Paul Woodward

Fair point, just found a set of Sony earbuds that i dont use since my phones stopped having jacks. Comes with a ridiculously long cable too. Will put the mixer on the keyboard and I dont plan on moving around much 😉 Also found an Alto TX308 for a little over £100 (and a TX10 for less than that price) so may grab that as well 🙂

Going further down the IEM rabbit hole, could you not use some bluetooth earbuds (I have several Galaxy buds) and a jack to bluetooth adaptor to create a simple IEM type setup? Just a thought until the band decide what kind of setup they plan to use for gigs.

@Reezekeys the issue was/is rehearsals, but I don't want to double dip on backline, so ideally wanted a solution that might also provide enough volume on stage or small gigs 🙂 Thinking the TX308 (or a larger) might fit the bill.

I am thinking the TX will do the trick with an adaptor for rehearsals so I am hear by the band and, if I am using the mixer anyway, I could also pop in a set of earbuds if necessary to a. reduce the band noise (thanks for that suggestion) and b. get the lovely stereo spread that makes the playing more responsive on rich sounds such as Rhodes 🙂 As always, a wealth of great advice here and I am not dropping dollar just yet so any more ideas, please do keep 'em coming.

The TX308 mentioned are definitely only XLR, not combo:

Am I right in thinking that this little mixer I already own will give me the ins/outs I need and with a pair of wired earbuds, I would have a quick and dirty version of IEM's? At least in the short term so I can hear my gear properly at a rehearsal while the outputs to PA etc. will be for the benefit of the rest of the band? I realise I wont be able to fully hear the band if I wear earbuds unless they run a line into the mixer from the PA, but its got to be better than my current options.

I have seen some of the 'larger' models. I think the smallest that offers a line in is 2000watt which is way more than I need, but I will keep an open mind. Thanks

The Alto looks perfect in terms of size, weight and watts (350!), but it only has XLR inputs and I need jack 😞

I wish..well for sound quality anyway, not the weight. No, as mentioned in the first post, its a Yamaha YC-61 and an iPad being run off a Roland A800 pro. Im using Korg Module on that but looking at maybe getting the Hammond B3-X app when it drops from its £115 price tag!! I really want to take the Korg Grandstage out as well (basically 30gb of Kronos sounds if you are not familiar with it), but its a bit bulky/heavy for rehearsals. Really do enjoy playing it more than a springy board like the YC though.

Thanks for the suggestions Mike. The place was so bad last night that someone had probably blown the desk so there was no output to the PA and the singer had to go into the PA speakers (active) with XLR. There was no Jack input 😞 We are looking for another (better) venue, but I would still like to have something as a backup 🙂 Failing the stereo option, are the Alto's the best for reproducing the rich sound of Rhodes, Hammond, Wurli, grand piano etc. These all have a real distinct sound and, when you can't feel those nuances, I just struggle to 'connect' when playing. For IEM's I need to look into these but no idea where to start and, again, they might be no use to me if I decided not to continue with this band.

Last night I played my lovely Yamaha YC-61 through a borked Marshall stack in a rehearsal studio which sounded like a deranged Jimi Hendrix had fallen on a rhodes. Bloody awful. Its really hit and miss what these places have and they are all geared for guitar or vocals. So….I realise there are a few threads about amplification, but many suggestions are for US stuff. I am UK based and have little space to store additional hardware between rehearsals so I am looking for a small, lightweight but reasonably powerful monitor. Ideally one that can double up as a monitor on stage and maybe feed the signal to the main desk or FOH. That may be enough of a challenge, but is there any single system that can take a stereo signal? I have lots of phasers and tremelo on the Rhodes and they sound a bit crap in mono, but I realise this is asking a bit much. I am just starting out with a new band and not sure where it will end, so don't want to spend a fortune on this, but happy to look for something preloved that I could resell if things don't work out. So, any good recommendations to meet my needs? For reference, I am using a YC-61 with Roland A800 pro running iPad which is routed through the USB audio so just two jack cables out at rehearsals. For gigs I will probably switch to a Korg Grandstage and run that through the YC-61 audio in, so same two cables. I do have a small Yamaha AG-03 USB mixer if that helps my options.

