Nord User Forum

[harmonizer]

Have you tried the Royal Grand?

[st2ex]

Hi there,
Prefer as wll the right channel, as I' m most of the time playing with a band where the bass is played seperately and we don't miss the lower level of the left channel.

[Jhbackingtracks]

I know you say the two speaker thing is what you're looking Not to do. I felt the exact same way and never wanted to go stereo for the inconvenience of it all, regardless of how much better people kept saying it sounded. My Traynor K4 served my purposes fine but I wanted to go lighter so I got one K8.2. It just wasn't cutting it volume-wise for me. I was almost going to keep the K4 and return the qsc until I decided to just try out 2 K8.2s for one gig and see how it went. Amazingly, it was easier to lug around 2 k8.2s than the single K4. Both speakers combined are lighter and easier to carry with each in one hand. And the sound just blows anything else I've ever used away. They're so small and powerful that you may rethink the mono thing altogether.

That's funny! Many years ago I looked into the K4. They seem to be pretty extinct these days!? ... All these 'stereo amps' which accept a left and right channel, just seem stupid, because you're not actually getting any stereo separation, so surely it doesn't sound MUCH better than mono anyway?

I did re-think the whole mono thing many years ago, which is why I've been stereo EV-ing it for many years now, but it's just getting to the point of being very frustrated on the times where I simply can't have a stereo set up for many reasons, and would be great if I could find a way to be in mono but even slightly happier, especially for convenience gigs. The K8.2s look very appealing, and sound it too, but it seems mental spending all that money when I've already got the two EV's which do the exact same job for me, just to get a bit smaller, and still a bit of weight. If I didn't already have the EV's, I'd probably do the K8.2s!

Really interesting in trying these HK lucas nano things out, but I just can't see how the volume will ever compete with what's needed from reading the specs, and looking at the thing!

And to answer some of the above questions, yep, I've tried ALL the piano samples, and some are definitely better, but none are good in mono. I think I have most luck with the Black Upright.

Once this problem is solved, the next one is to get a way of making the pianos actually dynamically playable, without having to take my Sipario MIDI box. Which was great with the Stage 2EX, But because we have this MIDI LAG going on with the stage 3, it's making a lot of fast lines and slides come out delayed. But still, I'd rather just have a better piano velocity curve built within!

[hoopyfrood]

Lots of people seem to rate the Centerpoint Spacestation keyboard amp for what you're looking to do - subject of just about the longest thread on any forum ever over at Keyboard Corner:
http://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2602284/Head_s_up_SpaceStation_keyboar#Post2602284

Unfortunately, not the most affordable speaker on the planet...
http://aspenpittmandesigns.com/spacestation-v3/
https://www.thomann.de/gb/aspen_pittman_designs_spacestation_v.3.htm?ref=search_rslt_spacestation_361411_0

[danrv]

but it's just getting to the point of being very frustrated on the times where I simply can't have a stereo set up for many reasons, and would be great if I could find a way to be in mono but even slightly happier, especially for convenience gigs.

Are you using the EV's for audience sound as well as your own? This is quite an important distinction.
If the former then 12's are a good size to handle full range keyboards.
Back in the 90's I lugged around a power amp, line mixer and a pair of Peavey Eurosys 15 cabs for my amplification. Had a speaker each side of the stage at the back.
Yes I too would like a satisfactory mono piano sound for the equipment convenience but Nords aren't plug & play in this respect.
I soon sold my Roland KC350 after buying my Stage 2. KC amps had been absolutely fine for my board application for years (Roland and Korg) but I'm pleased with my Yamaha's.
Another option I considered was to get a cheap Roland XV2020 for a more amp friendly and clear piano sound.

If you're using them solely for your own monitoring then yes, the EV's might be a bit on the bulky side. 10" or 8" would be fine with the sound quality and power they put out these days.
I went for the Yamaha's as they were quite a bit cheaper than the QSC's, have better stereo mixing ability and possibly sound as good. Haven't AB'd them though.
They were a lot cheaper than the QSC's at the time but I think the price has gone up now.
Also the 10" from both companies can be used in a floor monitor position which is another reason why I chose this size.

