kit and nothing else and I am stuck playing a brush kit all night. A pitch bender is useless if it is too specific and instead of bending the instrument/patch in question it always makes the sound of say, a brush kit being bent when used. My various layouts are therefore live performance modulations of patches/setups and not the patches themselves “PG.”
My recent purchase of a Kronos has brought me face to face with how drastically my performance techniques have changed over the years. In my setups I don’t have to chase the toms around the room or even around the drum kit as physical drummers do. Instead I use a momentary switch pedal to instantaneously bring the toms to my right hand for me to hit/play.
In Conclusion:
Over the years of working with a Kurzweil synth (K2000) I have gotten into the habit of bringing sounds within complex musical layouts (higher piano octaves, strings, trumpets, drums etc) to my hands instead of my hands reaching outward for them over a physical distance. These layouts are changed either by my foot pedals or by my hands during sustained chords. Thus far however, I have been unable to get my Kronos to do live, efficient (and somewhat complex?) changes of this type. This is most unfortunate given the Smooth Sound Transition SST feature of the Korg which could be a great advantage in this regard.
Perhaps I will find a way to do this on my Kronos and perhaps not. For now however, I continue to perform live and earn my living on my Kurzweil.
Technical Info
Please correct me if I am wrong here but, while the Kronos (it seems!) can only remote CC toggle between two sounds A/B the Kurzweil can remote CC toggle between 32 layers A/B/C/D..Z..32 in a single program/patch. I would be very interested if there were a way around this bottleneck for the Kronos.
©2014 William Brookfield
“Ergonomics” : a science that deals with designing and arranging things so that people can use them easily and safely: - Merriam Webster
I recently (March 2014) purchased a new synthesizer - a Korg Kronos - and while it is a great synth/workstation with some great sounds and features I rarely play it anymore and I am back playing my good old Kurzweil PC3. The reason for this has to do with “The New Performance Ergonomics in the Information Age” and my inability (thus far) to bring the Kronos into line.
In the olden days, live performances were limited to what the physical human body could accomplish, given the physical size, weight and design limitations of physical instruments. The standard physical drum kit is ergonomically designed physically. The toms for instance are conveniently located beside the drummer so that they can be easily reached. It would not be ergonomically sensible to keep the toms on the other side of the room because this configuration would force the drummer to run to the other side of the room in order to perform tom fills.
The optimal ergonomics of physical drum kit however are very different than the optimal ergonomics of a digital drum kit. Similarly the optimal ergonomics for a full physical live band is completely different than the optimal ergonomics of a full digital live band. This is because informational instruments don’t take up space in the way that physical instruments do.
Digital instruments can be stacked, toggled and momentarily accessed in a way that physical instruments cannot. One cannot put a physical piano on top of a physical drum kit and expect to play them both. I have however have made my living (since 1997) playing live drums and live piano keyboard (and more) at the same time. This is only possible because digital instruments can be accessed (played) in ways that physical instruments cannot.
Unfortunately standard Program Change controls will not work because they are too specific. I.E, A PG change that specifies a brush kit patch will always specify a brush kit and nothing else and I am stuck playing a brush kit all night. A pitch bender is useless if it is too specific and instead of bending the instrument/patch in question it always makes the sound of say, a brush kit being bent when used. My various layouts are therefore live performance modulations of patches/setups and not the patches themselves “PG.”
My recent purchase of a Kronos has brought me face to face with how drastically my performance techniques have changed over the years. In my setups I don’t have to chase the toms around the room or even around the drum kit as physical drummers do. Instead I use a momentary switch pedal to instantaneously bring the toms to my right hand for me to hit/play.
In Conclusion:
Over the years of working with a Kurzweil synth (K2000) I have gotten into the habit of bringing sounds within complex musical layouts (higher piano octaves, strings, trumpets, drums etc) to my hands instead of my hands reaching outward for them over a physical distance. These layouts are changed either by my foot pedals or by my hands during sustained chords. Thus far however, I have been unable to get my Kronos to do live, efficient (and somewhat complex?) changes of this type. This is most unfortunate given the Smooth Sound Transition SST feature of the Korg which could be a great advantage in this regard.
Perhaps I will find a way to do this on my Kronos and perhaps not. For now however, I continue to perform live and earn my living on my Kurzweil.
Technical Info
Please correct me if I am wrong here but, while the Kronos (it seems!) can only remote CC toggle between two sounds A/B the Kurzweil can remote CC toggle between 32 layers A/B/C/D..Z..32 in a single program/patch. I would be very interested if there were a way around this bottleneck for the Kronos.
