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Heads-up: SpaceStation keyboard amp is apparently back


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I received the sub yesterday. I don't need thumping bass for the kind of music I play. This sub is too loud! Also, I realized that this studio sub is a little difficult to take on the road. I am thinking of getting a small bass amp.

Monoprice has some decent products. I've ordered some 1/4", XLR and MIDI cables from them before and they're good, hearty cables.

 

I've seen this before and would be willing to try it out, except (like Aspen pointed out with his Sony sub) this seems more suitable for a studio application than being built for the road and gigging with.

 

MPN21, let us know if you end up picking up Monoprice's sub and trying it with the SS3!

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Welcome to the never-ending thread ...

 

Power Sub = like the SSv3 sound, but want more thump. Especially attractive to folks who want the "feel" of bass. Not my thing because of what I play these days, but completely legit.

 

Bass Amp = like the SSv3 sound, but want to be able to do real bass parts, including all the harmonics of a real bass tone. You'll see posts here about people who've added a full-range PA speaker to their SSv3 to get a better sound plus the stereo swirl of the SSv3. The bass amp thing is along these lines, just in a lower register.

 

I've tried both. Nice, but not worth the schlep factor. Your mileage may vary.

Want to make your band better?  Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band"

 

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I'm one of those who bought the B1200D and liked how it improved the sound, but sold it in favor of a bass amp. It still gives me the bottom end and is more versatile for other applications, while the sub's a one trick pony.

____________________________________
Rod

Here for the gear.

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OK, a double confirmation that I should go for a bass combo. Cphollis, thanks for your post. You explanation coincides with my experience. Now I realize that bass combos will serve me better for the kind of music I play. There seem to be a lot more choices on bass amps, too.
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I first bought the BD1200 sub to compliment the SS and used it when playing organ with LH bass in a jazz trio. It sounds full but the bass notes lack clarity. I then bought a GK MB112-II bass amp. Used it on a couple of jazz organ gigs. The bass notes were clear but they lacked the fullness I'm looking for. So, I returned it. I then bought a Markbass 121P bass amp because a few bass players I play with have this amp and it sounds great. It's expensive -- I had trouble getting my head around spending this amount -- but I also needed a bass amp for my home studio so I did it. The MarkBass 121P gives me the fullness, clarity, and warmth that I've been looking for in a lighweight amp. It has a vintage amp control that takes most of the treble and midrange out which is perfect for use with the SS. I'm happy now :) I'll probably be selling the BD1200 soon.
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A few years ago, I bought a Markbass CMD 102P to replace my keyboard. I had never heard anything like it before. It was vibrant, powerful, and clean! A professional Jazz organist took his electronic accordion to a local GC and he played through the CMD 102P. He kept on playing. We put the QSC 12 and other powered PA speakers right next to the CMD 102P. They were all muddy in comparison with the CMD 102P. However, for me the CMD 102P or 121P is overkill in terms of cost and power. I picked up a Hartke bass amp today.
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Hah.

 

Played a pickup gig tonight. Two of the band members came over after the gig, and started inspecting my SSv3 while I was loading out my boards etc.

 

Their deal: WTF is this? You sounded great all night and all you brought was this little wimp? WTF? Is their evil magic involved?

 

I did my best to explain what the amp was all about, but they weren't buying it. They couldn't get their head wrapped around the idea that a small, compact amp could deliver a rich stereo soundfield, plus decent volume and tone, in such a small package.

 

What could I say? I sent them to the interwebs to learn more :)

Want to make your band better?  Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band"

 

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Help!

 

I have only gigged with my SS once, and used it otherwise as a practice amp, and now will start gigging again soon.

 

Problem: There was a "pop" when I turned it on tonight, and the RD700gx sounded different.

 

* Turning the Speaker HFQ knob all the way each way does nothing to the sound.

 

* Turning the Speaker Mids knob all the way only makes it a tiny bit brighter in the treble.

 

* Turning the Width knob to lowest takes almost all the sound away, leaves just a tiny and tinny sound.

 

I have tried several different good cable sets. I First ran it through a Peavy PV6 mixer, then tried a direct run from the Roland to the SS. Same problem.

 

Am I doing something wrong, or is something broken?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

PS...This was a discounted amp from Sweetwater, so it apparently was used before I got it.

A Boogie-Woogie Video:

 

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"just a tiny and tinny sound" is usually what you get when the woofer is blown and only the horn is working. I suspect there might be something else going on here though.

 

Yeah...I thought of that, too, but not knowing what the "width" knob does, I was leaning more towards the HF driver being blown because the "High" control does nothing and the "Mid" control didn't do much. If the "width" control brings the woofer in and out, or has anything to do with it, the "tiny and tinny" sound could be the HF driver putting out what little it can after having been compromised.

 

Either way, yes...something ain't right! :)

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Hi everybody,

 

I received yesterday the CPS. I bought it based on the recommandations of this forum, and because I sent my EV-ZXA1 for repair (the tweeter was out of order). I have two gigs in exterior next week and want to test the CPS as a monitor in addition to the PA of my band (jazz quartet).

