John Adams: Nixon In China

John Adams	Nixon In China
Technical Information

Three keyboard musicians:

Keyboard I: performs acoustic grand piano.
Keyboard II: performs acoustic grand piano.
HX keyboard musician: performs two master keyboard controllers. Note: The original HX
keyboard musician utilized a Yamaha HX-1 Electone which has been discontinued by Yamaha
manufacturing so the sampler and keyboard controllers below replace the original two keyboard,
with bass pedals, HX synthesizer.

Equipment Requirements HX Musician:

Either:

Quantity	Equipment	Product Description	Useage
1	Kurzweil K2000R v3 or K2500R (either with minimum 32Mb RAM)	Sampler (rackmount version)	Main sound source for HX musician.
2	Six-octave MIDI Master Controller* (with volume and sustain pedals)	MIDI keyboard controller	Keyboard controllers for HX musician.
1	Program change footpedal**	inc/dec or MIDI programmable style (depends, see below)	For HX musician.
1	Stereo keyboard combination amplifier	Powered speaker system	To amplify K2000R
1	Double-Tier Keyboard Stand	--	To hold HX musician's master controllers.
2	15 foot audio cable (1/4 inch mono connectors)	--	Connects K2000R to combination amplifier
2 or 3	15 foot MIDI cables	--	Connects Master Controller #1 to Master Controller #2 to K2000R. An additional MIDI cable is needed if using a MIDI programmable footpedal.
1	Iomega ZIP drive (with SCSI cables)	removable hard drive	For K2000R

* Six-octave MIDI master keyboard controller: Must be able to sequentially and contiguously program
change up/down a minimum of 32 patch positions. Each master controller must be able to merge MIDI OUT
and MIDI THRU data (such as the Kurzweil PC88). Also, each master controller is on a different MIDI
channel. Kurzweil PC88 recommended.

** Program change footpedals: Either inc/dec or MIDI programmable will be appropriate depending on
the model and type of master controller used. For example: inc/dec pedal could be used with Kurzweil PC88
master controllers where a MIDI programmable footpedal must be used with a Yamaha KX88.
Note: The HX keyboard musician must use a footpedal and not master controller front-panel buttons,
or an infinity wheel, because program changes occur between bars, within performed notation, and
while both hands are performing simultaneuosly.

Or:

Quantity	Equipment	Product Description	Useage
1	Yamaha Electone HX-1 (with bass pedals)	Two keyboard synthesizer	Main sound source
1	Stereo Keyboard Combination Amplifier	Powered speaker(s)	To amplify Yamaha HX-1
1	Yamaha MDR-2	MIDI Data Recorder	Floppy disc drive for Yamaha HX-1
2	5 foot MIDI cable		To connect MDR-2 to HX-1
2	15 foot audio cable (1/4 inch mono connectors)		Connect HX-1 to combination amplifier

General Sound Reinforcement Notes:

For Concert Version ONLY not Full Opera Production:

Only singers and chorus should be amplified through a low noise, high-quality sound reinforcement
system (recommended loudspeakers: Meyer, Apogee, EAW, etc...) with potential for console foldback to
singer/chorus loudspeaker monitoring. The singers should be amplified utilizing on-stand microphones
not lavalier-style microphones. The chorus should be amplified in a similar fashion.

The HX (now, Sampler) keyboard musician should not be amplified through a main loudspeaker system.
The sampler sound is to be amplified through the above recommended keyboard combination amplifier
and should seem acoustic within the context of the orchestra. The orchestra should not be amplified.

Questions or Technical Support please mail:

Mark Grey

John Adams' Engineer

Boosey & Hawkes Synthesizer Technician