First Gig With Genos

[stephenm52]

I had a great reaction today playing the Genos at a Friday gig!  It as an annual Christmas open house gig at an upscale assisted living facility I play all Christmas music.  I usually setup near a fireplace in the lobby, the buffet of food and drinks that's served is one door over but people come in and out of the facility to visit have some food, relax and listen to me play.  I've been paying this gig every year for the last 5 years and I've used the T5, Pa3x and Pa4x, but today's reaction was fantastic.  More people lingered and sat in the lobby to listen to me play, applause was  constant not the occasional applause you get playing at an event like today's.  WOW is all I can say.  I used my Bose Compact to amplify the Genos.  Lots of great alive styles  I love the acoustic blues style and used it for 'Blue Christmas" wow using the harmonica and the acoustic resonator guitar.  When I played Blue Christmas and went from the guitar to the harmonica, people stopped and really took notice!  AMAZING!!!!!



What made my day was  there were 2 musicians in the audience, one a pianist and the other a solo guitarist, the guitarist made it a point to come talk to me while I was breaking equipment down.  The pianist sat near me and told me he was just amazed at not only how great the Genos sounded but the command I had over working the board to get the most out of it.   

[alans]

Hi Steve

Thats great to know it went so well,I suppose with your first gig with Genos you were feeling a bit anxious,but now you have broken the ice you can feel more relaxed when playing out.

Good wishes for the future with Genos

Alan 😀😀

[Pianoman]

Hello Stephen.
.
Congratulations on your gig with the Genos. And I wish you many more happy gigs like this one.
It seems like you thoroughly enjoyed yourself.

Even more interesting is that the 2 musicians in the audience were absolutely blown away by the sound and your playing abilities. I wish I was there too.
I love hearing about personal gigging experiences like this one.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas in advance.

Best Regards,
Pianoman.

[stephenm52]

Pianoman and Alans thank you for your comments.   After using the Korg at this gig for the last couple of years I was a bit hesitant of changing boards but the ice was broken for sure. 

Pianoman the 2 musicians were really put the icing on the cake.   Merry Christmas right back to you Pianoman!

I don't think I posted this thought, when I arrived home with the Genos, my wife took one look at it said, " I don't know why you wanted another keyboard, they all look the same?"   Then I fired the Genos up and played a couple of tunes.  Her reply then was "WOW this is the best sounding one out of all of them you've played." 

[Pianoman]

Stephen,

Once you manage to convince the wife, you know that you've got it made.

My wife has been making similar noises, and saying that the house is full of keyboards already.
I even have my Roland G800 still.

She handles knives like a maestro Chef. I'll have to lock them away in a cabinet every night, once I buy another keyboard.
I still have nightmare visions about Lorena Bobbitt.

Best Regards,
Pianoman.

[hammer]

Stephan,
I am getting the same reactions from audiences when playing the Genos.  I too have been playing Christmas gigs and it seems the overall sound has been improved so much over the Tyros 4 that even those with little to no music background notice a difference.   Kind of makes you wonder where Yamaha will go next with the Genos 2???

Deane

[Keyboardist]

Stephan;
Congrats on your Geno's 
Makes you feel really good knowing that your efforts are appreciated especially from musicians as well as the people there in general. Musician's usually can pick up on the details of an instrument or technique a general crowd wont. The people like you Steve 

Regards
Craig "Keyboardist"

[pjd]

Hi Steve and Deane --

Thanks for sharing your experiences with Genos. I'm looking forward to playing it more than ever!

I'm willing to bet that your musicianship had a lot to do with drawing applause.

All the best -- pj

[stephenm52]

Thank you everyone for your comments.   

Pianoman, funny, yes you better hide those knives.  I guess when it comes to toys even though we may use them as a source of income wives can frown on the purchases.

Deane,  Glad to hear that your audiences are taking notice of the improved sound as well.  My wife did make another comment when she heard the Genos she said, " they all sounded good and I'd never thought the sound could get any better."  Your comment about Genos2, just makes us wonder.

Craig, Thank you when musicians pick up and notice that goes a very long way.

PJ, You played the Genos at Frank's so you know you're gonna love the Genos!

[manuel]

I am so glad for you Stephen!!....I got almost a mirror reaction too......the people knows what they hear..!!!

Keep it going !!

Manuel

[travlin-easy]

Steve, I knew you would love what you heard coming from the Genos. Sure wish I were younger - I would have one by now.

Merry Christmas old friend,

Gary

[stephenm52]

Manuel, Thank you, I know you can speak first hand since you've been playing a Genos for a few weeks!

Gary,  Thanks buddy, it was great to speak with you by phone yesterday.  Your timing was impeccable you called as I was just about to load my gear into my van after the gig so you got to hear  first hand about the gig.  Merry Christmas to you and family.