I play only acoustic pianos (Nord Piano and Pianoteq).

For now I have tested it at home in a quiet room and in a repetition room with my band. Im mitigated yet about the sound, I will wait the gigs to pronounce me.

A thing that bothers me is that when the unit is turned on without any cables plugged in there, a high-frequency sound is very noticeable. I tried other outlet, same result.

I wonder if this is normal or do I have a defective unit ? There is also a low frequency hum which is more acceptable (because it is common with all amps), but the high-frequency sound is rather perturbing.

Another thing is that some high-range notes on the piano produce a high resonance sound on the unit, which is not pleasing. Overall, the sound of the piano was not great (especially in the high range) and there was a lack of presence and clarity with respect to the saxophone. But the placement of the unit was not ideal (small repetition room), so I will wait to use it on stage to evaluate its behaviour and decide if I will keep it or not...

 

Benoît from France

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Have you checked the TTS mode toggle switch on the bottom right? Depending on the room you're playing in, you may want to flip this to "off."

 

http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab67/mathofinsects/tiny_and_tinny_zpsz1rnbrvq.jpg

 

 

:roll:

A misguided plumber attempting to entertain | MainStage 3 | Axiom 61 2nd Gen | Pianoteq | B5 | XK3c | EV ZLX 12P

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Hi everybody,

 

I received yesterday the CPS. I bought it based on the recommandations of this forum, and because I sent my EV-ZXA1 for repair (the tweeter was out of order). I have two gigs in exterior next week and want to test the CPS as a monitor in addition to the PA of my band (jazz quartet).

I play only acoustic pianos (Nord Piano and Pianoteq).

For now I have tested it at home in a quiet room and in a repetition room with my band. Im mitigated yet about the sound, I will wait the gigs to pronounce me.

A thing that bothers me is that when the unit is turned on without any cables plugged in there, a high-frequency sound is very noticeable. I tried other outlet, same result.

I wonder if this is normal or do I have a defective unit ? There is also a low frequency hum which is more acceptable (because it is common with all amps), but the high-frequency sound is rather perturbing.

Another thing is that some high-range notes on the piano produce a high resonance sound on the unit, which is not pleasing. Overall, the sound of the piano was not great (especially in the high range) and there was a lack of presence and clarity with respect to the saxophone. But the placement of the unit was not ideal (small repetition room), so I will wait to use it on stage to evaluate its behaviour and decide if I will keep it or not...

 

Benoît from France

 

My SSV3 is quiet like a mouse. No hiss or hum. There seems to be something wrong with your unit or with your current supply.

 

Make sure that the speakers wear in for a couple of hours before you judge the sound. New speakers need to wear in to open up.

 

As much as I like the SSV3 - not sure if it's the best bet for acoustic piano only. It can't show off it's magic with non-stereo sound sources.

LIFE IS SHORT, GO GET THE GEAR YOU WANT ;-)

 

 

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Benoit -- quick suggestions?

 

1 -- use clean power or power conditioner

 

Lots of reports of hum, etc. were traced to the power being supplied.

 

2 -- always use good cables

 

The SSv3 is very sensitive to cable quality. Even if good in another application, problems will be magnified here.

 

3 -- check your gain staging

 

Aspen cranked the sensitivity of its inputs so it could work with more stuff. That means you might have to turn down the volume on your board.

 

4 -- point the SSv3 away from your ears (down, rear, etc.)

 

Strange but true. It gives the signal more room to bloom.

 

5 -- use a signal with significant stereo content

 

Just because you have L and R cables doesn't mean you have stereo content. You're looking for content that has reasonable differences between L and R. Many acoustic piano voices don't do this, so you end up adding a bit of chorus, etc.

 

I own two of them, no complaints. But it did take a while for me to figure out how to use them effectively.

 

Agree that if all you do is pure acoustic piano -- and want a near-field monitor for a small room -- there are better choices.

 

-- Chuck

Want to make your band better?  Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band"

 

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Hi everybody,

Another thing is that some high-range notes on the piano produce a high resonance sound on the unit, which is not pleasing. Overall, the sound of the piano was not great (especially in the high range) and there was a lack of presence and clarity with respect to the saxophone. But the placement of the unit was not ideal (small repetition room), so I will wait to use it on stage to evaluate its behaviour and decide if I will keep it or not...

Benoît from France

 

I also use the SSv3 for Pianoteq in small acoustic jazz settings. I can offer a couple of suggestions for optimizing the acoustic piano sound:

 

1. Lower the input to the SSv3. I found that the tonal balance was odd and AP sounded "wrong" if the volume/gain was set too low on my SSv3 unit. Just changing my input from +4 dBU (pro level) to -10 dBV (consumer level) at my audio interface and upping the SSv3 setting enhanced the piano sound, including the elimination of some resonances. Aspen has described that they designed the SSv3 to handle a range of inputs and impedances and that some experimentation would be needed to find the best settings for your particular gear. This made the difference for my gear.

