Win Kern Brantley’s Custom GAIA SH-01

The custom synth you see here was constructed for Kern Brantley, a multi-talented music director who has spent years working with chart-topping icons. Kern’s tour schedule left no time to re-program some crucial Gaia SH-01 sounds into his Roland AX-Synth last year, and necessity bred invention, as the saying goes. His only option was to transform one of his Gaia SH-01 synths into a keytar. With the help of his keyboard tech and a stage hand, they used the handle of a paint roller to create a neck on one end, attached a guitar strap pin to the other end, and then painted it a “menacing” black color.

Kern Brantley’s custom GAIA SH-01

“The SH-01 was perfect for this since it runs on batteries and is lightweight, too,” Kern later commented on their handy work. Live audience members, band and crew were the only ones who had a chance to see Kern perform with this one-of-a-kind SH-01 Gaia keytar, which he played while standing in the window of a mock castle! And when he wasn’t getting medieval rocking SH-01 bass sounds from a castle, he was using the wind sounds that came with its stock patch set and some of its other “ambient sounding pads.”

About Kern Brantley…

When it comes to touring, the MD is more like the MVP because the music director is usually the sole person hiring the players, arranging the music, leading the rehearsals, and guiding the band from opening night to final curtain. From today’s touring crop, few leaders possess the grace-under-pressure skills of Kern Brantley, and for well over a decade, Kern has been laying down solid, deep-pocketed bass and serving as MD for a cavalcade of top stars.

Kern’s Project with Marvin Gaye…

Kern is presently working on the soundtrack of a documentary about Marvin Gaye called “Sexual Healing.” The film tells the story of Marvin Gaye’s time in Europe and how he was inspired to write that hit song there. In the meantime, don’t pass up this chance to win this one-of-a-kind SH-01.

Related links and articles:

• Making a Synth Bass Tone with a GAIA SH-01
• Roland Debuts Official Synth Tone Libraries – Axial
• Brocket Parsons: Vibing with the JP-80

Jordan Rudess is best known as the keyboardist for the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He is also a composer and the President and founder of Wizdom Music. In this video, Jordan shows how to use the Roland Lucina AX-09 keytar to control his iPad based SampleWiz app using the AX-09′s various controllers.

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