Weekend Warrior Keyboard Amplification Poll

[dreamer65]

A pair of Yamaha DXR10s. I use them at home (along with a set of Adam A7X monitors) and take one for practice and stage. Super simple, can be loud if needed, and sounds great.

 

Had two DXRs, too. Perfect for organ and e-piano in a rock/blues setup. The cooling fans were noisy at home. Sold DXRs because I wanted a combi for home practice and live monitoring and small piano-singer venues. Santa got me a stereo LD systems Curve 500 line array which I am currently getting familiar with. I think this will do the trick for the setup described. For the big beef and for occasional mono monitoring I will add an used RCF TT 08A in the long run if lucky enough to get one. These TTs plus additional KH 120 A studio monitors were my first choice for the big plus small combi but Santa was on a budget.

[Losendoskeys]

Home practice - through a Yamaha 4416 DAW to a pair of Carlsboro Hornet 45 keyboard combos and Motionsound Pro145 for the Hammond.

 

Live - we exclusively use a Behringer X32 with individual mixers into Sennheiser EW300 IEM.

My IEM earphones are Ultimate Ears Superfi 5EB - the ONLY earphones I find that really produce bass.

I will have to give up live performance if they ever pack in!

Nothing comes close.

[Al Quinn]

For home practice I use a Yamaha C3 acoustic grand about 90% of the time. I'll practice on the A100 w/Leslie 145 when I have an upcoming jazz organ gig. I also use an iPad Pro running iRealPro (which provides bass and drum tracks) through a small Bose Soundlink Air boombox for playing along with tunes or practice exercises. The iPad/Bose boombox combo also gets a lot of use when I give lessons. So, the Bose Soundlink Air is my most minimal amp. It's battery operated, very light, has very good audio fidelity, but has limited volume.

 

For transcribing, arranging, and notation I like to use a small midi keyboard with the iPad Pro through the Bose Soundlink Air boombox. I enjoy sitting in a comfortable chair/recliner with the iPad Pro and midi Keyboard when doing this type of stuff.

 

For travel/mobility it's all about convenience which means no seperate external amp. I use a Yamaha NP11. Although it seems kind of toy-ish I connect with this instrument. It's so convenient: battery operated, internal speakers, light, decent sound, and inexpensive.

 

Sometimes I gig with just a melodica. I really enjoy playing this instrument and people like hearing it. It fits in so well into an acoustic un-plugged type of gig. I bring an SM57 and plug into the PA.

 

For acoustic piano type jazz gigs (when an acoustic piano isn't available), rock, R&B, and blues gigs I play through an RCFTT08A on top of the SSV3 with it's front speaker facing down into the floor (which effectively silences the SSV3 front speaker). The SSV3 provides a beautiful fullness to the sound and the TT08A provides high fidelity (even at loud volume when needed). AP's, EP's organ, strings, horns, and synth all sound great through this amp combo. For small to medium sized bar, restaurant, or outdoor gigs I no longer go through the bands PA because I get a better sound out of the SSV3/TT08A combo. Some bandleaders have struggled when I say I don't want to go through the PA but once they hear my rig they're very happy.

 

For jazz organ gigs with LH bass I use the SSV3 on top of a Markbass 121P bass amp. Sounds great!

 

My world is almost exclusively stereo. The only mono situations I've had in recent times is using a single TT08A as a floor monitor when playing at a large venue with a pro FOH system.

 

I've seen that there a few different camps on the forum regarding the goal of amplification. For me the goal is to provide great sound for myself, the band, and the audience while keeping every piece of gear under 45 lbs. (i.e., if I were a few years younger I'd be open to heavier gear). I don't understand the "I'm the only one who matters" approach. Obviously for gigs with a pro sound company they're responsible for what the band and audience hear but for other gigs it's on me to provide great sound for everyone.

[mate stubb]

 

...however...

 

....when I really wanna have fun with an instrument, I set it up in the center of the room directly facing the Amphions with the Yamahas on either side of me, but slightly behind me. They're wired so that the Yamaha behind my right and the Amphion in front of my right get the same side of the stereo field, and vice versa.

