Advice on Nord and speakers

[Nillerbabs]

Hello folks,

 

 

I too have finally had an opportunity to try out the SV-1 and like others I didn't like the limited selection of Rhodes timbres. This and my lust for a short weighted gigging board with lovely rhodes and piano brought me back to nord. I have lost myself in the Nord piano sounds, but have also encountered speakers incapable of making them sound not-so-good. Have you guys got any suggestions as to which gigging speakers (active or passive) would make Nord pianos sound good?

 

 

Thanks,

 

 

Niels.

[retrokeys]

Nord piano sounds seem to cause as much debate here as anything. I have found that people seem to like the sound at a distance. Close up it's another story, for me at least. I think the piano is the weakest part of the instrument. That being said, a lot of people here like to run their keyboards through PA speakers either active or passive. The trick is in the balance between the horn and woofer. If it does the human voice well it seems to work with keyboard. If you can, try out some Mackies or EVs. They seem to be the top contenders. Also, mono seems to be preferred over stereo but definitely try it both ways.

 

[MoodyBluesKeys]

Might add QSCs and JBLs to the list. The Nord might be a place where the Accugroove 3way cabinets driven by a QSC power amp would be a good fit also.

 

[WWW]

Nord pianos sound just great through a good stereo system (QSC K10's or 12's, AccuGroove cabs with nice external power, EV 360's etc....)

[mate stubb]

Accurate flat midrange is key, hence my love for the 3 way ACs. My Nord also had a good tone thru the 2 way JBL PRX speaks, due to the active tuned EQ which keeps things pretty flat.

[Nillerbabs]

Great ideas and info, folks. I'll definitely look into this! Thanks.

[frogmonkey]

I'm in the same boat as you , Nillerbabs. I have high hopes for the QSC k12's. My local music store is about to get some in, and when they do I'll try them with my rig, and report here!

 

It's funny about those Nord pianos... I really hated them at first. Now I really like them, but I have a hard time getting a good stage sound with them. When I go out in the room and ask someone to play the thing, it sounds great to me. Recordings of the Nord piano sound great to me too, both live recordings off the board, and in my friend's studio. I haven't tried the mono piano sample yet, which is silly because I monitor in mono.

[Nillerbabs]

Well well, what we have here? Please do report on those K12's. I myself am actually starting to lean towards QSC K's, uncertain of whether the K10's will suffice. It will only be used for small/medium gigs and monitors during the loud gigs. Here's to more love for the Nord pianos - I'm looking forward to trying out the acoustic phenomenons of the Piano 88 and hoping there will be a 76.

[lerber3]

Don´t forget to set ´mono´ on the piano patch when you run mono... through headphones this sucks the life out of the sound, but improves the sound through a mono sound system.

 

IMO, the piano sounds great through a PA, but hard to get it to sound as good from a single amp if you are using the same amp for monitoring yourself. My ideal setup would be to sit in a stereo monitor field, but send mono to the PA... but that´s not how it works. I wish there were a way to send a stereo signal to 1&2 outputs and a mono signal to 3.

[WWW]

Well well, what we have here? Please do report on those K12's.

I am using the K12's with a NS88. They are just fine. Pretty flat. Not boomy. And they handle the wide range of NS sounds quite handily.

[ewall08530]

I'm using one K-10 with the Superior mono piano on the Roland RD 300GX. It sounds good enough that I've been leaving the bigger heavier Motion Sound KP200S home and not really missing the stereo image that much.

 

The K-10 has plenty of volume when I use my mixer but going directly into the monitor cuts the volume output significantly.

 

ewall.biz

[Nillerbabs]

The K-10 has plenty of volume when I use my mixer but going directly into the monitor cuts the volume output significantly.

 

How come? I'd be delighted if you'd bother explaining why to a guy as green as I Cause I'm wanting the portability of the K10's, but am afraid they won't have enough output.

[kanker.]

The K-10 has plenty of volume when I use my mixer but going directly into the monitor cuts the volume output significantly.

 

How come? I'd be delighted if you'd bother explaining why to a guy as green as I Cause I'm wanting the portability of the K10's, but am afraid they won't have enough output.

The preamp stage of the K series is not quite up to the job unfortunately, but if you get a hot enough signal in there, they K's will pump out some serious volume

[Ian Benhamou]

The K-10 has plenty of volume when I use my mixer but going directly into the monitor cuts the volume output significantly.

 

How come? I'd be delighted if you'd bother explaining why to a guy as green as I Cause I'm wanting the portability of the K10's, but am afraid they won't have enough output.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the Nord output stage was tailored more to be run trough amps or tube preamps. For example, the option on the NE2 to route organ through left only and piano through right only is a clear indication that they expect a good number of user to run through real leslie's or guitar amps for the clavs and ep's. That's why (i think) the output for the Nord's are fairly low.

 

Running it through a good mixer with a good quality mic preamp or through a good tube pre will definitely warm up and boost your signal.

[bhodaway10]

I remember a guy using a Rolls Mini mixer to bump up the signal for the new JBL's. I'm assuming this would work for the QSC's too?

