In this video I’m on the Akai MPK88, and this is a great example of how IK sounds live. All these patches come with Intuitive Keys, and this Patch Set is available for FREE in the IK Users Group to paid owners of IK. You’ll notice that these sounds are not designed to “cut”, they’re designed to sound great in a mix, and in this case provide lots of atmosphere. The Nord Controller in a piano shell is triggering Alecia’s Keys.
On the verses I’m playing on the backbeat using “IK Simple Roades” with an additional verb send cranked up, split at C4 with one of my new favorite chill pads called “Still Soft Voice” a layer of “Vintage Pad” and “Purify” (IK owners will recognize all these sound names). On the first Chorus I’m playing just the “Still Soft Voice” pad below the split point. [MultiTracks calls this part “Keys 4”]
On the 2nd Chorus I’m playing “DynaStrings” (from the orchestral set). The attack and sustain rates are modulated by the mod-wheel, so the thematic line is played with mod-wheel all the way up, but then the last note is played, the mod-wheel is all the way down so it’s got a nice slow attack and release. When we revisit the chorus after the bridge, I layer “Fantastic Synth” (first patch in the synth set) with “DynaStrings” for more bite on the string line, and then move back to just “DynaStrings” near the end. [Multitracks calls this “Aux Strings” and the synth “Keys 2”]
The other thing is, because the Church runs digital out to their board, they ask I use their hardware. So I really only bring three things: a NanoKontrol2 for some familiar buttons to go to the next patch, my in-ears, and a jump drive with my concert file. Bottom line: I’m not playing on the machine I rehearsed or prepared with, I run my concert file from the desktop, and everything just works.