 

The sound that I get when I play in that position is breathtaking. The detail and imaging from the Amphions coupled with the raw, fat sound of the Yamaha PA is way too much fun, and I have headroom for days (500w a side on the Amphions, 400w a side on the Yamahas), so I've got killer dynamic range as well.

 

Got the Nord Piano 3 in that spot at the moment. It likes being there a lot.

 

Does anyone else do anything like this?

 

I usually play thru PA speakers at home. Organ is pretty rough on my little nearfield monitors...

 

but I like your style!

[The Real MC]

 

...however...

 

....when I really wanna have fun with an instrument, I set it up in the center of the room directly facing the Amphions with the Yamahas on either side of me, but slightly behind me. They're wired so that the Yamaha behind my right and the Amphion in front of my right get the same side of the stereo field, and vice versa.

 

The sound that I get when I play in that position is breathtaking. The detail and imaging from the Amphions coupled with the raw, fat sound of the Yamaha PA is way too much fun, and I have headroom for days (500w a side on the Amphions, 400w a side on the Yamahas), so I've got killer dynamic range as well.

 

Got the Nord Piano 3 in that spot at the moment. It likes being there a lot.

 

Does anyone else do anything like this?

 

I usually play thru PA speakers at home. Organ is pretty rough on my little nearfield monitors...

 

but I like your style!

 

Most of the time I play through my JBL nearfields, but I also have the companion subwoofer which makes a big difference - the key is to place the subwoofer at least five feet from you so that the longer waveforms can be heard. I like to work for a few hours at a time so low volume reduces the ear fatigue and saves the ears.

 

Once in a while I do enjoy firing up my 2000 watt PA with twin subs loaded with 18s (each side), and rattling my b@lls with Taurus pedals radiating through it (you don't just HEAR Taurus bass...). One of these days I'll have to learn Watcher Of The Skies. You ain't heard nothing until you play OBX and Memorymoog through a system of that size...

 

One night I was blasting the PA and before I knew it, it was 2 in the morning. When I saw my neighbor I apologized for the noise - he never heard a thing. Our dwellings are a good 100ft apart and we're in rural wide open country.

 

Having been married before, I know that there is no way to isolate the sound from a home studio and I was limited how much I could work there. Headphones are not a solution. Anyone who writes songs know that there is a lot of repetition involved which can wear thin on the occupants. I am planning to build my retirement house, and am planning a separate building for the studio so I can blast away without annoying the occupants.

[rockinroller]

I've played gigs for almost 50 years and have been through just about every iteration of keyboard output imaginable. I played a B3 and a Wurly elec. piano back in the old days, with the Hammond going through a real Leslie (often mic'd into the PA--at least the upper rotor) and the piano going into a Fender Bassman amp. As equipment evolved and dropped weight and form factor, I've ended up recently with sound reinforcement that is not lacking anything as far as power, punch and portability. It's an ALTO Trusonic 212A powered wedge. It weighs under 30 lbs, is easy to carry (several handles), and kicks out on stage as well as anything I've ever used (and that includes Peavey's KB series, Roland's KC series, bass combo amps with two 10s or a 15" and tweeter, and several other powered speaker cabinets from EV, JBL and Mackie). Plus for the money you can't beat it (under $300 retail). I've got two and run my (2) boards into a Samson 6 channel unpowered mixer first, then one line out into each speaker's input. When doing large concerts and shows I usually take one speaker as an on-stage monitor and use its line-out into the mains. Perfect and powerful solution.

[John Tweed]

Like many of the crew here I've been gigging for a while, over 50 years, so I've used a lot of different rigs over that time. At home I play thru Tannoy Reveals with a modest sub.

 

Gigwise it comes down to two pieces - an SS3 and a K10. The SS3 is the first choice for band gigs (with a bass player), and the K10 is the first choice if I'm playing LHB or I want a quick in and out. I use them in various combinations as well, most succesfully using Al Quinn's idea with my K10 on top of the SS3 lying face down on the floor. I've had good results with an external crossover between the two but it's a more complicated setup and I like to keep things simple.