[motekmusic]

Hi Stephen,

Glad to hear you had a positive reaction for your Genos debut.
Getting other musicians, entertainers to even get a nod or wink is quite flattering.
Smiles all the way.


cheers
elaine

[stephenm52]

Thank you Elaine

[Lee Batchelor]

Hi Stephen,

Thanks for sharing your gigging experience. Question: you said you used one Compact? How did the pianos sound? Normally, they sound "boxy and out of phase." I always use two Compacts for stereo. I'm curious to hear your comments about using just the one. Thanks!

- Lee

[Pianoman]

Hello Stephen.

I forgot to mention this story. There was a Psr Tutorial member who goes by the name of The Wizard, who was in the audience listening to my music here, in June or July of this year I think.

He is a musician himself but also with inside knowledge about upcoming Yamaha keyboards.
For the sake of his privacy, I can't say how or why he has that inside knowledge.

He came over to talk to me when I had finished playing, to tell me how impressed he was by the gig and my handling of the T3.
I told him that I was thinking of upgrading to a T5 soon.

He then told me that it's all secret at the moment, but there's definitely a new Yamaha arranger coming out soon, and it will be called Genos.
And that it would be even better than the T5, so it would be worth my time to wait a little longer.

Other people, probably on this forum, may also have known about the Genos way back in advance, but I had not scanned the music world for new products since 2010, when the T4 was launched, so I knew nothing about new keyboards.

I heard about the T5 by chance, when an electrician,  who came to fix a problem at my apartment, saw my T3, and told me that he owns a T5.

I had received a PM from him in October, saying that he knew it was me when he saw a post under the name of Pianoman.

I've just conducted a search in the members list though. It seems that apart from the PM, he hasn't posted anything else.

Best Regards,
Pianoman.

[HalUnlimited]

Hi Stephen. Congratulations on your Genos acquisition and your totally successful first gig.  I especially liked your post because you reported receiving new positive reactions to your new keyboard.  This directly addresses all those other web comments by people that don't have the Genos, and broadly claim, that no one in the audience can hear the difference between which TOTL keyboard we play.  I never believed that to be true, and your observation verifies that.  Even if it were true  that most could not distinguish between the Genos and another brand or even versus a Tyros 4/5, the important thing IMO is that we, ourselves, can definitely hear it.  And I'm not even saying that one TOTL keyboard is better than another.  Only saying that we are free to have a personal preference.  As we play these instruments, we can discriminate and appreciate the difference for ourselves. I don't underestimate the value, reward and satisfaction that we get from playing on something special. Who doesn't like working with great tools that fit us well? It's definitely a motivator to want to continue using those tools creatively. Best wishes for continued performance success and enjoyment.   P.S. Just acquired my first arranger, the Genos.  Hal

[stephenm52]

Lee, I find using one Compact the pianos have improved, however having the 2 with stereo it sounds better. I have an LD Maui 5 too, but for most of the size venues I play hauling 2 systems doesn't make sense. 

Pianoman,  From what I've seen of your videos you're at the top of the heap on the way you handle the T3. Great story on the heads up on a new arranger.  From what I've heard there are some exciting things that are going to happen with Genos come early 2018, I was told that from a reliable source......it wasn't my dealer either.

Hal, Great to see you posting here welcome to the PSR forum.  Congratulations on your new Genos too!  Great post too! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[DonM]

Steve, if you ever have a powered speaker fail at the job, you'll  wish you had brought two of them!    I had a Bose Compact fail on two occasions, never a Maui yet, and I changed about two years ago. 
Beside I DESERVE to here my wonderful sound in stereo! 
Merry Christmas my friend!

[stephenm52]

Steve, if you ever have a powered speaker fail at the job, you'll  wish you had brought two of them!    I had a Bose Compact fail on two occasions, never a Maui yet, and I changed about two years ago. 
Beside I DESERVE to here my wonderful sound in stereo! 
Merry Christmas my friend!

Don,  Great advice from a guy who is a seasoned pro like yourself, thanks for the tip.  Merry Christmas to you as well!

[travlin-easy]

I guess I have been extremely fortunate in that I have never had a gear failure on the job. The only thing that every failed was me! One afternoon just over a year ago, my lungs and back both gave out during a two hour job. I had to end the job about 15 minutes earlier than scheduled, but the management completely understood and I still got paid. The following day I was hospitalized with Pneumococcal Pneumonia, just three weeks after receiving the Prevnar 13 Pneumonia shot at the VA Clinic. After three days in the hospital, I decided that retirement was in order - I was right.

Merry Christmas,

Gary

[J. Larry]

With the wonderful effects and voices in these high-end arrangers, I can't imagine anyone not playing in stereo.  Yes, it's an extra speaker to tote.  But, the results are worth it, despite that extra trip to the car, loading the elevator, hauling stuff to the 3rd floor restaurant, as I do weekly.

[Lee Batchelor]

Thanks for the review, Stephen (mono vs. stereo Bose).

[Lee Batchelor]

Hang in there, Gary. We're stronger with you than without  !! Just glad you're back  on your pins.

J.Larry, fortunately today you can get excellent gear that doesn't weigh as much as a 1961 VW!!

[Pianoman]

Wow.