 

http://www.zzounds.com/item--RLLMX28

[Nillerbabs]

I remember a guy using a Rolls Mini mixer

 

Oh my! K's or no K's, I'm gonna get me one of those. I guess that's what I've been looking for for some time, talking live mixers. Just ready to be stacked on top of that keyboard!

[mate stubb]

Please don't put a noisy mixer in the signal chain with your expensive keyboards and expensive speakers.

[bhodaway10]

Is the rolls noisy? I thought it was a good brand.

[Nillerbabs]

Oh well

[joemmi]

Yeah the Nord's output is a bit low. And having a Mixer on top plus power supply etc. is a bit annoying. But then, there are a few integrated solutions. I finally ended up using the Yamaha StagePAs (10inch for under 10kg including mixer) Series, including a fine Yamaha Mixer in the cabinet, and comparing them one by one with the 10 inch RCF monitor, found no difference with the Nord pianos. Couldn't be happier given I dig portability. Now they are a steal at <400 EUR for the 250M.

[frogmonkey]

The preamp stage of the K series is not quite up to the job unfortunately, but if you get a hot enough signal in there, they K's will pump out some serious volume

 

Noooo! Say it isn't true! My hopes are dashed on the rocks... Will we never find an easy, high quality amp solution?

 

O, how I long to plug in the Electro, plug in the amp, connect them with a single cable, and play! One trip, car-to-stage, and it would sound so much better than an Eon.

[bhodaway10]

I tried a C1 directly through a single K8 and guitar center and was surprised at how good it sounded.

 

I'm no expert on preamps and I didn't try the K10 or K12 so I'm not sure if it would be the same for both.

 

 

 

 

[WWW]

Is the rolls noisy? I thought it was a good brand.

 

I have an ART POWERMIX III.

http://www.audio-depot.com/images/ART%20ProMix.jpg

But it is a bit noisy... I think ROLLS may be a better product. Any thoughts you guys???

[WWW]

oops--- wrong picture

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:PtZFz45iEVnlIM:http://www.audio-depot.com/images/ART%2520PowerMix%2520III.jpg

[Nillerbabs]

I remember a guy using a Rolls Mini mixer

 

Please don't put a noisy mixer in the signal chain with your expensive keyboards and expensive speakers.

 

Just because I think it's such a pity that a great mixer layout like that should go to waste, anybody know of other mixers with the same sort of layout that sound better than what Moe describes them as?

[VegasGT3]

I run my Nord C-1 and Electro 3 through a K12 with no volume issues whatsoever. Most of the time I use Mackie Onyx Mixer (very quiet)< but it doesn't need it for volume.

[frogmonkey]

Hey Niels, I finally got to try the k12. It was wicked loud, with no mixer or preamp.

 

I tried the K10 again, and I thought it would be loud enough even though I initially suspected it wouldn't be. I bought one.

 

I haven't really put it to the test yet. I used it at one rehearsal for a Salsa band where I played only piano on the Electro3 and didn't need much volume, and it sounded excellent! I also managed to load in all my gear, including sheet music and beer, in a single trip!

 

I also used it at a gig on a nice stage with a good sound system and a full loud band. However, it was one of those gigs with multiple bands so setup was rushed, with no sound-check, and the stage volume (including the keys in the monitor wedges) was so loud that I didn't really pay attention to the k10's. (An excellent gig, by the way!)

 

I've got 4 gigs with the same band this week, so I'll see how it goes.

 

I'm pretty sure I could use it with my jazz quartet as my only amplification in a small room. It will be a while before I have the opportunity to try.

[Nillerbabs]

Cool to hear! I think I have pretty much settled on the K10, so when the day comes that willl be mine. I'll be looking forward to hearing how it goes with these different gigs. I play with both some pretty loud and pretty quiet stuff - I'll probably just oughta check if the K10 will suffice for monitoring in loud situations.

[keyoctave]

I remember a guy using a Rolls Mini mixer to bump up the signal for the new JBL's. I'm assuming this would work for the QSC's too?

 

http://www.zzounds.com/item--RLLMX28

 

That would be me.

 

I went to purchase a pair of K-10's and left with a pair of JBL 510's. Why? Because they sounded just as good (to my ears), weighted much less (17 lbs) and cost me $400 less for the pair over the QSC's (the QSC could play louder but sounded strained at that level). I already had the Rolls mixer, so the pre-amp issue with the JBL's was not an issue for me. Now I read that the QSC's have pre-amp limitations similar to the JBL's.

 

So, since you will need a small mixer to boost the level to drive the speakers at maximum volume, I would suggest you give the JBL's a serious listen before you purchase the QSC's. I am not knocking the QSC's at all. They are an excellent speaker. If not for the cost difference, I probably would have gone with them just because they are a newer design.

[Jeff_D_in_MD]

I find the QSC K10 is loud enough if the band is playing at a reasonable volume, but if the guitarists turn up too loud the NE2 has trouble competing when run through the K10 alone. I use a small mixer to provide some gain (and to mix in a second board, of course).