[A6] andromeda alternatives?

[Chad Gould]

> I don't think the virtuals sound as good either. But I don't know how
> important the difference would be in a live playing situation.

Moreso IMHO. Stage amplifiers tend to really draw attention to the power
that a sound has. 

Now, personally, I've always found most VAs kinda wimpy even today. Even
thicker ones like the Nord Lead tend to fill up about as much space as, say,
a Juno 106. Which is great and cool and perfect for some genres, but not for
others. I play in a drunken horror punk band after all. I have to compete
with an obnoxiously loud guitarist who doesn't have "quiet" in his
vocabulary (are there any that do?). The A6 actually fills a decent space in
this particular band, and can even shut up the guitar in 16 voice unison
mode, if he's getting too obnoxious. I'm not sure I'd trust a JP-8000 to do
the same.

The PC angle is interesting, especially for more click-ety genres like IDM,
electroclash, etc. Still, personally I'd want at least one keyboard even
there. Personally I'd hate to rely on a PC on stage. If something goes wrong
on stage, I can compensate with the keyboards I got. If something went wrong
with the laptop, I'd have to wait for the long reboot and I'm stuck....Also,
I never think stage presence is as good. Being hunched over a laptop
adjusting Reaktor parameters is kinda boring, and seems more geeky than
dancing like a crazed chicken banging out rhythms (as the Damned keyboardist
was doing when I saw them last). Bands that I *have* seen with laptops often
keep them offstage while they bang around keyboards (eg The Faint, when I
saw them last). Obviously I see laptops more and more these days, but people
still like stage presence every once in a while.

So it depends on what you are going for. Me, I find it worthwhile to lug
95lb total of synthesizer. *shrug*
__________
CHAD GOULD