The only time I use one DXR10 for audience sound and my own is on jazz duo gigs, usually sax and piano. The uprights I think work well in this environment. Often gigs are not the time or place to experiment with which output(s) sound best in mono so I usually use 1 and 2 into L&R on the Yamaha.
Also what works at home may not sound right at the venue.

If it were me I'd only want to take one 12" speaker to gigs. Two would be too much hassle as I need to fit the PA in my car too and those EV's are basically a band PA.
I reckon either persevere with honing a piano sound using EQ to suit your speaker or sell and downsize.
A cheaper option would be a pair of Alto TS210's for keyboard monitoring. I have one and the sound is excellent for the money.

[Mr. Marko]

For me, the short answer is no...a single sound origination point is not going to cut it when you have expectations beyond what we all did in the 70s. I received a $30 collapsible hand truck from sears and both my EV 12S ride nicely in and out the door with me for a good reason. When I am happy with my rig, I stop finding ways to spoil how I will feel about the gig when I'm tired and driving home.

[bgaeta]

Lots of people seem to rate the Centerpoint Spacestation keyboard amp for what you're looking to do - subject of just about the longest thread on any forum ever over at Keyboard Corner:
http://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2602284/Head_s_up_SpaceStation_keyboar#Post2602284

Unfortunately, not the most affordable speaker on the planet...
http://aspenpittmandesigns.com/spacestation-v3/
https://www.thomann.de/gb/aspen_pittman_designs_spacestation_v.3.htm?ref=search_rslt_spacestation_361411_0

Thank you for the link - I'm putting the weekend aside to read that KC thread looking for tips. I have a Spacestation v.3 and I love it with the NS2. The rotary simulation especially comes to life.

I use it for rehearsals and as a stage monitor. The main issue is getting the balance right when sending sounds that have a lot of stereo image mixed with a more centered sound. I do a lot of dual keyboard work with piano in one hand and organ and/or pad/strings in the other. Both the organ and the pads have a strong stereo image (rotary speaker or chorus) compared to the piano. I spend a lot of time tuning the programs so that the different sounds are at the right level relative to each other but often when I set up in a new room the relative volumes of the wide and narrow signals can change significantly compared to the rehearsal room.

I have now changed all my pianos to use the Royal Grand 3D as sample in order to get a more reproducible piano/organ balance. It works but it's a pain not to be able to use other samples. And the electric pianos are still mostly mono so the problem remains.

[monsterjazzlicks]

I should add the tweaking the EQ and reverb settings will also help improve your sound, if you’re not doing that already.

Hi Mike,

I will make this process my first port of call on my next gig. I'll tweak a piano in the LIVE section.

Cheers,

Paul

[LeftyBass68]

IMG_20200208_162415551.jpg (3.74 MiB) Viewed 1677 times

[/attachment]The lowly old Yorkville NX55P has two mono 1/4" ins,sums stereo at the built in mixer.I can get 'the whole enchilada' of signal through a single cab.
Not my favorite and usually ambitious enough to include stereo cabinets.When this is the config,I save weight per 'satellite' as they are Meyer Ultra's.(UPM-1P)
This means I need a sub.The UPM will go down to about 100HZ perfect,and are as accurate as anything one can obtain,most theatre 'under balconies and front fills' are this very box.
Also have an issue with the stands one must play 88 note keyboards on.No issues with 61,or 73 key models on Z stands though.
This is how I will accomplish both without dragging the larger subs to small gigs.The full monty is a lot of work.
The repurposed B&W DM630 cabinets are perfect stands/subs. Now they are 8" long excursion with a radiator.Installing double Neutrik NL4's and 1/4",no binding posts here.
Iso pads on top of subs to keep them from creating issues with the 88.I still use the '2 rig' every so often,though the 3 rig is seeing most of the action!
Take away the Z stand and the bass pedals for the C2D fit right under there too! Usually use a Leslie 142 though.

Summing stereo to a single cabinet only adds one cable in my case.Same with the summed 1/4" TRS outs of the Radial Key Largo.Mono at the cabinet.
cheers

[hilbilly parade]

Bright grand Xl Set Timber to bright..