Acoustic piano at gigs

[Cadmiumred]

Hi,
Specifically, at a gig, how do you go very loud to cut through guitars and amps without a bad distorted sound. Used italian and Grand Lady D. Eq doesnt help. Do I have to bring my own speakers but what will cut through????

[anotherscott]

Lots of stuff will go as loud as you need, though a lot of amps that are good for "keyboards" in general still don't sound so great for piano in particular. Starting at the low end of the price/size spectrum, you could look at something like an EV ZXa1 or a QSC K8.2. It may help to put the Nord through a small mixer. How loud you need go be also depends on how loud the other players are and how big a room you're playing. At a certain point, it can make sense to put the keyboards through the main PA.

[Cadmiumred]

Thank you Scott. My keyboard was connected to the bars main PA system the other night and was extremely distorted. The rest of the band plays very loud. Would the Qsc, EV or a Space Station be loud enough. Cant get the lead guitarist to turn down his volume, haha.......

[Cadmiumred]

You mention various aspects, I'd like to start with the last one: Keyboard through the bar's PA sounded distorted. You haven't plugged in your line-outs to Mic-level-inputs, have you? So then the PA may have been beyond it's potential, if the band plays very loud. To solve only with other/better equipment as far as the PA is concerned.
Next point: Piano-sound that cuts through. If I play a piece like Adele's Someone like you, I prefer the Boesendorfer Grand Imperial. For tunes where the Piano only has a normal role, such as Because the night or so, you need to have a Piano with a brilliant attack. I choose the Bright Grand Yamaha S4. Others are too soft.
Both in XL, because my NE5D has enough memory.
Best regards from Germany

[silver surfer]

Agree on both the QSC K8.2 or K10.2 powered speaker and using the Bright Grand or Silver Grand pianos. Personally I use the 10.2 and Bright Grand. I also EQ the pianos so that there is a mid-cut, which helps at higher volumes.

[venro]

On piano sounds I always use the kbd touch 123 (both lamps). It gives every piano a much brighter sound. Dont forget to save it with your program.

[Cadmiumred]

Thank you all. Is the Qsc 10.2 better than 10?

[criss]

The "Silver Grand" is my piano for gigs.

[silver surfer]

Thank you all. Is the Qsc 10.2 better than 10?

I can't quite answer that but I used to gig with a K12 and bought the 10.2 just to have something lighter and smaller. For keys and pianos in particular, the 10.2 is noticeably better than the K12, but I don't have a K10 to compare it to. The K12 Is now for sale. I would do some research on this sight, though. There are several threads scattered around here regarding QSC speakers, and a great majority prefer the K 8 ore 8.2. Not just here but other sites as well. I use a pair of speakers as a full PA in other situations, so I went with the 10.2's for that reason. From everything I have read in the last few years, my advice to you would be to look for a used K8 if you are on a budget, or get a new K8.2. I can also vouch specifically for the K10.2 - it sounds awesome for keys. Also, after many years of struggling with other speakers, the Nord pianos finally sound good using this speaker. Plenty of volume as well in a band situation.

[Ignatius]

If you can stand playing with folks who don't care if everyone can hear everyone, so be it, but that is a deal killer with me.

The one thing that has helped me in situations like this is having a dedicated monitor for me only, channeling the keyboard only, that I can adjust as I need it. The Kord SV-1 was great because it has two outs, a phone jack and XLR in parallel, and you could send one where you need it independent of the other. The Nord is not so equipped, but putting a small mixer between you and the house PA could solve for this.

I use a small PA, the Yamaha StagePas 500 for my personal monitor in situations like this. However, I have left groups because people were so focused on themselves that they did not care what kind of experience the rest of the group is having. Playing with folks who play too loud can promote deafness worst of all, but also a loss of subtlety and musicality in your playing. I know how tough it is to find others to play with sometimes depending on your circumstances, but think about it for your own sake, and the sake of your technique.