Post your setup

Frost · Post by **Frost** » 08-02-09 1:25 pm

No "post your setup" thread? I thought those were obligatory in music-related forums

Considering synthesia requires both a monitor and a piano, I'm curious about how your setups look. Where do you place the monitor? Where does the keyboard sit? Can you see the notes clearly, or control the computer/synthesia without standing up?

I'm not much comfortable with mine, so I'm looking for alternative ideas to plagiarise

BenJackson · Post by **BenJackson** » 08-02-09 1:38 pm

My original setup was a Casio WK-200 and a Samsung NC-10 netbook. I took a piece of sheet aluminum and cut/bent it to fit in the music stand slot as a tray for the netbook. It worked pretty well, but it was a little bouncy (which I could have solved by adding some stiffeners to the tray). I lost interest in Synthesia pretty quickly (in fact, if I had noticed the sample 'learning pack' songs I probably wouldn't have registered it) so I haven't done much to improve my setup. I now have a Roland FP-7 which has a lot more flat surface area and the netbook can sit directly on the keyboard. I might have started Synthesia once to see if it worked, but I'm not sure.

Rickeeey · Post by **Rickeeey** » 08-02-09 1:51 pm

I place my computer bag (it is pretty flat) on my keyboard and on the computer bag I place the laptop. It works but sometimes it can get hot for the laptop so I have to remove it. I don't have a better solution for now. I can see everything on the laptop and can reach the computer keys easily.

Frost · Post by **Frost** » 08-02-09 1:55 pm

Here is mine. Yamaha clp-240 coupled to my old laptop. About the setup..

: synth-setup1.JPG (52.18 KiB) Viewed 6503 times

this ones my setup if I constantly want to practice on synthesia. It is somewhat comfortable, though not much easy to see (display is only 12"). Thankfully tablets display rotates so it's closer. Computer's VERY hard to control; I can't reach the keyboard, the cables make it hard to rotate (and it's battery is dead; I can't unplug it just for a sec), I have nowhere to use the mouse but my lap (the laser does not work with the wood), and since it's my secondary laptop, I have to carry songs constantly by a usb stick.

: synth-setup2.JPG (52.2 KiB) Viewed 6504 times

this is what it usually looks like. I can study from the sheet and cheat from synthesia when I'm stuck

But it's both hard to see and control. Also, with my head rotated like this, I feel like I'm watching outside while sitting in a bus.

My other alternatives are carrying my monitor on the piano when I want to study and I don't see that happening. I play sporadically; I work for some time then pop up and practice for 10-15minutes, then return to work, and repeat again when bored or thinking. Maybe I'll buy a second hand small 17" lcd, or place the piano so that I can connect it to my main laptop/monitor.

What about yours?

Frost · Post by **Frost** » 08-02-09 2:05 pm

I also found court12b's setup while searching:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=334&p=1922&hilit=+setup#p1915

I lost interest in Synthesia pretty quickly

may I ask why? Granted, I also don't use it exclusively, but I think it helps me with my timing and left hand coordination.

Choul · Post by **Choul** » 08-02-09 2:17 pm

I use an arranger, the Roland G70- I really would like to have a digital piano again - with 76 keys and I bought a desktop for it with a 19 inch screen (so I don't have to use my laptop anymore for this), that's just behind my arranger. On the right next to my computerscreen I still need a standard with sheet music, because I can't do it without fingerings. My neck hurts once in a while.

When I play with the help of Synthesia I remove the standard from my arranger. I need a chair or little table next to my arranger to reach the computer keyboard.

BenJackson · Post by **BenJackson** » 08-02-09 10:01 pm

may I ask why? Granted, I also don't use it exclusively, but I think it helps me with my timing and left hand coordination.

I thought it would be great because I like DDR and I thought I would like the game aspect. As it turns out it's much easier to just play from sheet music. I don't need a program to tell me if my notes or rhythm is wrong, since I can hear that myself. And I don't find the falling bars to be better than sheet music for helping me remember what's coming up. In fact, the #1 thing that slows me down on complex passages is the fingering, which Synthesia is no help for whatsoever. And finally, I worry that if I ever used it to practice a real piece of music and I mastered playing "just like the MIDI" I'd be doing a terrible performance, because MIDIs generated from sheet music input have no musicality at all.