Me too, I bought 9th gen as I wanted the added option of a headphone jack.

That would be great, but with the latest iPad (and pro’s) it’s just a single cable and no connection kit.

Pretty much what a modern iPad can do, without all the outputs of course.

Korg Module has options to view images, PDF’s etc as songlists but also has a notes section for each patch. The more I think about it, I have historically become bored with any one synth or workstation over time. If a keyboard manufacturer offered swap out engines and a 10” touch screen, players would no doubt be all over it. Paired with the perfect keybed on the midi controller of your choice, that is essentially what you get.

It still plays like new, but it hasn’t been gigged hard yet.

never really thought of it like that. Current setup (if I need portability or for rehearsals) is the YC and the iPad is connected to a Roland A800 Pro for its sounds. It has some decent vintage sounds available through the Korg Module app. For the good gigs and studio it would be Grandstage and YC (iPad is just for keeping it all light for rehearsals and maybe smaller gigs). This is about having a few options rather than each board being dedicated to a 'sound'. Having said that, I would use the Korg GS for acoustic pianos (and a few decent synth and string sounds there too) over the YC. I do prefer the organs and EP's of the YC so that is pretty much my combo. Completely agree that I need to actually 'play' a Nord as this is a very personal choice when it comes to boards, but I have to say that not being able to stack the same engine is a big negative for me and I like being able to route the GS (or iPad) audio through the YC....

That is very helpful @AnotherScott

Am I right in thinking that you cannot layer two sounds from the same section on the Nord? That is probably a deal breaker for me.

Thanks Woody, this is a case of really needing to try the board out. Nearest one to me to try is a 4 hour round trip and Im not yet sure I am going down that route (plus dropping half a grand to upgrade!). Certainly happy with the YC in other respects, but that damn keybed just annoys me knowing how quickly it became noisy and seeing the key design…whatever possessed Yamaha to go ‘cheap’ on what it not exactly a cheap board 😞

Alas, I really want a waterfall keybed for the drags and smears when playing organ, and I am happy with the Grandstage as a main board so not really looking at the Nord Stage. Thanks for the link though.

Pretty sure this has been discussed to death somewhere but appreciate up to date views. I have a YC61 hardly used (so far) and really do love it. I am using it for rehearsals with a Roland A800 and iPad. However, I am finding I just need the YC to rehearse and when we get nearer to performing/recording, I will take my Korg Grandstage for weighted piano duties (and I love the piano sounds of the Korg). I really appreciate the stereo audio inputs of the YC as well as the iPad integration, but Im tempted by the Nord library and regular updates (YC not updated in over a year now!) I am quite concerned about the longevity of the YC keybed having had it serviced once already and seen how it is constructed, but I also think I would benefit from a 73 note board which the Nord has. However, I have never played a Nord, just heard them online. I also like the fact you can stack two pianos and an organ in the YC to get some really deep and dirty sounds. I believe you can’t stack two pianos in the Nord which might be a deal breaker. Synths I can do on the iPad if need be but I am using this board for retro sounds; hammond, rhodes, wurli etc. so the synth section is less important to me. A decent piano is only necessary for rehearsing as it wont get used once I take the Korg GS out. Finally, to get a Nord, I will have to sell the YC for a decent price and pay another £400+ so this needs to be factored into my decision. Appreciate your thoughts, especially if you have experience of both.

Most synths using a diving board style key so they can protrude without getting caught (yeah, really) and keep the body smaller. What you will have is decades of injection moulded keys still being produced. Waterfalls are kept for organ style playing hence not that many (Nord Electro, YC61, Roland VR-730 are all I can think of). There is also the ‘argument’ that it extends the key ever so slightly making it easier to play. But you do have to ask why it is still there otherwise.

Why do piano keys have lips?? https://www.worldpianonews.com/general/explainers/lipped-waterfall-and-diving-board-keys/

I loved my CP4 and would have kept it had I not moved overseas. When I came back I looked for another but came across a bargain of a Korg Grandstage and I love it. CP4 still has one of my favourite keybeds though.