With the conversation about the Bose Compact system above, I decided to have a look at what Thomann charges per column.
The L1 Compacts cost 1045€ each over here. Two will cost 2090€.

My entire sound gear costed me 1500€ new, probably less now, but the output is 3000 Watts of sound, if you include the Subwoofer.
I have looked at both Thomann, and the Bose website. It seems that both have made a choice of leaving out any details about power output.

So how much sound output does each Bose Compact column have?

Best Regards,
Pianoman.

[Lee Batchelor]

I think my Compacts each produce about 135 watts RMS. Don't go by wattage. It's often an unreliable indicator of how many people you can serve with music and voice.

I have a pair of vintage Altec Lansing A-7 800, Voice of the Theater domestic enclosures with original components. I use them for my home theater. At 45 watts, they'll rip your eyes out of their sockets at 30 feet away. I've heard speakers that need 500 watts just to start sounding interesting. There are a lot of variables!!

* I just opened the datasheet for my Compacts. They are 130 watts with SPL (Sound Pressure Levels) of 106 dB continuous, 112 dB peak.

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[stephenm52]

Pianoman,  Based on the rave reviews of the Maui LD5 at about $500 less than a Bose compact, I bought one, gotta say it's great value for the money.  Earlier this year I met up with a friend who is also a one man band entertainer we did an A/B test and although both the Bose and Maui sounded excellent we both agreed we preferred the Maui just a little bit better, but based on $500 less her in the states, you cannot go wrong.


http://www.ld-systems.com/en/series/maui-series/maui-5-ultra-portable-column-pa-system-with-mixer-and-bluetooth/

[Pianoman]

Thanks Stephen.
Thomann sells those too over here.
I would have to buy 2 of these.


http://www.ld-systems.com/en/series/maui-series/maui-28-g2-compact-column-pa-system-with-mixer-and-bluetooth-black/


Best Regards,
Pianoman

[travlin-easy]

Abby, I have used the Bose L1 PAS and L1 Compact systems for more than a decade. With the L1 PAS system, I performed some huge venues, with up to 1,200 people, most of which were drunk out of their mind and wanted nothing but gut thumping rock and roll music. I had absolutely no trouble handling that crowd, it was an outdoor venue at a large marina, and folks who where in the next marina said they were really enjoying the music as well.

Using a single Bose L1 Compact, I have performed for crowds to 150 people, the coverage far exceeds anyone's wildest dreams and the falloff at 100 feet is less than 10 percent. Additionally, it eliminates the need for a monitor, because you hear exactly what the audience hears. You don't have to crank up the volume for the person in the back of the venue to hear the music. They hear the same volume as the person sitting at a table 6 feet from the keyboard.

I also used the L1 Compact for a huge marina NYE party about 5 years ago, while cruising the Florida Keys and living aboard my sailboat. I set up just outside a big tiki hut, and while the party started off with just a dozen couples, by the end of the night, I had more than 350 people there, which was well above the area's occupancy capacity. People a quarter mile away in anchored sailing yachts and motor yachts came ashore the next day and said they were dancing on the decks of their boats to the music and could hear it just fine. I was blown away. The only complaints were from local nite club and bar owners, claiming that I drew people away from their establishments and they did not get the NYE crowd they normally get because there was no cover charge where I was performing at the marine. I played for tips that night and managed to make about $600. It was a fun night.

At the end of the night, a half dozen musicians came up to me and asked about the sound system. When I pointed at the Bose, they said "No. Where are your other speakers?" They were astounded at how much power and clarity came in such a little package.

I have only heard the Maui 5 system one time. It had a bit more bass, but not significantly more, and while it was fairly clear, I don't believe it was as clear as the Bose L1 Compact or L1 PAS. It does not have the horizontal coverage of a Bose. Bose is 210 degrees while Maui is just 120 degrees.

Now, the Maui 5 is about half the price of the Bose L1 Compact, which I guess is a plus, but price was the last thing I was concerned about. I wanted my audiences to enjoy the highest quality music I could provide, and Bose definitely provided that for me.

In this part of the world, Bose has outstanding service, especially for those of us who are making a living as musical entertainers. Most of the time, if you have a problem, which I never had, but I know others that did, they overnighted a replacement system to them so they would not lose a work night. I know of no other company that would do that for an OMB entertainer.

Hope this helps,

Gary

[Lee Batchelor]

Great review, Gary. Extra neat hearing about your NYE venue. I must have been out when you phoned !! I'm sure a seasoned second T5 player like myself, would have been a blast.

I too am VERY pleased with my two Bose Compacts. I added a 15 inch sub, of my own design, which does the heavy lifting for larger venues. I drive it with a Behringer iNuke 6000 with built in crossover and filters. My sub is made from a 15 inch Eminence neodymium driver. As older guys, I'm sure you agree, that gear weight becomes priority. My 600 watt sub weighs in at only 40 pounds. The iNuke 6000 is 7 pounds and rides separately. I feed a line out signal from my SoundCraft mixer to the amp, and then on to the sub. Great combo!