Laptop on Stage

[tball]

I do a lot of touring with a rock band. I play 50/50 guitar and keys. I have been using a Nord Electro through a couple of pedals and into a Fender Blues Deville as my rig. The Electro works fine for Wurly and organ sounds. My biggest problem is how horrendous the piano sounds in the Electro. I have a G4 1.5 laptop and a mBox. I could use it live and get one of these fancy piano emulators. Which piano emulator is the best/most Diverse? I also would like to have a good mellotron sound like the M-tron. I own B4 and the Korg stuff so I'm thinking a laptop could be cool, but I have a couple of issues. The laptop just doesnt look rock and roll on stage. I guess it's cool if you're doing certain styles, and I'm not slagging anyone for doing it, but for the aesthetic of this group it doesnt work. I would have to hide it. Also our crowds are rowdy and I've already had one keyboard ruined by an incoming beer. Is it worth it to bring my $2000+ laptop along? Is there anyone out there with a similar situation/conundrum? As an alternative to the laptop are there any affordable rack units with good rock and roll piano sounds? I'm looking for a Jerry Lee Lewis sound as well as a nice Steinway sound. Any input is greatly appreciated.

ed.

[Slim Shady]

Is it worth it to bring my $2000+ laptop along?

I stopped using a laptop as part of my live rig for that very reason - after I barely saved it a couple of times during a rather rowdy show, I realized it's not practical to have something that delicate on stage. That being said however, if you do go for it, check out Ivory - it's an amazing acoustic piano emulator.

I ended up getting a used Kurzweil micro piano off of ebay, which has really good piano sounds for live use. I wouldn't use them for a solo piano film score type thing, but it blends in perfectly with a band - just enough edge to cut through, yet lush enough to sound like a nice piano.

Hope that helps.

[tball]

Thanks for the 2 cents. I think I'm leading towards not bringing it out.

[Sergievsky]

Try the Receptor. http://www.museresearch.com/

I have a Fantom XR that has good piano sounds as well as many others, but I also bring my laptop live on stage. It's on a table to my right so it's not really obvious since I'm blocking it from view. I'm still experimenting though. I use Synthogy's Ivory which is a jaw-dropping sampled piano for the mac, but very heavy on demands. For your stuff it may not be necessary.

[tball]

The Kurweil and the Receptor both look interesting. Does anybody know of any other hardware based piano emulators, so I wouldnt need to bring a laptop? I like the idea of the Kurzweil because it is so small and affordable. Do the Pianos in it sound pretty good?

Thanks all for the help,
ed.

[Bluemoon]

Yes. Very good, Kurzweil that is. I also use a Roland XV2020 with a vintage keys card, and a piano card. Even cheaper than the Kurz at current UK street prices, and gives you access to lots of other great sounds.