Recommendation of monitors & PA ?

[CountFosco]

Anyway I will consider the QSC however they are really big and heavy so perhaps they are overkill in my
studio after all.
Thanks to you guys.

If it's just for your own studio, not for monitoring in a band situation, I'd recommend a pair of active nearfield monitors in the 5 - 7" woofer range. There are a lot of options depending on budget. I've always been perfectly satisfied with the low freq response and power output of my JBL LSR305s, I know a lot of fellow forumites use them too.

[Schwaner]

Hey Scott, thanks a lot. Agreed all your said. I will check out the Electro Voice ZXa1 if they are available
anywhere nearby.
However, actually I have got a much better sound by canceling the Guitar cabinet and
realised that there is a pair of EQ switches on the back of the EV speakers which was in position "EQ off"
rather then on. Changing that setting and removed the 2 x 12" cabinets made a world of diffrends.
Thanx again guys. You are all very helpful.

[SteveNordP3]

One option to consider would be a pair of Bose LI model 1s. Depending on where you play you can fill upwards of a 500 seat auditorium, or play at home, and you play in front of the speakers so no need for IEMs, and with a pair you can play in stereo which really brings out the glory of the piano library. They’re easy to transport too. I have no affiliation with Bose but I use these and love them. I was using one for mono for a while and that was good, but stereo is simply the best.

Good luck!

https://pro.bose.com/en_us/products/por ... el_1s.html

[Nord33]

One option to consider would be a pair of Bose LI model 1s. Depending on where you play you can fill upwards of a 500 seat auditorium, or play at home, and you play in front of the speakers so no need for IEMs, and with a pair you can play in stereo which really brings out the glory of the piano library. They’re easy to transport too. I have no affiliation with Bose but I use these and love them. I was using one for mono for a while and that was good, but stereo is simply the best.

Good luck!

https://pro.bose.com/en_us/products/por ... el_1s.html

No, no, no, no... don't ever come up with Bose as an professional PA for keyboard that costs 3000€.

why?

Simply, Bose is type of company that makes commercial "plug & play" products, some of their product are well made and so on... but I personally have Bose L1 with my team, and any keyboard sounds so so bad through it.
Here is technical explanation:

Bose L1 consists of 2" tweeters and 8" bass driver. 8" bass driver is good enough for low end, but 2" tweeters are way to weak to offer good mid-range and High end at the same time. Mid range frequencies are very important for keyboard to sound massive and powerful (except low end below 80Hz). Simply, Bose L1 cannot offer good quality mid-range.

I know it's up to the personal taste and wishes and dreams, but I really think that Bose is not the best solution especially for us, keyboardists. I went to the store few days ago and connected NP5 to HK Audio Polar 10 & 12 speakers. They're very similar to Bose L1, except they're 10 kilos heavier and 20x better in sound quality. I don't say they're perfect, but if someone is looking for that kind of speaker, I personally think that HK audio or LD audio are much better options than Bose.

HK audio polar 10: 10" bass woofer, 3,5" tweeters (which is much better than 2")
HK audio polar 12: 12" bass woofer, 3,5" tweeters (this one sounds even better to me, with punchier bass. But not because it's 2" bigger than 10", but because it's physically bigger than 10" box, so it has more breathing room and therefore sounds much better with lower end)

once again, it's all up to the personal taste, but Bose, hmm... it's really not professional equipment...

[SteveNordP3]

No, no, no... don't ever come up with Bose as an professional PA for keyboard that costs 3000€.

...

Are you *sure* of your opinion? You don’t seem confident to me…. (sarcasm mode on strong….).

[cphollis]

Yikes. I actually tried a pair of L1s once. Early on, that is. I won't ever be tempted again.

[wweiss]

The new Bose Pro32/Sub1 is another league from the previous L1Compact that most people are familiar with. Bose has 180 degree coverage that fills the largest spaces with a super light rig. Most users don't use monitors and feedback issues are greatly reduced compared to traditional tops.

[LA lefty]

IEMs is the real answer. If not feasible, then use a pair of powered monitors such as QSC K10 or K12.

I’ve never used or shopped for IEMs. Can anyone recommend 1 or 2 good models, with Nord acoustic pianos in mind? How do IEMs fit into the signal chain of keyboard-DI-PA mixer-stage and main monitors? Thanks

[spradders]

IEMs: ideal scenario is you get a dedicated IEM monitor output from the desk, and can mix your own feed using an app. If this isn't possible then I have a small IEM mixer box ($50 eg ART My Monitor Personal Mixer) which allows me to take a feed from my keyboard (via DI box) and mix with any generic monitor out from the desk, and hear via IEMs. Sometimes (e.g. small, loud blues gigs) I just use the IEMs for the keyboard and hear enough of everyone else through ambient sound.
I've found that the quality of IEMs is important, but not essential. The most important thing is getting a good fit (seal) to reduce ambient noise as much as possible. I've found that generic rubber / foam tips for earphones are OK but get uncomfortable. Moulded inserts for standard earphones (e.g. Shure) are a bit better but can be annoying (e.g. fall off) if you remove the IEMs frequently (I'm an incessant fiddler). Best option is fully moulded IEMs, which can be cheaper than you might expect (few hundred $).
Aside - I was looking at getting an inline volume control so I could just plug IEMs direct into Nord headphone output for desperate situations where I just want to block out the noise and still hear myself. Haven't quite sorted this yet.
I've got: QSC k8.2 and Yamaha DXR10 monitor speakers, Shure SE215 with moulded tips, other brand (?) triple driver fully moulded IEMs.

[cphollis]

What @spradders said -- I'm doing the same thing, and it's awesome. I use the Westone AM PRO 30s on stage (snug fit!) and you can just get lost in the sound. Like spradders -- in my case, it's a 16 channel digital feed to a compatible personal mixer (Behringer stuff). I simply adjust the volume of each channel (including keys) to my personal taste. I'm my own sound person.

Works best when the rest of the band is doing the same.

In the non digital world, it's a stereo DI to split the outbound signal, fed back to a cheapo mixer that blends keys with monitor mix. Less control that way, but it's also great with either IEMs or a loudspeaker of some sort. There are other ways to mix signal, e.g. use a powered 8" that has two separate inputs, and they will work as well.