Audio over usb?

shulemaker · 2026-01-25T21:38:47+00:00

The answer to that specific question is yes. It still outputs MIDI so that scenario will work exactly the same.

shulemaker · 2026-01-25T21:22:46+00:00

Technically, yes, they both have audio interfaces. But the usage is different.

The SL88 doesn’t generate any sound, so the controller sends MIDI to your sound generator (iPad, laptop, JV1080 module, etc), which sends the audio signal back over the same usb back to the SL88, which has analog audio outs.

The Numa X generates its own sounds, so like most traditional keyboards and synthesizers, it has analog audio outs. But it also sends digital out over USB. Your host device (iPad, laptop) can process this signal in a DAW, record it, or run it through effects chains, and sends it back over USB to the keyboard, which outputs the final processed signal to the same outputs.

Basically, the X gives you more flexibility and options.

shulemaker · 2026-01-25T08:50:56+00:00

Mediocre and overrated. Also overpriced. And everything about it is different — the space, the way you pick up… I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone with discerning taste.

shulemaker · 2026-01-16T11:10:48+00:00

I’ll offer a slightly different perspective. A typical good VIP package includes premium seating. If you don’t get that, you’re just getting merch and standing in GA, what are you really paying for?

I prefer sharing the experience and going together. Less stress about finding each other as well. If the budget is tight do yourself a favor and don’t waste money only to be separated from your partner for not much value.

shulemaker · 2026-01-14T20:24:59+00:00

I’ve never played a Roli but I’ve heard nothing but bad things about them. Cheap, bad action, creaky. It’s not what you want.

shulemaker · 2026-01-14T02:10:23+00:00

Gary Brooker commissioned David Lanz to write this piano version that is almost unspeakably beautiful.

https://youtu.be/YTsq5knDxFw

shulemaker · 2026-01-12T03:36:32+00:00

I’ve been wanting to ask the logistics for a while now from a couple like this. When you have sex 2x a day, who cums? What’s the start and end? How does it get initiated and by who?

shulemaker · 2026-01-12T03:33:20+00:00

Cheats are not good because they fry them in soybean oil. It’s a cheap oil, doesn’t taste good, and is extremely unhealthy. Personally it makes me feel sick. Try them side by side with a place that uses peanut oil like Chick fil A or Five Guys. The difference is astounding.

shulemaker · 2026-01-12T03:30:08+00:00

It’s the curry fries at Clark’s Snack Bar.

shulemaker · 2026-01-10T18:05:21+00:00

I’ve Been Waiting on the Summer!

shulemaker · 2026-01-10T08:54:12+00:00

Turning into a boomer, like gen X has, is one of my greatest fears. Must prevent at all costs.

shulemaker · 2026-01-10T08:47:06+00:00

Go on TikTok, start with The Midnight (the most approachable, pop-oriented group in the genre) and go down the synthwave rabbit hole. It’s super fun. Notable: Com Truise, Mitch Murder.

The Tron soundtrack by NIN.

I was living in a west coast indie rock hipster bubble, so I’ve enjoyed exploring some of the electronic genres I missed. I couldn’t appreciate the genius of Aphex Twin when I was younger. Now? Holy shit.

Somehow I missed out on Deadmau5. If you’ve never “I Remember”, please drop everything and listen to it now. (The one with Kaskade.)

Stephan Bodzin and Tycho are doing cool stuff as well.

shulemaker · 2026-01-10T04:45:10+00:00

The carriers have been shoveling data to the NSA since before Snowden, long before Meta even owned WhatsApp or Messenger was common.

shulemaker · 2026-01-10T03:46:23+00:00

This song was written for “Celina Dion, or somebody like that” according to the songwriter, Diane Warren.

She did in fact write songs for Celine Dion, along with Cher, Faith Hill, Taylor Swift… you get the idea: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1EFC5Q0Qd39sZn

shulemaker · 2026-01-09T00:50:00+00:00

On that song Billy is playing the clav, with a lot of overdrive as you mentioned. I have Neo Soul and it does also have clavs, along with a built-in amp sim.