 

The other alternatives I still have are, a Behringer K3000FX which used to be my main amp prior to the K10, a Motion Sound Pro3X which I've not used since I got my Ventilator, a Fender Blues Jnr and my Leslie. This last lot only leave the house on special occasions or in emergencies.

 

It's all a long way from my very first amp - a Stromberg Carlson radio!

[HammondDave]

Everything goes through my EV's....

[MoodyBluesKeys]

Different size powered PA - go with smallest and lightest that will do what is needed: tiny Roland CM30 amp, pair of QSC K10's, pair of EV SXA-100+ (12"); pair of JBL EON 15G2.

Also a big Trace Elliot bass amp with 2X10 + horn and 1x15 cabs - too heavy and bulky to haul around, especially since I no longer have a van.

 

Overall, I like keyboards through the pair of EV the most.

 

[Doerfler]

Overall, I like keyboards through the pair of EV the most.

seems to be a recurring theme.

[Paul Harrison]

For home, rehearsals, gigs, I use a JBL EON 515XT ... loud, clear, lightweight, reliable.

[MoodyBluesKeys]

Overall, I like keyboards through the pair of EV the most.

seems to be a recurring theme.

 

I'm not sure if this is the difference between the QSC and EV, or the difference between 10" and 12" woofers. I do use the QSC more when playing out, the EV typically stay on stands in my shop/studio. Having two line inputs instead of one also makes the QSC easier if I use two boards, or one board plus the iPad.

 

On the JBLs - one stays at church, the other has lived in its bag for a while - not just the weight, but handle in a poor location for carrying. I also have a pair of JLB EON 10 G2, which stay in the house connected to my wife's PC2X - they presented a problem gigging that they would overhead and the volume would be automatically limited too low to be usable.

The JBLs were bought first, then the EVs, then the QSCs.

 

They are ALL far superior in sound and ease of use to what I used to use back in the '80s.

 

[Moonglow]

Overall, I like keyboards through the pair of EV the most.

seems to be a recurring theme.

I've noticed that trend too.

 

I have an old pair of EV SxA250 powered speakers that I use intermittently with one of my bands, and really enjoy them. They have more warmth and body than my JBL. I'm looking forward to auditioning the newer ETX line but need to save a few nickels before experiencing that temptation. Rick Wakeman's over-the-top praise for these things is a rather strong endorsement, as well.

[cphollis]

Related, but unrelated ...

 

Felt the need to talk a bit about doing sound for the band vs. just the keyboards.

 

http://chucksblog.typepad.com/late_bloomer/2016/12/getting-the-sound-right-for-your-band-1.html

[Stokely]

There are occasions where I need an amp--small gigs usually by external sound companies; practice--and for those occasions I use one of my ebay-special dirt-cheap powered speakers. They've held up fairly well for years, though for their size and weight (12" speakers) they can't put out all that much volume. I recall one benefit show that was very loud (ugh) where no instruments were running into the PA, and I cranked my speaker to the point where it actually was distorting and "warbling" in pitch in an attempt for me to hear myself...

 

That said, I'm IEM all the way whenever I can. It is orders of magnitude more satisfying (to me) than any kind of open-air amplification. I can hear everything, including my keys and vocals, way more clearly. No more ear-ringing after shows...I would have quit playing by now due to fears over hearing loss (I am 49 and play a few times a month). I don't try to use IEMs unless we are using our own board though.

[Aspen]

Related, but unrelated ...

 

Felt the need to talk a bit about doing sound for the band vs. just the keyboards.

 

http://chucksblog.typepad.com/late_bloomer/2016/12/getting-the-sound-right-for-your-band-1.html

 

EXCELLENT article Chuck, well crafted and spot on! This is a great resource on getting a good band sound for the newbie and pro alike...I will certainly share this link.