 

2. In Pianoteq, I turn off any reverb and delay effects and rely on natural room reverb. There is enough stereo content in the Pianoteq piano models to generate a realistic spatial effect from the SSv3.

 

3. In each new room, experiment at least with the EQ presets inside Pianoteq. I've found I can often quickly optimize my AP sound without any further tweaks than this.

 

These suggestions probably aren't useful if you intend to use the SSv3 as PA for all of your instruments, but if the SSv3 is dedicated to the piano only, I've found them to really help.

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Thanks for your sound advices!

Regarding the high-frequency hiss sound, it is clearly audible from the front speaker without any cables plugged in and whatever the volume. TomKittel says that his unit is quiet: Chuck and tnelson do you confirm that? Just wondered if my unit is ok.

 

Regarding piano sound, I'm always very critical and have never been really satisfied with amplified speakers, especially in the context of a band. Often, the piano seems ok when testing it solo, but with other musicians it lacks presence and harmonics.

Today I played with the Nord Piano through the SSv3 and found the sound ok, even in the higher-range. In fact I found that the resonances that I mentioned occur only with Pianoteq.

And it seems that the Pianoteq sound is somewhat muffled in comparison with the Nord's one.

 

Otherwise, the stereo effect is audible and of course it improves the presence of the piano.

 

I will try the SSv3 two times next week in exterior, I'm curious to hear it...

 

Benoît

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Thanks for your sound advices!

Regarding the high-frequency hiss sound, it is clearly audible from the front speaker without any cables plugged in and whatever the volume. TomKittel says that his unit is quiet: Chuck and tnelson do you confirm that? Just wondered if my unit is ok.

 

Regarding piano sound, I'm always very critical and have never been really satisfied with amplified speakers, especially in the context of a band. Often, the piano seems ok when testing it solo, but with other musicians it lacks presence and harmonics.

Today I played with the Nord Piano through the SSv3 and found the sound ok, even in the higher-range. In fact I found that the resonances that I mentioned occur only with Pianoteq.

And it seems that the Pianoteq sound is somewhat muffled in comparison with the Nord's one.

 

Otherwise, the stereo effect is audible and of course it improves the presence of the piano.

 

I will try the SSv3 two times next week in exterior, I'm curious to hear it...

 

Benoît

 

I don't hear self-noise from my SSv3 unit, but perhaps I'm not listening in as silent an environment. There is probably some low-level hiss, but not significant in my environments.

 

If you have issues with Pianoteq (laptop) but not with Nord (hardware) pianos, you need to adjust your Pianoteq signal path. How are you sending the Pianoteq signal to the SSv3?

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B1200 is a nice addition to the SSv3.

Was duplicating sends to FOH using a port multiplier called Patchbox II from Henry Engineering.

 

The through outputs on the B1200 haven't been mentioned here but are perfect for sends to FOH.

For 300 USD this is a great solution.

I'm sending dual XLR into the B1200 then roll off to dual TS Mono in of SSv3.

Magnus C350 + FMR RNP + Realistic Unisphere Mic
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Thanks for your sound advices!

Regarding the high-frequency hiss sound, it is clearly audible from the front speaker without any cables plugged in and whatever the volume. TomKittel says that his unit is quiet: Chuck and tnelson do you confirm that? Just wondered if my unit is ok.

 

Regarding piano sound, I'm always very critical and have never been really satisfied with amplified speakers, especially in the context of a band. Often, the piano seems ok when testing it solo, but with other musicians it lacks presence and harmonics.

Today I played with the Nord Piano through the SSv3 and found the sound ok, even in the higher-range. In fact I found that the resonances that I mentioned occur only with Pianoteq.

And it seems that the Pianoteq sound is somewhat muffled in comparison with the Nord's one.

 

Otherwise, the stereo effect is audible and of course it improves the presence of the piano.

 

I will try the SSv3 two times next week in exterior, I'm curious to hear it...Quote

 

I have a hum in my SSV3 at home in my condo, probably due to the wiring in the building. On my gigs I've had no hum or hiss. Ray

 

]

Casio PX5s, XWP1 and CPS SSV3
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Help!

Am I doing something wrong, or is something broken?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

PS...This was a discounted amp from Sweetwater, so it apparently was used before I got it.

 

Hello Junkcar, sounds to me like something is broke here, maybe a damaged pot from the sound of this. The quickest way to get you back in the saddle is for me to get directly involved and 'make some Lemonade'.

So I will PM you with some options. Sorry for your inconvenience.

Hammond A100 w/ 2x Leslie 122, Leslie 145 w/ combo pedal, Casio P5S, SS3, Groove Tubes SFX G5 cab + CPS/QSC RM4500 KB amp, 1955 Steinway 48" studio upright.
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