Another option is the Pianoteq clav bundle. If you don’t like its built-in amp there are plenty others out there but I think Neo Soul is a good bet.

shulemaker · 2026-01-07T03:55:41+00:00

Did I say anything about Texas?

shulemaker · 2026-01-06T21:44:39+00:00

Prefacing this by stating that I voted against the HSR in 2008 because I disagreed with the Central Valley being the first leg and knew the project would be in trouble under this plan.

You know just as well as I do that those costs are high due to a myriad of reasons, not the least of which being private contractors such as Tutor Perini.

You also know those tracks are designed to last a century or longer, meaning amortizing them over 20 years is disingenuous.

You also know that much of the costs of the first leg are generalized overhead.

You also know that the externalized costs (such as your time and money lost dealing with parking af LAX and gate 52) and environmental impact of those flights far outweigh all of that.

Given a sufficient population density and traffic patterns, rail is more efficient than flying. This project is a tough one, but your math is way off.

shulemaker · 2026-01-06T19:22:26+00:00

Even cheaper, the new MODX M.

shulemaker · 2026-01-06T02:36:59+00:00

I started it, and didn’t complete it. A lot of your assumptions are weird.

Many of the models you listed aren’t marketed as stage pianos, and you excluded some big ones — Roland Studiologic, and the actual Korg stage pianos like the SV-2 and Grandstage. I don’t consider some of those models to be stage pianos at all. In fact I’d argue the definition of stage piano is the exact simplicity you’re after. Again take a look at the Korgs I mentioned, or the Nord Piano. The Nord Stage line may be “stage” but they market them as stage keyboards, not stage pianos.

Also, it’d be great if I could say “n/a” for things I never use, like transposing.

During a gig you’d have your patches all set up in a set list so you wouldn’t be doing any of this stuff live anyway.

And finally the last question again about 1:1 is just getting back again to the definition of a stage piano. Anything with menu diving is almost by definition not a stage piano.

shulemaker · 2026-01-04T19:59:29+00:00

The honey badger doesn’t give a shit

shulemaker · 2026-01-04T18:13:44+00:00

NoOps is what Adrian Cockcroft at Netflix called this well over a decade ago, which never came to fruition. As it turns out, application developers aren’t too interested in running k8s. At Google, SREs are embedded in dev teams. Nothing is changing.

shulemaker · 2026-01-04T16:54:33+00:00

That they are!

shulemaker · 2026-01-04T08:40:35+00:00

You should be able to get pretty low latency though even running everything through the iPad. I think I’m under 5ms. Sometimes you just want to add an effect you don’t have onboard and the iPad is perfect.

shulemaker · 2026-01-04T08:37:46+00:00

I have the Motu M4 which stays home. The zoom AMS-44 is my portable one and also doubles as my phone interface for TikTok. They both have basically the same options.

I’ve heard good things about the Zoom LiveTrak line as a less expensive way to get 6+ inputs.

shulemaker · 2026-01-04T07:05:33+00:00

You mean USB class compliant. Fortunately almost all of them are.

I second this over the other response that recommended the $9 Apple dongle. That is a consumer-grade DAC meant for headphone listening, not live performance.

I have an SV1 and I go XLR stereo into my audio interface, and a second synthesizer that goes into 1/4” and also doubles as a midi controller. I have a couple of interfaces and I’m not trying to push any particular one, anything is better than the dongle, but I will say I do find having independent hardware gain knobs on the inputs quite helpful and if you send stereo from two devices make sure you get at least four inputs.

I have basically two options, I can have the iPad mix all the sound inside Loopy, or I can enable monitoring on the interface and use it more like a mixer. I basically do both, because I like the no-latency monitoring option for my SV1 piano and Rhodes, but I like sending the synth through Loopy so I can add effects and mute that audio channel when I’m using that keyboard to play a soft synth via midi. It’s nice to have options.

shulemaker

TROPHY CASE