s90es in mono?

[niacin]

Looking for some comments on the sound of the acoustic piano patches through a mono amp or PA.

Thanks.

[eric]

You can get through a gig, but I'm not a fan of the Yamaha pianos in mono.

[Clifton]

Yes erics right there, it seems the Yamaha pianos are rather stereo-reliant.

[Tusker]

I've wondered about this. My first use of the S90ES is tomorrow, and I have been selecting patches.

 

There is a "mono s" patch which sounds like the main piano patch in mono. Does this sound better than the mono out of the "natural s" over a mono system? If not, what do you use when in mono?

[eric]

I'm still on S90 v1.0, never having upgraded to the S90ES. I don't bother with trying to switch between stereo and mono piano sounds based on my rig (which is stereo 90% of the time anyways). I always thought the stereo sounds were better, just a little weird and phasey in mono. Not a deal-breaker, but a good reason to consider a stereo monitoring rig.

[kwgm]

I've wondered about this. My first use of the S90ES is tomorrow, and I have been selecting patches.

 

There is a "mono s" patch which sounds like the main piano patch in mono. Does this sound better than the mono out of the "natural s" over a mono system? If not, what do you use when in mono?

 

Yes, that's one of the uses for that patch. I've even played the S voices through a stereo channel of a single KC, but if you want to sound good, you need to physically split the channels by at least 30 feet and sit between them to hear subtleties in the sound, like the stereo phasing produced by the pedal's Damper Reso Fx.

 

Most of the voices are like this--the organs, the strings, even the horns and winds--but the pianos are most sensitive.

 

I use a pair of Roland KCs. Other good choices are a pair of Mackie or JBL powered speakers, a stereo PA, or even one of the new 'personal' PA systems.

 

If you already own a "stereo" keyboard amp, then go find another, get a couple of 100' 1/4" cables, and you'll be set. If not, take a look at the Yamaha StagePas 300 or even the 500 if you need the watts.

 

 

[MikeNZ]

Many of the stereo piano sounds may actually us the same stereo sample with slightly different synth parameters and effects. If you program new Mono piano patches with these synth parameters and effects you may be able to get mono sounds to match the stereo ones, for example warm grand, concert grand, bright etc, to duplicate your favourite stereo piano sound in mono.

 

Many of the sounds (e.g. brass, strings) may be mono sampled but use stereo effects, like stereo chorus, quadrature chorus, and stereo reverb. Getting a good mono sound from patches like this can be as simple as changing the effect to a mono one.

 

A bit of editing can go a long way to getting better mono performance.

 

Michael

[eric]

It is really only the acoustic piano sounds that seem to lack when played in mono. The rest of the sounds are ok. I guess most of us are using the acoustic piano sound quite a bit and it has become the measuring stick.

[niacin]

Thanks guys. Really enjoyed playing this board in the store through phones. Will look into substituting the mono samples for the stereo ones in my favourite patches, if I can work out how to do it - not a fan of Yamaha UIs.

[JeffLearman]

For you folks who play the S90ES in a mono rig, does it sound better simply using one channel rather than letting the board sum to mono?

 

My Ensoniq piano sounds better using just the right channel, esp. if you don't need deep bass. I'm wondering if the S90ES is similar.

 

[delirium]

It is really only the acoustic piano sounds that seem to lack when played in mono. The rest of the sounds are ok. I guess most of us are using the acoustic piano sound quite a bit and it has become the measuring stick.

 

exactly, I cannot stand acoustic piano sound in mono.